Label: Roadrunner Records
Released: 24th June 2022
Rating: ★★★★
Coheed & Cambria’s universe lives as much in graphic novels as it does in your earbuds. Where the initial Armory Wars tetralogy was wrapped up in 2013, kicking things back into gear in 2018 with the release of ‘Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures’, Coheed are ready to dive right back in where they left off.
‘Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Wind’, the bands tenth outing, remains reasonably loyal to the Coheed structure; breakneck riffs, soaring melodies and a blurring narrative that flips between canonical and relatable enough to sit isolated. Chances are, if you’re listening to ‘A Window’ you’re here for the development of a band and the epic world they’re building with soaring choruses and echoes of emotional vulnerability, and for that you’ll not be disappointed.
Coheed show no signs of slowing down or retracing trodden ground, with the twists and turns as regal as they are maniacal, which is all the more remarkable given the extracurricular efforts that goes into their beloved Armory Wars.
