I'm looking foraward to this. I've wanted to know more about C&C and this will be a great resource, once I get the time to sit down and read it.

Take it from someone who has more than ten journals on the go and has been at it for four or more years: you may write in isolation. As Batty says, few people post comments but you can always see how well you're doing by checking your views (which I think just reached 1000; for a journal going less than a month that's pretty damn good).

Don't get disenchanted; I spend hours/days/weeks/months (seriously) on some projects in my journals and don't get a single comment. Look at my Genesis discography, my descent into Boybandland, my exploration of the music of David Soul, and tons of others. Sometimes people are just reading, either not feeling the need to, or too lazy to comment. As long as you enjoy it, and people read it, you're good.

I appreciate it Trollheart. Hope you enjoy the journal.

Quick Update and Top 5 Most Overrated Bands

So this past week there has been nothing I really have enjoyed enough to review. I was planning on reviewing YorkeDaddy's new album but I feel like I need to give it a few more listens before I can properly review the album. Thus I have no review to put up today. However I thought I would post something on here related to music. This journal is supposed to be used for current releases, projects, artist spotlights, and random articles. So today I will do something different than what was planned. In the event I do not have a recent release review available I will post a top 5 or 10 of sorts.

Today will be the Top 5 most overrated bands in my opinion.

5. Radiohead: First and foremost I have no problems with this band. I love all of their albums, with the exception of King of Limbs, and I get the messages they are trying to convey. What I do not like is the absolute God-like status that this band achieves. I personally find their music to be really good, but better than all of the other bands in existence, uh no. This is a case where the fans and the media have created an image for the band that they do not particularly want to convey. It seems to me that the band is almost being forced into being icons of art and music when they really are not deserving of it. This is not the band's fault however which is why they hit number 5 on this list.

4. Arcade Fire: This is a case where I do not like their music, but every single human being around me does. I guess its just the case of me not getting it. Maybe I am too simple minded to understand this band. I mean the band is loved by all so should't I blindly follow the love for them? I gave Arcade Fire a chance. Multiple times have I given them a chance. But we do not connect at all. Based on that I find that they are extremely overrated and lack a lot of the artistic prowess that so many others seem to see in them.

3. Green Day: SNORE... Pop punk is not something I tend to enjoy a lot of. I used to listen to it a ton with a couple of my friends but we all quickly grew out of it. Green Day is basically the formula that all bands follow. But they are not some revolutionary army coming to throw the music industry upside down. Punk already had its mainstream appeal thus it wasn't hard for Green Day to bring it back with a much more simpler version of the message. The idea of a concept album/rock opera is also not new. Yet because the majority of Kids during he early 2000's have never heard Tommy they immediately think that Green Day are geniuses and revolutionary. I just do not see it that way.

2. Kiss: I really do not want to say a lot about this band simply because I just straight up don't like them. They have a few good hits but not a single complete album that is good. Yet everywhere you go its Kiss this and Kiss that. Hell, Gene Simmons says rock is dead. Well its because of bands like his over commercializing it. Makes me sick just thinking about them.

1. Nirvana: Yes I live in the Seattle are so I know a that these guys were popular. I guess this really is just my opinion but Nirvana does not have a great album. In Utero is better than Nevermind and In Utero is good at best. I simply think it was once again the over commercializing of rock music that killed grunge and set the world on fire when post-grunge became a thing. These guys didn't do it for me thus their position on my list is number 1.

Unsubscribed.

It was all good until you messed with Nirvana. :mad:

(I agree on Radiohead though)

I am sorry you feel that way. If it makes you feel any better, I will not be dissing any other bands like the above as I want the journal going forward to focus on the music I like.

I was just kidding. :p:

i do luv Nirvana but to each his own.

Do I hear groans? I am pretty sure I hear groans. Jokes aside I understand that this band gets a lot of hate for portraying themselves in a falsely manner. Without actually listening to this band, one would assume they are some extreme metal group with their satanic imagery and presentation. Well once you listen to the band it quickly becomes apparent that this band is about as metal as a tree. Well I shouldn't say that because they do have metallic qualities within their music. I find them closer to the sounds of Blue Oyster Cult and early Black Sabbath than the likes of Death or Sepultura. But I love this band. They have a doom aspect to them as well that is shown in multiple songs. Each album brought a different idea to the mix for the band's sound. I generally enjoy the bands three albums, some would say that Infestissium is bad but I disagree. Opus Eponymous and Meliora are very strong albums that I find exceptional. Opus Eponymous is a very fun record to spin every once in a while and Meliora is my album of the year so it has to be decent right? I could go on and on with why I like each song on each album but I would love to hear your opinions. Let me know what you think of Ghost BC and your thoughts on their albums.

