CD Reviews

Coheed and Cambria

Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World For Tomorrow | Columbia

By MATT ASHARE | November 19, 2007

3.0 Stars

No World for Tomorrow is the fourth and not-quite final chapter of a series of albums (coupled with comic books written by singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez) that purport to chronicle “The Armory Wars,” a futuristic, apocalyptic conflict between good and evil as seen through the eyes of the band’s namesakes, Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon. In other words, it’s the kind of prog-rock epic that Uriah Heep would have killed for back in the day. The band have undergone a few changes in the heat of battle: bassist Michael Todd quit and then returned, and drummer Joshua Eppard’s place has temporarily been filled by Foo Fighter Taylor Hawkins. Beyond that, it’s business as usual for our screamo heroes, who continue to pile on the classic hard-rock influences, from Sanchez’s witchy Geddy Lee vocals to the LedZep mix of pastoral acoustic refrains and hard-driving, electric misty-mountain hops, bolstered by nifty Judas Priestian dual-guitar harmonizing between Sanchez and Travis Stever. The disc begins on an ominous note, with Sanchez intoning “The world will now learn of change to come . . . or not” against fingerpicked acoustics. But there are no gremlins, hobgoblins, or gollums here — just human evil. And Sanchez uses his fictional backdrop to offer the sort of advice you might get from Al Gore (“Young brothers and sisters/There’s a world’s worth of work and need for you”) — or maybe on Kid Nation — in “No World for Tomorrow.” Although the disc ends with a five-part “The End Complete,” there’s room for at least another installment, and maybe a couple of prequels.

Coheed And Cambria + Clutch + The Fall Of Troy | Palladium, 261 Main St, Worcester | November 27 | 800.477.6849

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