The Identity Matrix Domain

The Identity Matrix · 12-05-2015, 12:45 PM

Just wanted to let anyone know who is reading this journal regularly that I unfortunately have a lot of work on my plate today. Finals week, work, etc. I will still try to get the next review out tonight. However, I cannot guarantee it. If anyone has listened to any of the stuff I have reviewed, let me know what you thought.

Tristan_Geoff · 12-05-2015, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Identity Matrix

Just wanted to let anyone know who is reading this journal regularly that I unfortunately have a lot of work on my plate today. Finals week, work, etc. I will still try to get the next review out tonight. However, I cannot guarantee it. If anyone has listened to any of the stuff I have reviewed, let me know what you thought.

I'll get around to listening to Second Stage like I said. I have to say though, what I heard off of New Crown I didn't really hate.

Sorry your gonna be so busy, looking forward to reading more. This is my most read journal right now.

The Identity Matrix · 12-05-2015, 09:45 PM

Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume IV: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness - (2005)

Album by Coheed and Cambria

Here we go. My first Coheed and Cambria record. Weird that I had no idea that there was a story, or even a concept behind this record. Just thought it was long name that prog bands like to throw on records. I'm showing my younger self's ignorance here but I feel it is needed. Apollo IV, is what I will call it for short, is the third studio album by Coheed and Cambria, and the fourth installment of the Amory Wars saga. This record right here feels much more mature and confident. Zero production issues on this record. Something that the first two records suffered from in varying degrees. The majority of the record is filled with emo/pop rock songs with only half the record showing signs of true prog rock. A few new influences are added to the mix on this album, symphonic rock/metal, and prog metal show up on a few of the longer tracks. It definitly is not nearly as varied as their earlier albums but it feels way more professional if that make sense. The guitars are all streamlined, Claudio's vocals provide some of his best singing to date, and his most poppiest voice to date, and the overall progression of the album feels very natural. Where the album fails at most however is that after "Welcome Home", the first single off of the album, The songs begin to sound a little similar. Ten Speed, Crossing the Frame, Apollo I, all seem to have very similar structure to them making them all begin to fight to fill the void that Blood Red Summer, and A Favor House Atlantic filled on the last record. Not that any of the songs are bad on their own though, quite the contrary. It is just the pop/emo rock formula can get a little old when you are salivating for that next epic prog rock masterpiece. Welcome Home and the Willing Well series are what will have to due for this record. The fact that they are just shoved to the beginning and end of the album makes it even worse. I want something between all of the pop rock tracks to keep me engaged. This is an album that desperately tries to cater to a more mainstream audience, as shown by it's charting and sales.

Ok, that is way too much negativity to be giving to a Coheed record. I felt the need to criticize as much as possible before I go in to how much I love this record. Every single song, with the exception of the Willing Well series, stands on its own. Just because a band caters to the mainstream audience doesn't mean that the songs are bad. Far from it actually. The Suffering is probably the best pop/emo rock song off of this album with that energetic chorus and I am just a sucker for banging on that one piano key. Ten Speed and Crossing the Frame are great too with some aggressive choruses and interesting lyrical themes. Ten Speed is actually about the main character of this story, The Writer (yeah the writer of the whole story), and the devil manifesting himself in the form of ten speed bicycle and trying to convince the writer to kill off a character in the story. You don't hear that on top 40 radio now do you. The first bit of progressiveness of the album comes in the form of "Welcome Home" a 6 minute Prog Rock/Metal epic discussing a very dark relationship that has turned for the worse. The song that actually got me into Coheed and Cambria in the first place. (More on that story for the music video review.) The Willing Well Series also puts a couple of unique twists and turns throughout. Major references to their past albums in the Telling Truth, let me know if you can spot them without using the internet. I don't know why but despite everything I have said thus far, I will always love this album. One whole listen a month is a bare minimum for me.

The album itself is not perfect. Plays fluidly, but can get a bit boring in the middle. I see it as a step down in quality from In Keeping Secrets, but it has such a strong production to it that it is for sure better than the debut.

Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear through the Eyes of Madness gets an 8.1/10

Positives:
-Excellent production quality
-Polished sound throughout the record
-The Willing Well series is simply epic

Negatives:
-Variety is missing in the midsection of the album
-Not nearly as many progressive sounding songs

Standout Tracks: Welcome Home, The Suffering, The Willing Well III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth, Wake Up.

