First Impressions
This was a very interesting album. It was not as good nor as bad as I was expecting it to be.
I didn't know what to expect from Coheed's middle period. From what it seems to me, this is the first album that was released after their crazy 10/10 run in the 2000s. So I was a little cautious coming in here. But it did surprise me in how different it sounds from pretty much every other album I've heard from them.
While Coheed has never veered away from dark topics, they've never sounded dark. The closest you can get are some of the more metal and screamy parts of their early material, but even then, that feels more filled with attitude than dark.
This album SOUNDS dark. In a very cool way too.
In theory, their sound is pretty much the same. Pop punk with a very progressive nature. There are still catchy choruses, super singable ballads and very unique fast beats and riffs. But, this albums turns the weird knob up a few notches.
You'll now have really crazy shreddy moments like the start of Guns Of Summer, broken riffs and solos like in Far and Pearl Of The Stars, darker and more minor melodies like in This Shattered Symphony or In The Flame Of Error. It's like if you took the very tongue-in-cheek agressive moments of Good Apollo and removed the playfulness. The album feels much more serious.
Now, while this does serve to make the album unique, I do think it steals a little from the spark that makes this band great. This band is amazing at making catchy melodies and incorporating them into grander themes and songs. And this album, while it has catchy songs, they're not as good as their earlier material.
I'm thinking of The Broken and Guns Of Summer, both are really good songs actually, but they feel just a little lacking when it comes to the potential you know this band can reach.
Now, this doesn't mean I don't like them. In fact I think they're a really good start to the album. Both choruses are really good, and the starting riff of Guns Of Summer is actually insane, like pretty damn shreddy.
The main highlight of the album is actually the most unexpected songs if you ask me. The two ballads here are kind of extremely beautiful?
Far is absolutely perfect, and it's not your typical love song. It talks about one character wanting nothing more than to help the other and love them. But the other has become fearful and apprehensive. It reflects this pain of love that's almost become unrequited and it's heartbreaking. And honestly it just sounds amazing. The dark, super open reverby sound of this album is just such a perfect fit for it. And then the solo comes with like 5 effects that makes it sound broken in a super psychedelic way. Honestly it's pretty experimental for a ballad.
The other ballad, Pearl Of The Stars, is equally perfect to me. It's a little softer, sweeter, more akin to a traditional love song, though it still has a dark undertone with some music box-esque notes following certain melodies that almost make it sound creepy. It's really really cool and it's just such a sweet melody and such a sweet beautifully dark song.
There are some faster tracks that are really good too. This Shattered Symphony and In The Flame Of Error are the ones that embrace this dark sound the best. Their choruses are so deliciously dark with really unique melodies that really emphasize. Also there's some really really aweomse drum parts like the prechorus of Shattered Symphny. I love when drummers break up the rhythm and accent it with open hi-hat hits.
That it the extent of the highlights for me. They're definitely less than what I would've liked, but honestly this album has enough personality and balls to try something different. And honestly when it fully commits is when it succeeds the most.
Don't give me attempts at sounding poppy with a little darkness. Give me a full on goth punk album. Still, as I said, while half the songs here do sound like filler, they're still pretty good.
I liked this more than Father Of Make Believe, being unique really does carry an album a long way for me. Won't come back to too many songs from here, but the ones I will come back to are going to be regulars in my Coheed rotation.
Ranking
Far
Pear Of The Stars
In The Flame Of Error
This Shattered Symphony
Guns Of Summer
The Broken
Here We Are Juggernaut
When Skeletons Live
World Of Lines
Made Out Of Nothing
The Black Rainbow.
One
Rating