IN REVIEW: Coheed and Cambria - "Vaxis Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures"

After a brief fling with non-fiction in the form of 2015's The Color Before the Sun, Coheed and Cambria's eighth album (and first with Roadrunner) immediately and handily squashes any apprehension about their devotion to The Amory Wars. After five albums (and one side album) concerning the incredibly complicated story arc, The Color Before the Sun turns out to have been a one-off, a pause to recenter the author of these grand tales before diving headlong into another round or five.

At nearly eighty minutes, The Unheavenly Creatures (reportedly the first of five planned albums to tell the story of Vaxis) is only slightly shorter than The Afterman, their 2012/2013 double album; however, unless listeners are extremely patient, the option to split this album's two halves by six months isn't really an option. It stands to reason, then, that The Unheavenly Creatures is a slog to get through and difficult to stay invested in.

The thing is, Coheed and Cambria have come back into their grandiose storytelling mode with top notch tunes in hand; it's been my experience with the album on multiple spins that it's an incredibly gripping and greatly rewarding record, one that takes some time to be sure and yet doesn't waste it. There's surprisingly little filler, and even a slight lull around the midway mark isn't much of a chore.

It's no small feat to create a long, drawn-out record that maintains its momentum; incredibly, The Unheavenly Creatures seems to get even stronger as it builds toward the end. In particular, the album's closing trio of It Walks Among Us, Old Flames and Lucky Stars ends this act of the Vaxis opus on three stellar (and, commendably, completely different sounding) notes. To not only hold attention past the hour mark but to gift listeners' patience with arguably the album's three strongest tracks is simply a stunning achievement, especially in this day and age.

Where most bands would have been tempted to keep it simple and fizzle out at this point in their career, Coheed and Cambria instead choose the path of most resistance; committing to a new narrative, one that could take a decade or more to complete, can't be the safest option for a band already two decades deep into their career. For that matter, are fans ready to go on another long interstellar adventure? Well, after listening to this band in peak form deliver their best album to date, this one sure as hell is.

October 5, 2018 • Roadrunner
Highlights Toys • It Walks Among Us • Old Flames

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2014: And the Winners Are...

It's been a long year, and another great one for rock n' roll. While the pop charts were overrun with barely legals obsessed with their asses, rock soldiered on undeterred even as pundits (hell, in some cases even rockers themselves) mourned the genre. Sure, rock didn't dominate the money game in 2014, but that shouldn't evoke sad nostalgia and eulogies. Even for as little perceived impact rock music made, a hell of a lot happened if people had only paid attention. From grizzled vets adding jewels to their crown (Springsteen, Petty) to new beginnings (Against Me!, Antemasque) to happy returns (Faith No More, The Tea Party) and all points in between, rock continued to thrive, evolve and thrill in 2014. Enough talk. It's winning time. Your Year in Rock winners for 2014 are...

Hear Me Out: Why Do A Greatest Hits Album?

So, Silversun Pickups announced a "singles collection" today. Now, I'm no expert on "singles" or "hits" compilations; even so, I've got to say this announcement threw me for a loop for a couple of reasons. For starters, isn't it a bit early for a band like Silversun Pickups to be given the "greatest hits" treatment? I know, I know, it's a "singles collection". But, come on; it looks like a greatest hits album, it smells like a greatest hits album, so on so forth. More importantly, though, are these really necessary entities in 2014? I mean, who is this album for? Casual fans who've already downloaded the singles they like or established fans who are expected to shill out $15 for one new song?

SOUND BITES

Search This Blog