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Customer Reviews: Average Rating:  Rating :  - Man Your Own Jackhammer!
Let me preface by saying that I've been a huge fan of Coheed and Cambria since their days of playing at Olives in Nyack, NY and immediately post-Shabutie, so my review is biased because they are my favorite band. People have compared Claudio Sanchez's vocals to that of Geddy Lee from Rush, which I can understand...and sometimes hear (I like to think that it makes him distinctive from the other artists out today), however, the music is more along the lines of a slightly subdued Iron Maiden in my opinion....not to mention that they have written a storyline to accompany the albums in the form of a graphic novel. Their talent is something undeniable, even my boyfriend, who doesn't really like them, can't say that these guys can't play.
But anyway, thank you for letting me get that off my chest! This album is the sophomore followup to "The Second Stage Turbine Blade", which is quite different. SSTB is much more raw and young sounding, with alot more screaming sequences. For Equal Vision records, it fit right into the mold. IKSOSE3 has many more melodic and prog-rock tones. Some songs are quite long, ranging from 6-8 minutes apiece, so be prepared to be engulfed in the music. The first song (2nd track) is the title track of the album, and you can get pumped up listening to the screaming line of "Man your own Jackhammer!" The intricate drum beats and guitar riffs are not to be ignored, Josh Eppard plays some incredible syncopation here.
The rest of the album flows nicely with another great one called "The Crowing", which is quite brooding and powerful....and then there are The Camper Velorium songs (3 of them), which goes from an 80's sounding "Faint of Hearts", to the anti-ballad "Backend of Forever", to the almost-metal "Al the Killer" which sounds like a duet with Satan and is ferocious.
There are two of the radio friendly singles on this album: "A Favor House Atlantic", and "Blood Red Summer", which I think are the poppier songs on the album.
The album ends with "The Light and the Glass", which is like an eerie lullaby that allows all hell to break loose at the end.
Of course the album is filled with a lot of "whoaaa-ohsss" which is signature of the band at this point, but the sing-along quality is quite high and I think it's a powerful album with catchy melodies and intricate music. I really think this album is one of their best, it's a great follow-up to their first album. + See Full Customer Review |  |
