Coheed and Cambria

Hands down, Coheed & Cambria's biggest asset is its commitment to dorkiness. The latest release from the New York four-piece serves as the final pane in an outer-space comic book that began on 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade. Naturally, the story is tough to follow, but this much is clear: something of interstellar importance hangs in the balance, and frontman Claudio Sanchez holds a secret.

Sonically, Turbine Blade paired its spacey narrative arc and punk-pop bounce with imposing song structures, lengthy titles and oddball time signatures—in short, it was a baby prog monster. With each subsequent release—2003's In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and 2005's Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV: Vol 1—C&C nurtured an increasing interest in Rush-sized melodrama and King Crimson theatrics. In short, the baby was growing up.

On No World for Tomorrow—the sequel to Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV: Vol 1—Sanchez and company enlist the help of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins to seal the final chapter. Beginning with a brief acoustic introduction, the album dives directly into familiar emo-prog territory on chop-slayer "No World For Tomorrow," reinforced by both the cascading palm-muted guitar lines and shuffling drum pattern that have become calling cards of the band's more direct moments.

The song that follows, "The Hound (of Blood and Rank)," is Coheed at its most memorable, trading left turns for pop hooks and vice versa. The album's mid-section sustains itself only as a precursor to a 20-some-odd minute, five-part conclusion. And just like that, "The End Complete," a hulking epic that runs the gamut from Uriah Heep-style '70s bombast to modern Mars Volta wizardry, delivers the final word on the Coheed & Cambria saga. It's a fitting finale. But with the comic book closed, where will the Warped Tour's favorite dorks go next?

—Robbie Mackey
10.22.07

With guitar bombast and shrill vocals, No World for Tomorrow concludes Coheed and Cambria's long-running prog-opera about family, homicide, and the apocalypse. There's enough genuine melody here to attract newcomers, but tuning in to Coheed's sci-narrative during its final installment (Tomorrow is the finale of a multi-chaptered story) is similar to watching Return of the Jedi without seeing any of the preceding Star Wars flicks -- there's still fun to be had, but one can't help but feel a tad uninformed. Accordingly, the album is simple ear candy for those who haven't studied the band's previous releases, and sweet resolution for those who can spot the references to older songs (specifically "Blood Red Summer") and former riffs ("The Crowing"). Claudio Sanchez continues to steer his bandmates through progressive rock territory, using Queensrÿche's Operation: Mindcrime and Rush's conceptual catalog to help light the way. Like the singer's shockingly huge mound of hair, Sanchez's vocals are campy, ludicrous, but nevertheless appealing, with high notes and vibrato-heavy lines drawing the usual comparisons to Geddy Lee. Still, the whole package may be difficult to stomach for some listeners. This is full-blown rock influenced by Tolkien novels, Marvel comics, and the Sci-Fi Channel; those who don't prefer their music with a side of !Dungeons and Dragons should turn away at the first burst of synthesized thunder. But listeners who venture onward will find a number of enjoyable would-be singles: "Feathers," "Running Free," and "The End Complete IV: The Road and the Damned" (quite possibly the most high-brow power ballad this side of "Silent Lucidity"). ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide