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Coheed and Cambria is an American
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band from
Nyack, New York Nyack () is a Village (New York), village primarily located in the Town (New York), town of Orangetown, New York, Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, a small western section of the village lies in Clarkst ...
, formed in 1995. It consists of
Claudio Sanchez Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American musician and writer best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist for the progressive roc ...
(vocals, guitars, keyboards),
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 ...
(guitars, vocals),
Josh Eppard Josh Eric Eppard (born December 6, 1979) is an American musician from Kingston, New York and the drummer for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. He has worked as a solo rapper under the name Weerd Science and was the drummer for supergro ...
(drums, keyboards, backing vocals), and Zach Cooper (bass, backing vocals). The group's music incorporates aspects of
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
, heavy metal, and
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
. All of Coheed and Cambria's albums except for 2015's ''
The Color Before the Sun ''The Color Before the Sun'' is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. Following the conceptual double album, '' The Afterman: Ascension'' and '' Descension'', released in 2012 and 2013 respectively, ''The C ...
'' are
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 based on a science fiction storyline called ''
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 Chondra Echert, published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the cen ...
'', a series written by Claudio Sanchez, which has been transcribed into a series of comic books as well as a full-length novel. The band has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, and several special-edition releases. Six of their albums have reached the Billboard Top 10. The band's eleventh studio album, '' Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe'', was released in 2025.


History


Formation and Shabütie (1995–2001)

In March 1995, after the split of
Claudio Sanchez Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American musician and writer best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist for the progressive roc ...
and
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 ...
's band called Toxic Parents, they formed a band with
Nate Kelley Nate Kelley (born February 15, 1978, in Rockford, Illinois) is the original drummer and backing vocalist for the progressive rock band Shabütie (now called Coheed and Cambria). He is credited on Coheed and Cambria's debut album, The Second Stag ...
called Beautiful Loser. The band featured Stever on vocals and guitar, Sanchez on guitar, Kelley on drums and Jon Carleo on bass. The group was short-lived, breaking up by June 1995 after an argument over gas money. Stever left the band, and the resulting trio was named Shabütie, a word taken from African tribe chants that means "naked prey" in the film ''
The Naked Prey ''The Naked Prey'' is a 1965 American adventure film directed and co-produced by Cornel Wilde, who also stars in the lead role. Set in the South African veldt, the film's plot centers around a safari guide trying to survive in the veldt's harsh ...
''. The band spent nearly a year experimenting with a multitude of different musical styles, including
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
,
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
,
acoustic rock Acoustic music is music that solely or primarily uses instruments that produce sound through acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means. While all music was once acoustic, the retronym "acoustic music" appeared after the ad ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
, and heavy metal. When Carleo left the band in August 1996, Kelley recruited Michael Todd to take his place. Todd, who was primarily a guitarist, picked up the bass specifically for Shabütie. As Shabütie, the band wrote dozens of songs and released their first studio demo ''Plan to Take Over the World'' in 1999. The band also released ''
The Penelope EP Most of Coheed and Cambria's albums are part of a sci-fi saga called ''The Amory Wars''. They have been released out of sequence in relation to the story arc. The first album released was ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade'', the second part in the ...
'' in 1999, shortly after which Stever rejoined the band. Kelley left the band during a performance in late 1999.
Josh Eppard Josh Eric Eppard (born December 6, 1979) is an American musician from Kingston, New York and the drummer for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. He has worked as a solo rapper under the name Weerd Science and was the drummer for supergro ...
(then the drummer of his brother
Joey Eppard Joey Eppard is a music writer, recording artist, and the lead vocalist and guitarist for the experimental/progressive rock band, 3. He is also the brother of Josh Eppard, the drummer for Coheed and Cambria and former drummer of 3. In addition ...
's band 3) replaced him. The band went on to release ''
Delirium Trigger Most of Coheed and Cambria's albums are part of a sci-fi saga called ''The Amory Wars''. They have been released out of sequence in relation to the story arc. The first album released was ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade'', the second part in the ...
'' in 2000, still featuring Kelley on the drums, but listing Eppard in the liner notes.


