Live Review: Coheed & Cambria, Closure In Moscow

Coheed & Cambria rocked out The Gov in support of their eighth studio album The Color Before The Sun. It goes without saying that the band tore up the stage, but the true nuance came from the fact that, unbeknownst to some fans, the Adelaide leg of the Australian tour would be among the most intimate that Coheed & Cambria play on their global trek in terms of size. Keeping in mind that the "pseudo prog pop rock" band, as Claudio Sanchez himself described them on stage, sell out 5000 capacity venues in the states. In simpler terms, people would pay top dollar to see Coheed in a room with a cap of 700, something that simply doesn't happen in other parts of the world.

Closure In Moscow were a great pick to support Coheed & Cambria for their Australian run of dates. The creative and technical prowess of drummer Salvatore Aidone, guitarist Mansur Zennelli and the manic intonation of Christopher de Cinque are worthy of attention and the sheer unpredictability of the latter makes him a unique and titillating frontman. Additional guitarist Michael Barrett and bassist Duncan Millar of course play their role intuitively, and the compositional strength of the unit as a whole leads to a world of quirky flamboyant psychedelia that can't really be faked or palmed off.

Coheed & Cambria are subjected to some casually deterring stereotypes that are clearly blown out of the water by their live performance that moves from heavy, to progressive, to classically rock orientated and back. The level of guitar playing is clandestine and like clockwork; one wonders how Claudio Sanchez can execute such riffs while blinded by his explosion of hair. Simultaneously you'll being caught off guard by the intermittent harmonies delivered by Travis Stever.

Coheed & Cambria are not only feel-good, but incite an intense '90s nostalgia. Their heavy moments are full of atmosphere, and explain sonically their ability to open for Tool. Their greatest strength — without touching on the vocal tones of Sanchez — are Coheed & Cambria's ability to straddle the margin between prog and classically indicative rock. For the uninitiated, it's fun, catchy and digestible. For the veteran Dream Theatre listener, it's flabbergasting, as the technical elements here aren't shoved down your throat, yet each deep passage is carved out by a rock anthem chorus. If you missed out, until next time!