Review Summary: This album is quite good; very good, indeed. I really did enjoy listening to these songs and I have listened to most of them many times. This album has some great success, but this album has some wasted potential and some just plain unnecessary decisions.
This is the fourth studio album by the Prog-Metal band, Coheed and Cambria. This album is fully titled Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: Now World For Tomorrow. You may know that Coheed and Cambria creates their albums based on their comic books stories (the lead singer of the band writes comics for the Armory Wars series). However, if you are expecting me to tie in ideas from the comics to the album. Well, I couldn't, because I don't read them, and it is also an impossible task. It is impossible because the singer nor anyone else has released a comic(s) to go along with the album. Personally, I enjoy the music anyways; I've never read the comics and I just enjoy the music.
Now, this album starts off with a slow acoustic song. The Reaping, the first song on this album, is not a particularly eye-catching piece of work. It's not a bad song, don't get me wrong; it just feels like a slow intro that is meant to be listened to immediately before No World for Tomorrow (the second track on the album). It just doesn't feel meant to stand alone; especially at its short 1:14 length. It is a good song and I occasionally listen to it, but as I said; it feels like a total and complete song, even if it is so short. But the problem is that it has a good guitar going and the band could have worked with the song a lot more. Only a 1:14? Really? The song had so much potential, but the potential was not found in this piece of work. It ends off very fittingly with a great sounding piano joining in to only play a few notes. It ends the song nicely, but as I said before; the potential of this song was not fully found.
Then comes the second track, No World for Tomorrow. This song is very good and brings in many instruments. After only having one instrument for almost the whole of the first song this is a nice and layered change. The drums play heartily and the guitar strums satisfactorily. Really, a great piece of metal work. If you like Coheed and Cambria you would most likely enjoy this song very much.
Then comes the third song, The Hound (Of Blood and Rank). Really, a strange name. I mean, what's that even mean? If there was a comic then maybe you could figure out if you read it. Even if the names meaning is unknown to me it is still a good song. It starts off with some sort of piano or synthesizer. Something, I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'm not against in the noise; in fact I actually quite like the noise. Then the guitar comes in strong; followed by the violin. The violin (one of my favorite instruments) is brought in at a great time; and so is the guitar. This band is usually great at bringing in instruments when they really should be brought in. Overall, a great song that has some great background vocals.
Here it comes, the wave of three amazing songs. This "wave" starts with one of my favorite songs on the album, Feathers. Feathers is an interesting piece of work. It starts off with guitar and the the drums go for it on the crash; rolling slowly to bring in the rest of the kit and vocals too. The drums and vocals mix with the guitar amazingly and the bass line is impressive. I really enjoy this song. The vocalists interesting and unique high-pitched voice is show cased in this song very well. There is a point in the song when all the instrument cut out besides guitars and the vocals sing hushed and quietly. It sounds great. I would say that the later in the song when he sings, loudly too, "Oh, please don't cry mama!" This song is, overall, just amazing; at least in my opinion it is.
Here comes the second in an onslaught of three amazing songs, The Running Free. The Running Free starts with a great intro that sets a great mood for the whole song. The background vocals (also incredibly high-pitched) are amazing and the high-pitched vocals are show cased very well (once again). Most vocalists could not pull off a pitch like Claudio, but he does; and it is truthfully (or it at least sounds like) his natural pitch. It doesn't sound at all forced. Ever.
Then comes my favorite song on the album, Mother Superior. This somewhat longer song is amazing and they really did everything right with this song. I can't think of anything in this song that I would have changed to make it sound better (to me at least). I mean, obviously bands won't usually fit all the criteria for music with no flaws to my ears; it would be impossible. Everyone has their own taste, but this song is perfect to me. It starts off with a peaceful acoustic guitar playing away and then vocals come in along with a violin (I really do like the violin). Then the song builds upon itself as it goes farther on. The vocals of Claudio (the lead singer) are amazing and perfect in this song. Their unique style is reflected well in this piece of music. Then drums fling in as it builds and fill the part that they should perfectly.
Then a song that bring my least favorite work in the album; really, I would like the song if it wasn't for some very elementary mistake. Gravemakers & Gunslingers is its name; and it's most definitely NOT Coheed and Cambria's "A"-game. This song is good besides the HORRENDOUS back-ground vocals. They just sound WRONG. And this song lays the f-bomb down; I don't care about the f-bomb most music (yes, I don't swear) but I'm just throwing it out there in case if one of you people reading cares. I'm just gonna' give you a warning of where the terrible place comes in, it's a short period of time; but, with the song never having been much that special, this makes it worse. The bad spot is at just about 2:20 and you'll know when it stops.
Then comes a good song again, Justice in Murder. Justice in Murder is a pretty good song; but not exactly a highlight of the album. We already past the best of this album. The three song that I called a "wave" were the highlight and nothing beats their awesomeness. They are just awesome, those three song. This song is good, not awesome, but good. It's a rock/metal work that is pretty good.
Then comes the first of the 5 part epic; really the songs are completely separate (if you ask me). But they all start with the label "The End Complete (then whatever the rest of the name is)". With this particular song the name is: The End Complete I: The Fall of the Ocean House Atlantic. Whatever this song is about, I have no idea. But its a good song; however, even though the acoustic guitar is impressive (to say the least); the song is once again (like the first) lost potential. It's so short and is just a repeat; where if they had changed the song and altered it slightly I could have really like it.
Then the second part of the 5 part epic, The End Complete II: Radio Bye Bye. This song is pretty good and I really like the part where in the background you can here "bu bu bu bu". You''ll know what part it is if you listen to it. This song is probably up there in the albums songs. It is a good song. But it fades out at the end; I generally don't like that.
The End Complete III: The End Complete, is up next. This song is quite good; and everything seems to fit. Once again, a very good piece of music. It sounds creepy at times and is unique; but that is almost never a bad thing.
Second last (yes, I am getting tired of reviewing) on the album is, The End Complete IV: The Road and the Damned. Yes, apparently the last song was not REALLY "the end complete". But whatever, more music; yay. This song has a GREAT violin (yay, violin). This song is very good; and makes me feel happy (yes, I know, the name sounds awfully different than happy).
Last comes this; The End Complete V: On the Brink. This song is good, but it leaves something to be desired. It is a somewhat jazzy piece of music; but then it goes off course with the sound of the word "HAIL" repeated over and over and over (around 58 times I believe) and they screech it. It is not my favorite piece of music; not bad, but that one part just isn't very good. And then the album and song ends with some instrumental.
