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Last Active 08-01-22 11:41 pm
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| SSTB: Behind the Concept
This is a beginner’s guide to the story of the Coheed and Cambria albums. I am not going to go into detail about planet names and specific details like that because it will only convolute the story and there’s only so much space I have for each post.
In order for any of this to make sense you have to understand some basic background shit. The Coheed universe is a collection of planets and “star transformers” bound together by a field of energy called the “Keywork” (the symbol for the band). Within the Keywork there are many races, but the three main ones are Mage (powerful beings that wield lots of magic and make decisions for their sectors of the universe), Prise (the angels who follow the will of “God”), and Man.
I will be going through the albums as they happen in the Amory Wars story. | | 1 |  | Coheed and Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Prophecy:
"If Man should decide to dabble in my affairs, then guardians must intervene. But, should I come forth to change the face of Man with you there to challenge me -- then I shall return with the stars to destroy' all I have made. Whether Man or I present that danger will not be told in the coming." | | 2 | | Coheed and Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Villains:
Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhelm Ryan- the dictator ruling all of Heaven’s Fence
Mayo Detinwolf- Wilhelm Ryan’s right hand man.
Admiral Crom- Another one of Wilhelm’s top men. Think Darth Vadar with a suit that drains the energy from all those around him.
Onstantine Priests- After killing all the other mages, Wilhelm Ryan experimented on them, turning them all into monsters that obey his every command. | | 3 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Heroes:
Coheed- An IRO-bot created to fight Wilhelm Ryan.His left arm is embedded with a series of massive blades. His right arm can turn into a cannon.
Cambria- An IRO-bot created to fight Wilhelm Ryan. She has telekinetic abilities and is Clairvoyant.
Inferno/Jesse- An IRO-bot clone of Hohenberger. One of the leaders of the resistance.
Mariah Antillarea- a female mage who is the other head of the resistance against Wilhelm Ryan.
Josephine- The oldest of the Kilgannon children. Possess the cure for the Monstar virus in her blood.
Patrick McCormick: Josephine’s fiance.
Claudio- The protagonist of the story and a boy prophesied to end Ryan’s reign.
Newo Ikkin: Claudio’s love interest.
Matthew and Maria- The youngest Kilgannon children. Twins. | | 4 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Before the Album:
After the events of Year of the Black Rainbow Coheed and Cambria have their memories erased and are hidden on a planet in the Keywork where they live a normal life as husband and wife. They have Josephine, who they believe is their daughter but is really an IRO-bot created in a lab by Dr.Hohenberger before his death. On the eve of Josephine’s 21st birthday, when the cure inside of her has reached maturity, Coheed is tracked down and approached by Mayo Dettinwolf. | | 5 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Before the Album Cont.:
Dettinwolf informs Coheed that he and his wife are IRO-bots created by Dr.Hohenberger to be used as terrorists against the state. He has something called the Monstar virus inside him which has the power to deactivate the star transformers, subsequently sending all planets connected to them by an energy field to break free (truth). This would trigger the apocalypse (planets crashing into each other) but is curable (truth). Coheed then passed the virus onto his children in the form of a mutation called the Sinstar, which is not curable (the lie). Providing Coheed with four vials of poison, he informs him that he must kill all the children to stop the virus from causing the apocalypse. If he does not, then they will be tried as terrorist of the state and their children killed anyway. This is, of course, a lie, as the virus is within him and Cambria, and their children are the cure. | | 6 | | Coheed and Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Second Stage Turbine Blade:
An instrumental. It’s important to note that whenever the Amory Wars theme plays (a piece of which occurs during this song, after “Everything Evil”, and then “God Send Conspirator”) it represents the passing of time. In this case it has been roughly twenty-one years since the events of YOTBR. While it is only an instrumental, in the comics Coheed has a dream where the blades pop out of his arm as Wilhelm Ryan’s men are doing tests on him (at the end of YOTBR). He goes on a killing rampage when he finally awakens from his nightmare and is comforted by Cambria who, being clairvoyant, has seen his dreams as well. | | 7 | | Coheed and Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Time Consumer:
Following his conversation with Mayo Dettinwolf, Coheed contemplates his options, wishing he could turn back time to stop this all from happening in the first place. Coming to realize that he must kill his children to save the world, he approaches Cambria with this information. They struggle to come to terms with it.