The following sections will be standard for each artist spotlight.

Album recommendations: Opus Eponymous, Meliora

Why listen to them: to add something new to your metal playlist. They provide a very tongue and cheek satanic atmosphere to any metal playlist that is sure to be at least interesting if not absolutely fantastic. They are often compared to The Sword and other stoner metal/doom metal outfits but really they are combining these influences to create a unique sound.

I've only listened to a bit of them, but that was because I thought their whole atmosphere was a redundant and inferior version of what Mercyful Fate did better thirty years ago. Musically they're okay, but nothing to write home about.

I forgot to mention Mercyful Fate as the major influence for their image and sound. I wouldn't call it inferior though. I see that their are plenty of reasons to dislike the band but I would give them one more shot.

Ghost B.C. have a lot of potential: like you said though, I think they're closer to Blue Oyster Cult than most of the bands they tend to get lumped in with. They're certainly nothing like the bands that have influenced their overall visual approach (Black Sabbath, Black Widow, Mercyful Fate, Crimson Glory).

I think the biggest subjective complaint I've seen lodged against them is that Papa Emeritus isn't charismatic or has enough vocal range to carry the material to more menacing heights. Meliora is a lot of fun though: it continues to grow on me. :afro:

Hey sorry to disappoint but I will need an extra day to finish the next Coheed and Cambria review. Friday I'll do two major posts to catch up for today. Sorry again.

Ok I should stop making promises. I'll need a break for the weekend to get caught up. I have a much longer shift coming this weekend. Plus I'm leaving for the holidays so I'm busy getting prepared for that. Will return full force come monday

I have the whole weekend off and will be seeing Star Wars today.

Umad?

Idk, that kinda sounds like a promise to me.

Ok I have been overambitious lately. Setting up this so called schedule has done more stress than good. I am officially dropping the schedule and will post when convenient.

Sounds good. Will check in periodically in that case.

Feeling blue? Not after this record.


Year: 2015
Genre: Sludge/Alternative Metal
Nationality: American

The Review: I will be adopting my new format for reviews on this journal from now on. This album came out of the blue, many more color puns to follow (JK), and ended up being one of the greatest metal records of this year. I had a blast playing this record for the first time, the third, and now the fifth time. It seems that it doesn't get old. Quick disclaimer, Chlorine and Wine was my first Baroness track whenever it was released so I felt obligated to listen to the previous three records and study up on the band. What I found was a treasure of a band that definitely needed to be in my collection. Unfortunately tragedy struck the band in a terrible bus crash that left nine injured. Recovery from such an event provides many opportunities though. One of those being the creation of this album. A culmination of understanding, emotion, and new horizons creates an atmosphere in which one can connect with almost instantly. Sonically this album creates a massive wall of sound and melody. The vocals of lead singer John Baizley combined with the instrumentation form a very melodic sound on the album while still containing traces of edginess. Tracks such as the opener Morningstar and follow up single Shock Me are perfect examples of this. These tracks especially bleed emotion mixed with melody to create excellent alternative rock/metal. I cannot stop listening to these tracks in particular. The Vocals carry each track with soaring choruses and melodic verses. Try to Disappear carries the formula on with another solid melodic rocker. Kerosene however brings so much energy creating a much rawer take on the sound built up thus far. The instrumentation carries the track with excellent guitar work and fast paced percussion. Its after the instrumental track Fugue that the album transforms into something almost perfect. Chlorine and Wine one of the best tracks off of the album sets up The Iron Bell, another catchy yet energetic, melodic yet raw, rocker similar to Kerosene. Desperation Burns gets real heavy right off the bat with chugging guitar riffs and pounding drums. Melodic vocals are par for the course on this track with variety in the guitar riffing later in the song. The album finishes up with the wonderful If I Have to Wake Up (Would you Stop the Rain?). Dare I say the vocals almost reach a James Hetfield ballad style making the song truly the best that Baroness has too offer. The lyrics on most of these songs feel a little simplistic for the subject matter but I feel that is just nit picking. These guys are just firing on all cylinders for this album. It shows a lot of maturity when a band is able to create a wonderful album out of such a terrible tragedy. I cannot believe that this album released so late in the year. It makes me question why I created a top 10 list before January 1st.

