Being a fan of Coheed for a good 4 years, I have grown to know a lot about them. And when I read in Kerrang! magazine, (prior to release) that the album/songs from it qualify as a 'Space Prog-rock opera' and are 'over-the-top' I can't help but feel... unclean.
There is a backstory to the Coheed saga, and this gives all the songs a passion that is both touching and fantastic; frontman and creative genius Claudio Sanchez lends his vocals so well to every song, you quickly 'get over' his high-pitch voice (I know this has put a lot of people off Coheed's music.)
Travis Stever (guitarist) lashes the songs with smooth licks of his guitar and some catchy and beautiful riffs. (Catchy; Feathers. Beautiful; Mother Superior).
The whole album screams with oozing talent and pure, mesmerizing melodies. If looking for a genre, you would probably settle on Prog-Rock (or the controversial'New-Prog) but this album rather defies classification. Every song is differnt. You have the acoustic, disturbing hauntings of The Reaping to open, heavy metal guitar solos galore in Gravemakers and Gunslingers, progressive stylings in Mother Superior and what can only be described as Jazz-come-Blues-come-Rock-come-Shredding in the End Complete V: On the Brink to finish it all off.
This album (coming in at exactly an hour long) if fifteen tracks of pure heaven... though I won't lie to you - a Foo Fighters fan I'm not, and (this could make it or break it for you) Taylor Hawkins hasn't made a decent job on the drums that I think new drummer Chris Pennie would. This isn' bad drumming, don't get me wrong, but compared to the sheer power of Pennie... But that's just me being a fanboy. It's a good album, aside from that one flaw.

I've been a big fan of 'Coheed and Cambria' since their first recordings, and have enjoyed hearing their new work improve and mature, but there's something not quite right on this album, whether it be the loss of members or the threat of almost splitting up I don't know, but I don't feel that they've taken these things and used them positively. I think the main thing that stands out is how horribly boring the drums are compared to what Coheed can usually produce, Taylor Hawkins' playing is very standard. Chris Pennie is the new drummer and I am wondering if he doesn't change the drums how he can be excited to play after coming from the challenging mathcore band Dillinger Escape Plan. Apart from that, the guitars sound awesome (but a bit more 'classic rock' than usual) and the vocal parts sound as great as always. I'm very much looking forward to what they can produce with their new members on their next album.

I'm impressed. The last CD of theirs I bought was their first, the Second Stage Turbine Blade, which I must say was a little disappointing. No such qualms with this. It's more catchy than epic, with many singalongs, and Sanchez' unique voice as ever makes it very entertaining. The guitar work is also very good, with some new styles of track, in 'Mother Superior' especially. Lyrically it's more of the same, but 'Gravemeakers and Gunslingers' has some really cool lyrics. The choruses are some of Coheed's strongest ever, and although there are no tracks really rivalling 'The Crowing' or 'Welcome Home' from previous albums, as a whole this album is probably stronger than 'From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness.'

bought this having listened to their previous albums. absolutely brilliant. A must have for coheed fans! too many good tracks to mention!