Review Summary: Lock your door and man your own jackhammer, Coheed and Cambria are coming to deliver a punch that will be felt until the nightmare stops.
Believe it or not, there was once a time when Coheed and Cambria were viewed as nothing more than a huge gimmick through my eyes. After all, what band would make all of their lyrics follow the plot of a comic book (penned by the lead singer, no less) except one that reeked of pretentiousness and desperation? Then again, maybe passing judgment on them was a tad bit premature, given it was made before even hearing a single song of theirs. Over time, the contempt would soon prove itself to be a relic of the past, and like multiple other groups, the disapproval once harbored would metamorphosize into ardent love, and a band I once prided myself on disliking would soon become an enduring favorite. Coheed and Cambria’s sophomore effort would serve as a great example as to why and how this happened.
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is an absolute beast of an album, one that can easily weave through nine-minute long progressive epics, radio-ready three-minute jams and everything in between with flawless precision and excellent transition. The title track itself is a culmination of everything that it does right; powerful high-register vocals courtesy of frontman Claudio Sanchez, a loud, booming instrumental section boosted by fantastic riffs, and just an overall feeling of epicness and grandeur. Between the revolutionary cries of “Man your own jackhammer! Man your battle stations! We’ll have you dead pretty soon” and the repeated pounding of the war drums is the sound of rebellion and hysteria that the band wants to convey. Despite quieting down midway through, it never loses its spark, which burns until the end. In spite of basically being nothing but a reprise of the opening section, it adds in layers of gang chants in order to build on the epic feeling that acts as the track’s calling card.
There’s a sinister atmosphere that forebodes throughout most of
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 which is most evidenced on songs like “Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)” and the title track. The haunting aura is created in part by Claudio Sanchez’s vocals, ranging from low crooning to high-pitched belting and everything in between. While his singing does get a lot of flack from casual listeners, it’s an acquired taste and a huge part of what makes Coheed and Cambria such a unique band. Sanchez gives the music a much more eerie feel, sending shivers down spines with either his sinister growls or his soaring shrills, and moments like the harsh screams in the background of “Three Evils” or the sensitive crooning on “The Camper Velorium I: Faint of Hearts” are what show off his vocal prowess. The album’s cover – a portrait of a dark, cloudy sky with the faint presence of a crescent moon deep within the background – perfectly encapsulates the mood that is set up through the band’s instrumental and vocal performance.
While the story may not always be the main focal point of a Coheed and Cambria album, the fact that every single one of their releases ties into this huge project where all the plotlines intertwine together is part of what makes them such a unique band. The lyrics to
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 can be incredibly dark at times, whether it’s the contrast of melody and grit in the peppy recital of “Pull the trigger and the nightmare stops!” or the violently hateful cries of “When I kill her, I’ll have her… die white girls, die white girls”. Taking place ten years following the events documented in Coheed’s 2002 debut,
The Second Stage Turbine Blade,
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 follows protagonist Coheed’s journey for retribution following the slaughtering of his family while facing adversities ranging from being tracked down by opposing forces to encountering a racist trigger-happy maniac named Al the Killer. It’s not Pulitzer-worthy material, but it avoids falling into the trap of using lazy lyricism in order to tell a story, something that can be an issue for some concept albums. While it may be a bit difficult to keep up with, the passionate manner in which Sanchez plays the role of raconteur gives it an extra bit of substance.
Despite the dark themes and atmosphere of the album, there are still multiple moments where the melodies themselves are rather feather-light and upbeat, not to mention the prescence of memorable, pop-friendly hooks. Penultimate track “A Favor House Atlantic” is one of the most well-known Coheed and Cambria songs, and for good reason; built upon perhaps one of the catchiest choruses the band has constructed, the song remains a staple to this day because of its addictive nature and the emotion that Sanchez pours into his (admittedly higher-pitched than usual) vocals. The refrain of “good eye sniper, I’ll shoot and you run” all the way down to the final “bye, bye, beautiful” is just one long ear-worm, with every second guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Even songs that may not be all that technically impressive like the aforementioned “Favor House” or “Blood Red Summer” manage to still leave their mark because of just how catchy they are on the surface. If using cheerleader chants and “hey-hey-hey”s are their way of making up for their simplicity, it’s an apology well accepted.
If there’s anything that
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 does best, it’s the knack for creating mesmerizing atmospheres that are easy to get lost in. Whether it’s the epic, stadium-ready ardor on the title track or the gloomy darkness of “The Camper Velorium II: Backend of Forever”, it’s hard to find a moment on the album that isn’t capped off with an indelible aura. The way everything flows together is also something to admire; not many records can go from signature radio hit to progressive epic and back with as little flaws as this one, and when the band is backed by such talented musicians including Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever, it’s not hard to see why. Even if the latter doesn’t get many chances to show off his solos (that’d be expanded more on further releases), his riffs are one of the most prominent facets of the album’s instrumentation, and when he is given the opportunity to let it all out towards the end on “The Light & The Glass” and “21:13”, the result is just enchanting.
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 is Coheed and Cambria’s crowning achievement, a mix of masterful songwriting, captivating storytelling and memorable melodies woven together in one fervent display of the band’s trademark sound.
”But you, you know, you were my favorite…”
