THE AFTERMAN: ASCENSION

Make no bones about it, I am fanatically in love with his band. I am truly crazy about them. I have been for a while now; tangentially since In Keeping Secrets.. and actively since Year of the Black Rainbow. Back in the IKSOSE: 3 days I was aware of them and liked their singles but I never made the effort to explore their discography. What can I say? I was a kid. They didn't sound like Slipknot or System of a Down so I couldn't be bothered. Later on though, once I'd reached the age of refinement and Black Rainbow came around I immediately found myself foaming at the mouth with need for their music. I gobbled up as much Coheed as I could in a very short period of time and thus began a long-standing love affair between me and my favorite band, not close.

Coming in at Year of the Black Rainbow, I wasn't as.. offended by it, as others may have been. I didn't hate anything about it and still don't. Of course, later on, once I'd explored the rest of their material, I gradually grew away from it. I went through a long period of never touching it. I still don't think it's a bad album; quite the contrary, there are a lot of aspects of it that are quite good. But it was different, just enough that most people (myself included) didn't really enjoy it as much as previous albums. Come The Year of the Mayans and Coheed announces a double album: The Afterman, parts Ascension in October and Descension in the following February. With that announcement came the debut single: "Domino the Destitute"

It didn't click with me immediately but when it did I was absolutely blown away.

It was almost like Year of the Black Rainbow never happened. Coheed and Cambria had gone all the way back to the Good Apollo sound, and it was great! It's very much a return to form for the band, as is the rest of the album. This can be attributed most likely to the return of Josh Eppard, the band's original drummer. The creative connection between Eppard (brother of 3 frontman Joey Eppard, if you didn't know already) and Claudio gave a lot of what gave The Second Stage Turbine Blade and In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 their charm. Appropriately, that charm has returned with Josh.

This nearly eight minute gets the album off to a great start and takes one all the way back to In Keeping Secrets.. and the lengthy title-track that followed the short intro. The Afterman: Ascension does it the same way: the second track, "Domino", is preceded by a gentle, piano-led intro titled "The Hollow" the sets the stage for the rest of the album. The track feels like it would be at home on a Good Apollo; it doesn't feel quite as overproduced as a Black Rainbow follow-up would be. Indeed, the compressed and loud production of that album is gone and in it's place is the more enjoyable, palatable production of albums beforehand. While it's not quite as good as In Keeping Secrets... it's roughly the same sort of sound present on the Good Apollo duology. I found it to be an acceptable medium between the two extremes; as much as I enjoy their second effort, I also enjoy the hard rock leanings of later efforts. But not to the extent that Black Rainbow went.

Though this isn't always true of The Afterman. "Goodnight, Fair Lady" seems to break this rule with it's crisp guitar and vocal performance. It's much less of a hard rock epic than "Domino" or even "Mothers of Men" two tracks later. It feels much more modest and less bombastic, as their third effort did in general. This nod to previous sounds continues in the next track, "Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked" which brings back the heavy guitar and loud production of Black Rainbow while invoking the hard rock leanings of Good Apollo Vol. II. These winks at the listener (remember what I said about short intro -> long progressive opener?) cannot be coincidences. I feel like The Afterman: Ascension is deliberately calling back to every trope that the band invoked before their 2010 release. The infections refrain of "Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher" is likely another one as it reminds one of the conclusion of "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)".

Lyrically, the album's big set piece is the Key Entity Extraction suite, which tells four stories concerning the previous lives of the souls that Sirius Amory.. well, extracts from the Keywork (which a triangle-shaped collective of planets being held together by some hitherto unknown force ostensibly consisting of the souls of the deceased). In the interim, we peek into the life of his wife, Mary, who is grief-stricken with his absence but eventually finds someone else. Sirius meanwhile encounters two hostile entities, a mad woman obsessed with celebrities by the name of Holly Wood and a serial killer named Vic. Our protagonist unfortunately ends up badly injured by the end of the second encounter and has lost a lot of blood. The final extraction, "Evagria the Faithful", is primarily Sirius's apology to his wife and his acceptance of his pending death.

