Pre Order Color The Color Before The Sun HERE
Coheed and Cambria isn’t just the name of a band, it’s the name of two characters in a science fiction story called The Amory Wars. If you’re reading this, you probably know that. Claudio Sanchez’s twisted story of doomed lovers has spanned seven albums, over twenty comic books, a novel and even the possibility of a film in the future that no one seems to know anything about. By now, if you’re not “one among the fence,” you’re just out of the loop. But fear not, because Sanchez and his bandmates are giving you the perfect opportunity to hop on board and fall in love with their music, only this time there won’t be any depraved sci-fi hijinks to compliment the songs.
The Color Before the Sun is Coheed and Cambria’s most accessible album to date, and for that reason it surpasses 2012 and 2013’s lofty double album The Afterman in terms of sheer songwriting. There aren’t any lengthy, operatic pieces on Sun. Believe it or not, that isn’t a negative. This album has a focus that was missing on the last one, and that focus makes listening feel as fresh as the first time hearing any of their older material. I can’t stress enough how carefully put-together, meticulously produced and full of pleasant surprises these songs are.
For veteran fans, what might be most apparent is the tenderness throughout. Since for the first time in the band’s career there isn’t any plotline to fulfill, they’re taking on more relatable subjects. “Here to Mars” is a straight up love song that might make hopeless romantics feel inferior for not having written it. “Atlas,” a song Claudio wrote for his son, is made of the stuff that any parent will understand. It’s like this generation’s “With Arms Wide Open,” only heavier and without Scott Stapp’s churchy affectation. This stuff is by no means par for the Coheed course. When Claudio sings that Atlas is the “love that is guiding him home,” that’s obviously lightyears from “die white girls,” but it doesn’t seem wrong. This progression into tame domestication feels organic, and I love it.
Luckily, the boy’s only try a little tenderness on this outing, and when the album rocks, it rocks like a son-of-a-bitch. “Island,” the opener, is a near-perfect rock & roll anthem that rides along on a punky chord progression and sometimes sounds like a fresh-faced and eager garage band’s DIY recording that snuck off and got itself polished. “Eraser” has some sexy and danceable verses, but the chorus (and eventual guitar solo) is cut from a far more aggressive cloth. And then there’s “The Audience.” The second-to-last jam on Sun is the most familiar sound I could find, chock-full of Claudio’s signature vengeful vocal presence and merciless guitar leads. Not only is it my favorite song on the album, it’s one of my favorite songs in the band’s discography.
It would be remiss of me to not make special mention of “Peace to the Mountain,” the last track and perhaps the clearest example of Coheed’s songwriting power. They’ve always had crossover potential, and a few of their songs have found mainstream success, but songs like this one demonstrate that there’s almost nothing these guys can’t do. Claudio Sanchez is an architect, and his understanding of song structure will forever elude me. So instead of thinking too hard, I just let go and start bathing in the lush orchestration that gently rocks the album to sleep.
As a group, C&C has never sounded tighter. Zach Cooper gets a lot of time to showcase his flow on the bass, particularly on the lead single, “You’ve Got Spirit Kid.” Josh Eppard looks so happy behind his drum kit when you see the band perform live or in music videos, and his enthusiasm once again translates to record. No drummer in modern rock brings this much personality to the instrument. Travis Stever’s guitar work has such a perfect punch and never sounds like it’s taking a backseat. Everyone is in their element, playing like the seasoned professionals that they are.
There isn’t a single bad song on The Color Before the Sun, but there’s not much in the way of challenging the listener either. New fans won’t have much to nitpick, but someone with a decade or more invested in the fandom might have a harder time swallowing the lack of nerdy, multi-act grandeur. This isn’t to suggest that the album lacks ambition. Before its release, Claudio stated, “I kind of want people to know that Coheed can write that sort of record. I’ve always said in the past that there’s never been a limitation on the band.” In that sense, this is the band’s most challenging record to date. They aren’t “removing” anything their fans love, but rather experimenting with how many worlds they can conquer.
Last October, my fiancé and I had the pleasure of seeing Coheed and Cambria perform their second album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, from start to finish at a cool little venue in downtown Minneapolis. I don’t doubt one bit that we’ll be lined up to see this album played front to back ten years from now. Coheed and Cambria’s momentum will never die, and as long as they’ve got hands to play instruments, they’re going to blaze paths in contemporary rock. This new album is what separates cult classics from stadium fillers that entertain audiences well into their elderly years. I might want another Silent Earth, but I’ll be just as happy watching my all-time favorite band tear down the wall that stands between them and international mega-stardom.
Check out the Eat.Geek.Play Podcast episode with Claudio Sanchez and wife Chondra Echert about writing comics and of course Coheed And Cambria HERE