''Year of the Black Rainbow'' is the fifth studio album by rock band
Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
, released on April 13, 2010 through
Columbia. The album is a prequel to the band's previous four
concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
s, which comprise
The Amory Wars
''The Amory Wars'' is an ongoing series of science fiction comic books and novels created by Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez and published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the center of the st ...
narrative. ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' marks drummer
Chris Pennie
Chris Pennie (born May 31, 1977) is an American musician who is the former drummer for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria and former drummer and co-founder of mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Background
Pennie began playing d ...
's only studio appearance. It is the last album to feature
Michael Todd on bass.
The band began recording the album in 2009. Prior to the release of the album, Coheed released two singles, "The Broken" and "
Here We Are Juggernaut". The album received mainly positive reviews and peaked at number 5 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and number 35 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. The deluxe version of the album was accompanied by a novel written by the band's vocalist/guitarist
Claudio Sanchez
Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descentKitchen Chronicles: The Menna Family (New York, 2003, p.3 ...
and writer
Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
.
Background and recording
The band began recording the album in summer 2009 and finished up later that year in November. Vocalist, guitarist and lyricist
Claudio Sanchez
Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descentKitchen Chronicles: The Menna Family (New York, 2003, p.3 ...
noted that the album is very melodic.
The album is produced by
Atticus Ross
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for ''The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...
(
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
,
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands from t ...
) and
Joe Barresi
Joe Barresi (nicknamed "Evil Joe") is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Chevelle, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive, New Model Army, Ba ...
(
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...
,
Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
). According to Sanchez, "they have helped us evolve our sound to be more powerful and dynamic than ever and we think it's definitely our best work to date." Sanchez also states that, "musically, there's a very cinematic tone. There is a lot of atmosphere on this record, and that's something I've always wanted to incorporate on the other records, but just never could attain it as we have on this one."
The album has a notably different sound to it than the band's other work. It includes light elements of psychedelic rock, which are not present in the band's other albums.
The album also marked drummer
Chris Pennie
Chris Pennie (born May 31, 1977) is an American musician who is the former drummer for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria and former drummer and co-founder of mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Background
Pennie began playing d ...
's studio debut with the band, who had been playing alongside Sanchez, lead guitarist
Travis Stever
Travis Stever (born November 25, 1978) is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria.
Coheed and Cambria
Travis Stever is a founding member of Coheed and Cambria. The ...
and bassist
Michael Todd since 2007. Sanchez stated that: "
ennie
The ENNIE Awards (previously stylized as ENnie Awards) are awards for role-playing game (RPG) products (including game-related accessories, publications, and art) and their creators. The awards were created in 2001 by Russ Morrissey of EN World i ...
really kicked ass on this record. There are a lot of tunes on this album that I'm not so sure we would've been able to execute had we not have had him."
''Year of the Black Rainbow'' also completed the main tetralogy of
The Amory Wars
''The Amory Wars'' is an ongoing series of science fiction comic books and novels created by Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez and published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the center of the st ...
:
Release
''Year of the Black Rainbows release was preceded by a series of eight intimate club gigs in the northeastern United States, all of which sold out. The band announced a U.S. tour featuring 36 dates (including the eight in March).
The first song released from the album, "The Broken," premiered at midnight on February 9, 2010. On March 10, 2010, a music video for "The Broken" premiered on
Myspace.
The first official single from the album, "Here We Are Juggernaut", was uploaded onto the band's Myspace site on March 4, 2010 and went on sale March 9, 2010. A special vinyl edition of "Guns of Summer" was released exclusively at Vintage Vinyl for
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
.
The album began streaming on the band's MySpace on April 7, 2010. Two weeks later, "Here We Are Juggernaut", "The Broken" and "Guns of Summer" were released as downloadable content for the
Rock Band 2 music store. The album was released by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in both a standard format and a deluxe edition, which included a 352-page ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' novel, penned by the lead singer Claudio Sanchez and
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
bestselling author
Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
. In Europe the album was released by
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock bands. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City.
History
The label was launched in 1980 in t ...
.
Regarding the album's novelization, Sanchez stated that: "It was kind of tough juggling both of them; recording an album and writing a novel. That was a little strenuous but, for the most part, it was a lot of fun."
Critical reception
The album has received generally positive reviews, garnering a 71/100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
from 19 reviews.
''
Rock Sound
''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...
'' gave the record a 9 out of 10 and said the album, "is possibly their best record to date."
''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', who praised the album highly, remarked, "Reconciling its post-hardcore roots with the progressive-rock flourishes that have been eclipsing the band's sound over the past couple albums, tracks like "Here We Are Juggernaut" and "World Of Lines" far outshine the recent output of Coheed’s closest peer,
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership forms ...
..."
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, who gave the record a 4 out of 5, concluded that "any fan of heavy progressive rock music may find this music to be of compelling interest, whether one buys into the conceptual nature of the Amory Wars or not."
The NewReview rated the album a 4 out of 5 and said "A big portion of the songs on this album are slower in tempo and that makes the listener really analyze the music and appreciate the subtle nuances that this album has to offer." Paul Brannigan of ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' gave the album four stars out of five and called it "a genuine career highpoint for this most idiosyncratic band".
