Coheed And Cambria guitarist Travis Stever doesn’t know if the band will return to making concept albums – but if they do, he believes recent record The Color Before The Sun will make it easier for people to connect with their storyline material.
Their eighth release marks the first time they’ve moved away from frontman Claudio Sanchez’s Amory Wars concept.
And although no decision has been reached about whether they’ll return, Stever believes it could work better than ever.
He tells New Noise: “Claudio had a group of songs that he didn’t know if they were going to be Coheed’s or not, but we all loved them so much. It was his decision – he felt comfortable getting out of that realm.
“I think that he reached a point with his comfort with coming out from behind the storyline and being more exposed.
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“That’s nothing against the concept. We could go back to it. Who knows? I do think the concept gives people something to dive into.”
Asked if non-concept songs make it easier to relate to the band’s output, Stever points out that Sanchez’s lyrics have always been based on real-life experiences.
“I think it removes that facade, but I hope they can compare it to the last stuff and see that it’s not that different, so they can relate to it all,” says the guitarist.
“If we release the next record and it’s fully concept within the Amory Wars, it’s pretty much all going to be based around reality. We don’t want people to think they can’t relate any more.
“For people who get overwhelmed and don’t like it, we’d want them to know they don’t have to get wrapped up in it. But for people that love it, we want that to stay the same for them.”
He adds: “You don’t have to understand the concept to get us.”
Coheed And Cambria have just added US tour dates to their previously-announced European schedule.
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Coheed And Cambria 2016 tour dates
Aug 17: Summer Breeze Open Air, Germany
Aug 20: FM4 Frequency Festival, Austria
Aug 22: Glasgow O2 ABC, UK
Aug 23: Manchester O2 Ritz, UK
Aug 24: London O2 Forum Kentish Town, UK
Aug 26: Leeds Festival, UK
Aug 28: Reading Festival, UK
Sep 13: Seattle Showbox SoDo, WA
Sep 14: Portland Roseland Theater, OR
Sep 16: Sacramento Ace of Spades, CA
Sep 18: Tucson The Rialto Theatre, AZ
Sep 20: Albuquerque Sunshine Theater, NM
Sep 21: Boulder Boulder Theater, CO
Sep 23: Lincoln Bourbon Theatre, NE
Sep 24: Oklahoma City Diamond Ballroom, OK
Sep 25: Memphis Minglewood Hall, TN
Sep 27: Austin Stubb’s Waller Creek Outdoor Amphitheater, TX
Sep 28: New Orleans Civic Theatre, LA
Sep 30: Gainesville The Forum, FL
Oct 01: North Myrtle Beach House of Blues, SC
Oct 02: Asheville The Orange Peel, NC
Oct 04: Knoxville The Mill & Mine, TN
Oct 05: Athens Georgie Theatre, GA
Oct 07: Louisville Mercury Ballroom, KY
Oct 08: Grand Rapids Orbit Room, MI
Oct 09: Cleveland Agora Theater, OH
Oct 11: Toronto Sound Academy, ON
Oct 12: Montreal Corona Theatre, QC
Oct 14: Port Chester Capitol Theatre, NY
Oct 15: Sayreville Starland Ballroom, NJ
