HEAVEN & HELL + COHEED & CAMBRIA: LIKE TWO NUTS IN A SACK
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 4:00pm by Vince Neilstein
Am I the only person who thinks the pairing of Heaven & Hell with Coheed & Cambria for a tour this summer is fan-fucking-tastic? All the emails we’ve gotten so far about the tour of the “wtf are they thinking?!” nature, but to me this lineup seems perfectly natural. Ronnie James Dio sings about demons, evil, and sorcery; Claudio Sanchez has written all of his band’s material about some crazy fantasy story no one who actually has a life can make heads or tails of. Dio has a skullet; Sanchez has beautiful, flowing, curly man-locks. Tony Iommi laid the blueprint for stoner metal with his epic, tasteful playing; Sanchez takes the torch and runs with it, never a showboat. Both bands are fucking awesome and make great music, which, truth be told, is pretty similar to one another. What am I missing here?
Slipknot taking out Coheed & Cambria… now that was a head-scratcher. But Heaven & Hell? It’s a no-brainer. If there’s such a thing as a modern version of Dio-era Sabbath, Coheed & Cambria are that band. Count me in as psyched; I’ll be there rocking out while the rest of you suckers stay home. Full list of confirmed tour dates after the jump.
-VN
AUGUST
7 Vancouver, BC Thunderbird Arena On Sale 5/9
10 San Jose, CA Event Center Arena On Sale 5/8
11 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theater On Sale 5/9
12 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theater On Sale 5/11
14 Albuquerque, NM Journal Pavilion On Sale 5/9
15 Denver, CO Red Rocks On Sale 5/9
18 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion On Sale 5/8
19 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion On Sale 5/15
21 Detroit, MI Meadow Brook Pavilion On Sale 5/8
22 Cleveland, OH Nautica Pavilion On Sale 5/8
23 Baltimore, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion On Sale 6/5
25 New York, NY WaMu Theater @ MSG On Sale 5/8
27 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre On Sale 5/9
28 Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion On Sale 5/8
…..Ugh. No problem with Coheed (because Welcome Home is the best faux-metal song ever made) but there’s another band touring called Pentagram. I’d go see creaky old dudes play 40 year old material if they had them opening for them. And you can’t call any band that has a modicum of emo in their sound the modern version of any kind of Black Sabbath, that’s nearly blasphemous.
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin is the best faux-metal song ever made in my opinion…not sure if it counts because heavy metal wasn’t developed as a genre at the time of it’s release. Protometal and not faux-metal I guess.
Why does everyone only talk about Welcome Home like it’s their only good song? Fucking Rock Band and Guitar Hero does nothing but destroy artists because they get kids hooked on one or two songs by that specific artist.
I agree. They have many wonderful songs and if people have only heard Welcome Home and thought it rocked, they are sorely missing out. I disagree on the comment saying that ‘no one who has a life’ can make heads or tails of the story behind Claudio’s story. If anyone would read the Amory Wars graphic novels, you might get a better idea of what the story entails. It made the music much more enjoyable for me after I had read the first volume.
Coheed and Cambria are fantastic, musically I think they’re more akin to a band Thin Lizzy
*to a band LIKE
I’d rather slit my scrotum with a broken piece of glass than go to this.
Well that sucks, because I’m pretty sure everyone’s forced at gunpoint to buy tickets and show up. And dance. And kiss other dudes.
No no, you’re thinking of the Dillinger Escape Plan concert.
Iommi, Butler, & Dio live. Sounds fucking killer to me. If only Bill Ward was still drumming & Neurosis were joining them on ALL of the dates.
No thanks.
I think that guy from Coheed and Cambria is a pretty sub-par guitar player, but I’d still go to this.
Claudio may be a mediocre rhythm and occasional lead guitarist, but Travis Stever is very good
You’re both crazy. I’ve seen Travis and Claudio do the dueling solos thing live, and they’re both great. Sure, neither of them is Steve Vai, but who would want to be?
YOUR SUB PAR!!!
C&C are a band for those who are deathly afraid of the harsher forms of metal, at least in my experience.
I enjoy the harsher stuff a lot, but Coheed and Cambria have written some good tunes…never really considered them a metal band anyway
false, coheed is one of my favorite bands, but so are gojira and mastodon
“Afraid of the harsher forms of metal”?
Hardly. I just think most of that shouty-guy stuff is crap, and no one will remember it in 20 years. Write me a decent song, one that I’ll remember fondly into old age, and THEN I’ll be impressed.
Right no one remembers Death… that was…. 20+ years ago. Man up you sissy.
