From Here to Mars

Coheed and Cambria dropped a couple of new songs from their upcoming album over the past few weeks, and the latest one “From Here To Mars” is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard all year. The way the chorus kicks in and Claudio’s voice soaring above the crunchy guitars and melodic leads is just breathtaking. I got the shivers listening to it for the first time, and after over 50 plays, I still feel the same way. Seeing how stoked I am for the album after listening to the song, I decided to write about the band this week.

From Here To Mars

These guys were a huge part of my playlist during the 2000s and I’m glad they’re coming back again this year. For those of you who aren’t in the know, they finished their Armory Wars saga and will be releasing their first ever non-concept album. A big deal for CoCa fans since that was all they’ve been doing before this.

My love for CoCa started when I first heard “33” on the MTV Road Rules compilation album – one of the best compilations I’ve ever heard since, unsurprisingly, it also featured a number of my favorite bands. “33” drew me in with its catchy guitar riffs and Claudio’s curious vocals. I had never heard any other singer who sounded like him and was instantly hooked. I decided to check out more of their catalog from their debut album and kept them on my radar.

It wasn’t until a year later when I was doing some random CD shopping at Victoria Music in Sungei Wang when I noticed that they were selling Coheed and Cambria’s “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” album. Despite the high price tag (imported CDs used to cost like RM60 back then), I decided to buy it – and I didn’t regret my purchase.

From the epic intro “In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3”, to its catchy singles “Blood Red Summer”, “A Favor House Atlantic”, and melancholic closer, “The Light & The Glass”, I had nothing but praise for the album. I remember recommending it to a lot of my friends back then, but none of them could get into it because of his voice – I didn’t care, I had CoCa to enjoy all by myself.

In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3

After that album, I went online to look up more about the band and discovered that they were all about concept albums and that their lyrics told an epic space opera love story. I never really got into that aspect of their music, I enjoyed their songs for what they were, but I felt that it helped them to stand out from other bands in the genre.

I got into the next two albums Good Apollo Vol: 1 & 2 and then stopped listening to them besides the occasional spin on my “all songs” playlist. However, these guys will always have a special place in my music library and their new singles reignited the CoCa fan in me (I’ve since then redownloaded their discography and will be listening to it to tide myself over until the new album drops).

Devil In Jersey City