''The Amory Wars'', ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade'', and ''In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'' (2001–2004)

Several songs that appeared on ''Delirium Trigger'' were adapted into a series of science fiction comics written by Claudio Sanchez called ''The Bag.On.Line Adventures'', which was later renamed ''
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 Chondra Echert, published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the cen ...
''. Sanchez's side project originally developed during a 1998 trip to Paris, where the band members decided to rename themselves Coheed and Cambria, named after two of the story's protagonists, and adopted the concept story as a theme that would unify their future albums. This side project also created Coheed's official logo, the Keywork, a symbol for the planetary alignment of the Amory Wars universe. In February 2002 the band released its first studio album ''
The Second Stage Turbine Blade ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade'' is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. It was originally released on March 5, 2002 through Equal Vision Records. It is their first album and part one of a tetralogy, telli ...
'' after signing with
Equal Vision Records Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, the singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. Initially, the label existed sol ...
. Influenced by the
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
group At The Drive In, the band's first release also featured a guest appearance from Dr. Know of the hardcore-punk band
Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...
as well as the revised "Delirium Trigger", "33", and "Junesong Provision" from the ''Delirium Trigger'' EP. The band also released its first single and music video, "Devil in Jersey City". The band eventually played several tour dates in the United States and Japan, as well as a brief stint on the 2002
Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a touring rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music festival in the United S ...
. In August 2002, Coheed and Cambria started working with manager Blaze James.
Following extensive touring with groups Breaking Pangaea,
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
,
The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, formed in 2000. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steinec ...
, and
Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...
, in October 2003 the band released its second studio album '' In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'', also on Equal Vision Records. Featuring the singles " A Favor House Atlantic" and "
Blood Red Summer "Blood Red Summer" is the second single and sixth track from Coheed and Cambria's second studio album, '' In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3''. A video was recorded and received airplay on MTV, MTV2, and Fuse. The video was on the first previ ...
" and corresponding videos which received airtime on MTV, the band supplemented the release by touring with various artists such as
Thursday Thursday is the day of the week between Wednesday and Friday. According to the ISO 8601 international standard, it is the fourth day of the week. In countries which adopt the "Sunday-first" convention, it is the fifth day of the week. Name Th ...
,
Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...
,
AFI AFI may refer to: * Actual flip-angle imaging, a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2017 album), the tenth ...
, and
Rainer Maria Rainer Maria is an American emo band from Madison, Wisconsin, later residing in Brooklyn, New York. The band was originally active from 1995 to 2006 and reunited in 2014. They have released six full-length albums, a live DVD, and numerous liv ...
. Coheed and Cambria also made its second appearance on the
Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
and performed additional European shows. The album peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard charts and was certified Gold by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
.


''Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV'' (2004–2006)

The band also supported the release by filming an August 2004 concert at New Jersey's
Starland Ballroom The Starland Ballroom is a concert venue located in Sayreville, New Jersey. Beginning in the 1960s, the building was known as the Jernee Mill Inn, a local bar with a banquet hall. It was originally known as the Hunka Bunka Ballroom and then Will ...
. The performance was converted into the band's first live DVD, ''
Live at the Starland Ballroom ''Live at The Starland Ballroom'' is the first live album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria, released on March 22, 2005. The concert was recorded August 20, 2004 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. The New Yo ...
'', which was released in March 2005. The success of ''In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'' attracted the attention of the record label
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, with whom they signed a multi-album contract. The band stopped touring to record their third studio album and first major-label release '' Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness'' in early 2005 for a September 2005 release. Their most commercially successful album to date, ''Good Apollo Volume One'' has sold almost 1 million copies and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard charts. The album represented a departure from their previous melodic
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
influenced rock toward a
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
sound. The single " Welcome Home" was described by John A. Hanson as "a heavily Led Zeppelin-influenced metal tune". The band supported the album with American and European tours accompanied by The Blood Brothers,
Circa Survive Circa Survive was an American rock music, rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that formed in 2004. Founded by singer Anthony Green (musician), Anthony Green and guitarist Colin Frangicetto, the band consisted of former members from This ...
,
Dredg Dredg (stylized as dredg) is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band's lineup consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer and pianist Dino Campanella. Originally sta ...
,
Head Automatica Head Automatica is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York fronted by Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo. History Formation, ''Decadance'' and ''Popaganda'' (2003–2006) The beginnings of the band stemmed from singer Daryl Palumbo' ...
, and
Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead gui ...
, tours culminating in the release of the exclusive iTunes EP '' Kerrang!/XFM UK Acoustic Sessions'' and their second live DVD '' The Last Supper: Live at Hammerstein Ballroom''.


