Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow

The album art by Ken Kelly.

***Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV – Volume Two: No World For Tomorrow***, is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria, released on October 23, 2007. The album is a direct sequel to their previous album, *Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness*. The album comprises part four of band's *Amory Wars* narrative. Due to contractual obligations/limitations of Chris Pennie, it is the only album to feature Taylor Hawkins on drums, following the departure of Josh Eppard.

The album is often marketed by the shorter subtitle *No World for Tomorrow*. Neither the disc itself nor its outer packaging suggest the *Good Apollo* title, though it is found printed on the cover of the accompanying lyrics booklet, as well as the rim of the fourth side of the vinyl release. Front man Claudio Sanchez has stated that the full name of the album is in fact *Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow*, and has confirmed that story-wise, the two *Good Apollo* albums are cohesive.

## Story

> Main article: The Amory Wars: No World For Tomorrow

Canonically, the *No World For Tomorrow* story takes place after *Good Apollo: Volume One*, and acts as a conclusion to the original Amory Wars storyline. However, the story has been left up to fan interpretation as no official story has been published as of yet.

On February 4th, 2020, Coheed and Cambria announced the *No World For Tomorrow* Neverender Tour. In an official email sent to fans, they announced that, "After the tour, we look to launch the NWFT series of *The Amory Wars*," meaning that the story for *No World For Tomorrow* will be officially published for the first time since its release 13 years ago. Sanchez said in an interview with Matt Pinfield on November 6, 2020, that there will be 12 issues of the comic of NWFT and that he is writing the story with his wife, Chondra Echert. In a Twitch Livestream on May 4th, 2022, the couple shared that the comic was 10-issues completed, and though normally they would have released some issues by now as they wrap up, they decided not to due to *Vaxis II*'s release. They will still be releasing them by issue first, but only once all the issues are done.

## Editions

Deluxe Edition

* The Regular CD
* Bonus DVD with:
	+ Documentary called , *The Making of NWFT*
	+ Extras: Interviews, Behind the Scene footage, five acoustic demo videos
	+ A 16-pg lyric booklet with scenes from *The Amory Wars* drawn by cover artist Ken Kelly
	+ Over 50 photos from recent tours

Double Gatefold Vinyl

* Two 180g Vinyl Disks
* Fourth side with no music, but an etched Keywork
* Special Art by Ken Kelly

A "Stripped" Version

* The Regular CD in a simple slip cover

The Neverender tour version was a black & silver swirl.

A demo cassette was also given to Mage VIP members for the Neverender Tour in 2023.

## Tracklist

### Bonus tracks on DVD

1. "Mother Superior" (Taylor Guitars performance @ NAMM 07 – PCM stereo)
2. "Kitchen Jam" (PCM stereo)
3. "Cuts Marked in the March of Men" (original acoustic demo – PCM stereo)
4. "A Favor House Atlantic" (original acoustic demo – PCM stereo)
5. "The Willing Well II: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" (original acoustic demo – PCM stereo)
6. "The Suffering" (original Acoustic demo – PCM stereo)
7. "Always & Never / Welcome Home" (original acoustic demo – PCM stereo)
8. Tour photo album (PCM stereo)
9. "Always & Never / Welcome Home" (audio bed)

## Critical Reception

The album received mostly positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 69% based on 16 reviews. *Entertainment Weekly* noted that the band "infuse their expansive music with enough grit and melody that you don't give a hoot what, say 'The Hound (of Blood & Rank)' is 'about.'" *Q* gave it a score of four stars out of five and remarked that the album was "accessible" and "hugely appealing" because of how the album is immersed in Sanchez's personal life. *Mojo* also gave it four stars and hailed "Feathers" as "unabashed radio-rock" while *Rolling Stone* connected it to Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'". AllMusic remarked that "listeners will find a number of enjoyable would-be singles", as well as stating that "the album is simple ear candy for those who haven't studied the band's previous releases". *Blender* voiced that "Coheed have found their sweet spot" and that they indulge "in grandiose, classic-rock, flaunting chops that could shame the showoffs in Rush". Virgin Media gave it four stars out of five, calling the album "an appealing addition to the prog canon". *Melodic* gave it all five stars and said, "The band delivers the best album to date and shows their growth and maturity to the fullest."

On the other hand, *The A.V. Club* claimed the album could "have been more inspired". *Alternative Press* gave it three stars out of five and reported that the record "simply doesn't deliver on all the suspense that's been loaded into it and built up to." *Now* also gave it three stars out of five as one of "Perlich's Picks" and said, "The aggression is still there, now tempered with lighter numbers like 'Feathers', but the whole thing still reeks of comic nerd sci-fi awesomeness." Others noted that the album sticks to a reliable formula that does not always help the progression of the album, especially with the outro of the last song "On the Brink" where they scream the word [Hail] 57 times. *The Village Voice* lamented that Coheed "slipped up" on this album. *Spin* gave the album a score of four out of ten and said it "should ensure that 21-year-old dudes in women's jeans will gobble up reissues of *2112* for years to come."

