It's been 10 years since the release of Coheed and Cambria's debut album "Second Stage Turbine Blade", and today we're going to take a look back at that album with a first in a series of Flashback Reviews that I'll be conducting throughout the year on the seminal anniversaries of some of my favorite albums that have helped shape my musical tastes up to this point. Released in 2002, this album formally introduced the prog-rockers and a sound that most people weren't too familiar with. The band made their sound instantly accessible to their demographic and instantly created one of the best debut albums by a prog-rock act in recent memory.
The album kicks off with the mellow and laid-back "Time Consumer", my favorite song off the disc that formally introduces frontman Claudio Sanchez and the clear, crisp guitar riffs hitting at you instantly and providing instant joy and gratification that can't be duplicated anywhere else. "Devil in Jersey City" is an anthemic, fierce rocker that charges out of the gates immediately and doesn't let up until the very end with its loud and insanely melodic guitar riffs that you will grow to love almost immediately. "Delirium Trigger" is a mid-tempo rocker that brings down the energy a wee bit and squarely focuses on the budding musical dynamic between everyone in the whole band that enables them to create a peaceful and unifying track.
We're in the disc's second half already and we come across "Hearshot Kid Disaster", another mid-tempo and glorifying rocker that has no frills attached and solely relies on the power of the guitar riffs and Claudio's dynamic vocals to allow the song to truck through at ease. "Junesong Provision" has hints of heavy-metal mixed in with the primary prog-rock elements to create a unique dual combination that provides a best of both worlds and enables the band to experiment with different genres while still retaining their original band dynamic. We get ready to close out the disc with "Neverender", a terrific, melody heavy tune that you wish could never end with it's indelible rhythms and Claudio's vocals making you feel at ease amidst the high charged guitar riffs gallivanting towards you. The disc closes out with "God Send Conspirator", a low-key, mellow tune that allows us to the look back on the album as a whole and pick up on all the sounds we've uncovered so far from high-charged anthems to low-key, mellowed out tunes. The album covers the whole nine yards and introduces us to a band that has helped get youth to experience prog-rock for the first time and opens them up to other similar artists within that genre including The Mars Volta. A terrific debut album from one of the most dynamic bands out there today.
All in all, a wonderful and captivating effort from Coheed and Cambria, who have introduced the progressive rock genre to an audience that wouldn't have found out about it any other way. A instant classic and highly recommended!
Album Score: 4.5/5
Track Listing:
- Second Stage Turbine Blade
- Time Consumer
- Devil in Jersey City
- Everything Evil
- Delirium Trigger
- Hearshot Kid Disaster
- 33
- Junesong Provision
- Neverender
- God Send Conspirator
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