Coheed and Cambria: The Color Before The Sun

Coheed and Cambria step out of the universe of "The Amory Wars"* on "The Colour Before The Sun", the band's first non-concept record. The result is a more polished, more accessible offering from the prog-rock veterans. Opener "Island" combines the band's trademark big riffs with a more melodic tone, while "Here To Mars" possesses a huge anthemic chorus. . There's a good deal more harmonising on TCBTS than past outings, particularly on "Ghost" where Claudio Sanchez's vocals are suitably haunting. It's followed by one of the album's stand out tracks, "Atlas", an epic sounding six minute love letter to Sanchez's son.

The record closes with "Peace To The Mountain", an uplifting effort that swells with an orchestral section as it reaches its close. It's quite unlike anything the band have done before, which seems to neatly sum up this record. Ultimately, it sounds like a band consciously experimenting with a new sound.

There are a couple of slowburning songs in "Colors" and "Young Love" that fail to play to the band's strengths, but that's a very minor down point on a record that's a solid addition to Coheed and Cambria's impressive back catalogue.

On Atlas, Sanchez sings "You won't be anything like me. And so much better for it you will be". Still, if Sanchez Jr ever wants to learn the guitar, he'll know where to start.


* "The Amory Wars" is basically a giant intergalactic adventure featuring murder, revenge and ten speed bicycles. I'd elaborate more but I'm mostly in it for the big riffs and the singalongs, rather than forensic analysis of the lyrics.

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