COHEED AND CAMBRIA: Vaxis Act Iii : The Father Of Make Believe (ALTERNATIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With “Vaxis - Act III: The Father of Make Believe”, Coheed and Cambria continue their exploration of the sprawling universe of “The Amory Wars”, striking a delicate balance between immediate accessibility and narrative complexity. This album seems to mark a new stage, a kind of synthesis between the melodic efficiency of today's Coheed and Cambria short tracks and the progressive ambitions that have always been their trademark. However, this desire to reconcile the two worlds also runs the risk of further alienating a fanbase already divided between nostalgia for their progressive roots and the appeal of more accessible sounds.

The album unfolds like a serial episode, with its moments of lull and its climaxes. The enveloping introduction quickly gives way to a series of short, punchy tracks, each seemingly cut for efficiency without ever sacrificing narrative essence. 'Goodbye, Sunshine' stands out as a perfect example of this more direct format, with an immediate melody and catchy chorus, while retaining the band's trademark cinematic dimension.

However, this efficiency has a downside. While the album is a pleasure to listen to, it sometimes struggles to build real tension, due to the fact that the songs are a little too well-calibrated, flirting at times with overly formatted FM rock. The choruses, as catchy as they are, sometimes seem too polished, at the risk of smoothing out the dramatic intensity essential to the universe of “The Amory Wars”. However, the personal impact of the themes of fatherhood and illusion is palpable, especially in 'Tethered Together', where Claudio Sanchez alternates between a calm voice and more aggressive outbursts. This vocal approach reinforces the link between the narrative and the songwriter's personal experience, but the whole would have benefited from more roughness.

As is often the case with Coheed and Cambria, the line between science fiction and autobiography is blurred. “The Father of Make Believe” seems to lean more towards personal introspection, hidden behind interstellar metaphors. Tracks like 'The Flood' and 'Play The Poet' allude to the difficulty of finding one's place, to concealment and the need to protect loved ones through carefully nurtured illusions. This blend of personal confession and galactic epic reinforces the depth of the story without ever weighing it down.

Musically, this opus seems to synthesize several of the band's periods. The first part draws on a certain 1980s nostalgia, with more assertive synthetic sounds and polished production. Tracks like 'Searching for Tomorrow' and 'Someone Who Can' almost flirt with pop-rock, offering immediately memorable melodies without sacrificing the depth of the arrangements. This approach is reminiscent of Coheed and Cambria's ability to blend influences as diverse as Rush and 1970s rock operas with choruses tailor-made for live performance. The second half, marked by 'The Continuum', a more ambitious four-part fresco, explores progressive textures reminiscent of “Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV”, while injecting more contemporary influences. The orchestrations become bolder, and the transitions between tracks reveal a mastered cohesion, where every detail seems to have been thought out to serve the story.

With this new piece, Coheed and Cambria confirm their ability to renew themselves without betraying their essence. “Vaxis - Act III: The Father of Make Believe” succeeds in offering both a musical and a narrative experience, where each track seems to play a precise role in the unfolding of the story. Ambitious in its approach but sometimes too smooth in its execution, this album should continue to divide fans while arousing the curiosity of newcomers. - Official website

COHEED AND CAMBRIA

VAXIS ACT III : THE FATHER OF MAKE BELIEVE

VIRGIN

ALTERNATIVE ROCK