Weaker Tracks: Once Upon Your Dead Body, Mother May I

Does this review make you want to listen to the record? If so how would you rate it?

Thanks for reading!

The Identity Matrix · 12-05-2015, 10:02 PM

I found a break in my work schedule to throw this together. Not my best by far but I couldn't think of much to say about this record anyway. Hope you enjoy it.

The Identity Matrix · 12-07-2015, 01:35 PM

Welcome Home - (2005)
Music Video/Single by Coheed and Cambria

Sorry about not being able to post last night, six essays for finals week ranging from 2-8 pages in length can take its toll. I was able to quickly post stuff on here just to keep my brain from melting.

Anyways, Welcome Home is the first single off of Coheed and Cambria's third studio album, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear through the Eyes of Madness. Yeah, "insert random long name joke here," I get it the name is super long and really has nothing to do with this review. The track itself opens up with a neat little acoustic riff that eventually explodes into one of, if not the, heaviest riffs for Coheed at this point in their discography. The progressive rock/metal influences shine here with quite a big shift towards the bridge of the song that leads into a small stringed section outro. The song is controlled, meaning it doesn't feel like it gets too out of hand or chaotic at any one point. Claudio's vocals also are pretty solid on this track. The song is following the story of the Writer, the creator of the Amory Wars storyline in the Amory Wars story, and a dream he is having about a girl he is in love with. It gets real dark and sinister in the verses and the outro can feel a bit haunting at the start. Lyrically the song stands on its own as a song about a bad relationship, a really dark and sinister relationship. Overall I enjoy the song immensely and have for quite a long time. In fact I'll share a quick story about the track.

This is the song that got me into Coheed and Cambria in the first place. I heard it on the video game Rock Band for the Xbox 360. It was the one song on that setlist that I always wanted to play, even though all of my friends hated it. I looked up the song on Itunes only to be left disappointed that the song was explicit. The version on Rock Band was censored. I had a parental restriction on Itunes at the time and thus couldn't get the song or the album it came off of. So I resorted to Youtube and the like. Finally I got the parental restriction removed from my account and I instantly bought the album. Well I was expecting a much heavier album I'll say that much. None of the songs on the album, at least in my opinion hit that same heaviness that was on Welcome Home. However, I learned to appreciate the album for being so different and I learned to appreciate Coheed simply because of my ignorance to what the album was really supposed to be.

As for the video, it is pretty epic. The band is in a dark barren place with a darkening sky performing the opening riff with reverence to the sound. Claudio is playing with a double necked guitar for this song and it looks very overwhelming at first. You have a need to look up to this man as both a vocalist and a guitar player. The video continues with portraits rising from the ground showing images and small clips of what is occurring in the story. Basically the Writer is having a nightmare about his wife/girlfriend being the reason for all of his suffering and he sees her in a house, and then by a graveyard. Supposedly this represents his wishes for her to die. The video conveys both the song and the story in a very well produced performance. Ultimately this is the benchmark for Coheed videos going forward as it blends the story of the album with the overall sound of the song.

The song receives and absolute like and the video gets a like as well.

Watch/listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

The Identity Matrix · 12-08-2015, 09:57 PM

The Suffering - (2006)

Music Video/Single by Coheed and Cambria

Here we go, this song right here is absolutely the catchiest song off of Burning Star IV, Volume One. (I shortened the title with the assumption readers have read the respective album review). The Suffering was the second single/music video to be released off of the band's third studio record. The Suffering follows the story of an unhappy relationship between the Writer and Erica Court, the Writer's girlfriend. There is an obvious struggle between these two characters and this is represented not only in the lyrics of the track, but also within the song structure itself. The song switches between three differing sections. The verses tend to be a little more relaxed, in comparison to the rest of the song. It then grows intense as the song leads into a powerful and emotional chorus, with the banging of a piano chord as a subtle addition to the track, it is probably one of the most well structured choruses for a pop rock song I have heard. I won't take anything away from the song or the band for attempting to write such a radio friendly track. The song then blows up into a second chorus of sorts in which Claudio sings loudly "Listen well... Will you marry me" almost in a last ditch effort to resurrect the relationship between the Writer and Erica Court. The dynamic of the song moving faster over time with the rise in intensity of the vocal delivery and instrumentation make for an excellent track overall.

