NO WORLD(EXP-DELUXE)

Personnel: Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizer); Travis Stever (guitar, background vocals); Stevie Blacke (violin, viola, cello); Rami Jaffee (piano, synthesizer); Taylor Hawkins, Chris Pennie (drums). Audio Mixer: Randy Staub . Recording information: The Pass Studios, Los Angeles, CA (04/2007-06/2007). Photographer: Erin Williams. Like previous prog powerhouses Rush and Yes, Coheed and Cambria showcase an immediately divisive element in singer Claudio Sanchez's high, sweet voice--a choirboy lilt that undermines the musical muscle for some, while granting it an additional dimension for others. No matter the listener's opinion on the vocals, no one can deny the scope and ambition of C and C's vision. NO WORLD FOR TOMORROW is not just an album--it's also the next chapter in the band's multimedia sci-fi comic book story, THE AMORY WARS. It's rare for a band to use its music specifically to tell a continuous, overarching story, and even rarer for it to come with its own accompanying comic. The music, like the concept, is a distinct throwback to the bombast of the '70s arena-prog titans that once plentifully populated the earth. Thoughtful acoustic passages give way to epic, soaring choruses, with arena-filling guitars and washes of keys swelling over the whole mix. Songs like "The Hound (of Blood and Rank)" and "Feathers" blend the theatrics of prog-metal with the more pedestrian drama of emo standard-bearers like Fall Out Boy and Jimmy Eat World, while slower ballads like "Mother Superior" revisit the pastoral Tolkienism of Led Zeppelin. For fans that have been following the band's epic story, it's the equivalent of another STAR WARS movie, but there's plenty for plain old rock fans to enjoy as well.