Coheed and Cambria

So much about Coheed and Cambria's work cries out for ridicule: the '70s-art-rock-derived instrumental wankery, the skyscraping, get-your-Geddy-on vocals... Somehow, though, the act's fourth album, No World for Tomorrow, works in spite of itself. World represents the final chapter of The Amory Wars, the epic tale of Claudio Kilgannon, who...

By Michael Roberts

November 29, 2007

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So much about Coheed and Cambria's work cries out for ridicule: the '70s-art-rock-derived instrumental wankery, the skyscraping, get-your-Geddy-on vocals... Somehow, though, the act's fourth album, No World for Tomorrow, works in spite of itself. World represents the final chapter of The Amory Wars, the epic tale of Claudio Kilgannon, who seeks to avenge the deaths of his parents, named (wait for it) Coheed and Cambria. Deep? Not so much. Fortunately, lyrics such as "Well, baby, be my lover, go ahead and pull that trigger," from "Gravemakers and Gunslingers," are effective whether they advance the plot or not. Moreover, the technical skill at play throughout the aggressive title track and the closing suite dubbed "The End Complete" outstrips just about anything else on the emo landscape. Granted, the concluding "On the Brink" is so melodramatic that it verges on the laughable, at least until a middle passage explosive enough to justify forgiving plenty of prior sins. The results are ridiculous, but right.

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