Coheed and Cambria Album: “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3”

First of all, I'd like to purge this review of morons. That means, if you are an avid fan of emo or punk rock, do not read this review.

Great! You've made it this far. On to the review! The first mistake people make when basing an opinion on this group is that they insist that they are emo. While, at first listen, this generalization may seem valid, I can assure you it is now. 'Emo' is a genre of music dedicated to heartbreak and depression. If the music sounds like emo but doesn't pertain to either of those categories, it's probably not emo, but really gay punk. Coheed and Cambria are neither.

I think CoCa are the antithesis of emo. That is, there is absolutely nothing personal about this album. The underlying premise behind the album is about a post-apocalyptic war in the distant future and the highly science-fictional characters involved. If you can relate heartbreak to futuristic space wars and an evil called the "Monstar," then you probably take acid frequently.

Now for the album! The CD itself is full of complex arrangements, strange time signatures, and a number of key signatures. The vocalist, Claudio Sanchez, has a voice that is sometimes described as effiminate and whiny. I am, personally, a big fan of a powerful falsetto, and Claudio Sanchez most certainly delivers this. Unfortunately, however, he is otherwise incapable of a powerful vibrato. But hey, you win some you lose some. As for the whiny part, I have to disagree but, that is simply my own personal opinion; I do not find his voice to be whiny at all.

While the majority of the music's actual is upbeat, this often does not coincide with the actual idea being expressed in the song. This is a mistake on CoCa's part. The music, despite maintaining a fun and upbeat quality, actually proves to be dark and haunting. I say haunting simply because of the strange effect that Claudio's voice seems to have.

The guitar-work, also written mainly by Claudio, is somewhat complex. Granted I am a huge heavy metal fan (Opeth, Children of Bodom, Death, Emperor), I am somewhat of a guitar freak. These guys are nowheres near as complex as the majority of what I listen to, yet I love them just the same. When someone asks me what I think of CoCa's skills as musicians, I simply say, "They are very good at what they do."

I do not recommend this album to hip emo kids, nor do I recommend it to rebellious punks who shop at Hot Topic. This album is for people who enjoy musicality and depth. If you are a fan of bands like Rush, King Crimson, The Mars Volta, or Opeth, I think you will enjoy the definitive sound that is Coheed and Cambria.

Coheed and Cambria's "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" is one of the best albums of the past few years. It features great songwriting, unique singing from Claudio Sanchez (and by the way, what does it matter what the he looks like? He's good at what he does, and I commend him for it), and fantastic playing from the band. The lyrics are very violent when you look at them, especially on the tracks "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)" and "Al the Killer", as well as near the end of "The Crowing", but since the CD is such a masterpiece, this doesn't bother me. The best songs on the album are "In Keeping Secrets of SIlent Earth: 3" (great ending), "Cuts Marked in the March of Men" (very catchy), "The Crowing" (great harmony at the end), and "The Light and the Glass". The rest of the songs are great as well, especially the pop-oriented "Blood Red Summer", the catchy single "A Favor House Atlantic", and all three songs in "The Camper Velourium" series. "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)" is another good, albeit disturbing song. "The Ring in Return" is merely an intro, and the bonus track "2113" just isn't my taste (although I do like the ending), but that's just my opinion. This is definitely one of the greatest, most original albums I've listened to in quite a while, and I recommend it to anyone who has a CD player and an open mind.

Wow. That's all I can really say about this cd. It just blew me away. I have been a big coheed fan for a while now. I first found out about them last november by going to the Thrice, Coheed, Time in Malta, and Hot water music concert. And I must say, Coheed is AWESOME live. This band is so amazing with so much talent. The way they incorporate the story Claudio has created into lyrics is just pure genious. This cd though is nothing like Second Stage Turbine Blade. Yet, if you loved the first one, you will difintly love this one. If you haven't checked out the first one, DO SO NOW. The songs I recommend the most would be Three Evils, The Light and The Glass, and In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth. But this cd is definitly amazing in whole. They have their own style of music, their energy is nicely shown, and they are just an amazing band as I have been saying. Buy this cd and enjoy.

I find it hard to believe that any person with some knowledge of musicianship could speak poorly of this band. Growing up in the 80's and 90's, I've heard so much garbage the last few years. Few groups have touched on elements of music over varies generations. If one would take the time to listen to most of the tracks, he or she would certainly agree that most of the songs are very captivating, unique and interesting. But most of all, the one word that describes their music best is quality, something lacking in most popular music these days.

People speak negative of his voice, yet if they could get over their personal prejudices and expections of what they WANT to hear in someone's singing then they just might learn a thing or two, and who know's, maybe they just might enjoy it too.

I discovered Coheed and Cambria just a few days ago after hearing their first disc "Second Stage Turbine Blade" at a friend's place. I was initially struck by the lead voice and the ridiculous guitar work going on throughout the whole song. Intrigued, I bought the disc and was blown away. Then I found out that they had a new disc coming out today. Needless to say, I went right out this morning and bought it.

The first major difference between this and the first disc is that Claudio's (singer) voice has lost just a bit of its shrieking highs. Don't get me wrong, he still is right up there in the range normally reserved for Robert Plant and Geddy Lee, but his voice has mellowed out just a tad. This is a welcome change and evolution. Second, the lyrics have gotten quite a bit darker. All sorts of generally odd things start popping up in this album. Yet another great thing to see in a world in which rock music consists of declarations of what the song is (See Good Charlotte's "The Anthem") This band does not stick to the usual verse-chorus-verse structure. Many times there's a bridge thrown in at an odd place, or the song will completely deviate from its original pathway and go into a completely different feel. I love this. Third: While all the instrumentation is great, the dueling lead guitars is breathtaking. Check the last song and the hidden track for all the proof you need.

I could babble for hours about how much I love these guys, but there's a 1000 word limit. In short, pick up "Second Stage Turbine Blade" then pick up this one. Both are remarkable albums, but I personally feel that seeing the evolution of a band is one of the best parts of music. In a rock world that is filled with the proverbial cloned sheep, Coheed and Cambria is a mutant goat ready to gore you with its horns.

Get this album.