![\"Coheed](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/20150508_1077_f.jpg\")
<\/a>\u201cI was going through a struggle that became the record, and I certainly think, though hard, it helped,\u201d he confessed to me via phone recently. \u201c[The new album] is a time capsule of these moments within my life: Living in an apartment, torn from my comfort zone and having the struggle of identity come into play and become the theme of the record \u2014 until the idea of this human being coming into my world created hope and wonderment, while the destruction of my country home created uncertainty and fear \u2026 when turmoil is born and presents itself to your consciousness, you get a lot to pull from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interestingly enough, Sanchez will be the first to admit that even though the band\u2019s fans are used to being transported to some otherworldly place and time, the band\u2019s previous seven albums \u2014 however cloaked in the fantastical, mystical shroud of science fiction \u2014 were always about his personal life anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the Coheed records come from a personal place,\u201d he explained. \u201cI created the idea and concept [for \u2018The Amory Wars\u2019] in 1998 when I was unfamiliar with what was asked of me as a frontman. I mean, I created this curtain to hide my feelings behind. I, myself, was insecure about the position I found myself in \u2026 I was just sheltering myself. I didn\u2019t want to be judged by the music I wrote so I created this disguise. Now, at 37 years old, I feel very comfortable with myself and [the new album] felt like I was removing a mask in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n
On \u201cThe Color Before the Sun,\u201d the prog-rock band (which, aside from Sanchez, is comprised of guitarist Travis Stever, drummer Josh Eppard and bassist Zach Cooper) goes for broke stylistically in a musical move Sanchez called \u201cliberating.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are the to-be-expected rock powerhouses chock-full of metal-esque riffing, shredding guitar solos and inventive, kitchen-sink song structures (\u201cAtlas,\u201d \u201cThe Audience\u201d), but they\u2019re placed alongside serene acoustic odes to new fatherhood (\u201cGhost\u201d) and exuberant anthems (complete with horn section) (\u201cPeace to the Mountain\u201d) \u2014 all delivered with Sanchez\u2019s penchant for crafting unforgettable pop melodies. It\u2019s not a stretch to say the new material is a far cry from the songwriting featured on the band\u2019s debut studio full-length, 2002\u2019s \u201cThe Second Stage Turbine Blade.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith every record, we grow,\u201d the frontman agreed. \u201cTime is an influencer. You grow every year. You see new things, you experience new things, and that gets reflected in your art. I don\u2019t want to remake the last record. I don\u2019t want to play it safe. And that\u2019s scary because you could ostracize a fan base and things could change. But for me, to feel artistically fulfilled, I need to grow and branch out and try new things. Once you start manufacturing \u2014 and \u2018manufacturing\u2019 is really the word \u2014 the same thing over and over again, that sounds like the end to me.\u201d<\/p>\n