The saga comes full circle
Brian C. Pierce | 04/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Year of the Black Rainbow is the fifth studio album from the concept rock band Coheed & Cambria. This album represents the prequel story to the saga and is intended to tell the events leading up to Coheed's first studio album The Second Stage Turbine Blade. This deluxe edition (which I would highly recommend) comes with the studio album + bonus tracks, a 350 page novel telling the story of The Year of the Black Rainbow, and a documentary DVD about the making of the album. Each component is reviewed briefly below. I'm sorry the review is so long but I had to review a CD, a DVD, and a novel! If you don't care about the details, to sum it all up - you should buy this album. If you already knew you were going to get the album but were curious about the deluxe edition - you should buy the deluxe edition. Details below:
Year of the Black Rainbow CD:
For their fifth album, Coheed and Cambria have continued the evolution of their sound. Several of the songs contain an electronic influence through the use of keyboards, but the overall sound is still undeniably Coheed. As the lead singer/songwriter Claudio Sanchez states in the documentary DVD, beginning the writing process with these electronic elements helped him to break through his writer's block and to make songwriting fun again. The use of the electronic elements isn't overdone at all and I think it really complements the sound of the album as a whole. In addition, this is the first album that new drummer Chris Pennie has recorded on. You can immediately hear the difference in style that he brings to the table on many of these songs. Chris is an amazingly talented and technical drummer and you can hear his skills in his unique beats and his quick and precise fills. In particular, the drumming on the track In the Flame of Error really stands out for me as being incredible. He weaves in and out of various beats and drops in and out of half time at a moments notice. In addition, the drums on Guns of Summer are just crazy and you need to hear them (possibly multiple times) to appreciate them. Pennie is clearly adding something to the band and not just playing generic beats and hiding in the background. I applaud the band for not being afraid to let the new guy show off his chops and also contribute to the sound of the album. It sounds simple, but it isn't something that most bands would feel comfortable with.
The track list consists of 12 songs + 2 demo tracks that were not put on the final version of the album. I'm not a big fan of reviewing each track separately but I think there is something on here for everyone. Rock driven songs (The Broken, This Shattered Symphony, When Skeletons Live, World of Lines), softer ballad type songs (Pearl of the Stars, Far), new experimental type songs (Guns of Summer, In the Flame of Error), catchy radio friendly songs (Made Out of Nothing, Here We Are Juggernaut), and a jam track that builds and builds (Year of the Black Rainbow). I honestly love all of these tracks and I think each one shows off why Coheed and Cambria are one of the best band currently making music. The two bonus tracks (Chamberlain and The Lost Shepherd) are actually quite strong, except that they aren't recorded as well as the final tracks (obviously...they are demos). In particular I really like most of the elements in the song Chamberlain, but I am not a fan of the electronic beeping during the bridge. I love the verse and chorus of this song. The verse especially reminds me of "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. They are definitely worth hearing and could probably have been included on the album if the band had chosen to do so (they discuss not including them in the DVD).
Year of the Black Rainbow Novel:
I love, love, love this idea! I am of the opinion that it is not necessary for someone to learn the backstory behind the concept of Coheed and Cambria in order to enjoy the music. The music can stand alone as brilliant on its own, but for many fans - me included - knowing the story behind the songs and the lyrics helps brings us that much closer to the music and the meaning behind it. Up until now, parts of the story had only been released in comicbook form (telling the events of The Second Stage Turbine Blade) and graphic novel form (giving us a picture of the events of Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV). I own and have read all of these comics, but I am not the biggest fan of the comicbook medium on the whole. It just doesn't speak to me and in fact, the only comics that I own are the Coheed and Cambria and Kill Audio comics. That is why I love the idea of the prequel story being released as a novel. The book was co-written by Claudio Sanchez and Peter David. I have already read the book and I throughly enjoyed the read. You will learn the origins of Supreme Tri Mage Wilhelm Ryan, the creation of Coheed/Cambria/Inferno, the origin of the dragonfly, the backstory of Admiral Crom and Mayo Deftinwolf, all about the Black Rainbow, the story behind Josephine's birth, the evolution of Coheed & Cambria's relationship, and many more things. It is a fascinating read and I would recommend it to any Coheed fan looking to learn more, or anyone who is interested in the band but doesn't know where to start. I would even tell you to read it if you don't care about the band at all. In my opinion, reading this book is probably the best way to help you learn more about the universe and the backstory where these events take place.
