Coheed And Cambria - "Year of the Black Rainbow"

Coheed And Cambria return with Year of the Black Rainbow, their fifth album and the prequel to the Amory Wars storyline chronicled on the band’s previous four albums and in the 352-page Year Of The Black Rainbow novel (included with the deluxe version of the album) co-authored by singer/guitarist/songwriter Claudio Sanchez and best-selling author Peter David.
If you are a huge fan and have been following along with the story, the lyrics will make sense and will provide a sense of closure to the story. But even if you are a more casual fan, the lyrics transcend that of the story, remaining both emotional and accessible. The music still remains in the same vein as their heavy yet melodic prog-leaning rock but with tighter and more varied rhythms from new drummer Chris Pennie, formerly of Dillenger Escape Plan and with the newfound use of keyboards and synthesizers which add new dimensions to their signature sound.

The instrumental “One” opens the album with apocalyptic ambience before the first single, “The Broken”, breaks in with an off-beat chugging rhythm and an anthemic chorus. “Guns of Summer” features barreling, rapid-fire drumming and squelching sequencer before launching into a tight, half-time riff session with a glitchy guitar solo. The fuzzed out “Here We Are Juggernaut” features a catchy chorus of Claudio’s high-pitched wail mixed in with some throat shredding screams. “Far” is an ambient but thumping ballad with a melodic guitar line that propels the chorus and a smoldering guitar solo. Other standouts are “This Shattered Symphony”, with its roaring chorus that is tethered to the contrastingly sweet build-up that proceeds and the infectiously catchy chorus on the mid-tempo rock of “Made Out of Nothing (All That I Am)”. Another ballad, “Pearl of the Stars” reaches for the stars with added viola, atmospheric keyboard orchestration, acoustic guitars and a blistering guitar solo. And the seven and a half minute “The Black Rainbow” burns slowly until halfway through when it catches fire as echoing vocals, crashing cymbals and ringing guitars climax to end the album.

More than ten years in the making, the story of Coheed and Cambria is complete and Year Of The Black Rainbow may be their best album, as even Claudio himself has said: “If the band were to end tomorrow, this would be the perfect album to describe or to represent us.”

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