Coheed and Cambria "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" CD
[Equal Vision]
Okay, first things first, fuck the intro track. I can deal with the recordings of the phone ringing, but the stupid video game soundtrack orchestrations that follow are so damn silly... I don't care what the record is about, get rid of that crap - it's an absolutely terrible way to start off an otherwise interesting and musically sound record. Here the band's writing is more focused - it's still fairly diverse, but I wouldn't really classify it as any form of emo or indie rock anymore. Yeah, there are still loose elements of such genres in place, but there's a bit more metal (in a very melodic manner), as well as some progressive rock and a general sense of experimentation that adds a really unique flare to the material without making it too left field. The songs are actually really catchy, but it's cool because they sort of work within that whole angle without dumbing down their music or oversimplifying anything - which goes for the songs that are much longer, topping eight or nine minutes. It's usually pretty laidback, meshing lush clean guitars with distorted guitars and those oddly high-pitched vocals, which have actually improved greatly - becoming much cleaner, and the harmonies are dead on. A couple of the tracks are somewhat stripped down and perhaps strangely "poppy" in a weird way, but the vocals alone give this band a totally different sound than most. There's an unlisted track at the end of the disc that runs nearly 10 minutes and is just as strong as many of the others, I'm not sure what the deal is as far as it being tucked away like that. I really like the production, but I'm somewhat bothered by the mix, which is unfortunately favorable to the vocals and drums over anything else. All of the tones are quite good, and the placement keeps things clear and open, but the guitars need to be more dominant in the core, and the bass needs a bit more volume as well. I get used to it after a few minutes, but the vocals are definitely leaning out front, especially when harmonized - due in part to their unique high range, but nonetheless... I like the presentation with this one. The jewel case comes in a dark slip sleeve with gray clouds over a night sky and the moon peeking through, and then the actual booklet and such has a lighter sort of murkiness to it with a lot of light browns and such, with clean text and a consistent look. I don't really "get" this band's whole lyrical concept or whatever, but the lyrics really aren't that bad, and oftentimes they're handled in way that can be left open rather than being dependent upon the other songs. "Across the floor in the hand of where we drove the drill, A cautious ear to the mouth of your confession, Think of all the things we put him through, In the face of god would he tell the truth?" This is a cool record. I could deal without a few of the songs that can get slightly irritating - which would help cut down on the excessive length of the album, but for the most part this is a rock solid disc (not counting the intro). I'm going to be really curious to hear what this band does in the future. I assume they'll continue to grow and improve their recordings, so it could get wild... (7/10)
Running time - 69:00 (approximately), Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, The Velourium Camper I: Faint of Hearts, A Favor House Atlantic]
Equal Vision Records - http://www.equalvision.com

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