Search - Coheed & Cambria :: Second Stage Turbine Blade (Reis)

Only buy if you don't already own the original

LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 10/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's no secret (or surprise) the Equal Vision is trying to capitalize on the success that Coheed has had with their latest two albums, "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3" and "Good Apollo I'm Burning Star 4", by re-releasing Coheed's classic debut "Second Stage Turbine Blade". Not that it would be a bad idea to do that. There's a lot of Coheed Demos circulating around that were from the pre-SSTB period, that would have been welcomed additions to the album. However there's only 3 newly included songs : Elf Tower New Mexico (B-side from SSTB sessions), Junesong Provision (Acoustic), and "Everything Evil" (demo). While these are great tracks to have been included with the re-release, they don't really merit the price of buying the cd over if you already own the original. I'd recommend just downloading them off the internet instead, and saving your money. This album is mostly directed at fans new to the band, and who most likely haven't bought this one yet.



You still get the all the tracks from "Second Stage Turbine Blade", which in my opinion is still Coheed's best work to date. Every song on the cd is memorable, and their musicianship was just as amazing then as it is now. Songs have a much harder edge, and are lacking the poppier elements found in their two following albums, which is a good thing. They do have catchy tunes in "Time Consumer" and "Devil In Jersey City" though. I tend to like the lyrics on this one a lot more too, because it seems like the songs individually could have a message, and not pertain to the story, unlike their later material which all directly relates to Claudio's CoCa backstory. The songs are of the perfect length too; they all fall in between 4 and 5 minutes, making the listen much more pleasurable, as you aren't getting 8 minute long epics that you tend to lose your attention during. Songs like "Hearshot Kid Disaster" and "Junesong Provision" show what Coheed and Cambria was all about at the time, while songs like "Delirium Trigger" and "33" shows signs of the experimentation that the band would later take on. My favorite Coheed song to this day is still "Neverender", and that along with the rest of the collection reminds me of all the good times I had with this album. There's also a fair amount of screaming on this one, which is somewhat absent from their newer material, which is probably for the best. While the screaming on here works well, I would hate to see Coheed just placing random screaming on their records now like every other band in the world today.



This is definitely a worthwhile purchase if you're a Coheed fan and don't already own this one. Like I said I still consider it to be Coheed's best, not just because it's their first cd or anything, but because it still gives me the most pleasurable listen, all the way through. If you're new to the band, then this is the perfect opportunity for you to see where the band came from. If you already own it, you're probably better off just finding the extra songs on the internet, they're widely available. However this album still remains a great piece of music, and one that I love every single time I listen to it."

Straight up Guitar Rock

P. Poling | Seattle, WA USA | 04/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Second Stage Turbine, contrary to its title, is the first album from Coheed and Cambria. But, unlike many bands firsts, SSTB holds a confident, bold and rocking sound. Blending all that is great about punk, metal and pop, this album keeps stunning me the more I listen to it.



The songs are of decent length and contain many complex and satisfying guitar parts. There isn't much soloing on this album as their others, but the brilliance Travis Stever and Claudio Sanchez express on their guitars does not disappoint. If you are familiar with other Coheed albums, this one is a bit different (being their first) because it isn't crowded with strings or synth or weird effects like some of their latest stuff is. This is straight up guitar rock. And don't worry; regardless of what you've heard, they are defiantly NOT `emo.'"

Exquisite.

Ralph E. Johnson | Madison, WI USA | 07/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Coheed and Cambria, and though now they've shifted into more of a Prog arrangement, I think that their raw-er sound in this album is excellent.

1. The Second Stage Turbine Blade... Introduction Music.

2. Time Consumer... Moving, powerful song, "Maria, my star, matthew goodnight"

3. Devil in Jersey City... Even though the concept is quite contrary, I think this is a fun song to just sing along to.

4. Everything Evil... Though it starts a bit slow, after the first three minutes it becomes one of the beautiful songs ever. "Stay until Wednesday, and write me a childlike letter pretending. At war here on Thursday let's make this our last day at home by the fence..."

5. Delirium Trigger... This is personally my least favorite song on the cd, though other people seem to like it.

6. Hearshot Kid Disaster...I love this song. I can't really think of anything else to say about it.

7. 33... This is one of my favorite songs, of all time. The drumming is amazing, as is every part of it.

8. Junesong Provision... Though I am partial to the acoustic version, this song is still great. It's nice and fast-paced.

9. Neverender... This is a highly underestimated song, even though it is one of my favorites. I like all the emotion in this song. It's passionate.

10. God Send Conspirator... Another amazing song. A nice way to end the (original) record.

11. Elf Tower New Mexico... Probably my third favorite song of all time. I love the singing, the weird melodies, everything. It's spectacular.

12. Junesong Provision Acoustic... This remains to be my favorite song of all, it is so creepy and oddly sweet. The high pitched vocals and the dark lyrics are an excellent combination.

13. Everything Evil Demo... Though the beginning of the song is almost exactly the same, about seven minutes into the track a haunting croon leaves you wanting more.





mhm."