Um… Who is Death?
co& ca defintly this generation’s RUSH….come on…there shit is awesome…everything they put out is simply amazing….there are not many bands out there that i can tell my kids about….TOOL, Sublime, Deftones…Protest the hero, mars volta, Dillinger escape plan, everytime I die and defintly coheed and cambria….
when you can make an amazing record everytime…your one of my favorites
There is nothing metal about Coheed & Cambria. They don’t belong on this tour, much less this website.
lol your a dumbshit
I dont think Coheed should have such metal pictures of themselves. They play kinda girly music. I do appreciate Claudio’s story hes telling though. Thats pretty much the only metal thing about coheed.
Explain “girly.”
Girly- Featuring minimally clothed or naked women typically in pornographic contexts
1: featuring naked or scantily dressed women
2: suited to or designed to appeal to young women
I wish it was the first two but I think its more like that last one.
Co & Ca = Mars Volta Lite. No thanx.
I think this tour makes sense as well. Both are great, epic bands musically. I bet Sanchez was influenced by Dio, just judging by his lyrical and vocal style. I’d like to catch the NYC show, but I bet it won’t be cheap.
Claudios first show he went to as a kid was Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio!
IM definatley in agreance with the awriter, COheed and H&H is completley fucking awsome. P.S. GO donload the new dream theater song a rite of passage of their website, only availabe for 24hours and if i do say it is pretty impressive!
I for one like this. im tired of watching the same 10 bands over and over. plus its not like coheed is some folf country band. they have some complex stuff. and the songs.
I’d love to see Heaven and Hell again especially performing this new material. I’m not really down with Coheed, but if I have to watch them to see Dio Sabbath, so be it.
ALL COHEED HATERS: goat rider is an example for you morons if your going to say you dont like a band this is the way to do it
Awesome….Heaven and Hell is playing the Merriweather Post Pavillion on Aug. 23rd and Judas Priest i splaying there the night before on the 22nd. Gonna be one hell of a kick-ass weekend!!!
sorry to burst a bubble, but there ISN’T a modern version of Dio Sabbath, and if there was, I think they’d garner a lot more attention from the discerning metal fan than C and C do.
C+C looked like a force to be reckoned with, as a modern take on classic rock — assuming you could overlook the elfy emo parts, which aren’t bad in themselves. But that last record was a real fart. If you haven’t, give ‘em a chance. Check out Good Star I’m Burning Apollo Creed. Or whatever it’s called.
Good Apollo I’m Burnin Star IV is the title you’re going for
And I think Gravemakers and Gunslingers off the newest album is a pretty great track
Coheed’s only redeeming quality is their drummer Chris…and hes wasting his talent and needs to go back to Dillinger now!
youve got to be very stupid to actually think this
Chris is an amazing drummer but to say hes the only redeeming quality is farfetched
Travis and Claudio are some of the best guitarist out there and together make a fucking awesome combo
the vocals are great and have a great story
Im just going to say that all the drumming you hear in there songs isnt chris penne so you just gave josh eppard a huge compliment cause he is the drummer in those songs. Chris penne is amazing but they have been a great band for long before penne
exactly chris, all the drumming is penne’s take on josh eppard’s awesome off kilter beats, and even the no world for tomorrow tracks are played by taylor hawkins, so to say chris penne is the only redeeming factor is an exercise in ignorance.
This tour makes NO sense at all. Is sabbath goign to take a reunited hanson out next? fuck this, I wouldnt piss my money away on this tour. I really can’t believe theyve taken these teeny boppers out on tour with them.
You have never really heard more than like 2 Coheed and Cambria songs, have you? Would you call Rush “teeny boppers?”
Don’t even think of compairing Coheed to Rush. Rush rules – coheed is the crapola that is fed to twelve year old children. Please stfu before you make yourself look even dumber.
And yes I have heard more than two songs – ( and they all sound liek the same poppy drivel.)
No, I don’t think I’m making myself look dumb because I like Coheed and Cambria, so I will continue. First of all, it’s just ignorant to call C & C “poppy.” Yes, they have created a few “radio-friendly” tracks (like one on each album), but otherwise the band writes pretty complex, progressive stuff; nothing a twelve year old could really get into (in fact, when I saw Coheed and Cambria live they had a very diverse crowd, many people in their 30’s). You have every right to hate the band if you have given a fair listen their stuff, but if you are being a “I hate everything that isn’t BROOTAL!” close-minded metal head, that’s just weak. No, Coheed and Cambria aren’t metal. Yes, their lead singer has a high-pitched voice. And yes, they are an awesome band. I’m not saying that C&C is on Rush’s level, but the comparison isn’t that ridiculous…like Rush, C&C are quality prog rock of their generation. I don’t know why I am even bothering to defend the band…Coheed’s stuff alone is evidence of their awesomeness.
