CD Review

The name Coheed And Cambria is recognized today by a growing international fanbase. But take a step back to 2001 when the band stepped into the spotlight with The Second Stage Turbine Blade, a sprawling release that propelled the quartet and their melodic prog-rock onto the national scene, tipping the interpretation of modern heavy music in the process. The band recently reissued this groundbreaking release with new packaging and three additional tracks, further affirming the sonic shift caused the characteristic tempo-bending time signatures and Vonnegut-like storytelling.

From the onset, The Second Sage Turbine Blade bear's Coheed and Cambria's prowess. Built upon the tension of the skeletal title track and leading into the distorted chug of "Time Consumer," the band begins to piece together a raucous yet polished blend of accessible guitar-rock, driven to crescendo after crescendo by guitarist and vocalist Claudio's erupting vocals. Each track wavers between delicate and brazen, professing an air-tight control in the hands of the players. It reaches a pinnacle with "Everything Evil," a composition that breathes with asthmatic gasps, blowing out and sucking in with desperation, exposing a sonic pressure that Coheed has continued to champion.

It is clear that The Second Stage Turbine Blade is a classic. It is, of course, the root of a band-instigated and fan-perpetuated story centered around the murder of Coheed, Cambria and three of their children, and the plight of Claudio, the fourth child, to avenge their deaths. However, the extra tracks – two demo versions and one B-side – do little to accent the original release. Aside from completists and new fans, this reissue serves as a mere refresher of the band's break-out offering and the first chapter of a science-fiction tale that unfolds with each of Coheed and Cambria's releases.