This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.
Equal Vision Records – 5 March 20002
Is this the catalyst for the nerd revolution?
A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far from here, a group of quirky, sci-fi fans from Nyack, NY released what turned out to be a genre and era defining record. Nerd culture in 2002 wasn’t nearly the moneymaking fandom it is now. Sure, there were a few Batman films, high school band rooms had a couple of long-haired Rush fans. And yes, Star Wars and Star Trek were part of the collective zeitgeist because of both the nostalgia of their heyday, and at least partially for the cheap laughs found at the expense of their conventions. The world was a very different place before March 5, 2002. Before Coheed and Cambria released The Second Stage Turbine Blade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe consisted of Howard the Duck, Blade and X-Men, Jar Jar Binks was single handedly destroying Lucas’ legacy and Dungeons and Dragons wasn’t a centerpiece to weekly movie star gatherings. I’m not saying Coheed and their Armory Wars made geekdom cool… but, honestly, they kinda made it acceptable which was the catalyst to where these things stand now.
The album introduced the scene to The Armory Wars, frontman Claudio Sanchez’s epic sci-fi narrative following husband and wife Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon attempt to prevent the takeover of Heaven’s Fence by Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhem Ryan. More importantly, it blended elements from Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd and Bad Brains (Dr Know even picks up the guitar for “Time Consumer”). There are also obvious parallels to Rush, as Sanchez’s near castrato voice appears to be the second coming of Geddy Lee, though the band has stated they weren’t fans of the Canadian kings of prog prior to recording.
The band is now preparing to release its 10th studio album, Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind, in May, but they’ve never changed their music. There has been growth, there has been bigger production budgets and there has been the improvement that comes along with experience, but Second Stage Turbine Blade remains the most important record of Coheed’s career. Shredding through their debut, Coheed inspired countless dragonfly tattoos and inspired fans to explore graphic novels.
I could talk to you all day about how fantastic the record is, with its impressive narrative, soaring solos and sublimely muted leads, but those are accolades already spread over the last 2 decades. Yes, Coheed and Cambria became one of the most popular bands thanks to their outstanding live shows and killer records, but that’s not really giving them enough credit for their long-term effect. The band may not have changed the pop culture landscape, but they definitely played the role of catalyst in the current nerd revolution.
For the sake of this review, let’s ignore the outstanding musicianship, forgo the obligatory write-up about the uniqueness of Sanchez’s voice or untamed coif. That shit all should have been mentioned twenty years ago and any effort at this point would be unnecessary and redundant. If we want to really focus on the impact of Coheed and Cambria after two decades, we need to look beyond the music, counterintuitive as it may be in this medium. Instead, I recommend we take a look at the full breadth of their legacy.
The quartet came in at a most fortuitous time, one where a maelstrom of the misunderstood and marginalized was about to take center stage in the pop culture psyche. As the “emo breakout” of the early 00’s began to normalize the scene and self-expression that had previously been reserved for the fringe, Coheed was able to glomb onto that wave. At the same time, their songwriting and narrative opened the gates to another demographic, hitherto reserved for those thought gauche, ineffectual or otherwise socially awkward. Coheed and Cambria brought these two scenes together, and when you combine 2 small but passionate fan bases, it’s always, only a matter of time before culture shock and societal change. That’s exactly what The Second Stage Turbine Blade helped usher in, a new reality in pop culture that has endured and flourished over twenty years.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/