Kingcrimsonprog Coheed And Cambria’s second studio album ‘In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3’ was released in 2003 and saw the band’s popularity begin to rise, on the backs of the albums hit songs ‘A Favour House Atlantic,’ and ‘Blood Red Summer,’ which gave the band some well deserved media exposure.

With this album; the band’s music became more progressive than on their debut, songs lengths expanded and the music became more intricate and complex. If you have only heard the band’s later work, it may take a good few listens to adjust to the style and production, but ensure that you give it a good few listens, you’ll be well rewarded.

Highlight moments include the amazing concert favourite title track `In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,’ which at eight minutes in length is still one of Coheed’s most impressive songs to date. Other highlights include the fierce ‘The Crowing,’ and all three sections of ‘The Velorium Camper,’ which is split across three cd tracks, telling the tale of Al the Killer and his gun in a musically exciting way.

To conclude; no Coheed And Cambria fan should be without this album, from the amazing musicianship and unique songwriting to Claudio’s vocal performance, this is a superb album that still makes up a large part of the band’s live show and many fans still cite it as their favourite Coheed album. Buy it and find out why.

arcane-beautiful This being their second album, Coheed show a natrual progression from their debut. And to be honest, it favours it in many points.

I think this album is also way up in my list of top 161 albums, so you can tell what mark I'm already gonna give it. But but don't worry, their is reasoning behind this. I've heard this album many many times, wheter it being just taking it and listening it, having it on as background music, constantly watching it on Neverender, playing these songs, singing these songs, talking about these songs...it's just one of those albums that will always, and has been a part of my life for 7 years (which feels along time cause I'm only 18).

Oddly enough, this is the album that sort of got me into the band, even though it was my second album that I had bought from these guys, but I'll get to that later.

This I think is their most consistent album, where if you were trying to get someone into the band, you would give them this album, and you can easily see why. The songs are catchy and infectious, yet have a lot of prog in them, with also ashes of emo and the post hardcore sound that they had from their debut. But the songs at times take on bigger forms, where you listen to a 6-9 minute epic, and wonder why the song just flys by.

The songs are also written with a non standard strophic structure, where verses and chorus' don't really apply, and anything can happen at any moment, and will easily suprise you. And musicianship wise the album is tight as could ever be, and maybe this is one of their strongest points of songwriting. The lyrics are also more understandable, better written and easier to understand. The vocals I think are Claudio's strongest (although I do prefer how he used vocals in Good Apollo).

The only flaws I can really see is the production. It's not the best, especially compared to their later releases, but to be honest, I think it adds an added domestic feel to the album, which really highlights the songs. The snare at times can be a bit clangy, but at least its not St. Anger.

1. The Ring In Return - A nice intro, with some nice piano and synth arrangements. 9/10

2. In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3: EPIC AS HELL!!! I remember when I used to play this song back in my band days (I was 15 :D), and it really was an amazing feeling you got when playing it, and singing it really wrecks your throat. The song is just an instant epic classic, and any prog fan should agree. 10/10

3. Cuts Marked In The March Of Men - This song is a bit underlooked when compared to the rest of the album, but to be honest it's such an amazing song. Great chorus and an amazing arrangement. Quite anthemic as well. 10/10

4. 3 Evils (Embodied In Love & Shadow) - This song is so happy, yet the lyrics deal with suicide...it's quite a paradox, but it works so well. Such a great song, and it really progresses throughout, and builds up to an amazing pop filled climax, with a good bit of post hardcore trhoughout too. 10/10

5. The Crowing - If I had a pound for everytime I've had to play this song, I would be a very rich man. Even though, when hearing and playing it so many times, it kind of looses track with you, when you come back to it, you really need to revel in its glory. Especially the ending, which I heard from many people, desrcibing it as "one of the most epic and uplifiting moments of a song...EVER" 10/10

6. Blood Red Summer - I think I remember seeing this video when I was younger, and to be honest I really like it, and the song. It's just such a catchy song, and the chorus is beautiful, especially with the backing vocals. The lyrics are also some of Claudio's best in my opinion. 10/10

THE CAMPER VELORIUM 7-9 THE FIRST SAGA HAHA!