(Out of Song) They poison Matthew and Maria but after witnessing the horrible effects, decide that Claudio and Josephine, who are out of the house with their respective partners, must be dispatched in a more humane way: a hammer to the back of the head. | | 8 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Devil in Jersey City:
After Patrick proposes to his girlfriend, Josephine, they decide to celebrate their engagement by driving to an abandoned parking garage and enjoying each other’s… company. Their celebration is cut short when they are attacked and Josephine is raped. The song is about these events.
(Out of Song): Josephine returns home in tears and, as she is throwing up, is bludgeoned to death by Coheed. Patrick comes in just in time to witness the murder and runs from the scene. | | 9 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Everything Evil:
This one is strange. There’s a lot of speculation about whether or not this is from Mayo’s perspective or Coheed’s, or a combination of both. I think the majority of this is from Coheed’s perspective with maybe an interjection or two from Mayo. After poisoning the young twins and bludgeoning Josephine to death Mayo returns to the house and takes Coheed and Cambria into custody. This song seems to be Coheed recapping the murders and Mayo explaining how they plan to cover them up, and their plan for Coheed and Cambria ( revealing they plan to also kill them). Coheed, coming to realize that he has been duped, wishes for everything evil in himself to come out so that he may kill Mayo for his treachery. | | 10 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Everything Evil Cont.
Starting at the “Jesse” part, the perspective shifts. Claudio returns home from being with his girlfriend Newo to find the house abandoned, except for the body of Josephine in the kitchen. Through his touch she is reanimated and after a moment of reliving her death warns Claudio to run as one of Ryan’s Onstantine Priest’s is behind him. (Why “FBI” is screamed at the end is anybody’s guess. Could be that in an early draft of the story the FBI showed up. On this album in particular it seems like Claudio didn’t quite have the concept fleshed out, but had the rough idea of the story.)
(Out of Song): As Coheed and Cambria are subdued, Mayo reports that three of the children have been killed, but the fourth and most important (Claudio) still lives. Wilhelm Ryan sends two of his Onstantine Priests to track down all loose ends. One pursues Claudio and the other pursues Patrick. | | 11 | | Coheed and Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Delirium Trigger:
Aboard Mayo’s ship, Coheed and Cambria escape their bonds, incapacitate the crew, and attempt to rewire the system’s auto-pilot. Inferno, hearing of Wilhelm Ryan’s plan to use them to destroy the Keywork, flies to their aid and attempts to help them take over the ship, but their attempts are in vain when their craft is drawn to the massive starship helmed by Admiral Crom. They attempt to fight him off but his suit allows him to drain their energy. A fight ensues, but it is in vain. Crom shoves metal pipe through Inferno’s chest. The song is pretty much about their pathetic attempts to fight off this unstoppable force. | | 12 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Hearshot Kid Disaster:
Having subdued Coheed and Cambria, Wilhelm Ryan brings them to Paris: Earth and prepares to activate the Monstar virus. He taunts the two of them before unleashing genetically modified dragonflies that trigger the virus in Coheed and sending the remainder of his Onstantine Priests and General Mayo out to finish off Mariah and her rebellion. | | 13 | | Coheed and Cambria
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(Out of Song): Without getting too long winded, Coheed is transformed into the Monstar, a juggernaut whose purpose is to draw in the energy from the nearby “suns” and deactivate them. Cambria becomes the White Ruineer, whose purpose is to kill the Monstar. After a battle Coheed lands on a star, deactivating it and causing all the planets attached to break lose. Cambria kills him and then, as the effects of the White Ruineer fade, kills herself. The Prise, seeing what has occurred, sacrifice themselves to reactivate the star, which draws the drifting planets into its gravitational pull.
Boom, our solar system is created. | | 14 | | Coheed and Cambria
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33:
Stepping away from the main plot, Patrick, having witnessed the murder of his fiance, flees the scene and is trailed by an Onstantine Priest. The song follows two perspectives, although the majority of it is told from Josephine’s perspective as a ghost. She laments not being able to spend her life with Patrick and watches as her fiance is pursued and eventually killed by a Priest. “I’m running you down!” Is Patrick screaming in his car as he attempts to run over the monster. | | 15 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Junesong Provision:
Claudio, feeling the death of his parents through his new powers, realizes that he must go into hiding to protect the only person left alive that he cares for, his girlfriend Newo Ikkin. He wrestles with his insecurity and his inability to comprehend what he must do next in light of this tragedy. | | 16 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Neverender:
This and the previous song live pretty close to each other. As Claudio sails away from his planet he mentally writes a letter to his parents basically blaming them for murdering/ abandoning him and his siblings. He hears his dead father’s voice in his head, and contemplates suicide. The song switches to him promising Newo that he’ll return before he drifts off to sleep.
