I. Introduction
Coheed and Cambria is a four-member band which sprouted in New York in 2001 out of what was previously named Shabutie, a trio band formed in 1995 (Leahey.) Thus far, all albums released under Coheed and Cambria have been concept albums and Claudio Sanchez, lead singer and guitarist of the band, has authored a series of comic books, The Amory Wars, allowing listeners to fully immerse themselves in their sci-fi world, home to Coheed and Cambria. The Second Stage Turbine Blade is the debut album and comic but second installment of The Amory Wars saga. Confused? Think George Lucas and the final episodes of Star Wars being released before the first three.
Although you will not find true-to-life experiences in The Second Stage Turbine Blade, you’ll definitely find varying emotions throughout the work of Coheed and Cambria. Additionally, their music is representative of the growing science fiction culture in the U.S.. With anime and comic book conventions being held at various times throughout the year in many cities (the largest in San Diego,) the industry is one which continues to grow — transcending the pages of novels and comics, and finding its way in the box office, on television screens and in the music of Coheed and Cambria.
Second Stage, introduces listeners and readers to the Kilgannon family: parents Coheed and Cambria, and children Josephine, Claudio (also the name of the band’s frontman), and Maria and Matthew, who live on Hetricius in Sector X of Heaven’s Fence — a colony of seventy-eight planets all connected by the Keywork which is powered by the stars of Sirius. These seventy-eight planets are arranged in a triangle and divided into twelve sectors, each having an equal amount of power. Within God’s creation of Heaven’s Fence, there is man, living on the planets, twelve mages — each ruling over a specific sector, and The Prise, eternally responsible for guarding the Keywork (Sanchez, v1 #1).
i. Wilhelm Ryan
Long ago, before we are thrown into the lives of the Kilgannons, Wilhelm Ryan desired the power to rule over the entirety of Heaven’s Fence, and so began The Mage Wars which declared him the victor, naming him the “Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhelm Ryan.” Included in the spoils were the mages, which he took as prisoners and lab rats, turning them into the Onstantine Priests — mindless creatures, living simply to murder those who are found to be a disturbance to his plans(v2 #2), because, as with any power-hungry psychopath, the seizure of power is not the final step.
ii. Coheed and Cambria
In response to The Mage Wars, an anti-terror group, K.B.I. – The Knowledge, The Beast and Inferno – was formed to help with the protection of the Keywork. The Beast is Coheed Kalgannon and The Knowledge is Cambria Kilgannon. After discovering that Dr. Leonard Hohenberger, creator of the K.B.I., also implanted the Monstar virus (a virus with the power to cool the stars of Sirius, which would result in the bonds of the planets being severed) into The Beast and a trigger mechanism in The Knowledge, turning her into the White Ruineer — destroyer of the virus, the group was disassembled and the memories of The Knowledge and The Beast were erased and false memories were implanted into their minds (v1 #1).
One morning after work, Coheed is approached by General Mayo Deftinwolf and told that the virus living within him was passed onto his children and this virus had mutated into the Sinstar for which there is no cure. It was decided that, for the sake of Heaven’s Fence, the children must