Album Selection
To read about an album's story, click the album artwork.
The Afterman: Ascension (2012)
As the album to tell the story first chronologically, Coheed and Cambria's sixth studio album The Afterman: Ascension comes first in my analysis. Ascension was released on October 9th 2012. The album tells the story of Sirius Amory (SIGH-rus AM-er-ree), a cosmonaut and leading scientist in the field of the Keywork. After going on an expedition into space to find out the secrets of the Keywork, Sirius gets trapped within it and makes a discovery that will change not only his life, but the life of all beings who live upon Heaven's Fence.
The Afterman: Descension (2013)
The Afterman: Descension is the second part in The Afterman story. Where Ascension dealt with Sirius' journey into the Keywork, Descension deals with the rammifications of Sirius' new knowledge, of Meri's new love-intereset in Colton who appears in Goodnight, Fair Lady in Ascension. The album continues with the experimental use of both progressive rock and electronic sounds that gave Ascension its's unique flavor, even among Coheed and Cambria albums. The album also continues the theme of loss that Ascension contained, particularly loss of a spouse. It was released on February 5th 2013.
Year of the Black Rainbow (2010)
Year of the Black Rainbow is Coheed and Cambria's fifth album. The novel which was released with the album on April 13th 2010, follows the story of Coheed and Cambria (the characters) while they were part of the anti-terrorist group the KBI (Knowledge, Beast, Inferno). The novel covers the story before the events of The Second Stage Turbine Blade comics, and tells the story of Coheed and Cambria's creation, Wilhelm Ryan's hostile take-over of Heaven's Fence and tells the story of Doctor Leonard Hohenburger. Year of the Black Rainbow is massively controversial among fans, with many believing Coheed and Cambria "changed" as a band at this point.
The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002)
The Second Stage Turbine Blade was released on March 5th, 2002 as Coheed and Cambria's debut album. It spearheaded the young band from Nyack into the alternative scene, with a distinctly different sound from other bands at the time. The band's demo was snapped up by Equal Vision Records, produced and mastered and the band was sent on tour, where they consistently sold most of their merchandise, and gained an ever growing fanbase. The success of The Second Stage Turbine Blade meant that the band would be able to later release their second album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, which would cement the band's name as alternative music legends.
