Album of the Week- The Afterman: Ascension

The Afterman: Ascension by Coheed & Cambria

Coheed & Cambria is a band from Nyack, New York. The lead singer, Claudio Sanchez, created a story called the Amory Wars which is what all of his albums are based off of. This is known as a concept album. The Afterman: Ascension is a piece of this complex story that has been translated into both a novel and a comic book series. 
In this part of the Amory Wars, the main character Cyrus Amory leaves his wife Mary Amory to adventure the Keywork or source of energy that nobody has found before. As he ventures, he ends up in the body of Vic the Butcher. Cyrus is stuck there for ages until Evagria the Faithful realizes his true identity when he makes a moral choice, breaking through Vic the Butcher's evil. At home, his wife is preyed on but is saved by a policemen, but soon take the man predator as her lover. At the time, there is Domino the Destitute who is a failing boxer influenced by the fame and glory that could be out there. There is Holly Wood, a character based off a "fan", who longs to be someone she's not. In the end, Cyrus resents not letting Mary go because he realizes that if he truly loved her, he would not have to make her go through parting and mourning when he dies. 
This is, as you can see, and incredibly complex story. To learn all the details I've undoubtedly omitted, go to the Coheed & Cambria Website. There are videos explaining the story behind each song. It's a fascinating concept album.

Album cover

The songs on the album:
"The Hollow"
"Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute"
 "The Afterman"
"Mothers of Men"
"Goodnight, Fair Lady"
"Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked"
"Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher"
"Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagria the Faithful"
"Subtraction"

"Domino the Destitute" Illustration

"The Afterman" Illustration

A symbol representing the album

Now to review the strange album... The music grows on you; the first time you hear it you may not be very impressed. The music is rather odd and really takes some getting used to. It's sort of a mix of rock and pop, and it kind of reminds me of Michael Jackson. The music has this unique quality as if you're listening to the soundtrack of a scifi movie. The lyrics are very complex and the music is all very diverse. Overall, I like the album but you definitely have to be in the mood to listen to it.

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Zoe Adler is a music journalist from Long Beach, California. Besides her website, which is her pride and joy, she works with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Long Beach Independent. Additionally, Ms. Adler is a musician, spending half of her time playing the flute, piccolo, trombone, and marching baritone. She has been with TeenView Music since the very start and hopes to make something of it in the future.