Departures and ''No World for Tomorrow'' (2006–2009)

Claudio Sanchez released an album from his side-project
The Prize Fighter Inferno The Prize Fighter Inferno is an acoustic/electronica project of Claudio Sanchez, the lead singer and lead/rhythm guitarist for the band Coheed and Cambria, and his wife Chondra Echert. The first album, called '' My Brother's Blood Machine'' w ...
in October 2006 titled '' My Brother's Blood Machine''. Like Coheed and Cambria's albums, it was a concept album, related to Coheed and Cambria via a character that appears in both stories: Jesse, "The Prize Fighter Inferno". The album was intended to be a prequel to the Coheed and Cambria albums. Claudio says "when we were called Shabütie, the initial idea for Coheed and Cambria was to be an acoustic/electronic side project. So I guess The Prize Fighter Inferno is kind of the original idea for Coheed and Cambria." In early November 2006, Josh Eppard and Michael Todd left the band for personal reasons, forcing Matt Williams and the band's drum technician, Michael Petrak, to fill out temporarily the band's rhythm section for a handful of shows. In April 2007, bassist Michael Todd rejoined Coheed and Cambria, and the band entered the Los Angeles-based studio with new producer
Nick Raskulinecz Nick Raskulinecz () (born February 4, 1970) is an American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Production career Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville ...
. The following June
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 ...
, formerly of the
Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan is an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of dissonance ...
, joined Coheed and Cambria as its drummer, but due to contractual restrictions with his previous record label, Pennie did not appear on the band's fourth release. Instead,
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
drummer
Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician who was the drummer and a vocalist of the rock band Foo Fighters, sharing vocals with Dave Grohl. He joined the band in 1997, and remained the band's drummer ...
recorded the drums, making use of several ideas Pennie had previously written in correspondence with Sanchez. The band's fourth studio album, and second release with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, '' Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow'', was released in October 2007, debuting at number 6 on the Billboard charts. The album's first single, "The Running Free", was released to radio in August 2007. The second single was "Feathers" with a video starring
Rena Riffel Rena Riffel (born March 5, 1969) is an American actress, singer, dancer, model, writer, producer, and director. She is known for her supporting roles in films such as ''Showgirls'', ''Striptease'', and '' Mulholland Drive''. ''Showgirls'' Riff ...
. The band continued touring, headlining portions of the 2007
Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
, a tour supported by
Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...
and The Fall of Troy, and opened for
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
's 25-city U.S. tour, which forced the cancellation of Coheed and Cambria's performances on Australia's Soundwave (Australian music festival), Soundwave Festival. In addition to the return of Todd on bass and new drummer Pennie, the band also recruited a touring keyboardist and backup vocalists for its live performances. In November 2007, their song "Welcome Home (Coheed and Cambria song), Welcome Home" was included as a playable track in the video game ''Rock Band (video game), Rock Band'', and a cover of their song "Ten Speed (of God's Blood & Burial)" was later made available as a download for Rock Band. In 2009 two more songs were made available for download, "The Running Free" and "A Favor House Atlantic", for the video game Rock Band, later joined in 2010 by the songs "Guns of Summer", "Here We Are Juggernaut" and "The Broken". The band prepared a four-month world tour beginning in January 2008. They later headlined at The Bamboozle, The Bamboozle 2008 music festival. The band headlined the 2008 Kerrang! Tour in the U.K., where the band performed and recorded a cover of "The Trooper" by Iron Maiden, which is featured on Kerrang!'s Iron Maiden tribute album, ''Maiden Heaven'', that came with the July 16 issue. They were nominated for Best International Band and Best Music Video (for ''Feathers'') in the 2008 Kerrang! Awards. In October and November 2008, the band played Neverender, a four-night concert series in which the band played one album per night. The event was held in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and in London in early December. ''Neverender: Children of The Fence Edition'', a CD/DVD box set of their Neverender performance, was released on March 24, 2009.