This is correct on every level
like rush, coheed and cambria even manage to make good radio tracks. spirit of radio, closer to the heart, blood red summer, running free…
in fact, id say both bands are at their best when they make that kind of extreme pop. i dont really want to sit through 2112 any more often than the velourium camper– im not an opera fan.
If Black Sabbath was in their heyday now, the majority of their fans would be teenage girls with too much eye makeup
Neurosis opening for the entire tour would have made it the jaw-dropping, must-see show of 2009. Pentragram and Nachtmystium ain’t too bad either…if Bobby decides to show up.
SHUT THE HELL UP! absolutlely none of you retards know that ur talking abt. Cohee never claims to be metal…and especially never accept any comparisons to rush! They’re doing this because they worship dio-sabbath. Not because their musical stylings are similar. If you weren’t to busy putting up retarded comments on shit you have no clue abt you might actually sit down and listen to an album of theirs an experience some really outstanding music.
god forbid someone actually doesn’t like your taste in music. This is a site for metal fans – when a metal band takes out some a vagina rock band people get pissed. Now go back to playign with your little toys and let the grownups discuss grown up music.
Some people here like other types of music IN ADDITION to metal, and that doesn’t make them “vaginas,” or little kids. Eclectic taste…imagine that!?
It’s a free country. Enjoy your emo music buddy.
haha vagina rock band!?!? you honestly havent listened to ANY coheed and cambria
By the way your not grown up till you get a pair of balls
Nothing against Coheed and Cambria, cuz I love them, but Vagina Rock should be a legitimate subgenre, I love the sound of that
Fuck. YES!!!!!
I continue to be surprised at the lack of support and understanding for Slipknot’s decision to take C & C out on tour with them. I loved the diversity of that bill: First Trivium took the stage, then C & C, and THEN Slipknot. There was a clear delineation in sound and content between one band leaving the stage and the next coming on–which was Slipknot’s stated intent, taking both bands out with them. One might think that anyone who could be a fan in any way shape or form of such a diverse genre of music as metal would be open to all its incarnations….But then apparently one would be wrong and clearly underestimating most people’s lack of imagination….
And as for Dio taking out C & C: The bill isn’t diverse ENOUGH for me, but I’ll still go.
Love and Rockets,
Shinaain
I like Slipknot as well as C & C, so I think that would be a cool tour, but Slipknot has a lot of close-minded fans, so I can see why it may not have worked. I think it shows balls, as well as an ear for quality music on Slipknot’s part that they took C &C on tour with them.
yeah but slipknot also likes nickleback
I’m assuming that Nickelback touring with Slipknot was more of a label decision (both bands being on RoadRunner) than a Slipknot decision, but I guess you never know.
THIS.
Indeed, Slipknot (most specifically, Corey Taylor) have made plain their disdain for NB–on many occasions.
Even so, Clown has chosen in recent years to ignore them and deflect journalistic attempts at getting him to comment negatively in regards to that band. I imagine neverdie was being facetious? ;)
I will continue to support artists who take significant chances and who strive to stave off the death of imagination and innovation–Heaven and Hell and Coheed & Cambria, among them. Them touring together only makes it easier for me to do so.
Love and Rockets,
Shinaain
Oh that’s right….metal-heads. Forgot about them.
that tour what be fucking awesome I wanna go
I think it is going to be AMAZING! In my opinion Co&Ca could be put with anyone and the show would be great…they are by far the best band out there at this time and no one is coming close to the type of music they are playing. Anyone who disagrees with me needs to open their ears and listen to Co&Ca the way they should be heard!
I love Coheed but to say they’re not just the best band, but BY FAR the best band is rather ridiculous
Coheed & whatever their name is should no freakin way in HEAVEN OR HELL be in the same sentence, let alone on stage with such SUPREME METAL MASTERS.
