Fans of Coheed and Cambria will feel refreshed to hear their 11th studio album, The Father of Make Believe, is a beautiful balance of the universe they have created and a personal touch that frontman and songwriter Claudio Sanchez had been missing when telling his stories in projects prior. The Father of Make Believe is a monster LP at 14 tracks, but includes everything from C&C’s signature brand of exploratory progressive rock to a more contemporary thrash rock sound that cements the quartet into the foundation of the modern rock scene still 30 years since their forming.
The opening tracks on this album frame the project beautifully, with soft opener ‘Yesterday’s Lost’ setting the tone of optimism with a pang of remorse that continues throughout the project, before ‘Searching for Tomorrow’ mixes electro-rock beats and running guitar melodies to create a quintessentially Coheed and Cambria sound. The track builds as it searches like its namesake then bursts into a heavy breakdown and guitar solo, while Sanchez reminds the listener that “it’s good to let go/let them know it’s by design” - a nod to the personal touch he will add throughout the lyrics of this project.
Title track ‘The Father of Make Believe’ runs straight after: a ballad crying out for connection in the stars while Sanchez explores the versions of himself he feels people do (and don’t) see of him. This title track is packed with the angst of someone who's never quite settled in their identity, on the backdrop of an ethereal soundscape and some beautiful drumming by Josh Eppard - the fourth wall shatters in this track like a meteor collision, with all the beauty that entails. Coheed and Cambria are going meta throughout this project of self-examination. Single ‘Blind Side Sonny’ is exemplar of this - utilising hardcore conventions to bring the violence to Sonny’s character, the frustrations of C&C's slow and steady rise into the rock zeitgeist can be felt in its cries for blood.
That transitions seamlessly into ‘Play the Poet’, keeping the hardcore-style rock sound in this second act while the track seems to call out the box that the high concept approach has put the band in in a satisfying meta commentary. For those lying in wait to dissect the lore implications of The Father of Make Believe, there is plenty to pick apart, but the blend of their classic storytelling and the more personal touch comes wonderfully in the form of ‘Meri of Merci.’ Gentle piano melodies accompany the ode to Sanchez’s grandfather who himself is a cameo character in the wider C&C universe, fleshing out this storyline to one of reunification of his grandparents in the spiritual world with their desire to be with each other in concept. This track tightens the chest with its sincerity in its commitment to feeling the presence of the one you love and determination to reunite with them once more, and is placed perfectly between ‘The Father of Make Believe’ and ‘Blind Side Sonny’ as a moment of reflection before a return to the chaos.
The lore drops for The Father of Make Believe are in the form of the 4-part closer ‘The Continuum’, beginning with ‘Welcome to Forever, Mr Nobody’, a hard rock track starting with the call of the robot and telling the story of a maverick lost in his own persona and commitment to his lifestyle. The question of how long you can run ring out where - on the one hand - there is a commitment to change, but the other the threat of this life being forever. Second Continuum ‘The Flood’ is the suspense builder with its almost bluesy-style riffs and drop hat beat in the beginning, and brings back the sentiment of searching that has been woven through this project with the kneejerk of a lack of feeling and an expectation of fear in its lyrics. ‘The Flood’ is the longest of the four at 6:23, yet still builds suspense for the final two tracks in its runtime, building and almost resolving its angst through heavy drums and all-out riffs by its second half.
Third up, ‘Tethered Together’ lightens the mood with some nods to love and romance over a sultry melody, with the gorgeous hook of ‘We’ll all sing together from the first verse to the last word’ making this song great for those securely in love, but awful for those just out of it. Finally, closer ‘So it Goes’ rounds out The Father of Make Believe with acceptance, supplementing the themes of coming-to-terms that are present in this project by asking for ways for good to finally return to this journey, before closing out with a big orchestral instrumental and fading out piano notes that indicate their never ending journey is indeed not ending. The only thing that removes some of the emersion from this track is, of all things, its similarity to Take That’s 2006 single ‘Shine’ in lyrical structure and jumpy style, and even the themes of emerging into the light, but noticing this quirk added to the enjoyment of the track overall rather than subtracting from it.
If this album must be criticised, it would be on its length. Coming in at 14 tracks and 58 minutes, a cover to cover listen of The Father of Make Believe is a commitment, and album lethargy hits in the second half which can make it hard to appreciate the bangers that can be found there. Though the blend of personal and concept works within each track, the album as it is feels like an LP with an EP tacked onto it when it comes to ‘The Continuum’ tracks; them also feeling more lore heavy indicates this project may have benefitted from having these tracks as a stand-alone work for the lore fans to sink their teeth into, while the rest of the LP could work as the break into the personal that Sanchez was looking for.
With all that said though, The Father of Make Believe is a truly wonderful album, one that could not be recommended enough and perhaps one of the first big highlights of the year when it comes to 2025 releases. It’s out to buy and stream this Friday, so keep an eye out for it when it drops!
Score: 8/10
The Father of Make Believe will be released on March 14th 2025 via the Virgin Music Group.
Words: Julia Brunton
Photos: Coheed and Cambria
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