Purple receives a 9.7/10

Standout Tracks: All of these tracks are wonderful but if I had to pick a few, Shock Me, Morningstar, Kerosene, Chlorine and Wine, If I Have to Wake Up (Would you Stop the Rain?)

Weaker Tracks: :rofl:

Everyone should listen to this album. No matter what, it is an absolute must for any music fan I cannot even describe the emotion when I listen to this record.

The Review: Number four for Coheed and Cambria is not the most loved, the most talked about, or the highest rated. Well that is all for good reason. The story here is actually the second half of the last album in which Claudio confronts the antagonist of the whole story. I have a love hate relationship with this record. It is so frustrating to listen to it because my expectations for this record were sky high after two excellent releases. The trend of pop over prog unfortunately continues in this record and the edge found on Good Apollo I is fading fast. The two singles off of this album The Running Free and Feathers have great ideas. Both choruses are fun to listen to but in the case of The Running Free "You're in hell" ruins it for me. It sounds cheesy and wrecks the emotional high that the song was running on. It makes me mad because of how much I was enjoying everything else about this track. Feathers just tends to fall into a generic trap with its upbeat verse chorus strategy. The rest of the tracks on here just lose you fast. The Hound (Of Blood and Rank) and the title track are good tracks but nothing standout worthy. Mother Superior feels boring and cheesy as all hell. Gravemakers and Gunslingers is the definition of Cock Rock. It makes me laugh listening to Claudio spout out profanity with no point. The F*** are not given here, I cannot get into it. Justice in Murder is an interesting track that I got into pretty quickly. It had some catchy guitar play and vocal delivery. Then there is The End Complete series. Five tracks of a mixture of pop rock (Radio Bye Bye, The Road and the Damned) to some actual Prog (The End Complete and On the Brink). This set of tracks are actually well paced and interesting to listen to. I enjoyed the whole set. It feels like there is a real goal with this set of tracks and it makes up for the boring and wasteful first two thirds of the album. I am left with a good taste in my mouth and not a terrible one. I cannot forgive Coheed though for trying to be over confident in thinking that unconventional lyrics mixed with boring guitar play and instrumentation can create exceptional prog. They got real lazy with this album it feels like. Not in the play it safe kind of lazy but the I do not need to try kind of lazy. Most people find the album ok, I found it average. Never have I been so sorely disappointed by an album of this magnitude. But it isn't all bad, their are great moments and great ideas, if only they could have been executed in a better way.

No World For Tomorrow receives a 6.1/10

Standout Tracks: The End Complete Series (I, II, III, IV, V), Justice in Murder

Weaker Tracks: Gravemakers and Gunslingers, Mother Superior, Feathers

Yeah this is the lowest point in their discography by far. Execution is everything and it wasn't done well on this album.

First impressions are important...

I always thought prog covers like this were a little pretentious and disorganized. Too many obscured details...

Hipgnosis' covers on the other hand, were always top notch. Simple and to the point.

I can't speak for the music as I still have yet to experience a full Coheed and Cambria album.

One step forward twenty steps back...


Year: 2015
Genre: Garage/Psychedelic/Blues Rock
Nationality: American

The Review: After a wonderful album with 2013's Melophobia, I was awaiting this record. When it was announced I was super excited, then I heard that Dan Aurebach, of Black Keys fame, was going to produce it. Excitement left the building and dread creeped in uninvited. After listening to the discography of the Black Keys, his solo work, and his new band the Arcs, I figured out that Dan couldn't do something different if his life depended on it. While his work is solid, he writes the same thing with every record. I was worried that this fate would befall one of my most anticipated releases of the year. Unfortunately it did. Cage the Elephant have created an album that lacks originality. I have three major issues with this record. First, Matt Schulz, lead vocalist, has just dumped every ounce of energy he ever had in his voice into a bucket and threw it out the window. Tracks like Cry Baby got me excited because it was a change of pace from the other tracks the band has written in the past, less energy a little slower. However, I quickly found that in every song, his voice sounds the exact same. Some of that is due to the production I get that. But come on, its like no one gave this guy a chance to really sing, if that makes sense. Secondly the song writing is very repetitive. From the first single, Mess Around, to Portuguese Knife Fight I hear the same song. The songs are not bad, don't get me wrong, its just the lack of variety is killing me. In fact I do enjoy some tracks like Cry Baby and Mess Around. Its just the rest of the album doesn't stand out on its own. Finally I cannot stand the fact that these guys, or Dan that piece of ****, decided to shove every type of garage/psychedelia/Blues/Classic Rock influence they could find into not one, not two, not three but all ten tracks on this album. Why?!?!?!?!?!? I just don't get it. This band created the most frustrating release of the year for me. Disappointment follows with every single listen, I am sad that I am even writing this about Cage the Elephant. I am going to use my new found blind hatred of Dan Aurebach as a way to forgive this band. I hope they can clean up their act and get back on track for the next release.

