COHEED & CAMBRIA
Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind (Roadrunner)
Claudio Sanchez, the frontman of futurist alt-prog project Coheed & Cambria, has a knack for shrouding personal stories behind ambitious science fiction concepts. The aspiring Vaxis story, envisioned to be told across five albums, deals in experiences of parenthood. A song like Blood Or Rise, Nainasha will in one sense be about cross-planetary wars, yet will simultaneously deal in stories of estranged fatherhood and responsibility.
It’s a fascinating collision of ideas from Coheed & Cambria that’s complemented by the multifaceted composition. Shoulders and Beautiful Losers are deeply melodious yet bear an eye for detail that makes them intriguing. Even if the more accessible approach to songcraft may alienate some, Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind is one of the most emotionally intriguing and musically diverse works in the band’s winding, complex catalogue.
words ALEX SWIFT
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