[ALBUM REVIEW] COHEED AND CAMBRIA - ‘The Father of Make Believe’ LP.

Album ReviewsMusic

14 Mar

Author: Mal Keecher.

Claudio Sanchez and band-mates bring you Coheed and Cambria’s eleventh studio album, The Father of Make Believe and it's a solid, satisfying listen. Taken altogether, it’s familiar but different, like a long overdue family reunion.

This sonic release is Act III from the 'Vaxis' series, with the other two being Vaxis- Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures and Vaxis-Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind, with approximately six-and-a-half years between the first and third act. The latest addition is the third instalment in the epic saga of the 'Amory Wars', a fictional universe that Sanchez has created.

The general trajectory of this album is inherently progressive rock. However, it also has elements of classic rock sprinkled throughout, particularly on 'Searching For Tomorrow'.

Light and pleasant piano keys open the door to Coheed and Cambria's eleventh studio-album with 'Yesterday's Lost'. This poignant song has me reminiscing on the last time I was immersed in Coheed and Cambria's epic world– i.e., their 2007 release Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow.

It feels like 'Yesterday's Lost' is setting the scene for the beginning of an epic epilogue, with its’ pleasant melody and echoic reverb. Sanchez sings this in a lower register than usual, his tone and pitch turned down, perfectly complementing the lyrics. Of course, there may never be an ending to the Coheed and Cambria saga, and true fans will undoubtedly never be entirely satiated with the band’s brilliance. I was lucky enough to witness Coheed and Cambria with Circa Survive at the now sadly non-existent live music venue Palace Theatre, Melbourne in 2012.

'Goodbye, Sunshine' is unquestionably Coheed-esque, and is my favourite from this LP. It features beautifully-sung vocals from the wide ranges of Sanchez's signature sound. Sanchez brings the track right down to sing in soothing, sensitive, tones before launching back into the epic and expansive progressive-rock sound that Coheed fans have come to know. Songwriting is one thing, however these lyrics equally transmit beautiful sentiments to the listener's ears, evoking feelings of both lamentation and acceptance:

Goodbye Sunshine...

I'll be the first in line here at your wake

Celebrating the good times

I won't be mad

We played our parts

And those were the breaks

Maybe some things were hard

So with a good goddamn

But all things end...

Further along, the title track 'The Father of Make Believe' reels the listener in with an alluring harmony and riff, and, whilst it's not the most stand-out song, it's still brimming with quality.

'Meri of Mercy' is another one that starts with delicate and enchanting keys, then traversing a sea of emotions with its’ impassioned and poetic lyrics centered around sincere, reminiscing reflections:

The familiar feels so foreign

As I search these spots

For a trail I forgot

Once so young, now feeling my age

As my time comes to a close

As I watch from the window...

This one tugs at the heart-strings - even for those who don't wear those on their sleeve. If you've been through grief or bittersweet circumstances, ‘Meri of Mercy’ is for you.

'Blind Side Sonny' is one of three singles released from this album, and is on the heavier side of the Coheed spectrum. 'Play The Poet' is gritty, and commands attention with its’ charging and relentless overall sound. Meanwhile, 'One Last Miracle' is perfectly crafted for radio play and could easily be a contender for a fourth single from this LP.

'Corner My Confidence' is a supreme and softer song, with sincerity at its heart. Fingerpicking guitar accentuates Sanchez's beautifully poetic lyrics:

Lady, I know you're here with me

Somehow

Lately, it feels the future's left me out

Wait for the curtains to fall on your past

How could I be so certain

This would be the last place

I came so close...

Save me

I fear I'm drowning in my doubt

Hold me, my time is quickly running out...

I just want you to stay here

'Someone Who Can' is well-deserving of its’ status as their latest 2025 single, charting at number #26 in the USA Alternative Airplay charts. This is arguably the most uplifting and inspirational part of the entire record, and Coheed have carefully crafted a solid and engaging retro-rock sound on this one.

‘The Continuum Series’ I, II, III and IV are the last four tracks on this record, with their combined playing time totalling twenty minutes of quintessentially Coheed and Cambria creations.

My personal favourite of this quartet is 'The Continuum II: The Flood', the longest in duration at over six minutes which follows on from 'The Continuum I: Welcome to Forever, Mr Nobody'. Much like each of their albums and novels, these epic songs are well-placed adjacent to each other with a coherent course. 'The Continuum III: Tethered Together' flows into 'The Continuum IV: So It Goes'–with the title being a reference to Kurt Vonnegut's widely reviled and revered novel Slaughterhouse-Five. It's a pertinent end to the record, given the oft-repeated themes related to suffering and loss and an acceptance of life's realities.

4.5/5 Stars.