The video itself takes a bit away from the song though. Its about a centaur trying to get with a mermaid. It is supposed to be a reference to the Writer and Miss Erica Court having a relationship that couldn't work. The video switches between the band playing a red cavern. The actual performance in the video looks good enough to represent the emotion behind the track. But the poorly animated video, ok yes it was 2006, and weird storyline behind it are just in my opinion pointless. I mean the Centaur saves the mermaid from a giant Kraken by shooting two arrows into one of its tentacles. It fails to build emotion or connection within the parts not showing the band and thus loses my attention real fast. This is a huge step down in quality from the Welcome Home video, but still I guess it is passable for the casual fan.

The song is an absolute like. The video, not so much. It gets a dislike from me.

Watch/listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?

The Identity Matrix · 12-09-2015, 08:40 PM

I thought I would inject some variety into this journal by adding a secondary "project" of sorts. Well I have a few ideas, but I don't know which one to proceed with. I am feeling good about keeping up with the Coheed and Cambria discography review so no worries about me . There were a few albums that I wanted to review this past weekend but they drained me of any energy to review them plus final essays got in the way. Anyway I have two ideas.

1. Random Review Wednesday - I take a random album from my collection and I review it for you guys. Expect the unexpected.

2. Artist Spotlight Wednesday - I take a random artist that I find to be very enjoyable and share my thought on them. More recommendations then reviews but I will get a lot more of what I enjoy on this site in a shorter amount of time.

Please let me know which sparks your interest more. You all have until next Wednesday to either PM or comment on this journal to let me know what you guys want to see.

I am excited to introduce something else to this journal and I hope you guys are as well.

Tristan_Geoff · 12-10-2015, 05:17 AM

I'm kinda partial towards option 2, sounds interesting. Always up for a good reccomendation as well.

The Batlord · 12-10-2015, 05:29 AM

Randows reviews are something that most everyone does, so it wouldn't be anything "new", but I'd say you should sprinkle them in your journal anyway just for the sake of variety.

I'd be more interested in weekly artist spotlights. Nothing as intensive as you Coheed bit, obviously, as that would pretty much double your workload, but a quick overview of their discography, or reviewing two to three albums from an artist you're interested in checking out, or an article on your feelings towards them one way or another, would be cool.

The Identity Matrix · 12-14-2015, 07:49 PM

Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial) - 2006

Music Video/Single by Coheed and Cambria

The third single released off of Good Apollo IV, Ten Speed is a track that combines sinister song writing/lyricism with straight forward pop rock instrumentation. A winning formula thus far for Coheed and Cambria yet it seems to drag on this far in their discography. This is the first song on the main album to have this type of structure to it so it certainly adds variety to the first four tracks of the album. The song is actually about the Writing Writer, the creator of the Amory Wars storyline, being tricked by his satanic bicycle to kill off a specific character in the story. Once again you do not see these lyrical themes too often in a pop rock track but it makes the song a little more sinister. The song is one of the catchiest in their career, which is saying something considering the whole album is pretty catchy overall. I would like to commend the backing vocals on this track as they add quite a bit of substance to the track. This song isn't one in which Claudio absolutely shines on vocals and so the added backing vocals are a nice touch. The song ends with a rough vocalization of the title of the track in which Claudio aggressively yells "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial) multiple times. Overall I really enjoy the track on its own, but after multiple listens to the album I can say without remorse that this track is far from the best in Coheeds discography.

The Video itself is pretty standard fare for a Coheed and Cambria Video. The Band is playing in some underground warehouse to a crowd that surrounds them. The video cuts between this and the movement of a stencil for the Keywork symbol, the main symbol of Coheed and Cambria. The stencil is getting passed around and as the video continues on, one would notice that the Keywork symbol is tattooed on many of the characters necks. The "main character" of the video is surprised by this and begins running, from what I don't know. Now the video obviously does not follow the storyline of the track, but I think we have come to expect that at this point. It is a fun video with a solid performance of the track. It had action, a build up, and the ending comes first style that Mission Impossible 3 popularized. Overall I enjoyed the video and thought it complimented the track well.

The song receives an absolute like and the video gets a like as well.

Watch/listen to it yourself and give me your opinions. Like it? Dislike it? Why?