Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Vol.1 (From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness/Parental Advisory) [PA] - Coheed & Cambria > Reviews > Prog-Rock enters the 21st Century

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	An intense listen from start to finish
Disadvantages:	May not be to all tastes

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Volume 1 - From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness is the third released album from the New York based quartet Coheed & Cambria, the band responsible for radio hits "Blood Red Summer"; "A Favor House Atlantic" and most recently "The Suffering" but to rate the band on these catchy sounding efforts and to rate the album on its latest single alone would be to do the band, its music and its album an injustice.

Good Apollo continues the space-opera story that is "The Bag Online Adventures" written by Claudio Sanchez, an epic tale of murder, war and self-awakening. Knowledge of the story is not required en voyage as the first half of the album tells of the story outside of the story, that of the writer Claudio himself, suffice to say the imagery and emotion carried within each song and across the album is sufficient to tell this side-story to the reader without the need of the 120 page graphic novel published alongside it (though to fully understand it, and perhaps obtain the "true" story it is)

The album opens with the hauntingly dark "Keeping the Blade" an instrumental track comprising of re-arranged melodies from the previous two albums openers, the piano melody featuring regularly throughout their early efforts shows a fantastic quality of sound that is present throughout the entire album.

Directly following on from the instrumental track is the deceptively low-key "Always and Never" a gentle acoustic track whos child-like, lullaby-esque sound is helped by the soft vocals of frontman Claudio Sanchez and the innocent sounds of his neice Janaris Sanchez; i defy anyone not to choke at her giggles and in particular at the heart-warming "I love you". Twards the end of the song his vocals take a dark turn... "I'm still waiting here my dear for one kiss from you... im still waiting here my dear to kill all of you" and the echo of the last struck acoustic note rings ominously on into the album proper.

"Welcome Home" is the third track on the album but is the true opener, its heavy, hard-hitting nature is made even stronger by the two soft tracks preceeding it, and from this point on the album refuses to let down, remaining intense til the very end.
You have probably heard this song in shortend form on the radio but nothing can prepare you to hear this song in its final CD master, the backing strings, the subtle extra guitar parts come across much stronger and the full impact of the zeppelin style solo can be heard in all its glory.

The fourth song continues the albums pounding pace. the strangley titled "Ten Speed (Of Gods Blood and Burial)" takes its name from the story character Ten Speed who is infact a demonic bicycle. The speed of the track, the syncopation between the guitar lines nd vocals and its catchy nature help this track become another of the albums surefire hits.

"Crossing the Frame" follows, another bouncy and upbeat song with an awe-inspiring bridge and brilliantly subdued clapping backing. It is one of the weaker songs on the album however and alongside a few other tracks could be said to be kind of samey.

The next track however posesses a sound all of its own: The spacey "Apollo I - The Writing Writer". As the first part of two its meanacing verse parts talk of the Writers perspective on the story, and the moving chorus talks of the "Burning Star IV" in the albums title. Here the distorted guitars break away for more subtle and elaborate parts and seem to play their own melody under Sanchez's vocals and is the most unique song on the album outside of the Willing Well, however some may skip over it as Track 14 both mirrors and continues the song, rendering it redundant in some respects.

"Once Upon Your Dead Body" yet again gives you a catchy and melodic sound iconic of Coheed, its dark lyrics and changing tones make it a good listen each time as you catch something new within the mix. Synth piano and guitars weave about eachother creating a very smooth sweeping sound, thanks in part to the steel lap guitar used in the chorus and the closing of the song is a suitably thundering mesh that leaves the listener unprepared for the song that follows.

"Wake Up" is another acousitc track, gently backed by soft electric pluckings, its sorrowful mourning tone is delicious after the intense ride presented by the previous tracks and its heartfelt lyrics come across well in Cladio's powerful voice. It does perhaps go on too long, the chorus part repeats one too many times for my liking, it would have been nice to see something more done with the track, but overall it works well and is a beautiful song on the whole.

"The Suffering" however, is not. Its bold, and brash, and catchy and its opening thud shocks the listener out of the dreamlike reverie provided by the last track and back into the intensity of the Good Apollo ride. As their second single it is similar to their other releases bar welcome home in that it has instant appeal and is a well constructed song, unlike Wake Up the chorus part doesnt repeat as many times as you like and so doesnt get old too fast as you anticipate the chorus coming after the first verse but it doesnt.

Another fast paced track with an absurdly long name, "The Lying Lies and Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" is a dramatic and punchy song with a sharp sound to it. Following The Suffering it gives a good impression of a buildup, and indeed "Mother May, I" doesnt disappoint, yet remains subtley underplayed to start with a dark and ominous sound and lyrical imagery. The bridge onwards is a beautifully constructed sound of dramatic intensity that perfectly paves the way for the second half of the album and acts as the ideal transition from the writers perspective to the story itself.

The Willing Well

The remaining four tracks tell the next chapter of Claudio Sanchez's story and are a hard-hitting bunch of rapidly changing and evolving prog-rock indulgences none shorter than seven minutes, after the rapid fire three minute long tracks of the first half (barring Welcome Home) it takes a bit of getting used to
.
No more evident of this is the first track in the series "Fuel for the Feeding End" which is a continual barrage of sounds and song structures that ends up in a completely different place from which it starts, travelling through a myriad of sounds and tones. The most explorative of the Willing Wells is alas the least easy to grasp because of this, seeming a complete assault on the aural senses.
From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness is another matter, its melodic and more structured but no less impacting, indeed the breakdown is one of the best I have ever heard, definitely the most catchy and strong tracks on the album.
"Apollo II - The Telling Truth" brings back the sound of "Apollo I" and is the full lengthed version of the song. Don't think it's the same song though it appears so at first listen, for starters the song is faster and more intricate in its guitar parts and the lyrics are written from character Claudio's perspective as opposed to the writer. If you enjoyed Apollo I you'll love this, if you didnt enjoy it, you still may enjoy this as it has a beautifully crafted centre-piece that indulgently pays homage to two other Coheed songs before racing back round to return to the Apollo I melody then slamming the breaks for the finale.
After the breakneck speed of the first half, and the rapid assault of the Willing Well, you may be expecting some kind of indescribable piece of music defying belief, certainly that is what you get but it is by no means what you would expect. A device used much in the album is to put exactly what you dont expect in all the right places. The Final Cut is such a track. It's slow paced, guitar led, and is nearly all a Zeppelin style solo. Its vocal harmonies and brutal lyrics are set agaisnt a lamenting guitar backing that doesnt disappoint. As a track it is beautiful, as a track on the album it is definitely not what you expect and its definitely one of those "love it or hate it" songs.

The album whole is epic and a full return to Coheed & Cambria style for anyone who doubted them. For new listeners it confirms the "rock", and definitely the "prog" of the only genre that suitably describes all of their style adequately. Whilst it is not to all tastes it is a smashingly unique listen all the way through. It is a groundbreaking effort that stands heads and shoulders above the rest and proves that amongst many bands that have same sounds and churn out the same songs hit after hit originality still exists.
For a full 71 minutes you will be assailed by intensely crafted sounds and melodies that do justice to the skill of the whole band, and their ambitious story concept and unlike many other albums you will be listening to it in years to come, waiting for your favourite spine-tingling bits and still hearing new sounds or suddenly understanding the lyrics.