Tell Me I'm Pretty receives a 4.9/10

Standout Tracks: Cry Baby, Mess Around

Weaker Tracks: Everything Else

Dan Aurebach, if this is his fault he gets the biggest **** of the year award from me. But If its not then he still gets it because I need someone to focus my anger and disappointment on.

Even if Black Keys can't really make anything different, I still feel like the had a good formula going. And I felt Turn Blue was really different from their previous output too.

Probably not going to listen to this record either way though.

Oh for sure they had a good formula that they follow. I am not criticizing the formula. Instead I am criticizing the fact that this formula is so consistently followed that they just leave no room for imagination. Turn Blue was ok. Nothing special especially when the majority of the sound, at least to me, felt uninspired and was feeding off of a sound that was basically a little psychedelia influenced blues mixed with their own formula. The music was good, just way too formulaic. I am just really pissed that it made its way into a band that had no business getting into that formula.

I never said I really liked Turn Blue, but at least it was a step in a different direction. I see what you're getting at though: CtE did have variety from release to release, and the Black Keys guy should've stayed out. But then again, that was the band's decision. They could've gone with however they wanted, hell, many bands produce their own albums nowadays. Maybe, they just wanted a more streamlined release. And obviously, it didn't turn out like they wanted, but that's the reason he was hired.

That's just my view on it, probably not accurate.

Appreciate the viewpoint. It's just frustrating to see this happen. Probably just overreacting but I feel like this album could have been better. Oh well, I'll have more Coheed tomorrow. As well as a few other major posts.

Sorry for the delay on this one. I really can only attribute it to the holiday rush and other responsibilities taking precedence. New Years resolution: get back on track with reviews for this journal and my modern release/requests review thread. Anyway this was the first single off of the No World for Tomorrow record that split the fan base a little. I was on the side that felt it was missing quite a bit of the excellency that their past few records contained. I do like this song. Quite a bit actually. In fact it is probably one of the better Coheed singles for me (bar the stupid "You're in hell" line at the end of the chorus.) It has tons of energy, decent lyricism and some catchiness that will last a long time in ones head. But that's pretty much it. I don't really care for the musical style here when it comes in comparison to what I feel like a Coheed song should sound like, (in context with the album). It does what it needs to in the story but it doesn't push it in an interesting way. This song overall is a great single, but as a song/piece in the grand scheme of the Coheed discography, I am sorry but it's lacking in quite a few departments.

The music video is cool though. I really enjoyed this one. It opens with a lot of sci fi stylings for a laboratory experimentation type situation that leads into a troubled Claudio (who I believe represents Coheed in this situation) trying to escape from an incubator and eventually the lab. Combine this with a pretty cool performance of the song, and the flashbacks to a mysterious Kimono girl and you get a pretty cool music video. It gets close to an almost sinister/horror movie style with some of the flashbacks being old home videos or old baby dolls. The climax during the final chorus where she enters the lab is pretty intense due to the energy of the song. I am really digging what they did on this music video. Especially when one compares this one with previous ones. Hint: the Suffering. When Coheed can create a fun and interesting idea and combine it with a pretty good single then you get a great video. This is probably top 3 material in my book at least for a music video by them. Definitely check this one out.

The song gets a like and the video also gets a like. Not enough here to give it a meh or dislike in the form of cons.

Listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

Was missing this journal since last post, glad to see it back online!

What a way to start 2016...