''Year of the Black Rainbow'' (2009–2011)

Coheed and Cambria toured through most of early 2009. Between January and March, they toured with
Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...
and Trivium (band), Trivium on the Slipknot-headlined All Hope Is Gone tour. In August 2009, Coheed and Cambria toured in support of Heaven & Hell (band), Heaven & Hell on their tour in support of ''The Devil You Know (Heaven & Hell album), The Devil You Know''. On September 16, 2009, they performed at the Puyallup Fair alongside Brand New (band), Brand New and Jaguar Love. In October they performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas. They also performed at the Wacken Open Air festival, at the UK leg of the Sonisphere Festival tour, and at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Coheed and Cambria finished recording their fifth studio album ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' in 2009. It is a prequel to their conceptual story, having events that take place before ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade''. A novel was released to accompany the album co-written by Sanchez and Peter David. The album was released on April 13, 2010, in both a standard, iTunes special, and deluxe edition (with the deluxe edition including the ''Year of the Black Rainbow'' novel and a special Year of the Black Rainbow "black card" that provided the holder early access to some Coheed shows. The concept of a special card with this privilege would carry over into future album releases). In 2010 the band played the UK rock festival Download, alongside A Day to Remember and Bullet for my Valentine. "The Broken", "Guns of Summer" and "Here We Are Juggernaut" were released on the Rock Band music store on April 20, 2010. Sanchez stated that with the Coheed and Cambria saga completely chronicled on the group's first five albums, he was contemplating the direction of future releases. "I've thought of telling stories of the future and stories of the past, maybe getting involved more in the story of Sirius Amory (sic – Sirius Amory in the stories), the fellow who figured out the value of the Keywork," he said. "Or even stories that kind of parallel the one that we're telling. It's kind of up in the air. I've started writing music for that next record, and I'm kind of hoping that maybe in doing that it's going to tell me which one to do." On July 10, 2011, bassist Michael Todd was arrested and taken into police custody in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on charges of armed robbery. Wes Styles acted as a temporary replacement for the remaining dates. On August 4, 2011, Todd and the band parted ways by mutual decision. The band recorded a cover of the ZZ Top song "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers" for the tribute album ''ZZ Top: A Tribute from Friends, A Tribute from Friends'', and the song "Deranged" was released on the soundtrack for the video game ''Batman: Arkham City'' on October 18, 2011.


Line-up change and ''The Afterman'' (2011–2014)