Year of the Black Rainbow DVD:
The DVD contains a short 30 min documentary about the making of the album and copies of a few small teaser trailers (about 1 min in length each) that the band put up on their website prior to the albums release. The documentary is quite interesting and gives fans a picture of what went on behind the scenes in the writing and recording of this album. You learn a little about certain songs and how they were written and you get the meet the producers and get their take on the album. My only small complaint about this documentary is that the production and editing of the video give it sort of a "negative" feeling. It is hard to explain, but the documentary only has interviews with individuals (not the band together)and for much of it they are discussing how this is the end. I think they are just referring to the completion of the saga, but I wish the DVD had more of a positive energy to it and not a negative vibe. It actually sort of made me sad in the end because I was thinking about Coheed and Cambria no longer making music. Maybe this is just my opinion, I'm not sure. It is still really interesting and definitely worth watching.
Year of the Black Rainbow Packaging:
The packaging is perfect and really well designed. The hard cover book that the CD and DVD comes in, contains the lyrics sheets and some really cool graphic design images. This is probably my favorite way I have ever seen lyrics presented. In addition, the case that holds the CD/DVD book and the novel is really well designed and a perfect way to display the content. I am very happy with how everything looks and was put together. The only complaint I have is that the glue that is used for the case everything comes in (that the book and cd/dvd slide into)is kind of cheap. I have noticed the paper peeling away because it has come unstuck.
Summary:
Buy this deluxe edition! You won't regret it. Coheed and Cambria have proven time and time again how much they care about their fans by providing amazing content like you will find in this deluxe package. The album is brilliant, the novel is a terrific read, and the DVD is an interesting look into the bands recording process and the making of an album. Now that the saga is complete, who knows where Coheed and Cambria will go now; but I can guarantee that I will be along for the ride wherever it takes me.
Note: Just to straighten something out. Amazon currently has this deluxe edition listed as having 3 discs. That is incorrect - there are 2 discs (CD and DVD) and a novel."
Now This is how you do "Deluxe Edition"!
Hellion Zephreid | Pittsburgh | 04/13/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Christmas time just came for me again, this time in April because the new Coheed & Cambria release was delivered to my door. Hard to believe that an older person like me can get that excited about a band's new release but this is Coheed & Cambria, a band that I discovered through their last studio release, "No World for Tomorrow". The Neverender concert dvds were great and covered their recorded work up to that point but I really something new, and now here it is. The opener, "One" is another of those atmosphere pieces that just gets the listener ready for the bombast that is about to begin. The 3rd track, "Guns of Summer" really announces the band's presence with authority and by the time track number 7 starts, "World of Lines", my favorite track at this point with several listens, Coheed & Cambria are really rocking in a legitimate claim to enlist new fans. With songs like this, their fan base will only get bigger. The entire CD could never live up to the expectations that I had for it for all the months of waiting but after the smoke clears, the release is a winner. I still think that "No World for Tomorrow" is better but that is not a fair assessment on only having this CD for a day. The 2 "demos" that are available on the deluxe edition are worthy of inclusion and sound more like completed songs than working demos. If you like Coheed & Cambria, you have already ordered this but if not, you will enjoy what is offered here."
Briefly
RubberZ | TN | 04/14/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll keep it short, because there will certainly be a thousand people disecting the record over the next few years since it is the end/beginning of the saga that has drawn in so many fans.
This set including the novel, CD and DVD is a pretty nice set, and if you are a serious Coheed and Cambria fan, a must have. I will say on first listen, this has not been my favorite record of the set, it is going to take a little time to grown, or rather for me to digest it. The guitar work is far more complicated than their past offerings, not necessarily a bad thing, but it maybe isn't as instantly accessible to me at first blush.
I've rated it a 4 because the package with the book is fantastic, but I suspect that long term, I am still going to like Keeping Secrets and Good Appollo Vol 1, better."