(Out of Song) Mayo Dettinwolf and his forces launch an attack on Mariah and the remainder of the rebellion. The rebellion is defeated and Mariah is beheaded). Jesse retreats into hiding. | | 17 | | Coheed and Cambria
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God Send Conspirator:
The song is mostly from Wilhelm Ryan’s perspective as he sits with Mariah’s head in his lap. The song is basically about him taunting her and soaking in his victory, while Jesse licks his wounds and brings the rebellion underground to prepare their next attack.
(“Dear Mariah, the world’s not big enough for the both of us….”: Wilhelm)
(“Fight on Fire. Burn my hands till I’ve got nothing left to count my numbers on.”: Jesse basically saying he will continue to fight and sacrifice until there is nothing left)
The end of the song is a reference to Coheed and Cambria’s apocalypse (as their eye contact is what sparked the transformation into Monstar and White Ruineer) and Jesse, accompanied by a few survivors, go underground and begin to build their army of IRO-bots. | | 18 | | Coheed and Cambria
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IRO-Bot (Demo)
An absolute sleeper in CO&CA’s discography. The song is from an IRO-bot’s perspective (potentially Sizer, but we’ll introduce him next album). An IRO-Bot is a being that is sentient and feeling, but can be repaired over and over despite its injuries. The song basically chronicles one of Jesse’s IRO-Bots as it is sent into battle repeatedly, sustaining injuries, experiencing emotions despite being trained not to, and then being rebuilt. | | 19 | | Coheed and Cambria
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Elf House New Mexico (Demo)
There’s a lot of anger and violence in early Coheed songs (see Shabutie songs like “Godfather’s Lollipop” and “Camouflage”) and this one is certainly up there. While this doesn’t happen in the comics, it seems like this is from Nikki’s perspective upon finding his goodbye letter to her. She flits between grief and anger as she believes that he has abandoned her for another lover and has run off. She envisions Claudio dead or possibly murdering him when he comes back to defend his actions to her. That being said, maybe it’s reversed (as the band has stated they don’t like playing the song because of what point in Claudio’s the Musician’s life it represents) and Claudio has murdered Nikki. | |
WalrusTusk
04.07.22 | The majority of this comes from the comics, although there isn't really a definitive "this scene portrays this song" sort of thing. If you have any thoughts or think I'm off somewhere let me know! | Assemblage
04.07.22 | Epic dude! Thanks for this. This is the album I cherish by this band and I hadn't really found any great breakdowns online of the songs before, and this one always seemed the most enigmatic storywise. Awesome! | WalrusTusk
04.07.22 | Thanks for checking it man! I'd agree that, of all the albums, this one is the hardest to tie the lyrics to the story with. IKSSE:3 is where he seemed to have the story the most hashed out, and Good Apollo is going to be really hard because the majority of the songs are not about the actual events in the story but rather the madness that the writer is succumbing to, but I'll do my best to discern between the fiction and the real. | Storm In A Teacup
04.07.22 | Nice | Lord(e)Po)))ts
04.08.22 | Just when I thought this band couldn’t get any dorkier you gonna tell me they have a whole sci-fi universe worth of concept albums and literal comic book tie ins?
| DadKungFu
04.08.22 | It's intensely dorky and I say that as someone who used to be all into the lore/comics and still has a lot of love for the band | renegadestrings
04.10.22 | These write ups are fantastic. Claudio’s vision for the story pulls from so many other sci-fi works, and yet is damn near indecipherable for a common listener. I’ve never gotten into the comics, even though I’m sure it would only serve to enhance the listening experience.
Please keep this going. Your summaries really help give much needed context to the songs for commoners like me. | Storm In A Teacup
04.10.22 | As Coheed and Cambria champion...i dont give a fuck about the story and never did. The premise is actually fairly abysmal. | Dedes
04.10.22 | This sounds fairly more interested than I could have ever expected. Melodramatic and dorky as hell but I'm a sucker for both those things lmao. | WalrusTusk
04.11.22 | @renegade thanks man. At some point in my life I might even go line for line, but that'll have to have a home somewhere else. My goal is to have all of the main Amory Wars storyline done by the time the new album comes out. Vaxis is tricky because I don't have the book that goes with it and most of the songs are just... love songs haha. YoTBR and Vaxis:1 are particularly vague conceptually, and almost serve more as songs playing in the background of the event instead of actually narrating it like SSTB through NWFT do. |
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