Year: 2016
Genre: Art Rock/Progressive Jazz
Nationality: English

The Review: I am a big Bowie fan. I just wanted to preface this review with that in case you want to take my review with a grain of salt or not. I try to be as unbiased as possible so bear with me on this one. From Aladdin Sane to Ziggy Stardust to the Next Day to now Blackstar I have hit up every before now and after work that Bowie has produced and released under his moniker. Each album has a little something new for me to enjoy. I am not going to say his discography is perfect, because it most certainly is not, but I will say I enjoy it immensely. Blackstar is something that I was not expecting. The sounds and lyricism and atmosphere on this record was something that blew me away. Obviously my first taste of the record was the title track's spacey jazz influenced experimental sound that I was hoping that it would represent the overall record. Well it did, but not in the way I was expecting it to. This album is driven by the progressive and free jazz instrumentation that dominates the tracks on this record. But the spacey atmosphere of Blackstar never leaves. From the haunting delivery of Girl Loves Me and the wondrous Lazarus I see a very cohesive style surrounding the album. Something that doesn't always happen with these kinds of records. There are some expletives on this record which can be sometimes a turn off for me. But only if they feel forced. On here it feels like these tracks are completed by them. I did get lost between the tracks Girl Loves Me and Dollar Days. On the first listen I couldn't actually differentiate between the two tracks. I do not like that when that happens as it makes the album at that point feel too cohesive. I need to be able to distinguish between each track. However that doesn't make either track weak in any way shape or form. I enjoy the single power of Sue (Or in the Season of Crime) and it might be my favorite song, at least for right now, off of the album. I cannot stop listening to this record, and I need to because of other reviews. Excellent instrumentation, thoughtful lyrics, beautiful atmosphere... You cannot go wrong with that combination.

Blackstar receives a 8.9/10

Standout Tracks: Blackstar, Lazarus, Sue (Or in the Season of Crime), I Can't Give Everything Away

Weaker Tracks: I guess Dollar Days would be the only track I don't see myself listening a ton too.

If this were too be the last Bowie record... what a send off... Thats all I can say...

Year: 2016
Genre: Death/Thrash Metal
Nationality: Swedish


The Review: What a neat thing the internet and youtube can be. If anyone follows Coverkillernation on youtube, I do obviously, he is one of the bigger names out there for metal reviews. I try everything he recommends due to his wide range of knowledge for the genre. This album was not on my radar whatsoever until his review came out. He praised it quite a bit, and thus I thought I would give it a shot. Your Time is a solid album through and through. It never has any inherently bad tracks on it at all. The guitar work and vocals create a chilling and abrasive atmosphere that is very well done. The musicians on this record are very talented and that talent shows. The lyrics are negative yet never corny or anything weird, in fact I thought they were well thought out and fit the mood. The soloing on this record is top notch. Very melodic and very powerful riffs are used throughout the album combined with punishing drum patterns. However the album isn't varied enough in the sense that it really is just solid track after solid track. No standouts on here. Yet no track is really weak. So its a tough album to review in that case. Tracks such as Your Time and the Human Worth are probably the best on the album if I had to pick any specific tracks. The reason for this is that I like the vocal delivery on these tracks way more than the others. Its just the riffing and soloing isn't exactly standout. A good album yet not a fantastic one. Massdistraction are relatively new and thus I am excited to see what comes next after hearing such a strong effort.

Your Time receives a 7.8/10

Standout Tracks: Your Time, The Human Worth

Weaker Tracks: Raising the Dead

Lets see where this goes and maybe we will have a modern classic in the near future. Sorry for the shorter review. I really couldn't think of much else to say.

Since I'm back on this site, I am thinking about reviving this journal. I'd like to finish up that C and C discography review. For those who used to read this journal I hope you enjoy what is coming up. I'm glad to be back, and hopefully will have a much longer stay this time around.

I think I will start right where I left off in the discography of Coheed and Cambria. Last time I posted a part of this project we looked at the Running Free, lead single from the album No World for Tomorrow. Now we will look at the second single, Feathers. Peaking at number 6 on the billboard 200 Coheed’s popularity was reaching new heights. As a song, Feathers accomplishes two things. Firstly it provides a hook that could easily find its way onto the radio and secondly it takes what made more emo/pop singles (see A Favor House Atlantic or Blood Red Summer) and adds a more calming pretense to the song. The aforementioned tracks had what I like to call a panic mode in them. A bit of a sense of urgency. Something that drew the listener in and got there blood rushing a little bit. Feathers lacks that. Is that a bad thing though? Not really, it’s just a different take on this side of Coheed’s sound. The song itself isn’t that interesting however. Which sort of squanders a lot of potential as at this point Coheed’s popularity was hitting some peaks. The guitar tracks are not necessarily interesting or fresh, neither is the vocal melody. Par for the course is what I would call it. Generic verse/chorus/ structure just doesn’t do it for me in a Coheed song.

