If ever there was a band that seems to be on an unstoppable rise to bigger and better things in 2007 it is Coheed And Cambria. ”No World For Tomorrow” is the band's fourth album and second for Columbia. The album follows the critically acclaimed million selling “Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Vol 1: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness”, which peaked at number 7 on the “Billboard Top 200”. This new album completes the story of the Armory Wars and is, in fact, the final chapter in the saga of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon, the main characters in a story that wraps all the bands concept albums into one. Anyone reading this review however who may be new to the band shouldn’t let the fact that the album is part of a sequence  put them off giving the album a spin, as it stands up well in its own right. No World For Tomorrow has a great crisp production thanks to the magic touch of Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Stone Sour) and every track has a lot of instrumentation and layers but everything stands out due to a superb mix by Randy Staub (Metallica).

The album opens with “Reaping”, a short, simple, but intriguing song that creates a mood all of its own and almost feels like the introduction to an epic story, but in musical form. Within moments everything kicks off in fine style with “No World For Tomorrow” itself, a track that demonstrates through twisting and turning guitar patterns and wonderfully arranged drumming what a technically gifted band Coheed And Cambria are. Any Rush fans that gets to listen to this track will have a smile on their faces as, at times, Claudio Sanchez vocal stylings bring to mind Geddy Lee in full flight. Admittedly it’s fleeting but without a doubt his phrasing bears comparison with the Rush vocalist, and it’s uncanny. ”The Hound (Of Blood And Rank)” is a song which moves along with purpose and is blessed with a great chorus. It bounces along with glee and is approachable, and commercial, hard rock of the finest order. There is a riff in this song however that does bear an uncanny resemblance to U2’s main riff in “Vertigo” and I found myself superimposing the U2 track over a few bars of this song. (Strange but true!).

“Feathers” is a song driven by an upbeat tempo and great melodic vocal lines. Once again the band have a great chorus up their sleeve, which really pulls away from the verses. The track brought to mind “The Outfield” (anyone remember them?). Some people may think that’s a funny comparison but it’s the crystal clear vocals and positive forward motion that do it for me.

“The Running Free” rocks big time and carries the listener along on a wave of tight guitar riffs and solid drumming. There are great modern textures form the guitars running through the track and some fine harmony guitar lines.

“Mother Superior” showcases Sanchez vocals to devastating effect as he takes things up and down within the song. He also sings in such a passionate way that one feels he really believes in what he is singing about. There is a lot going on in the arrangement and it feels almost cinematic in scale with many layers of instruments and vocals.

“Gravemakers & Gunslingers” rocks with an arrogant swagger. On first listen it sounded a bit busy but further listens revealed everything had its place. At times it had a classic seventies hard rock feel when a piercing, yet creamy, guitar injected great fills and I kept thinking of Blue Oyster Cult - and that is a massive compliment.

“Justice In Murder” is another solid song with a strong chorus, but musically sometimes felt a bit overcrowded. Midway through  there is a very strong Thin Lizzy vibe coming across via some of the vocal phrasing and guitar harmonies.

The final five tracks on the album make up a piece of music entitled “The End Complete”. The first section, “The Fall Of House Atlantic”, is an instrumental that shows that if ever the band had to write music for a film they would be able to carry it off no problem. It's simple melody fleshed out with an increasingly full arrangement. ”Radio Bye Bye” features some inventive vocal arrangements and also great melodic rock guitar playing, sounding like a strange mixture of Rush (circa Signals) and early Police. Once again the band sound progressive, but with just the right amount of commercial sensibilities to appeal to a broad spectrum of rock music fans. ”The End Complete”, a stuttering and slightly quirky number compared to previous tracks, does however have a glorious chorus to make it feel at home alongside the other songs. It is one of the longest tracks and also one of the most aggressive, luring the listener in with its complex and, at times, hypnotic riffs. ”The Road And The Damned” is uplifting, with a big feel good factor. Musically it sounds like the rain stopping and the sun coming out, whilst lyrically it sounds like finally something is being resolved. The final section “On The Brink” has everything but the kitchen sink in it, starting off sounding like Pink Floyd before morphing, through gentle lounge jazz noodlings, crowd chants, sci-fi like sound effects and finally wailing guitar solos.

Coheed And Cambria, with No World For Tomorrow, show that creatively they are just getting into their stride and are a band that we will be hearing a lot more from. Their fan base is increasingly growing and they are receiving glowing live reviews. The wealth of musical ideas on “No World For Tomorrow” also shows a band that know how to appeal to lovers of both progressive and classic hard rock. Greatness awaits.

Let us know your views on No World For Tomorrow

 Track Listing

Reaping
No World For Tomorrow
Hound (Of Blood And Rank)
Feathers
Running Free
Mother Superior
Gravemakers And Gunslingers
Justice In Murder
Fall Of House Atlantic
Radio Bye Bye
End Complete
Road And The Damned
On The Brink

Line Up

Claudio Sanchez - Vocals/Guitars/Keys
Travis Stever - Guitars
Michael Todd - Bass
Chris Pennie - Drums