Claudio announced at New York Comic Con in "Radio.com" in October 2011 that the upcoming album was written and that the recordings would begin in November. He also confirmed that the band were continuing to write music following the Amory Wars storyline, and hinted that fans would be surprised by which character was followed in the new album. In November 2011, Chris Pennie departed the band by mutual agreement due to creative differences. Two weeks later, Pennie was replaced by the band's former drummer
Josh Eppard Josh Eric Eppard (born December 6, 1979) is an American musician from Kingston, New York and the drummer for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. He has worked as a solo rapper under the name Weerd Science and was the drummer for supergro ...
, and the following April the band announced via social media that their replacement bassist would be Zach Cooper, previously of the band AM to AM. According to an interview with Cooper, Coheed manager Blaze James "cold-called" Cooper to audition for the bass position, based upon a personal recommendation. In June, the band completed the recording of their sixth studio album at Applehead Studios. The following month, Coheed announced via their website that the upcoming album would be a double album called "The Afterman." The first part, titled ''The Afterman: Ascension'', was released on October 9, 2012, and the second, titled ''The Afterman: Descension'', was released on February 5, 2013. It was produced by Coheed and Cambria, with Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner. 'The Afterman' tells the story of Sirius Amory, the namesake of the concept, as he explores the energy source holding together the Keywork (the 78 worlds in which ''The Amory Wars'' is set) and finds that it is in fact an afterlife for departed souls. In the same month, Claudio announced at San Diego Comic-Con that ''Entourage (U.S. TV series), Entourage'' producers Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson would be developing his comic book series ''
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 Chondra Echert, published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the cen ...
'' into a full-length live action film. In September 2019, Sanchez revealed that Wahlberg's agreement to produce the project had expired. On August 28, 2012, the band released the music video for "Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute", the first single from ''The Afterman: Ascension'', on their Vevo channel, reaching over one million views. Two weeks before the album's release, the band premiered the studio version of the title track "The Afterman" on ''Rolling Stone''. The second video from the album was later created for this track. In 2013, the band released videos for "Dark Side of Me" and "Number City", from ''The Afterman: Descension''. On August 18, 2014, it was revealed on a Billboard.com article that Coheed and Cambria would be releasing a remastered version of ''In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'' on October 21, including some interview questions about why they were releasing it, and premiering the remastered version of the single "A Favor House Atlantic" from that album. On August 25, 2014, a video of Claudio playing a new song titled "Atlas" was uploaded to the band's YouTube channel. In September and October 2014, Coheed and Cambria went on tour with Thank You Scientist, playing ''In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'' in its entirety in correspondence with its remastering. In February 2015, it was announced on BBC Radio 1 that the band would be performing "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" at Hevy Fest held at Port Lympne, Kent, England.


''The Color Before the Sun'' (2015–2017)

In an interview with Claudio Sanchez, he stated that he hoped to take Coheed and Cambria into the studio during January 2015 for a spring or summer release. The band's eighth album, ''
The Color Before the Sun ''The Color Before the Sun'' is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. Following the conceptual double album, '' The Afterman: Ascension'' and '' Descension'', released in 2012 and 2013 respectively, ''The C ...
'', was released on October 16, 2015. It is the band's first album not connected to ''The Amory Wars'' storyline. Instead, the album reflects on Sanchez's recent events in his life, which includes moving from the country to the city, his child Atlas (of which a studio version of the song of the same name is found on the album), among others. The album's first single, "You Got Spirit, Kid" was released on July 10, 2015. The second single, "Here to Mars", was released on September 3, 2015. The band embarked on an early 2016 U.S. tour with Glassjaw, I the Mighty, and Silver Snakes, and a late 2016 U.S. tour with Saves the Day and Polyphia. On August 19, 2016, the band released a Deconstructed version of the album which includes demos of the tracks as well as live recordings.


''Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures'' (2018–2020)

On February 20, 2018, the band announced a summer tour with Taking Back Sunday and The Story So Far (band), The Story So Far. It was announced on April 5, 2018, that the band had signed with Roadrunner Records, and released a teaser potentially for a new album set to release in 2018. The band decided to premiere a new song after a show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA on May 5, 2018. After videos of the song went viral among fans on YouTube the band decided to premiere the video for a new song, "The Dark Sentencer" along with the album's "Prologue" (the album's backstory), on May 31, 2018, against their promotional plan set forth by the new company they signed with, Roadrunner Records. On June 22, 2018, the band announced their new album, ''Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures'', would be released October 5, 2018. It continues the ''Amory Wars'' storyline that the band's first seven albums followed. The second song on the album, "Unheavenly Creatures", was released on June 28. A third single, "The Gutter", was released on August 16. A fourth, "Old Flames", was released on September 27. A fifth, "Love Protocol", made its debut on BBC Radio 1 on September 30. The band embarked on an early 2019 tour with Maps & Atlases. On February 12, 2019, the band announced The Unheavenly Skye Tour, co-headlined with Mastodon (band), Mastodon, and featuring special guests Every Time I Die. On August 21, 2020, the band released "Jessie's Girl 2", a sequel to Rick Springfield, Rick Springfield's 1981 song, "Jessie's Girl", featuring Springfield on the recording. The song will be released on both a red and blue 7" vinyl on September 4. According to an article by ''Entertainment Weekly'', the band reportedly has considered releasing a whole album called ''Sequels'' entirely composed of sequels to other songs.


''Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind'' (2021–2024)

In early 2021, the band announced a tour co-headlining with
The Used The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, formed in 2000. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steinec ...
. On July 21, 2021, they released the lead single, "Shoulders", from their tenth studio album. The album continues the ''Amory Wars'' "Vaxis" saga from the previous album, though frontman
Claudio Sanchez Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American musician and writer best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist for the progressive roc ...
noted that parts of the story were still in flux, as some plot points felt insensitive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as a song titled "Hallelujah Quarantine" written before the pandemic, centered around a "celebration called The Quarantine. It's almost like a cotillion where the young come to party and to decide their fates. But this organization is really just taking these young kids to use them as blood banks." On November 10, 2021, the band released their new album's second single, "Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord)". In December 2021, the band announced The Great Destroyer Tour with Sheer Mag, to take place in February and March 2022. In January 2022, the band announced the title and track listing of their tenth album: ''Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind'', which released on June 24, 2022, to critical acclaim. A third single, "The Liars Club", was released on February 22, 2022. The next day, the band announced the A Window of the Waking Mind Tour with Dance Gavin Dance and Mothica. A fourth single, "Comatose", was released on May 18, 2022, and the band added European tour dates with
Thrice Thrice is an American rock band from Irvine, California, formed in 1998. The group was founded by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue and lead guitarist Teppei Teranishi while they were in high school. Early in their career, the band was known ...
and Touché Amoré. Due to sexual assault allegations against Dance Gavin Dance singer Tilian Pearson and his departure from the band, Alkaline Trio replaced Dance Gavin Dance on the A Window of the Waking Mind tour. On January 24, 2023, the band announced the Neverender: No World for the Waking Mind Tour with Deafheaven. On February 6, 2024, the band announced a tour supporting Incubus (band), Incubus, and on February 20, they announced a co-headlining tour with Primus (band), Primus. On May 8, 2024, the band released a new song, "The Joke", a track cut from ''Vaxis – Act II''.


''Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe'' (2024–present)

On July 12, 2024, the band premiered a new song, "Blind Side Sonny", on tour. They released a music video for the song on October 2, 2024. On November 20, the band revealed the title of their eleventh studio album, '' Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe'', the full tracklisting, and second single, "Searching for Tomorrow", along with a release date of March 14, 2025. On December 9, 2024, the band announced the Infinite Arc Tour with Mastodon (band), Mastodon and Periphery (band), Periphery. On January 14, 2025, the band released the single "Someone Who Can" and announced a second leg to their 2025 tour with Taking Back Sunday and Foxing (band), Foxing. On June 3, 2025, the band announced the Welcome to Forever Tour, a UK and European tour with Haken (band), Haken.


Musical style and influences

Sanchez has several times stated he is envious of his father's era of music, and that the band is influenced by groups of that era, such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Police, Queen (band), Queen, and Thin Lizzy. Apart from these roots, Sanchez also acknowledges an eclectic array of influences, including
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
group At the Drive-In, and heavy metal pioneers Iron Maiden. One of the biggest influences for Coheed and Cambria was alternative metal band Faith No More. Before establishing the band, Sanchez and Stever got hold of their 1992 record ''Angel Dust (Faith No More album), Angel Dust'', that Stever claimed it "showed [them] the light", and they would later listen to their next records ''King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime, King for a Day'' and ''Album of the Year (Faith No More album), Album of the Year'' continually as well. Stever also stated "There are many more songs that we have done through the years that have had a guitar part or vocal melody that I will say, 'Oh shit - there's that Faith No More influence'." Contrary to rumors, bassist Michael Todd said the band was not influenced by Saga (band), Saga and that he had never heard of that group. Many draw similarities between Rush (band), Rush and Coheed and Cambria, but Josh Eppard stated in an interview that neither he nor the other band members were "big" Rush fans. Claudio later stated he began to listen more critically to Rush's albums after the comparisons. Influences of
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
have been cited as well, especially the Misfits (band), Misfits and
Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...
. Dr. Know of
Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an ade ...
plays a guitar solo on the track "Time Consumer" from Second Stage Turbine Blade. Sanchez and Stever's early band Toxic Parents drew many similarities from Jane's Addiction and Misfits. Sanchez has stated that ''
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 Chondra Echert, published by Evil Ink Comics. The name also refers to the fictional conflict at the cen ...
'', the story on which Coheed and Cambria base its lyrics, has similarities to other stories, especially to the ''Star Wars'' trilogy. For example, when the character List of characters in The Amory Wars, Coheed returns home to his wife Cambria, she says, "Somehow I've always known," a line that Princess Leia said to Luke Skywalker in ''Return of the Jedi''.


