Critical Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Absolute Punk | 91% |
| Allmusic | |
| Blender | |
| IGN | 8.3/10 |
| NME | |
| The A.V. Club | B− |
| Popmatters | 6/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| Virgin Media | |
The album received mostly positive reviews, with a Metacritic score of 69% based on 16 reviews. Entertainment Weekly noted that the band "infuse their expansive music with enough grit and melody that you don't give a hoot what, say 'The Hound (of Blood & Rank)' is about" in a positive review in their October 2007 issue. Q remarked that the album was "accessible" and "hugely appealing" because of how the album is immersed in Claudio Sanchez's personal life. Mojo hailed "Feathers" as "unabashed radio-rock" while Rolling Stone connected it to Uriah Heep's "Easy Livin'". Allmusic remarks "...listeners will find a number of enjoyable would-be singles..." as well as stating that "...the album is simple ear candy for those who haven't studied the band's previous releases." Blender voiced that "Coheed have found their sweet spot" and that they indulge "...in grandiose, classic-rock, flaunting chops that could shame the showoffs in Rush".
On the other hand, The A.V. Club claimed the album could "have been more inspired". Alternative Press in their November 2007 issue reported that the record "simply doesn't deliver on all the suspense that's been loaded into it and built up to." Others noted that the album sticks to a reliable formula that does not always help the progression of the album, especially with the outro of the last song "On the Brink" where they scream the word 57 times. The Village Voice laments that Coheed "slipped up" on this album.
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