Second Stage Turbine Blade (Reissue) - Coheed & Cambria > Reviews > This is where it all began!

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	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	The roots of Coheed & Cambria
Disadvantages:	Not to everyones tastes

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Coheed & Cambria, the prog-rock band constructing their own epic sci-fi story to rival that of George Lucas (well, perhaps!), formed in the late 90s in New York the quartet of Claudio Sanchez, Mic Todd, Travis Stever and Josh Eppard started out as Shabutie before the huge haired Sanchez broke his idea of the Coheed & Cambria project to the band.

The Second Stage Turbine Blade is the ending result of this, the second book in the story (Prequel as yet unreleased) tells of Coheed & Cambrias existence and demise and the murder of their children in one whole album and yet their names live on through the bands own moniker.

Opening with the subtle and tinny "Second Stage Turbine Blade" the delicate piano melody is repeated often throughout the album and its sequel "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" as a dramatic device to indicate a pasing of time between events, the album proper begins with the intricate "Time Consumer" a hauntingly underplayed intro masks the concealed power of the chorus-lines and the climactic bridge onwards, the melodious sounds of the finger picked guitar is unique to hear amongst waves of distorted guitar in other bands of the time and Sanchez's childlike voice soars above it all in a passion for his created story. Rapidly changing riffs and structures are present from this early stage and dont let off throughout the entire album.

"Devil in Jersey City" is fast paced and dramatic unlike the more subdued first track, its anger and strength counterparted with a sing-along melody and anthemic chantable lyrics present throughout.

"Everything Evil" is a genius track, with an odd clockwork sounding staccatoed verse riff collapsing and exploding into sporadic madness in the chorus the tension and paranoia is kept high in this very emotive track, the breakdown is incredibly desparate and passionate and is definitely one of the many high points of the album. The sheer variety of playing styles and guitar parts in the song leave you in no doubt of the instrumental power of the band.

Staying with the dark moodiness the anthemic "Delirium Trigger" follows, another epic song that kicks up the pace a bit more and sounds a heavier song than its precedents. Everything is once more pulled away during the bridge and becomes ghostly and sepulchral while the dramatic return into the chorus is wonderfully powerful.

Moving from strength to strength the song "Hearshot Kid Disaster" sounds oddly upbeat and bouncy compared to the darkness of the last two tracks, Coheed effectively jump mood and situation with ease, conveying the emotion to the listener effectively through voice, lyric and melody. Sanchez's voice stays intensely varied full of technical prowess peaking and falling in the right areas.

"33" is yet another fast track with a catchy chorus that you will be singing for weeks to come and it paves the way for "Junesong Provision" that starts the same way in an upbeat and almost dancy fashion, but quickly descends into more desolate emotions rapidly changing moods and structures before the dramatic close of the song thats incredibly angry and emotion filled. This song is a true rollercoaster and definitely showcases the full tallent of Coheed & Cambria.

"Neverender" is another powerhouse of emotion, at the point in the story when all his familly have been killed before him, surviving child Claudio Kilgannon struggles to cope with the grief and pain that fills him. The song jumps from sadness and complacency to anger and bitterness, the pounding drums pumeling the emotion into you while Sanchez's vocal and guitar attack ravages you aurally.

"Godsend Conspirator" is yet another rapidly changing track, from the staccatoed opening to the dark ending you are carried along with the story easily swallowed up in the musicality of the sound, none of it seeming unnecessary or overplayed, every little sound in its right place perfectly complimenting the music as a whole. It works well as the effective closer to the album, filled with drama and passion.

I said effective closer as following a silence the unusual acoustic sounds of "I,Robot" can be heard. A secret track that is as beautiful and dreamlike as it is dark and gothic is well worth a listen. Whilst remaining the only real weak link in the album (its place in the story for one part is negligable) it shows a different side to Coheed & Cambria as a band.

Following on from this in the re-issue are several bonus tracks, the most interesting of these being "Elf Tower, New Mexico" a previously un-released B-Side that was presumed to be from the Shabutie days makes its debut as track 11, from the off it is obviously different in style and structure to the rest of the album and much more reminiscent of old Shabutie but it is a good listen, filled with the usual drama and intensity of Coheed & Cambria.

The remaining tracks are a demo of Everything Evil and an acoustic version of "Junesong Provision" whilst the former is hardly different from its album version the latter is a beautiful version that shows how each Coheed song starts out, as one of Sanchez's acoustic workings .

While the entire work is based on a story as yet unfinished it does not affect your listening whether you know the story or not. although you may want to learn the story to find out the "true" interpretation of what is going on. The sheer fact that you can relate to the emotions and feelings within the characters world created by the band - either through the music or the lyircs - is testament to the power of the band to be able to play and perform and portray their work to the listener

All in all, the album is a solid ride full of varied intense tracks. Certainly the style of music, and the concept of Coheed & Cambria itself will not be to all tastes, but it is an entertaining listen that remains fresh time after time. There is something for everyone on the album whether its fast and powerful or slow and melancholly you're after.