The Second Stage Turbine Blade

The official album art.

***The Second Stage Turbine Blade*** is the debut studio album released by Coheed and Cambria. It was originally released on March 5, 2002 through Equal Vision Records. It is their first album and part one in telling the story of *The Amory Wars*, though the story is technically preceded by *Year of the Black Rainbow*. It was re-released on September 20, 2005, and included three previously unreleased bonus tracks.

## Story

> Main article: The Amory Wars: The Second Stage Turbine Blade

The album introduces the husband and wife characters Coheed and Cambria (the characters from whom the band's name originates) and their family, and sets the stage for the concept. It shifts focus from the pair to their eldest son, Claudio, as the story proceeds from this album on. In relation, the album tells the story more or less the same, with some hints and scene switches that differ. Some events take place at the same time, which can also cause some confusion or make chronological order difficult to determine.

## Editions

Vinyl Editions

* Marbled Neon Green and White
	+ VIP only
* Alternative Cover
	+ Tour only, 1000 copies hand numbered on label
* White Retail Version
* Yolk Yellow w/ White & Black Splatter
	+ 2023 Repress; Limited to 2500
* Retail Repress
* White w/ Black Splatter for the 20th Anniversary on Tour

A cassette version (Smokey Tint colored) was also released in 2023; limited to 300.

## Critical Reception

Reception for the debut album was generally positive. AllMusic's Brian O'Neill gave the album three and a half stars out of five and sighted the "impossibly high" vocal range of Sanchez, the "technical rifting" and, "expressive playing techniques" that all highlighted the album for him. Users on the site rated it slightly higher at four stars.

For the reissue, site antiMusic gave the album a solid five out of five stars saying that the album was "fantastic" by "taking risks," but says the extra tracks weren't necessary and didn't add much to the reissue. On the other hand, Melodic.net's Kaj Roth gave the album only two and half stars saying that the band doesn't "play pure progrock," which only works sometimes.

SputnikMusic had several reviews for the album. Of prominence, in 2006, user Iluvatar (a former head staffer), begins with mentioning how the band is not taken seriously and that this reason is mostly due to Sanchez's high pitched voice. They also mention the incredible guitar work of Stever, but then notes that Todd's bass work is almost non-existent and Eppard's drums are too "unimaginative." Over all, they rated the album three and a half out of five stars. The second review was posted in 2011 by staffer Thompson D. Gerhart, who gave the album a solid five stars and summarized, "Coheed and Cambria pull together the lessons learned as Shabütie to release a modern classic." He says that the album is "gritty" sometimes "raw" but that these factors add character to the album. He echos Iluvatar's previous review with respects to Sanchez, Stever, and Eppard's roles, but diverts on Todd's calling his bass work "active" with a "rapid flow of energy not usually heard on the bass line that adds an extra dimension to the album." Overall users gave the album a 4.1 out of 5.

### Chart

The album topped on the *Billboard* chart in April of 2011 at the 179th place.

## Trivia

* The title was conceived from Sanchez's real father's job heating treating airplane turbine blades in a factory, specifically ones made with second stage materials.
* The Coheed and Cambria action figures are based on their designs in this chapter.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.comicsbulletin.com/main/sites/default/files/soapbox/11817061969126.htm
2. ↑ http://www.everythingevilink.com/
3. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/release/2830536
4. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/release/2969635
5. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/release/2811431
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/equalvision/status/1641170201197543426?s=20
7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/save/https://equal-vision-records.myshopify.com/products/cac0sstbyy-lp?\_pos=5&\_sid=34bfed976&\_ss=r
8. ↑ https://twitter.com/equalvision/status/1641177533126422530
9. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFence/comments/132zv7v/both\_neverender\_tour\_vinyl/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/save/https://equal-vision-records.myshopify.com/products/cac0sstbst-cp?\_pos=4&\_sid=34bfed976&\_ss=r
11. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/release/597126
12. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/release/745839
13. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-second-stage-turbine-blade-mw0000217017
14. ↑ https://www.antimusic.com/features/05/Coheed-Second.shtml
15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042400/http://www.melodic.net/?page=review&id=3838
16. ↑ https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/6123/Coheed-and-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/
17. ↑ https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/45688/Coheed-and-Cambria-The-Second-Stage-Turbine-Blade/
18. ↑ https://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=1971
19. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/coheed-and-cambria/chart-history/billboard-200/song/447391
20. ↑ http://st-www.ge-energy.com/prod\_serv/products/tech\_docs/en/downloads/ger3569g.pdf
21. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJs9SBR9\_gU