I saw the Slipsnot/coheed show and TRIVIUM blew them both back to their clown-dom.
dude trivium is nothing compared to coheed and you cant really compare slipknot and coheed
C&C is fucking awesome. H&H is fucking amazing. C&C+H&H = Amazingly Awesome combo. Can’t wait for this one =D
anyone who thinks Claudio Sanchez is a mediocre guitarist and that Chris sucks need to rethink their idea of “good guitar playing”. i can understand if you have only heard the stuff they play on the radio I.E. “Favor house atlantic”, “welcome home”, and “the running free” etc. you CANNOT judge this band only on what you hear on the radio. Go listen to the title track “No world for tomorrow” and tell me that the Guitar work is not first rate. maybe try not only listening to the stuff that the 13 year olds like, and listen to the stuff that shows off their musical prowess. the reason that black sabbath and led zeppelin are timeless is because their music had soul, it had feeling. Telling me that “The end complete” is a shit song, is like saying that “No quarter” is a shit song. im not saying you are wrong…but maybe listen some of their different songs to understand them. i for one hate it when people have only heard stairway and then think that all zeppelin music is all the same…yes?
sorry, i meant “the final cut” instead of “the end complete”
Coheed is one of my favorite bands, Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell are two of my biggest influences, why not? I’d love to see them. Butm sure, Coheed isn’t the most metal band ever, but their music is valid, the guitar work is stunning and, Claudio’s high voice is fucking awesome.
ok, this pisses me off. you cant compare co & ca to all this other stuff.
1. coheed tells an amazing story that arcs through 5 (although currently only 4) albums. awesome.
2. they arent strictly metal. progressive is a much better term.
3. i listen to harsher metal but still love co & ca.
4. go watch the neverender dvd and you will be amazed.
5. why is there so much hating on this?
6. whoever said “your sub par” needs to learn the difference between your and youre.
dumbasses. co and ca can rock my world any day and any way they like.
Thinking of Heaven and Hell as a metal band is actually incorrect, as Black Sabbath accidentally invented metal. For them, they aren’t metal, they’re just rock and roll musicians, looking for other talented rock and roll musicians to play with. Why not go for some of the more talented ones that don’t let a specific label restrict them?
When you try to write to a specific name, then you cut down what you can do musically, and allow yourself to write the same song over and over again. That’s why I can’t stand most modern metal bands, they all sound the same. Every song, every album.
Coheed & Cambria are musically closer to Heaven and Hell than most realize, and that’s what makes them perfect for this tour. The same way that Pink Floyd, Rush, or Zeppelin would also have been appropriate. Even Phish, The Greatful Dead, or Cake for that matter. Just musicians making music for music’s sake, not for a sound or for money (even when money comes with it).
Perfect dude thats what needed to be said
So for any one who thinks coheed is “sad” Remember where good music comes from, when there was good bands like black sabbath and alice cooper. When they didnt just pound on the power cords and throw double bass with a blast beat for four hours of thrash metal. Thats the music coheed tries and successfully portrays give it a good hard listen before you put it down because they have a powerful classic metal sound and they are far superior with there musical talent and deep lyrics. So again if you think coheed doesnt match up to classic bands then take another listen to there deeper stuff, such as 2113, or al the killer or any number of there other songs just take the time out before you insult an amazing band.
hands, that was put beautifully.
i think there might be a few fights. i think musically the tour makes sense for coheed but not so much for heaven and hell. No one is there right mind would get pissed off about having dio rock the stage. Coheed, while being a great band, is not a living legend like heaven and hell. I mean i am a diehard coheed fan. listened to them since the second stage turbine blade came out, But this tour is just asking for conflict.
P.S. to the guy who said coheed is mars volta lite. go fuck yourself cause you have no idea what on earth you are talking about. Robert Plant had a high pitched voice too. does that make Zepplin mars volta Lite. And people need to stop hating on volta is well because if you want to talk about people who have actually done something new with music in the past decade instead of how fast you can play a double bass pedal. they would be one of few who has actually achieved anything.
ha. You guys ripping on coheed are unintelligent ignoramuses. Go listen to an Album as a whole, then come back and judge.
claudio sanchez is a storyteller. that is why we like coheeds music so much, because there is the added dimension and connection to the characters in the story. so for everyone bashing the singles like favor house atlantic and welcome home, you are only looking at a small portion of the picture, and you are looking at two very different points in the story. what you are essentially doing is fast forwarding to the middle of a movie, watching four minutes, then fast forwarding a bit more, watching another four minutes, and then saying that the movie sucked, when in fact, if you took the time to actually immerse yourself in the music and the story, you would realize that this is in fact…..music. and by music i dont mean three people playing seven string guitars in drop B and grinding on the same bar chord while screaming inaudible rawrawrarrawraw into a microphone.
