There are some people out there who simply don't like Coheed. Maybe it's Claudio's high-pitched singing, maybe it's his huge frizzy hair, but something about the band turns them off. Other people are obsessed with the band. These people tend to love pretty much everything the band releases, and these are the same people who have religiously read the comics that tell the story of the music.

On the other hand, I fall in between these two extremes. I think Coheed is a great band. In fact, I think that if history is fair, they would be regarded in the future as one of the premier bands of this era, much the same way that classic bands from the 60's and 70's are thought of now. I particularly liked Coheed's second and third albums, but I think their first exhibited "Debut Syndrome" where a band hasn't quite reached its potential, and their fourth release exhibits "Mid-Career Rush-To-Release Syndrome", where a talented and successful band pushes a release out the door without taking the time to make sure it's up to the standard of their previous releases.

Year of the Black Rainbow, however, is everything I've ever wanted in a Coheed album, for the following reasons:

1) FOCUS: A fair criticism of the band's past releases is that they lack focus. Sure, there is a cohesive story, but I'm not talking about that. What I mean is, everything from album titles, song titles, song lengths, and consistency indicate that the band tries to do too much. Compare the two Good Apollo volumes (for example, the first had a title with 15 words in it, and the second had a 5-song way-too-drawn-out closing epic), versus YOTBR. The album title, song titles, and song lengths on YOTBR are symbolic of the new focus of the band. Sure, you might say "Who cares about titles? And isn't it good when a band stretches out and frees itself of the conventions of radio-length songs?" To that, I say sure, titles don't matter much, but they can be symbolic of the band's approach to the underlying music, and "stretching out" can be great but only if it's done well, and Coheed has been guilty of doing it poorly in the past.

2) MELODIES: Melody in music is a funny thing. I like certain melodies, and I dislike others, and it's hard to explain why. On YOTBR, nevertheless, there are TONS of great melodies. Specifically, Claudio's vocals are very catchy and melodic throughout the album, and that makes it an addictive listen. Just the simple fact that there is so much melody on the album is great by itself; Coheed can be described as a metal band, although they certainly are a multi-genre band, and a lot of metal is often terrible because of its lack of melody.

3) DRUMS: As I get older, it takes more for music to keep my attention. I look more and more for technical proficiency, even though the most important quality in music, in my opinion, is good songwriting, which generally has pretty much nothing to do with technical proficiency. Finally, Coheed is moving towards combining the best of both worlds. They've always had great guitar work, a trend that continues on this album, but drumming has IMHO been weak up until now. Enter Chris Pennie. YOTBR is his first album with Coheed, and the guy is a freakin' virtuoso. I love his work on this album and can't wait to hear what he does on future Coheed albums. He was an excellent addition to the band and gives them exactly the kind of rhythm-section power they needed, much in the same way that Keith Moon and John Bonham made their bands exponentially better than they otherwise would have been. Just listen to Pennie's work on Guns of Summer and prepare for your mind to be blown.

BOTTOM LINE: If you have never liked a Coheed album, chances are you won't like this one either. But if you have liked anything they have done in the past, or if you have never heard any of their music, you need to give this album a chance. Also, VERY IMPORTANT: when I first listened to this album, I was disappointed. As I listened to it more, I realized that it truly is a masterpiece. If you don't like it at first, be patient with it, give it multiple listens, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed in the end.

To give a point of reference, I am a huge fan of this band. I am not a fan who knows the story like the back of my hand, but I am someone who appreciates the talent, creativity, and innovation they have displayed to this point. The music has always been where it's at for me. Their first three albums have forever placed them among my top three favorite bands.

That said, this one has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. My first taste was "The Broken", via their myspace page, and my first couple listens through that song left me nervous about the forthcoming album release. If that was the direction, I was not sure I was interested. I know I am not alone in this sentiment, and like many others, I decided not to let that doubt prematurely ruin this album for me. I reserved judgment until I could take in the album as a whole. I am glad I did.

It took longer for this one to "sink in". Probably because of the wall of sound surrounding the real music beneath. That is my biggest gripe with this release, and it is really unfortunate. I listen to Good Apollo vol 1 and enjoy the bits of production and sound effects. Here it all seems a bit too much. I cannot help but wonder how this is going to sound live.