The video is f****** wierd as hell though. It opens up to a standard 50’s era nuclear family with the mother cooking breakfast for the father and two boys. The song fits the videos pacing so its not a detriment. The women ends up running out of meat and cannot provide enough for the family, thus they are all disappointed. So when the father and sons leave the house, the woman goes to get more meat. By grinding up the band members bodies into ribs, burger, and sausage. There is a lot of sexual imagery and undertones here. They’re funny I guess, not really my cup of tea though. Overall the video is just weird and not in a good way. It doesn’t effectively create the mood I think the band was going for. No real sense of urgency from the song when there is supposed to be one from the video.

Feathers the song gets a dislike while the video is a meh.

Listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

Hey! Welcome back, man! :beer:

^^^

Missed you man

Trollheart's been back for a while tho...

Well I’m an idiot and can’t remember anything. I missed one more video from Good Apollo Part 1. The final track on the record, it culminates all of the hate and anger seething through some of the tracks. Storywise, the writer (the one telling the story) decides the best way to end it is by killing off the Prise Amberlina a representation of his cheating girlfriend in his life. What ends up happening in the world of the Amory Wars, is that the army of the tri-mage Ryan Wilhelm and Claudio’s rebel forces clash with the climax being the death of Amberlina. Songwise it is a pretty typical piece of prog rock from these guys. Lyrics are different, instrumentation is spaced out, and the track pleases because of this. I dig the solo and the vocal delivery I feel is on point. I do feel it could have been a bit shorter by a hair, but it’s not that big of a deal.

The video however, NSFW. Watch it and you will see what I mean. It is a representation of the writer killing his girlfriend for cheating on him. It’s actually related to the story this time so that’s good on them. The quality of the video and audio is crap, but it was self produced so I guess it was expected. The track fits well with the video, but the effect is sort of lost due to the garbage quality. If it were redone with a better production budget it might be better, but in its current state it has a hard time presenting the message effectively.


The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut gets a like while the video is a meh.

Listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

After much thought and time, I have come to the conclusion that this is most likely the worst Coheed and Cambria song. It embodies everything I hate about this genre of alt rock. It gives off such a distasteful sense of bravado that does not sit well with me. I am all for being loud and obnoxious and using profanity. However, this songs lyrics sound like they were written by a child. It’s disappointing though. The riffs are there but feel uninspired. Not a lot of progression in this song at all. The drums are ok at times but all of these bits and pieces do not make up a good song. Storywise this song is more of a tribute to the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, and relates to the main character Claudio in his journey to understand more about the crowing. It does have a cool concept behind it but musically it just falls flat.

The video doesn’t help it either. It is directed by Claudio and really is just a bunch of footage of the band. It’s not well cut either, so it can be a chore to watch. It’s meant to be fun and laid back but it isn’t easy on the eyes. There was some potential for a really cool video here too with the concept behind the track, but it’s not there. Disappointed in this production overall. I am glad to say that the worse of it is behind us and we can all look forward to much greener pastures for the next album.

Gravemakers and Gunslingers the song and the video get dislikes from me.

Listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

Risen from the ashes...

Year of the Black Rainbow - (2010)

Album by Coheed and Cambria

Here we go, first album review in a long time. I'm going to change up my review style a little bit. I hope you like it. Last time we looked at No World for Tomorrow. That one was a disappointment. Year of the Black Rainbow however makes up for the sins of the past. It provides plenty of wonderful things that fans of the band had come to love, while still experimenting and keeping things fresh. Storywise this album is actually a prequel to the first record, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, and supposedly completes the originally planned tetralogy of albums. Here is a quick synopsis of the story taken from the novel the album is based on (the novel is written by Claudio Sanchez and Peter David).

