Review Summary: While not quite the masterpiece it could have been, No World For Tomorrow is good fun all the same, and is a fitting end to an era.
How seriously are you willing to take post-2005 Coheed And Cambria? That's a question that one must ask themselves before wandering off into the realm that's divided Coheed's fanbase for a good deal of the past decade. Their music is part of a science fiction story that could be described as a weird hybrid of Star Wars, X-Men and Firefly, with the music mostly taking a prog-rock sound. Yet their first three albums were full of cynical, pitch black humour. I mean, what else could explain "Three Evils", probably the happiest and fluffiest song about brutal torture ever written? Or songs about a man being talked to by his own bicycle? Well, that seems to have come to a screeching halt with
No World For Tomorrow. The first of four albums which all take themselves very seriously, and whether or not that is for the better is entirely up to you.
If one thing has kept Coheed from being a "perfect" band, it's the very obvious mis-balance of talent in the band. Claudio and Travis are stellar guitarists, Michael Todd a STELLAR bassist, but Josh Eppard has never been the best drummer. Here, he's absent, and Chris Pennie wrote some drum parts, which Taylor Hawkins plays, and perhaps that's why there's such a "perfectly balanced" feel to this album. In fact, if I could give albums ratings based on individual performances, this album would be a 5 just for the drums alone. A particular track I have to mention is "The Hound (Of Blood and Rank)", where Hawkins just rocks the hell out of the drums, particularly the easy going hi-hatting in the verses, then suddenly just exploding in the choruses. I seriously doubt that Joshua Eppard would be capable of such a performance so full of power.
But enough about the drums. Back to the aforementioned "more serious feel", it works, for the most part. Coheed have a story to end, and I doubt they could have chosen a direction that was more fitting. Musically, it somewhat picks up from where
Good Apollo picked up, but with a bit more of a metal edge. In fact, after a short acoustic intro (what a shock, an intro that isn't either the four-bar motif from the end of the first album or a regurgitated "Keeping the Blade"!), the band waste no time getting to business and shove a fistful of progressive metal in your face; "No World for Tomorrow" is one heavy face-melter and could be considered a shorter and heavier "Keeping Secrets". No doubt this is one of their most "fun" and anthemic tracks; the chorus in particular is awe-inspiring, with an appropriately placed about of "
RAISE YOUR HANDS HIGH!!!". The way they deliver said line is so well done, it makes you want to obey said command. Thankfully this momentum is kept for most of the album- some songs do break up the momentum, but it doesn't take long for a rebound to happen.
The reason I can't give this album a higher rating, however, is that Claudio does something on this album that does end up costing the band the quality of their music in later releases- shifting focus almost entirely to the choruses. Thank god I was enough of a fanboy to know all the words to these songs back in 2007, because while the songs aren't only memorable because of the choruses, and the songs verses aren't completely forgettable, there's moments here where it's so obvious that the chorus was the main focus. Take the song "The Running Free". The verses are powerful enough as they are, with Claudio really letting it out, but the choruses are overpowering, and that's a problem. "Feathers", "The Hound" and "No World for Tomorrow" are similar- the choruses are easily the most memorable parts. That's not to say there aren't any songs that aren't chorus central- in fact, "Gravemakers and Gunslingers" is a good example of a band adding substance in equal parts. Said song is quite the face melter, with tasty riffs abound and some really badass vocals from Claudio, the man. "Mother Superior" is such a gorgeous and beautiful song, with quite the old cool prog feel. Initially acoustic, the song explodes into a power ballad full of painful vocals and emotional lyrics, some beautiful ensemble work from the guys and a really epic feel.
But really, you can't please everyone. And this album, for all its flaws, and more serious edge to it, still ends up being such a fun album with lots to admire, and some brilliant ensemble playing. Unfortunately, this was the last real good album from the band. They'd go of on a weird tangent afterward, and begin releasing either scatterbrained messes like
Year of the Black Rainbow, or painfully cynical double albums with boring songs like "Holly Wood the Cracked" or "2's My Favourite 1". But for an album that may not be one if the "great Coheed albums",
No World does round off the Amory Wars saga in a satisfying way, and is still a worthy addition to your record collection.
