Coheed And Cambria “The Father Of Make Believe”
The cinematic mind of Claudio Sanchez and Coheed and Cambria comes to life once again in the bands new musical masterpiece The Father Of Make Believe.
This time though, the feeling throughout is more autobiographical than before. A nod to Sanchez’s own life changes of marriage, parenthood, his own parents, all enhancing his own mortality through song.
Opening track Yesterday’s Lost, a ballad of strings, harmonies, and acoustic vulnerability, touches on growing old and leaving someonr behind, as Sanchez explains to a loved one he won’t be around forever.
Goodbye, Sunshine rocks the band in full flow, including a searing solo, as Sanchez tells of a broken relationship with his father, and that it’s meant to be, with a Dead Flowers by the Stones twist in that Sanchez sings he’d be ‘first at your wake’ talking of the good times.
Searching For Tomorrow continues themes of endings near with the opening lyric of ‘Last chance to figure things out’, musically a driving rhythm from the band, another great solo and that descent in the song is volume increasing worthy.
Arguably Sanchez’s greatest ability isn’t making great music for the ears, it’s making it for the imagination. Close your eyes, lay back and let the music tease your mind. See the images that flash before your eyes. The vision that the lyrics tell, the soundscape of orchestration, the swell you feel inside, Sanchez is a master of the senses and this album is another example of his greatness.
The Father Of Make Believe dabbles in backing vocals that sound like angels visiting, Meri Of Mercy has a method acting style of a child’s piano playing during the lullaby song or the furious Blind Side Sonny which sounds like it’s going to start a bar room brawl.
Coheed and Cambria can always rock as hard as the best of them (Play The Poet), they can always be sensitive and gentle like few such as Corner My Confidence yet they also know a hook and Someone Who Can brings that cherry flavour to your drink.
However, they are also a band that loves nothing more than an epic multiple track closer to their story and in The Continuum they bring four different parts. Starting with heavy fuzz groove, the band takes us on trip through asking are we ‘afraid?, solo pianos, chanting and then finish with arguably the happiest song I’ve heard this year, complete with horns, orchestration and – in my mind – credits of all who have helped create this art.
Sanchez deals throughout the album with his own father, fears of continuing the cycle as a father himself, love, loss and navigating the world with all this emotion inside in a positive way. This album is a soundtrack to his, and to be fair, everyone’s life. Now press play, turn up the volume, lay back, close your eyes and witness the greatest show on earth.
Album Review By Iain McCallum