### Charts

The album debuted on the *Billboard* 200 album chart at #6, selling about 62,000 copies in its first week. It sold over 100,000 copies in its first month. As of January 2008, the record has sold over 350,000 copies, with 153,979 being sold in the US. It peaked at #39 on ARIA Charts, #22 on *Billboard* in Canada, and #41 on the UK's OOC. It also made *Billboard*'s US Top Rock Albums at the #3 spot, and the US Top Hard Rock Albums on the #2 spot. The single "The Running Free" also topped charts; on *Billboard*'s US Modern Rock Tracks, it made the #19 spot, and on their Mainstream Rock Tracks it made #31.

## Trivia

* Prior to the album's release, a five-part, short video series was released to promote it. The videos featured seemingly normal people, perhaps from our own world, doing seemingly normal things in a "found footage" kind of way, in which a figure who perhaps is Wilhelm Ryan is noticed in the background, freaking the videographer and subjects out, and subsequently abruptly ending.
	+ Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuvSlGBLO2k
	+ Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hevvHZER-4s
	+ Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57YxPaf1qi8
	+ Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mBz8cyZdcI
	+ Part 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4DbAy1Be6o
* "The Running Free" was included in *Rock Band* in the 2009 DLC pack titled, "Bonnaroo Pack 01" and was later made available on sequel titles, including *Rock Band 4*.
* Though the symbol for this chapter is the Omega (pictured above), it was not used on the album's cover, like the previous albums. Fans know this is the symbol because it was used on subsequent ads and merch associated with the album, particularly the Neverender.
	+ Likewise, you can see clear colors associated with the first four albums. NWFT's is grey brown or black.
* Though never said specifically, the figure on the album's cover is most likely Ryder the Writer. Check out the comic page for more information.
* Regarding Taylor Hawkins, Sanchez has stated that his help on the album came at a time when the band's morale was very low and really lifted their spirits. Specifically for the chorus on the title track, Sanchez wanted to stay on the kick drum, but Hawkins suggested they interchange it with the tom. Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers also happened to be in the studio and sided with Sanchez and Hawkins took it all in stride. Sanchez remembered this moment was really lifting.

## See Also

* Neverender NWFT (tour)
* *The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV* (comic)

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070928181645/http://www.sstxo.com/coheedandcambria/ALBUM.mpg
2. ↑ https://popwrapped.com/running-free-coheed-and-cambria-announce-neverender-nwft-tour/
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJs9SBR9\_gU
4. ↑ https://www.twitch.tv/claudiopsanchez
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20090810113233/http://www.altpress.com:80/news/2726.htm
6. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFence/comments/132zv7v/both\_neverender\_tour\_vinyl/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=android\_app&utm\_name=androidcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button
7. ↑ https://criterionokc.com/event/coheed-and-cambria-neverender-nwftwm/the-criterion/oklahoma-city-oklahoma/
8. ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Coheed-And-Cambria-Good-Apollo-Im-Burning-Star-IV-Volume-Two-No-World-For-Tomorrow/release/8730177
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 https://www.metacritic.com/music/good-apollo-im-burning-star-iv-volume-two-no-world-for-tomorrow/coheed-and-cambria/critic-reviews
10. ↑ https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20153079,00.html
11. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20071019034213/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/16861765/review/16927783/no\_world\_for\_tomorrow
12. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r1211377
13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080430092919/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews.aspx?id=4777
14. ↑ http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/albumreviews/coheedandcambria-noworldfortomorrow.php
15. ↑ http://www.melodic.net/?page=review&id=6122
16. ↑ https://www.avclub.com/articles/coheed-and-cambria-no-world-for-tomorrow,7463/
17. ↑ http://www.nowtoronto.com/music/perlichspicks.cfm?content=160674
18. ↑ https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/coheed-cambria-no-world-for-tomorrow/
19. ↑ http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-10-16/music/coheed-cambria-s-good-apollo-i-m-burning-star-iv-volume-ii-no-world-for-tomorrow/
20. ↑ https://www.spin.com/2008/01/coheed-and-cambria-no-world-tomorrow-sony/
21. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/Coheed-and-Cambria/chart-history/TLP
22. ↑ https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Coheed+and+Cambria&titel=No+World+for+Tomorrow&cat=a
23. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/Coheed-and-Cambria/chart-history/CNA
24. ↑ https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/albums-chart/20071028/7502/
25. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/Coheed-and-Cambria/chart-history/RCK
26. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/Coheed-and-Cambria/chart-history/MTL
27. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/coheed-and-cambria/chart-history/MRT
28. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/coheed-and-cambria/chart-history/RTT
29. ↑ https://www.engadget.com/2009-05-29-rock-band-weekly-bonnaroo-pack-includes-various-artists.html
30. ↑ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/bonnaroo-pack-01/bs20msvlgqrb?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 https://fanart.tv/artist/ae1b47d5-5128-431c-9d30-e08fd90e0767/coheed-and/
32. ↑ https://twitter.com/Coheed/status/1507709558126383111
33. ↑ Hickie, James. "Interview with Claudio Sanchez" AltPress (Issue #406.1; May 2022), 16 May 2022, pp. 60-67.