ALBUM REVIEW: Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind – Coheed And Cambria

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe slowly started leaving breadcrumbs between their films, tying together more subplots than a wormhole has possibilities, it transformed the way we understand superhero movies. Just like Avengers: Infinity War did for Thanos, Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind, the new album from COHEED AND CAMBRIA, is pulling back the curtain on their long-standing Amory Wars concept’s central character. 

Picking up where 2018’s Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures left off, Vaxis II revisits the lives of Nia and Nostrand, aka Sister Spider and Creature, as they navigate parenthood on the run, with their son Vaxis in a catatonic state. There are bounty hunters, and droids, so on the surface level, it’s a Star Wars-aping concept. Break apart its name and you’ll find that V is the fifth story in the Amory Wars, and axis is what Vaxis is to the story – he’s the central character which everything in this series has revolved around. Dig a little deeper though and it’s an album-long metaphor for guitarist, vocalist, and world-builder Claudio Sanchez’s experiences of being a parent, of expectations and reality in raising a child, and in exploring autism – as ultimately, Vaxis is far more than we first thought.

It’s fleshed out thoroughly across Vaxis II, through a labyrinth of lyrical depth to jot down and dive into, and a musical menagerie of sounds to slip subconsciously into. Blood fizzles with the fear of raising a child in a world as prejudiced as ours warrants – “Follow me into the fire of the suns / They fear what they don’t know / They’ll be afraid of you for sure because you’re my blood” – whilst Ladders Of Supremacy’s defiantly cries “We’ve only got one chance at this”  as its identity crisis of sounds clash like parents coming together with different ideals.

It’s also the best album they’ve banged out in a decade, so even if you’re not bought into their career-spanning, sci-fi series of albums and comics, Vaxis II is worth dipping your toes in the water for. Whereas Vaxis I was undoing the wrongs of 2015’s The Color Before The Sun, drawing on their proggier influences, Vaxis II pushes the boat out into uncharted systems, at times sounding like a dance-punk disco (A Disappearing Act), a prog-pop parade (Rise, Nainasha), and anthemic arena-rock that absolutely deserves to be danced to on the biggest stages (Beautiful Loser, Love Murder One, Blood). 

But if you were ever worried about consistency across 13 tracks and 50+ minutes, you’ve no need. COHEED AND CAMBRIA have carefully constructed a lyrical and musical narrative that weaves in and out, just like Netflix playing the next episode without a single click of a button. It’s a refreshing experience, as the band have been well known to weigh down concepts with filler and fluff (Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One) or simply not enough of anything (The Afterman: Ascension).

Furthermore, pacing is never a problem, as the tear jerking ballad-banger Blood is sandwiched between Love Murder One’s proggy synth-pop and The Liars Club’s anthemic rock, so there’s never a moment you’re not kept on the edge of your seat catching curveballs. In fact, until its three-song conclusion, Vaxis II is nothing but three-minute bangers to blast out your boombox, before Ladders Of Supremacy, Rise Nainasha (Cut The Cord), and Window Of The Waking Mind blow the roof off of your expectations in a trio of songs so grandiose they make Dream Theater look like the DC of the prog-rock multiverse. 

COHEED AND CAMBRIA have often been a marmite band; you either love them or hate them. On Vaxis II however, there’s no denying they’ve made their definitive album that’s perfect for all listeners.

Rating: 10/10

Vaxis II: A Window Of The Waking Mind is set for release on June 24th via Roadrunner Records. 

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