I used to get pissed off when people would bash on Coheed, but after a while, you grow numb to ignorance. The way I see it now, it’s their loss. If you think Coheed is music for 12 year old girls, then you obviously have no idea what you’re talking about, and no clue about music in general. Good Charlotte is music for 12 year old girls, and Coheed sounds nothing like Good Charlotte. For those saying Coheed is for people “afraid” of metal or whatever, there is more to being a talented player than how fast you can strum your guitar or hit the double bass. Coheed has a lot of technical skill, and I admire that a lot more than the speed someone can play. Also, I have a rather extensive collection of metal, both classic and modern, so show me where I, as a Coheed fan, am “afraid” of metal.
Anyway, this tour will be fucking awesome, and I can’t wait to see it. This will be the perfect way to end my summer.
As a 16 year old, i’ve been listening to Coheed for 4 years. Picked it up just after IKSOSE:3 released. (for those that don’t know, thats the second album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3)
Before getting bashed for my age, let it be known that I also grew up listening to the greats like Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Aerosmith, Rush, whatever. All the original bands that when people think classic rock there minds originally go to. Hell, I was headbanging to Alice Cooper (yes, I know, not THAT hardcore) at the age of 5. So for some purposes, i’m not completely new.
Reading so many of the Co&Ca bash posts on here really dissapoints me. Not just because i’m a die hard Coheed fan, but because rock as a genre used to be very united. In the end, its still solid music. People are just too ingrained in what they think is epic. Your entitled to not liking a band, but know what your talking about first.
Like many, my first thoughts of CoCa were
1. God this guys voice is high
2. They’re OK
Unlike other people, my first song was In Keeping Secrets which STILL stands as one of my favorites of ALL time. After listening to it a few more times, hearing other songs, you move past the high pitched vocals and poppy bits. I still think Claudio’s voice is amazingly high in “A Favor House Atlantic” but it is also a favorite song and I enjoy it.
Like hand said, there are too few bands now a days that focus on putting music out for the sake of music. When I hear music, it takes me to another place. There’s few people that can still say that music is deeply emotional for them. Music still stands as a form of expression and art to me, and not just a profession, money maker, or any other form of that. I don’t hear just notes, I hear things that are part of the writer’s feelings and thoughts. When others can understand this, please let me know. Its a point that is rarely found anymore.
I may not be a metalhead, but I DO understand why music is important, and I also have my 2 cents. Flame me if you will, but I stick by what i’ve said.
Did you write this for your own personal satisfaction? Cuz no one is gonna read all that
I wrote it cause it needed to be said, and as the name of the section is called, its for Comments.
Comments, not essays
conduit clearly u know nothing of coheed and cambria ur just another person who herd 1 song and made absurd assumptions
Ryan,
I read your entire post, and you are 100% correct. In 16 years you’ve managed to grasp a concept that took me 22 years; I must admit, I’m a bit jealous, haha. But everything you said is true; there are too many bands out there today that release music that is formulaic and obviously intended for the radio. With those kinds of bands, if you’ve heard one you’ve pretty much heard them all. Coheed started out making music just for the sake of making music, as you said. Hell, when they started, they were touring around in a van, jamming themselves and all their equipment into it. They slept, traveled, ate…basically lived out of that van when they toured. They’ve found quite a bit of fame along the way, but as far as I can tell the fame hasn’t taken a toll on the music at all, and I greatly respect that. As people they are extremely nice, as anyone who’s ever met them will tell you, and I think it’s awesome whenever band members are willing to go out of their way to meet and talk with the fans. There will always be haters, unfortunately, but the issue for me was never that people didn’t like the music, but rather that they always present their opinions in an ignorant manner. You just have to tell yourself the same thing I do: “It’s the haters’ loss; they have no idea what they’re missing out on.” Anyway, keep on rockin Ryan, and enjoy the show if you decide to go; I know I will.
-Rob
Thanks alot Rob. Im glad to see that there are actual PEOPLE on the internet in rare occasions. I agree that its the haters loss, and I also agree that its the way they present their opinions that’s agitating. Instead of being insightful and showing they tried, its, “Ugh, girly music” or something of that nature.
Its sad really.
YOU ARE ALL RETARDS AND HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT.
DUH.
As a big metal fan (and some hard rock), this is going to be a killer tour. Living legends with the best current progressive band? Are you kidding me? This sht is a no-brainer, can’t wait to see how it pans out. Glad to see Dio/Sabbath back touring (although Ozzy would be epic but we can’t have it all), and glad to see Coheed tearing it up and pissing off all the ignorant fcktards who despise anything that doesn’t sound like something they can classify. /cheers and \m/ /headbang \m/
Well said Metal_Professor.