New York's Coheed & Cambria officially began in 2001, although the band originally formed as a trio called Shabutie in 1995. After performing a poppy metal/indie rock sound for many years, they decided to shift gears and, in the process, changed their name. Their first conceptual album, 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade, was picked up by Equal Vision Records and features a guest appearance by Bad Brains guitarist Dr. Know. The progressive rock band -- vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez, guitarist Travis Stever, bassist Michael Todd, and drummer Joshua Eppard -- toured extensively for over a year in support of the album, which was the second part (though the first album) of a five-part saga about the doomed marriage of two characters, Coheed and Cambria, who "are convinced they must sacrifice their children in order to save the world from being infected by a virus that is embedded in their genes." Sanchez also wrote and released a detailed graphic novel series to further explain the plot.
In fall 2003, the band issued In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. The vibrant sophomore effort (part three of the five-part saga) was recorded in Japan in between tours with the Used, and helped break the guys out on a larger scale with the singles "A Favor House Atlantic" and "Blood Red Summer" doing respectably well on outlets like MTV. Coheed & Cambria went on to play shows in North America with artists such as Thursday, Thrice, AFI, and Rainer Maria. Their first appearance on the tenth annual Warped Tour in summer 2004 and their first headlining European tour coincided the success of the "A Favor House Atlantic" single.
Coheed & Cambria's third album, Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness -- their first for Columbia -- followed in fall 2005; the album (part four) was the first of a two-part conclusion to the band's running sci-fi story line (with the fifth album intended to be the first part). It hit number seven on Billboard's Top 200, partially due to the success of "The Suffering" and "Welcome Home." On Halloween 2006, Equal Vision released the debut from Sanchez's indie electronic solo project, the Prize Fighter Inferno, entitled My Brother's Blood Machine. Continuing in the tradition of his primary group, the album centers around three families in a story that pre-dates the Coheed/Cambria saga and is narrated by Inferno (aka Jesse, Coheed's brother). ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide
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