Coheed and Cambria Bring an Epic Sci-Fi War Soundtrack to Tempe

The term "progressive rock" conjures all sorts of sound bites, good and bad, from the jam meanderings of King Crimson to Geddy Lee's nasally wail in Rush. The music of Coheed and Cambria, playing the Marquee Theatre on Monday, is often labeled progressive rock, but it's really more just rock that's progressive. The band's songs are both complex and melodic (often with a metal edge), without meandering into the abstract. Some of them, like "Feathers" and "Far," are pretty radio-friendly. But all five of Coheed and Cambria's studio albums are conceptual, and follow the same storyline, called The Armory Wars. This multi-media sci-fi epic is penned by band frontman Claudio Sanchez, and includes an ongoing comic book series. In essence, Coheed and Cambria just create amazing soundtracks to a far-out intergalactic war. The live show is said to be pretty cool, too.