Coheed And Cambria drummer Josh Eppard says he’s proud of the band’s decision to record their first ‘non-concept’ album.
They released The Color Before The Sun in October and the sticksman says it was a “brave” move on the part of mainman Claudio Sanchez.
Eppard tells Pop Matters: “I think it’s a bold and brave move, and I’m proud of Claudio for doing that. You always hope that the fans will be receptive to it, but what can you do? We’re a band that’s so all over the map, so we’ve always had a very eclectic mix of music.
“You always hope that people will respond to it, but — and I don’t want to sound like a jerk — that’s never the primary purpose. It’s got to be about the art and about creating something that you believe in first and foremost.”
He adds that Coheed’s previous reliance on a concept for their albums was down to Sanchez’s need for a “shield” to hide behind. He says: “I think it’s public knowledge amongst Coheed fans that the concepts kind of served as a shield for him at times. They were fantastic and cool, but they were shields, too. I could always pick out deeply personal things in his songs, even in the most sci-fi songs.
“With this record, he wrote songs about his life and his first child, so he chose to not channel those things into a fictional concept. For us, it didn’t change anything. When we’re making a record, that’s the sole focus. The music.
“Sometimes the concepts don’t come into play so much for the rest of us, but I’m sure the lyrics are a huge part for Claudio.”