7. Faint Of Hearts - This is a very happy and joyful song, yet its about a man seducing a gun...crazy as hell, but its just so great of a song. 10/10

8. Backend Of Forever - A quite dark song, with odd lyrics. The song is very atmospheric too, with eerie synths adding to the dark tone...oh and some prety cool drumming, especially the faster bits at the end. 10/10

9. Al The Killer - A more chatoic song...that kind of leaves you perplexed after listening to it. I love how the vocals are used too, and the lyrics are odd...to say the least, especially the stuff about white girls. 10/10

10. A Favour House Atlantic - This was my first Coheed song, and to be honest, with these being their poppiest probabbly, its the best way to start. Another song I've played countless times, and you just get such joy from playing it. The video is also pretty funny too. 10/10

11. The Light & The Glass - A beautiful acoustic song, which kind of morphs into something very different. How Coheed do this is always magical to see, and it really is a wonder to behold. Another song I can religously play on guitar...and will play it until I die. This song will always have a special place in my heart. 10/10

12. 2013 - WHY WAS THIS NOT AN ACTUAL ALBUM TRACK! This being their most proggiest outing, also with a title very close to 2112, really is something that puts this band way ahead of every band thats out today. It's a marvel to behold really. 10/10

CONCLUSION: You can easily listen to this album back to back for all eternity...I don't think I can put it anymore bluntly.

Conor Fynes 'In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth' - Coheed & Cambria (8/10)

Coheed & Cambria aren't the only band to have a foot in both the 'emo' and prog genres of music. Bands like The Fall Of Troy write music that both appeals to the 'scene' crowd and uses complex musical techniques. While I don't necessarily consider Coheed & Cambria to be an emo band persay, this album definately has the most traits of being 'emo' of all of their music. Songs like 'Favor House Atlantic' reflect an inate awareness of the crowds that make money, but 'In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth' is far from being a mainstream record. There is enough solid music on this album to appeal to many prog fans. Although a prog fan might enjoy the 'Good Apollo' duology more than this record, it's a very sensible record that combines catchy hooks with some solid guitar work and some progressive approachs to songwriting.

The song that actually got me into this band in the first place is on this album, and might be why 'In Keeping Of Silent Earth' is my most listened to album by Coheed. I can remember listening to 'The Crowing' on ProgArchives quite a long time ago, and recognizing the talent of the band almost instantly. It is the most progressive track on the album, and is something of a mini-suite, a la 'Paranoid Android,' or 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' It's one of Coheed & Cambria's best songs in my opinion, and demonstrates their compositional talent very well. The title track is also very epic and cool, and will also appeal to prog fans above the rest.

While there's not enough time to review every song on this album, each song is sure to bring something of it's own to the table. 'In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3' is a very solid album, and although I can't imagine all prog fans loving the rather emo-styled music, that isn't to say that it lacks inspiration. Four stars.

Time Signature Cuts marked in the march of men...

Genre: progressively inclined alternative metal / rock

Ever hard to categorize, Coheed and Cambria primarily roam the more rock side of things on this album, like they did on their debut. However, on the whole, "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" is more metallic than its predecessor.

For instance, the title track "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" is very much a metal song, which even contains riffage that could have been written by a post-2000 Iron Maiden, and "The Crowing" and "Cuts In The March Of Men" while probably somewhere in between alternative rock and alternative metal contain enough heavy metal features for them to gravitate towards heavy metal territory (and they're very good tracks, too, if you ask me), while "Three Evils" sounds like uplifting-80s-party-metal-meets-00s-American-power-pop, but with some emo and Maiden-esque elements to it. This track is a good example of how Coheed and Cambria manages to seamlessly blend elements from various types of hard rock music into their own brand of melodic progressively oriented alternative metal. The "The Camper Velorium" trilogy draws primarily on progressive rock and heavy metal, and I would argue that one the whole, all three tracks in this "suite" are ultimately instances of heavy metal - especial part III, which is not just a hard-hitting track, but also one of my favorite tracks by Coheed and Cambria. "Blood Red Summer", "A Favor House Atlantic", and "The Light & The Glass" are further eamples of tracks that blend alternative and progressive rock with heavy metal, containing riffage that is very typical of traditional heavy metal, blending it in with emo and power pop and noise rock elements. The final track, "21:13", which is the hidden track after the annoyingly many empy tracks of silence, is also one of my favorite Coheed and Cambria tracks, and, ironically, it is the most progressive track they'd made to date, and it also contains some very heavy parts.

For my money, this album is essentially an alternative metal album, although the elements from other types of rock music are aplenty - but to me, the intersectoin where they all come together what they all have in common with heavy metal. I would recommend this to fans of alternative metal, traditional heavy metal, new progressive rock as well as alternative rock, noise rock and so-called emo rock.