Ultimately, as expected, the lyrics stuck with me. Whether it be through infectiousness or simply the weight behind the words. Also as expected, there is a double-meaning behind each song. Whereas each Key Entity Extraction is a look into the life of an extracted quintessence, they also explore something on Claudio's mind. "Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked", for instance, is also about a fan that had made videos (described by Claudio as 'bizarro') and sent them over Twitter to him and his wife. The first Extraction, "Domino the Destitute" is also Claudio's feelings toward former bassist Mic Todd and the unfortunate decisions he'd made as of late. Fans of Coheed and Cambria's lyrical aptitude will surely not be left wanting by this album by any means, as the principal lyricist has not yet begun to lose his touch.

The Afterman: Ascension is an excellent album. It's everything a Coheed and Cambria fan could ever want and a little more. It's a cheeky nod to previous material with a story all it's own, not to mention a complete abandonment of the deviation that Year of the Black Rainbow took. If you were a Coheed fan that was turned off by that album you can feel free to come back to the light side of the Force, for you've nothing to fear. You will not be disappointed.

I have been using prog archives for a long time to discover new music and I think a review from me has been long overdue. I am a huge Coheed and Cambria fan, having experienced them live in an intimate setting. However, I will try to rate this album objectively, from a Prog perspective. Thus ends my little disclaimer and begins the review.

In many ways Afterman is a return to form for Coheed. Gone is the overproduced and compressed sound we had in Black Rainbow. (Thankfully). And it is very reminiscent of some of their best work. But there are a three very large reasons why this album only gets a 3 star rating.

1. The album doesn't take them anywhere new. Coheed has changed their style through every album... not dramatically but in some small way for better or worse. Afterman does not really take them new places. Every song feels like a call back to a previous album. Hollywood the Cracked feels like a Black Rainbow song and Vic the Butcher feels like an In Keeping Secrets song, and Evagria feels like something from IV, and Subtraction is material straight up from Claudio's side project, Prize Fighter Inferno, and so on. While this approach was well-appreciated by many fans and myself, I still can't help feeling disappointed that they took the easy path and didn't give me any substantial change.

2. The Afterman is a double album but for some reason it has been split into two separately released parts. I'm not sure if this is for marketing reasons or what, but this is the same thing we saw with Pain of Salvation and the Road Salt saga. Just release the whole thing at once, I say. The album ending feels abrupt and the length short compared to their earlier work.

3. The All-Mother's voice. Ew. Sorry I just can't take this album seriously whenever it talks. And this album desperately wishes to be taken seriously.

Having said that, I enjoy each song on this album. For instance the first track, Domino, gives us a wow moment with the beginning guitar solo and slow build up. The first verse will grab you and get you ready for an excellent journey. Unfortunately, the song never really delivers on its promise. There are still great moments in it, but it is held back by a lack luster 'first chorus' and a couple dragging jam-sections with boxing dialogue in the background. Claudio's vocals are in good form here and the conclusion really pulls it together in an energetic and emotional ending. The other stand out track for me is Evagria, which feels more recycled than Domino, but still boasts great composition and enough variation to hold my attention.

In short this album gets 3 stars. A solid release for Coheed. Fans will be pleased with the new material that stays true to their style and personality. And those who are not fans could give Domino or Evagria a try. Good, but non-essential.

Coheed is back...with a new agenda.

Ok, I think everyone should know that I'm a massive fan of this band. From being in bands that basically where cover bands of this band and buying everything they own, yea, I have known them for a long time.

Now, the build up to this album was rather secretive, and its interesting because usually Coheed treat a new album like the second coming of Christ. It might be due to the fact these guys are now signed to there own label, and not to a major one anymore. So really, buying this album is buying each member of the band a cheap KFC. So you should buy it out of charity really.