"Welcome to the world of Heaven's Fence, where a lattice of mysterious energy known as the Keywork binds and sustains life on a triangular network of planets--from the bleak and hellish Howling Earth to the sparse beauty of Bendelesh. Beneath the Keywork's glow, under the governance of the twelve grey-skinned Mages and the watchful gaze of the winged Prise, humanity goes about its daily life unaffected by the goings-on of the higher powers at work in the universe. Until the day when the ambitious Wilhelm Ryan, newest member to the brotherhood of Mages, acts on his growing discontent at being branded another ordinary Mage, ruling over one lowly Sector. Shrewd and silver-tongued, Ryan launches the Mage Wars: a devastating campaign to win control of the entire Fence and take on the legendary mantle of Supreme Tri-Mage, a position likened to God himself."

Now on to the review. The album is produced by Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails, and Jane’s Addiction) and Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age). Obviously this duo has some prowess and I am a huge fan of their work already. I used to not like this record at all. I found it to be on par with No World For Tomorrow. However, after subsequent listens and a couple years to digest, I have come to appreciate this body of work. The prog rock affectations are all there, complex drum patterns (The Flame of Error), excellent guitar work (Here We Come Juggernaut), and fantastic vocal delivery (Guns of Summer) all make up what I believe to be very close to the level of Good Apollo part 1. The record starts off with a string of tracks that ended up as singles or promo tracks later on, The Broken, Guns of Summer, Here We Come Juggernaut, and Far. The Broken is ok, it doesn’t set a good tone for the record as it feels more like something on No World For Tomorrow. I think it fits in the album as a whole though. Guns of Summer is where things really start kicking. A sick prog track that dishes out riffs, and excellent vocals. Combined with some of the better lyrics in a Coheed track and you have a winning formula. That seems to be the theme musically for this whole album. Coheed went to a place that I think they felt comfortable with. Here We Come Juggernaut and other harder songs (World of Lines, Made Out of Nothing, and The Flame of Error) all provide a sense of urgency that I just love. They keep me engaged and leave me with wanting more. Songs like Far and Pearl of the Stars, the ballads on this album, fall a little flat for me. They lack what that sense of urgency this album has pervading throughout. Normally I wouldn’t mind a change of pace in the album, but they had such a great thing going that I did not really want that to stop. The final song, the title track, unfortunately ends the album on kind of a boring end note. I don’t like the way they ended this album. I feel they could have left me with a little more satisfaction. It just isn’t there on this track.

The tracks on their own work well. Lyrically they aren’t too complex by staying clear of any special story elements. I come back to these songs individually quite frequently nowadays. That is a good thing. Being able to stand on your own without the context of an album is important to me personally. The album only improves the tracks, not lessen them. One major criticism that I see brought up for this album is the production by Ross. I love the atmosphere that he managed to build up in these tracks. The arrangements and quality of production really brought out some of the more notable tracks. In my review of Second Stage Turbine Blade I talked poorly of the production quality. I was questioned on that and I replied by stating that better production allows for new horizons to be reached (I didn't actually say that but was trying to get that across). I believe that had I reviewed this record two or three years ago I would have been singing a different tune. A much more negative tune. Instead however, time prevails as the ultimate mediator of conflict.

Year of the Black Rainbow gets a 7.9/10

Positives:
-Great atmosphere.
-Love the production
-Killer guitar work
-Excellent Lyrics

Negatives:
-The ballads leave a little bit to be desired.
-The last track isn't that good.

Standout Tracks: Guns of Summer, Here We Come Juggernaut, World of Lines, In the Flame of error

Weaker Tracks: The Broken, Far, Pearl of the Stars, The Black Rainbow (especially this one)

Does this review make you want to listen to the record? If so how would you rate it?

Thanks for reading!

I got obsessed with the topsters website last night and made this....


https://s29.postimg.org/hcfbxrqiv/69...f0efdf560c.jpg

I am going to post any updates to this with explanations for those updates whenever I feel the need to. I'll also keep the most recent version on the front page of this journal.

Feel free to comment on any albums you find surprising, both in a good way or a bad way. More Coheed and Cambria should be coming today or tomorrow so stay tuned.

That Pearl Jam is less sucky than the other Pearl Jam albums, but all are still at least kinda lame, and why THAT Megadeth album?

Oh ****, Spreading the Disease! Awesome!

Coldplay and Linkin Park :nono:

Lots of radness on there though, good to see someone who ranks Blood Mountain above Leviathan too.

It beats all of the albums that followed it at least. And no, I will not consider your case for Risk again.

I understand that, and **** you, but Rust in Peace, Killing Is My Business, Peace Sells, and even So Far, So Good... So What. Countdown to Extinction has its positives, but... wtf?