In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 - (2003)
Album by Coheed and Cambria
The immediate follow up to Coheed and Cambria's solid debut record is one of their most celebrated to date. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is a record that sees the band move forward with their sound. Applying stronger production quality, improved story-telling, and an overall improved sound. This album has many strong qualities that put it near the top when it comes to 2000's prog. The album does contain similar influences to their last release, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, but progressive rock and emo win out the day in this release. The story itself on this album is more well known among casual fans of the Amory Wars. In this review I will provide a quick summary of this chapter from the Amory Wars comics, courtesy of the Evil Inks Comics Website.
"Ten years after "Second Stage Turbine Blade", son Claudio emerges from the depths of Shylos Ten, the Fence's "quiet" planet where the Red Army performs its brutal interrogations and imprisonments. In finding out that his entire family has been murdered, Claudio begins his quest for vendetta. His foes, Supreme Tri Mage Wilhelm Ryan and General Mayo Deftinwolf sense that he is still alive and holds special powers. They know they must stop him before he defeats them. Meanwhile, Inferno (Jesse Kilgannon) takes up arms against the Red Army (“Man your Battlestations”) in an effort to seek the same kind of vengeance on him. In Claudio’s re-emergence he teams up with Ambellina, the Prise who is selected by her peers to be his guide. The pair along with Sizer, a disassembled IRO-bot, seek out Inferno to find answers as to why his family were killed, but their plans take an unexpected turn in a ship called the Camper Velourium, and a freighter pilot named Al the Killer."
This is meant for anyone reading this review so that they can have a basic understanding of what is occurring in the plot. I will do a much more in depth review of the story itself later in the discography review.
Now back to the main review. Like I was saying earlier, the majority of tracks either stick to the formula of emo with prog elements or prog with emo elements. Due to Claudio's strong vocal range he pulls off both styles very nicely throughout the record. The rest of the band members, Travis Stever (Lead/Rhythm Guitar and Backing Vocals), Michael Todd (Bass/Backing Vocals) and Josh Eppard (Drums/Backing Vocals) all combine to form the backbone of the Coheed sound. All talented musicians, along with Claudio, they provide some of the most memorable instrumentation in the discography. The album opens up with intro The Ring in Return. A much more interesting intro compared to last album. It includes a small piece of music that is supposed to represent time passing. Thus setting up the story for the next song, the title track opens up as an epic prog rock track filled with powerful guitar work, and one of Claudio's best vocal performance to date. The album has a few other major prog influenced tracks, The Light and The Glass, and 2113 are both fantastic examples of the more modern progressive rock scene making a name for itself. The song that Coheed is arguably the most known for A Favor House Atlantic is on this record along with Blood Red Summer two of the most cut and dry emo tracks of Coheed's career. These all surround the first ever song series, The Camper Velourium series, that will later influence the creation of other song series. The album overall plays its cards right by allowing itself to be creative while also producing quality pop/emo rock singles ready for the radio. I personally find that this album is where Coheed and Cambria come into their own and, unlike last record, it is able to tell the story through the song and its lyrics. While the songs don't stand on their own as well as Second Stage Turbine Blade, due to the more common story based lyrics, the shorter songs tend to be a bit more listenable out of context.
While certain songs can be confusing on their own the whole album plays like a dream. Playing one event after another telling a cohesive story that draws you in and keeps one engaged. Tracks like The Crowing play around with differing styles from emo hooks to Black Sabbath riffs that chug away. It changes the pace enough to keep you guessing but still acts a cohesive work. Easily one of the top cuts on this record. The Camper Velourium series takes one on a journey almost entirely separate from the rest of the album mixing atmospheric, classic rock, and post-hardcore into the three song set. The album starts strong with the title track, Cuts Marked in the March of Men, and Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow). They all feel so complete with the prog influences mixed in with some catchy hooks and instrumentation. This was Coheed's first album to be certified gold, and rightfully so. This is the definitive Coheed and Cambria record.
The album as a whole provides a cohesive journey through dark themes and even darker instrumentation on the longer tracks. It promises in the beginning with the title track, and delivers almost immediately. Just like last album this album remains a personal favorite here in the domain, and will be for a long time, with all tracks hitting rotation.
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 gets a
9.3/10
Positives:
-The vocal delivery and instrumentation are fantastic
-Better production quality
-Cohesive story throughout
Negatives:
-Certain songs can be confusing at times on their own
Standout Tracks: Every single track stands out to me.
Weaker Tracks: Seriously??
Does this review make you want to listen to the record? If so how would you rate it?
Thanks for reading!