Now on every album, Coheed do something different, and as usual, they can be notably seen. From the mixed reviews of Year Of The Black Rainbow from critics and fans alike, Coheed decided to ditch the weird production and dark Nine Inch Nails sounding atmospheres, and go back to songwriting, and it worked like a treat on this album.

The songwriting has actually become a lot more compact, and a maturer sound is really appearing on the album. The songs sound more contemporary at times and more to the point. The length of the album also helps the feeling of being "compact". It's over in heartbeat, and it feels like you just listened to a great string of songs, in order. Usually Coheed albums are a bit longer, and more filler moments can be heard, but this format really works well for the band, and the sequel to this album will also match the feelings felt on this album.

Now concept wise, the band have taken a different approach. Instead of one linear narrative, it focuses on different events and character profiles, as the protagonist Sirius Armory travels back to his past and sees the life through different characters eyes. An interesting idea for a concept, and a great idea to cover an entire double album (in fact, it reminds me a little bit of Ayreon's Flight Of The Navigator double album)

Musically, the band have changed a bit, especially with a new line up. Josh's return to the band has brought back the more rockier drum sound, and new bassist Zach Cooper is just an amazing bassist, who gives the album a certain warmness. Claudio's voice is also better than ever too. Also, I suggest seeing the band live (as I did in November) for an amazing experience. This band will always be dear to my heart.

1. The Hollow - An amazing intro to the album. The atmospheric keyboards, the creepy narration. Perfect way to keep a listener to keep on listening and wait for what's happening next. 10/10

2. Key Entity Extraction I: Domino The Destitute - Ok, I have to admit. When this song was leaked, I was a bit obsessed with it. Out of all the Coheed epics, this is probably my favourite. Also, out of all their longer songs, this seems to be the most compact one. Nothing really gets boring, every section is as enjoyable and interesting as the next, and a lot of climaxes will be heard throughout. Also, it is probably one of Claudio's best lyrical moments. This definitely goes on the top of my list of favourite Coheed songs. 10/10

3. The Afterman ? One of Coheed's more softer moments. A very beautiful yet tragic song. The strings on this song are nice touch as well. 10/10

4. Mothers Of Men - One of my least favorite songs on the album, but when considering Coheed, that's like saying my least favourite cake. One of the more rhythmical songs on the album, with a very interesting arrangement throughout. 9/10

5. Goodnight, Fair Lady - A pop song about date rape. Only Coheed could get away with this. The date rape does add a touch of dark humour to the song, but other than that, its incredibly joyous and catchy. 10/10

6. Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood The Cracked - This would have been one of the shining moments on this album, the only problem I have with it is that it's too short (usually songs need to be cut down for some bands, Coheed need to make them longer). A more darker side to Coheed, and a flashback to some of the darker material on Year Of The Black Rainbow. One of the albums best chorus' as well. 9/10

7. Key Entity Extraction III: Vic The Butcher - The albums most rocking song. A great sing along chorus and some really kick ass fist in the air moments. This will run around your head through the next few days. 9/10

8. Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful - Probably one of the nicest Coheed softer moments. A very melodic tinged song with a very powerful chorus. I'm glad Josh is back as well, because the drumming on this song really is top notch and some of his best. 10/10

9. Subtraction - An odd way to end off an album, but rather pretty and nice. The arrangement I think is great too, especially the use of keyboards. I have heard that this was supposed to be a Prize Fighter Inferno song, so you can expect a few electronic glitches and soft keys. 9/10

CONCLUSION: This may not be my favourite Coheed album, but after thinking it through, this may be the album that I would give to someone if they wanted to get into Coheed, because it really has everything, and a little bit more. The band have changed a lot over the years, but there's eve stabs back at there older sounds, and even more on the 2nd part of this album (which I will review at some point as well). The shortness of the album also helps a lot more. A very compact little package. Also its Coheed, so expect a masterpiece of music and songwriting.

8.7/10