Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures

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Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
Studio album by
Coheed and Cambria
ReleasedOctober 5, 2018
RecordedJanuary – March, 2018
Genre
Length79:19
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerCoheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria chronology
The Color Before the Sun
(2015) 		Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
(2018) 		Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind
(2022)
Singles from Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures
  1. "The Dark Sentencer"
    Released: May 31, 2018
  2. "Unheavenly Creatures"
    Released: June 28, 2018
  3. "The Gutter"
    Released: August 16, 2018
  4. "Old Flames"
    Released: September 27, 2018
  5. "Love Protocol"
    Released: September 30, 2018

Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures is the ninth studio album by American progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. It was released on October 5, 2018, returning to the band's Amory Wars concept after 2015's The Color Before the Sun.

Background and recording[edit]

Recorded between January and March 2018,[1] The Unheavenly Creatures continues the band's Amory Wars concept, unlike their previous album The Color Before the Sun.[2][3] On May 31, 2018 the band released the first two tracks of the album, "Prologue" and "The Dark Sentencer", on YouTube.[4] The track listing and album artwork were released on June 22, 2018 after days of teasers depicting fragments of the art. The band released the song "Unheavenly Creatures", which is the album's third track, on June 28. On August 16, "The Gutter" was released and on September 27, "Old Flames" was released.

The music of The Unheavenly Creatures has been described by music critics as progressive rock, noting many songs spanning influences such as heavy metal, hard rock, indie rock, and post-punk.[5][6][7][8]

Release[edit]

The album was released on October 5, 2018.[3] A deluxe box-set version of the album includes a novella written by the band's vocalist and guitarist Claudio Sanchez and his wife Chondra Echert,[3] with artwork by Chase Stone, a replica "Creature" mask from the "Unheavenly Creatures" music video custom designed by Claudio Sanchez, a Coheed and Cambria "Black Card" that allows fans early access to tickets along with free entry into Coheed and Cambria headline shows and was valid until December 19, 2019, a three fold poster containing the album artwork, as well as a certificate of authenticity signed by the four members of the band and a demo CD, The Crown Heights Demos.[9] [10]

The song "Unheavenly Creatures" was released as downloadable content for the game Rock Band 4.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Classic Rock Magazine[11]
Dead Press8/10[12]
Exclaim!7/10[13]
Kerrang!3/5[11]
PopMatters[14]
Sputnikmusic4.0/5[15][16]

At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures generated a score of 75/100 from seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Claudio Sanchez

Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures[3][17]
No.TitleLength
1."Prologue"2:07
2."The Dark Sentencer"7:44
3."Unheavenly Creatures"4:14
4."Toys"6:27
5."Black Sunday"4:46
6."Queen of the Dark"5:51
7."True Ugly"5:25
8."Love Protocol"4:29
9."The Pavilion (A Long Way Back)"5:11
10."Night-Time Walkers"5:09
11."The Gutter"5:49
12."All on Fire"5:40
13."It Walks Among Us"5:29
14."Old Flames"5:50
15."Lucky Stars"5:08
Total length:79:19

Personnel[edit]

Coheed and Cambria[edit]

  • Claudio Sanchez – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Travis Stever – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Josh Eppard – drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Zach Cooper – bass guitar, backing vocals

Additional musicians[edit]

  • Karl Berger – string arrangements, vibraphone
  • Jason Hwang – viola
  • Ernesto Llorens – violin
  • Sana Nagano – violin
  • Jane Scarpantoni – cello

Artwork[edit]

  • Chase Stone

Charts[edit]

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[18] 49
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[19] 58
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 46
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 23
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 36
US Billboard 200[23] 14

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Claudio Sanchez on Instagram: "In January 2018, Coheed entered the studio in Woodstock, NY to record two songs in an attempt to prove we could helm the production of our…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  2. ^ "COHEED & CAMBRIA Announces New Album The Unheavenly Creatures For October". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "Coheed and Cambria Detail New Album 'Vaxis — Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures'". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Hear Coheed and Cambria Tease New Prog Saga With 'The Dark Sentencer'". Rolling Stone. 31 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  5. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "The Unheavenly Creatures - Coheed and Cambria | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "Coheed and Cambria Focus on Their Core Sound on 'The Unheavenly Creatures'". PopMatters. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  7. ^ "Coheed and Cambria The Unheavenly Creatures". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  8. ^ "The 30 Best Hard Rock Albums of 2018". Loudwire. November 26, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Coheed and Cambria announce new album, The Unheavenly Creatures". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d "Vaxis – Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures: Coheed and Cambria". Metacritic. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  12. ^ Neil Criddle (2018-10-14). "ALBUM REVIEW: Coheed & Cambria - Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures". Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  13. ^ Paul Blinov (2018-10-02). "Coheed and Cambria The Unheavenly Creatures". Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  14. ^ Chris Conaton (2018-10-03). "Coheed and Cambria Focus on Their Core Sound on 'The Unheavenly Creatures'". Archived from the original on 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  15. ^ "Review: Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  16. ^ "Review: Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis - Act I: The Unheavenly Creatures". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  17. ^ "VAXIS – ACT I: THE UNHEAVENLY CREATURES LIMITED EDITION Deluxe Box Set". Maniacs Store. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  18. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  19. ^ "Coheed and Cambria Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Coheed and Cambria – The Unheavenly Creatures" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  23. ^ "Coheed and Cambria Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
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