Coheed and Cambria are something of an interesting anomaly in the rock world. Unabashed nerds, their lyrics weave a complex sci-fi tale of monsters and aliens broadcasted courtesy of a singer who sounds like he has a helium tank for an IV. But the songs aren’t inaccessible in any way; instead their epic pieces are catchy as all hell – crack cocaine style pop ditties peppered with epic sing along metal anthems. That this perplexing juxtaposition of the pop and the metal is one of the lesser mysteries of the band’s oeuvre is a testament to their quirkiness. Somehow, against all odds, everything works. Or at least it has so far.

But what about the newest Coheed album, their first official major label release (Columbia) scheduled to hit the streets on September 20th? Can the prog-metal-emo-pop-rockers continue their streak of memorable anthem albums that inevitably stick with you even though you have no clue what they are talking about with all this Mon-Star and Apollo business? The answer is a resounding yes. The group’s latest will no doubt satisfy the true C/C fans just as much as the predecessors. It is rare to say that a group has “refreshingly” not altered or changed up their sound, but the statement was never truer than here. The same Coheed has come out to play, changing nothing except to push themselves even further into their wacky and individualistic direction.

For the first time in Coheed’s discography, the first track is not phones ringing or tiny sound effects playing, instead it is something resembling an actual tune, a brief intro that reemphasizes the melodic ‘themes’ of the last releases. After a short lived acoustic ditty, the album kicks into high gear with the third track and unlikely first single “Welcome Home”. From there the CD never lets up, hitting your ears with tune after tune of bombastic epic-osity that instructs the head to be bobbed approvingly. The lilting acoustic tune placed squarely at the halfway point of the disc is a wise choice, providing an intermission of sorts between the two acts that make up this solid record. The final and four part, almost 30 minute portion of the album (“The Willing Well”) is a mini-tour-de-force of Queen level proportions, switching moods and melodies effortlessly while maintaining a solid and coherent sound that never misses a step.

But if there is one shortcoming to be found with the album, it is likely only to bother stupid people and financial bigwigs. The bandwagon hop-along hipsters who rocked out to last year’s “Blood Red Summer” and “A Favor House Atlantic” while cruising the aisles of Hot Topic will be undeniably left in the dust. The album lacks anything close to the mainstream appeal of those two dance-tastic singles. It’s just another mystery to add to the Coheed legend – why, when poised to take the greatest stage of their young careers with a high profile follow up to a successful album, did the group decide to abandon the more straight forward (although somewhat watered down) elements of their last record? The group has instead immersed itself even further into their complex tale of the alien children Coheed and Cambria, with several songs seeming to be written more for the purpose of expressing necessary storyline advancements rather than giving the radio something to spin. The moody songs on the disc convey more emotion and range than ever before, but in the process they require more listens and a bigger leap of faith for the casual listener to appreciate them.

Along with embracing their sci-fi storyline, sonically the group has turned even more towards the Iron Maiden/Judas Priest 80s metal side of things. What the public was given a taste of on their last two albums, the epic sing-along choruses mixed with blazing guitar solos and epic power chord riffage, dominates Dear Apollo. A single viewing of their recent live DVD at the Starland Ballroom will prove that the boys of Coheed love to shred – here the squealing lead guitar lines come fast and furious as the chugga-chugga down strumming guitars blast in perfect sync with the machine gun bass drum. Though I loved this CD to death within two listens, I stand firm in the belief that financially this album will end up being something of a disappointment. Dear Apollo is sadly not a sign of the inevitable musical world domination at the hands of Coheed and Cambria. But after hearing Dear Apollo, I get the feeling that suits the band just fine – at least they got to finish their story.