Coheed and Cambria are presenting themselves in full prog regalia, with a double concept album (with a companion coffee-table book, for the deluxe edition); but the prog label is just too simplistic to describe them. Indeed their progressive rock is heavily mixed with pop, alt rock, punk, post-hardcore and metal - creating a surprising blend.
“The afterman: descension” is the second chapter of the saga which began with “The afterman: ascension” (released in October 2012), following the protagonist (Sirius Amory) in his trip back to his planet. The storyline is complex and not always easy to follow 8especiall without the book), but the music actually is Coheed and Cambria's narrative masterpiece - so far. Turning points, moods, peaks, stalls... everything is translated into music, with an approach similar to scriptwriting.
In “The afterman: descension”, moreover, the band managed to reach its top in the strife to conjugate a prog soul with a pop sensibility: the result is a bunch of songs with a stellar marketing potential. Tracks like “Number city” (pulsating and refined pop tangled with infectious and grooving funk punk, with a chorus reminding The Police) or “The hard sell” (a solid rock song in the Pink Floyd vein, with funky and indie touches) are really something.
Coheed and Cambria scored big time. And this work can't be overlooked.
TRACKLIST
“Pretelethal”
“Key entity extraction iv: sentry the defiant”
“The hard sell”
“Number city”
“Gravity’s union”
“Away we go”
“Iron fist”
“Dark side of me”
“2′s my favorite 1”
4.0
