Coheed and Cambria
Interview with Claudio Sanchez
Words: Vladimir Negron
Photo: Chapman Baehler

Appearing:
November 19, 2007
House of Blues, Orlando

November 30, 2007
City of Palms Park, Ft. Myers

December 1, 2007
Sound Advice Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach

December 2, 2007
Ford Amphitheater, Tampa

When talking about Coheed and Cambria, there are usually two topics of conversation that come up—the bizarre and interesting storyline behind the lyrics and the unique way their vocalist sings. For the members of the band, their only concern was releasing their fourth album, No World For Tomorrow, and yet in a way it might’ve concluded the biggest chapter of their lives.

With musical influences like Led Zepellin, Jethro Tull, Queen and Thin Lizzy, you might begin to form a picture of what Coheed and Cambria should sound like, but the truth is they most resemble Pink Floyd—the way the music is much more than the sum of its parts and often needs to be mulled over to be truly respected and understood.

“I think my favorite bands of all time are the bands you don’t get at first…so if we’re in that category, that’s exciting for me,” says Claudio Sanchez, frontman for Coheed and Cambria.

When first listening to the band, there are a few things that shock first time listeners: there is this sci-fi fantasy world that the lyrics are based upon (think Star Wars but so much more gruesome), a resurgence of progressive rock combined beautifully with jazz nuances and if that’s not enough, you have a singer who uses falsetto in a way that is unheard of in the current music scene.

“I understand why someone might not like my voice right off the bat…certainly coming out of a 225lb man is really bizarre,” jokes Claudio.

Singing style aside, Coheed and Cambria have taken the term concept band and have brought it to another level. Signing with Columbia Records just after the success of their first record, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, also gave them creative control of their music. It wasn’t any different recording the new album—no outward pressure felt from the label or from their acclaim and success.

“There was no ‘What’s the label going to think of this material?’ or ‘Are we writing the right single?’” “That stuff doesn’t go through our minds as artists because it doesn’t make for good art,” continues Claudio.

However, Claudio didn’t always think the band would stay together, much less record a new album. “The only worry we had was how were we going to be a band and putting the pieces back together,” he explains.

In 2006, while on tour, Josh Eppard (drums) and Michael Todd (bass/backup vocals) left the band because of personal reasons, which caused the band to cancel what was left of their European dates. Todd rejoined the band in April 2007, but this still left a drummer position to be filled. Chris Pennie, former drummer for Dillinger Escape Plan, was later named as the replacement and although Pennie did not appear on No World For Tomorrow because of contractual issues, he now tours with the band and seems to complement the band in a way they needed. This immediately has added not only talent to Coheed and Cambria, but initiated a recording process not yet undertaken by the band.

“Before, albums were initially an acoustic version with vocals and then everyone learned their parts and later arranged them in that manner,” explains Claudio. “Chris instead demoed the whole album on the drums and we would just send stuff back and forth over the Internet. It was very efficient and something Coheed and Cambria had never known.”

It seems as though the creative process was not lost on fans. Unlike previous albums, No World For Tomorrow was released only three days before setting off on the current nationwide tour, and yet the fans love it.

“To have that immediate response to the new material…I don’t think it’s ever been like this,” he adds.

Another reason this album has been special, has been the fact that it was so personal to Claudio himself.

“Trials this past year have definitely affected the writing process and lyrics. It’s a science fiction mythology, but ultimately a lot of this stuff stems from a real place.”

A constant battle between revealing too much of himself and the inevitable impulse to vent and reflect his own life on paper has been a constant dichotomy for Coheed and Cambria. However, asking Claudio sometimes leaves him at a loss for words and he treads carefully on what he says.

“I’m not the kind of guy that likes to wear his heart on his sleeve, but it’s nice to be able to express this stuff while also hiding it in a piece of fiction,” he explains. “In a way, there is a story behind the story.”

And what a fantasy world and story he has created.

In it, he can have his characters can explore alternate avenues to his own personal choices or have them realistically endure what he has gone through.

The song “Justice in Murder” is probably Claudio’s most personal song on this record. The song stems from his aunt’s passing of Alzheimer’s and the way his mom, her caretaker for a period, struggled and coped through those times.

Given all this, how can Claudio ever stop writing about this story? Well it doesn’t look like Coheed and Cambria fans will ever have to worry about that. To start, Claudio says the next album will be a sort of prequel to the story (now called the Amory Wars). It will revisit the characters of Coheed and Cambria and their true origins. But even after their story has been told, there is literally the whole universe left to work with.

“I’ve toyed with playing with another concept, but the mythology I’ve created encompasses 78 planets and everyone is affected by the decision that the characters Coheed and Cambria make, so if we wanted we could tell a story that parallels this one.

In the end, fans can appreciate the music for what it is and not really have to understand the complex fantasy world Claudio has created, but then you’d miss out on a world that links you directly with the singer.

What a sad world that would be.

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