[Brannigan, Paul. ]Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
#1306, April 03, 2010. Albums. Claudio & Co Soar on album number five. p.50. ''
Time Out New York
''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide.
In 2012, the London edition becam ...
'' gave it a score of four stars out of five and said that "the band wisely refines a winning formula, sounding properly bombastic on 'The Broken,' and effortlessly hooky on 'Here We Are Juggernaut.'" Altsounds gave it 86% and called it "a pretty brilliant album".
''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' gave the album four stars out of five and said it "feels every bit as massive as the world it sets up. It's not just the heaviest record in Coheed's arsenal; it's also one of the strongest."
''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' gave it a favorable review and stated that "The record is further evidence of the quartet's easy chemistry. The band is both bold and geeky, creating a signature sound that typically triggers strong reaction; one man's progressive is another's pretentious."
Melodic.net
''Melodic'' is an international daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on independent music. However, the range of musical genres covered extends to rock, pop, folk, ...
similarly gave the album four stars out of five and said, "Coheed and Cambria always find new ways to bring in their audience and give them all that they have (no pun intended). This is a great album and I think one of their best to date."
However, some reviews are average, mixed or negative: ''
Drowned in Sound
''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
History
''D ...
'' gave the album a score of six out of ten and said, "The adventurous nature of Coheed and Cambria was what made them so thrilling. And while this new tangent of popular method could win them a fair few new fans, it may leave some of the loyal wanting more from their next opus." ''
Q'' gave it three stars out of five and called it "one space saga that's worth presevering with."
On the other hand,
BBC Music
BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network.
Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio o ...
reported that the album "suffers just a little too much from its own grand, sprawling ambition."
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' gave it a mixed review, stating that the album "lacks the grandiose thematic concepts of previous outings as well as an immediate single, like past songs 'A Favor House Atlantic' or 'The Suffering.'" ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave it two stars out of five and stated that "Beneath the veneer of baffling musicality, it's evident there's nothing new under the sun, no matter what galaxy you're in."
''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' lamented, "There's no trace of Coheed's oddball eclecticism here, or of their dynamic pop sensibilities; instead the emotionally and tonally monochrome Black Rainbow gives the impression of a typically humorless metal act." Slant also criticized the album for featuring an "oppressive production job by Atticus Ross and Joe Barressi" that creates "gloomy atmospherics that shroud each and every track".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' met the album with lukewarm reception, commenting on "the same old mix of impressive musicianship and arena-size agita," and that "''Rainbow'' feels both silly and retrograde."
[
]
Track listing
Deluxe edition
The deluxe edition includes:
* 352-page ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' novel, penned by Claudio Sanchez and author Peter David.
* "Every End Has a Beginning" DVD featuring studio and interview footage.
* Coheed and Cambria "Black Card", available only from the band's official website. Black Card cardholders were eligible for early entrance to selected shows, discounts on band merchandise and exclusive downloads and offers.
* Previously-unreleased bonus tracks
Personnel
The following people contributed to ''Year of the Black Rainbow'':["Coheed and Cambria Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2008.]
Coheed and Cambria
*Claudio Sanchez
Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descentKitchen Chronicles: The Menna Family (New York, 2003, p.3 ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesisers
*Travis Stever
Travis Stever (born November 25, 1978) is an American musician who is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria.
Coheed and Cambria
Travis Stever is a founding member of Coheed and Cambria. The ...
– lead guitar, lap steel
The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ac ...
, backing vocals
* Michael Todd – bass guitar
*Chris Pennie
Chris Pennie (born May 31, 1977) is an American musician who is the former drummer for the progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria and former drummer and co-founder of mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan.
Background
Pennie began playing d ...
– drums, percussion
Additional musicians
* Wes Styles – additional keyboards
*Brian Dembow – viola ("Pearl of the Stars")
*Claudia Sarne – additional keyboards, orchestration ("Pearl of the Stars")
Recording personnel
*Atticus Ross
Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for ''The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...
– producer, recording, mixing
*Joe Barresi
Joe Barresi (nicknamed "Evil Joe") is an American record engineer and producer who has worked with Kyuss, The Melvins, Tool, Chevelle, Queens of the Stone Age, Coheed and Cambria, Tomahawk, L7, The Jesus Lizard, Parkway Drive, New Model Army, Ba ...
– producer, recording, mixing
*Jun Murakawa – assistant engineer
*Dustin Moseley – additional assistant
*Catherine Marks – mixing assistant ("Here We Are Juggernaut")
*Mike Fasano – drum tech
* Dan Druff – guitar tech
*Brian Gardner
Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...
– mastering
Artwork
*Bill Scoville – album art, layout, design
Charts
Album
The album debuted at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and sold 51,000 copies in its first week. In addition, it was number 2 on the Rock Albums chart and the third most digitally downloaded album.[[]] In its second week, ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' charted at number 42 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album descended to 73 during its third week on the ''Billboard'' 200.
Singles
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
2010 albums
Coheed and Cambria albums
Albums produced by Atticus Ross
Albums produced by Joe Barresi
The Amory Wars
Science fiction concept albums