However, after a little over a week of listening to nothing but YotBR, it has grown on me considerably. Without too much searching I have been able to find the Coheed that I love. Part of that is in the progression of their sound, but I can hear parts of all of their work in this album. I truly enjoy this album and am very relieved that my first impression of "The Broken" was not upheld. I have even grown to like that song quite a bit.

Overall I would liked to have given a 3.75, but since I cannot, I rate it a 4. I don't see it as a "4 star" album, but it is better than a 3 or 3.5. I am disappointed by what I see as over-production. I am in love with the evolution of their sound and continued push forward, while not letting us forget who they are: a very talented band who consistently puts out excellent music. If you cannot find what you love about Coheed in your first few plays through YotBR, I encourage you to keep listening, it's in there.

There are too many effects and background noises to pick out the music. I really want to love this album, but there are parts that are so saturated with effects that a shredding solo sounds like a laser gun fight. The music is in there somewhere, I am sure of it! And where is Travis? Is he in the band still because the high guitar is completely muted by all of the background effects. Almost every vocal track is full of effects. The bass sounds droning instead of the talented walking fingers I am used to. And the drumming has suffered (just my opinion) since the drummer changed. The last album was forgivable since it was just Chris channeled into Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters (not his style of music). I completely respect the technically and mechanically insane drumming of Chris, but I feel that he is forcing the songs in his direction as opposed to how Josh felt more fluid.

I want to love it. But I just can't. Whatever virtues it might have, I think this album's biggest fault is that most of the melodies never really materialize or offer anything interesting. In my opinion, Coheed has been slowly unraveling since In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth.

The musicianship is there. The songs have a nice metal edge to them (see "Guns of Summer"). A lot of the riffs and rhythmic stuff are complex and enjoyable. However, there are no really powerful songs like "Welcome Home," "The Crowing," or "Al The Killer." A few of the songs show signs of life, like "Here We are Juggernaut," "Far," and "Made Out of Nothing." Though I have enjoyed it more (or disliked it less) with repeated listens, I still think Coheed has done a lot better in the past.

I wish you could use half stars, because I would like give it 2 ½ stars. But what the hey; the music is ambitious enough to warrant an extra half a star.

1. One - one of the best intro tracks i've ever heard, flows nicely into the opening track

2. The Broken - what a way to rip the lid off of an album, really great melodic track that lets you know exactly what you're in for

3. Guns of Summer - the first time i heard this track i thought it was honestly "over-produced", to much sound effects and not enough guitar, then i saw them play this song live. WOW there isn't any sound effects, while not the catchiest of tunes they ever wrote but you wanna know what coheed and cambria are capable of, this is it!

4. Here We Are Juggernaut - you wanted another blood red summer or welcome home? something to scream the lyrics along with claudio? the song slams you in the face while even able to melt your heart with lyrics like "this is not your playground its my heart"

5. Far - a friend of mine proposed to his now fiancée with lyrics from this song, nuff said

6. This Shattered Symphony - ok here is easily the weakest song on the album, but this song still gives of a real iron maiden feel

7. World of Lines - This song really seems like a showcase of sanchez's voice while not skimping on guitar. it really feels like he's spitting our every syllable as if it was his last

8. Made Out of Nothing (All That I Am) - after my first listen this was my favorite track, the chorus is so relate-able, and for some reason this was the track where i finally started to feel that the new drummer (Chris Pennie) had really come into his own and is going to be the perfect man for the job

9. Pearl of the Stars - anyone who has ever doubted Co&Ca because of the lead singer's voice clearly has never heard this song, claudio sings so low in the verse i can feel him scratching at the back of my mind begging me to dig deeper into whatever he has to say

10. In the Flame of Error - heres another song that claudio belts out like he NEEDS you to hear, i know i keep giving a lot of credit to him but the other guys really shine throughout

11. When Skeletons Live - now were winding down now, we know the album is almost over, were ready to get up and get a snack NOPE!!@#@!!! another slap in the face on par with juggernaut favorite lyric of the entire album "Give us the monstar!"

12. The Black Rainbow - ok if you're familiar with the concept behind coheed and cambria you'll understand the outro of this song but regardless, this song is an amazing ambient track to close out this amazing album (about a month ago i was flying back home to cleveland ohio after a crazy weekend in las vegas, i'm waking up with a horrible hangover on the plane, i plug my ear buds in, hit shuffle, this song comes on, i'm mortified. i mean that in a nice way lol)