Genre

The band's style is described as
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
by Equal Vision Records, Equal Vision, Spin (magazine), Spin, and AllMusic. Songs such as "Blood Red Summer" and "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)" have been noted in many reviews of the band also to contain several elements of pop, as exemplified by one review by Sputnikmusic, which says "Coheed and Cambria manage to bring new life to a dying genre, and mix up the standard pop-punk scheme with creative and original riffs." The band has also been described as alternative rock, new prog, progressive metal, emo,
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
, and alternative metal.


Band members

Current members *
Claudio Sanchez Claudio Paul Sanchez III (born March 12, 1978)Sanchez, Claudio: "The Amory Wars Sketchbook", page 30. Evil Ink, 2007. is an American musician and writer best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist for the progressive roc ...
– lead vocals (1995–present), keyboards (2003–present), guitar (1995–present), backing vocals (1995) *
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 ...
– guitar (1995, 1999–present), backing vocals (1999–present), lead vocals (1995) *
Josh Eppard Josh Eric Eppard (born December 6, 1979) is an American musician from Kingston, New York and the drummer for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. He has worked as a solo rapper under the name Weerd Science and was the drummer for supergro ...
– drums, backing vocals, keyboards (2000–2006, 2011–present) *Zach Cooper – bass, backing vocals (2012–present) Former members *Jon Carleo – bass (1995–1996) *
Nate Kelley Nate Kelley (born February 15, 1978, in Rockford, Illinois) is the original drummer and backing vocalist for the progressive rock band Shabütie (now called Coheed and Cambria). He is credited on Coheed and Cambria's debut album, The Second Stag ...
– drums, backing vocals (1995–2000) * Michael Todd – bass, backing vocals (1996–2006, 2007–2011) *
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 (2007–2011) Former touring musicians *Dave Parker (rock musician), Dave Parker – keyboards (2005–2006) *Matt Williams – bass (2006–2007) *Michael Petrak – drums (2006–2007) *Kelly Fauth – backing vocals (2007–2010) *Halina Larsson – backing vocals (2007–2010) *Wes Styles – keyboards (2007–2010), bass (2011) Session musicians *
Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician who was the drummer and a vocalist of the rock band Foo Fighters, sharing vocals with Dave Grohl. He joined the band in 1997, and remained the band's drummer ...
– drums (2007)


Timeline


Discography

*''
The Second Stage Turbine Blade ''The Second Stage Turbine Blade'' is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. It was originally released on March 5, 2002 through Equal Vision Records. It is their first album and part one of a tetralogy, telli ...
'' (2002) *'' In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3'' (2003) *'' Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness'' (2005) *'' Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow'' (2007) *''Year of the Black Rainbow'' (2010) *''The Afterman: Ascension'' (2012) *''The Afterman: Descension'' (2013) *''
The Color Before the Sun ''The Color Before the Sun'' is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. Following the conceptual double album, '' The Afterman: Ascension'' and '' Descension'', released in 2012 and 2013 respectively, ''The C ...
'' (2015) *''Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures'' (2018) *''Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind'' (2022) *'' Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe'' (2025)


Awards


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coheed And Cambria Coheed and Cambria, American progressive metal musical groups Alternative rock groups from New York (state) American emo musical groups Musical groups established in 1995 Musical quartets from New York (state) Progressive rock musical groups from New York (state) Equal Vision Records artists Kerrang! Awards winners The Amory Wars Articles which contain graphical timelines People from Nyack, New York Defiance Records artists 1995 establishments in New York (state)