Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
by Coheed and Cambria
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 35 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 3 out of 35
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  1. emelbee923
    Jun 29, 2022
    9
    Coheed and Cambria continue to reinvent themselves while maintaining their unique sound. Their 10th full-length album, 9th to revolve around The Amory Wars saga, is their most polished and bold to date. Though it may not have the intricate, sprawling sound of earlier albums which dipped into prog territory, it keeps the soaring vocals, groovy, hard-hitting drums, and strutting basslinesCoheed and Cambria continue to reinvent themselves while maintaining their unique sound. Their 10th full-length album, 9th to revolve around The Amory Wars saga, is their most polished and bold to date. Though it may not have the intricate, sprawling sound of earlier albums which dipped into prog territory, it keeps the soaring vocals, groovy, hard-hitting drums, and strutting basslines that have defined the band for the last decade with the current lineup. This album yearns to be consumed in one sitting, and delivers a musical theatre pastiche that leaves you wanting more. Catchy hooks and chunky riffs, an intriguing sci-fi narrative injected with personal touches from frontman Claudio Sanchez. A recipe for brilliance.… Expand
  2. TDSVaxis
    Jun 29, 2022
    10
    Some of their best work. Some groovy and poppy songs that make you want to dance, followed by hard, heavy tracks with a dash of musical at the end.
  3. ddrussianinja
    Jun 30, 2022
    9
    Let's deal with the elephant in the room first: Yes, Zakk Cervini's production is somewhat heavy-handed, resulting in an album that feels a little too autotuned at times and definitely more poppy than this band is typically known for sounding. I know people who thought they hated a few of the songs off this album (back when they were singles), but when they heard them live, they lovedLet's deal with the elephant in the room first: Yes, Zakk Cervini's production is somewhat heavy-handed, resulting in an album that feels a little too autotuned at times and definitely more poppy than this band is typically known for sounding. I know people who thought they hated a few of the songs off this album (back when they were singles), but when they heard them live, they loved them. I genuinely think a lot of old-school Coheed fans are bouncing off the production, and that's a shame, because there's some genuinely excellent music here. Every Coheed album has its own distinctive sound, and though I don't think they should work with Cervini again, I think it's uncharacteristically narrow-minded for a Coheed fan to be unable to look past mediocre production and give an album a 0 for that alone.

    If you only listen to Coheed for the music and tend not to care about the themes or concepts, this album is killer. It's about a half-hour shorter than its predecessor, "Unheavenly Creatures", so it's quite a breezy 50 minutes with a surprisingly wide variety of sound. I'm not sure what people mean when they say all the songs on this album sound the same. "Beautiful Losers" is an intro that feels like it could have come off of "In Keeping Secrets", "Shoulders" feels reminiscent of "Unheavenly Creatures", "A Disappearing Act" sounds like it was inspired by The Weeknd of all things, and the title track "Window of the Waking Mind" sounds like legitimate musical theater at times, reminding me quite a bit of The Who's classic concept album/musical "Tommy". Despite it's shorter runtime, this album goes on quite a musical journey.

    If you do care about the themes and concept, and more specifically if you feel invested in the characters of Nia and Nostrand from "Unheavenly Creatures", then this album definitely delivers on that front. While there's obviously more complexity that can likely be gleaned from the companion novella. the gist of the story seems to be that Nia and Nostrand have had their child, Vaxis, since escaping the Dark Sentencer, but there seems to be something wrong with him. As they're chased around the galaxy by the Star Supremacy (the five houses of which privatized the detention zones of the galaxy, including the Dark Sentencer), they try to find help for their comatose son, until they eventually realize that he's not sick, he's just an omnipotent super-being. Very Coheed.

    Inspired by his own life's shift towards his responsibilities as a husband and father, the Vaxis series feels more mature and introspective than the original Amory Wars series, and the story feels far less convoluted.

    For those looking for something more ambitious than just pop-influenced singles, then don't worry, because they save the best for last. "Ladders Of Supremacy"/"Rise, Naianasha"/"Window of the Waking Mind" might as well be one 20 minute song in three movements. If you're looking for the self-indulgent prog rock concept album ridiculousness you've come to love from Coheed, that's where you'll find it, and it's glorious.

    Probably the only "weak" song on the album for me is "Bad Man", which has some good riffs and lines here and there, and I wouldn't call it entirely skippable, but it's probably the least interesting song on the album for me. Apparently, Claudio wrote this one while high in lockdown, and I think it shows, lol.

    I've had this album on loop for nearly a week, and I still love it. There are parts where I find the production a bit distracting and not all of the songs completely work, but the band is playing their hearts out, I'm fully invested in the Vaxis concept, and this could be one of the best-paced Coheed albums of all time.

    I already can't wait for Act III    … Expand
  4. CreedBratt0n
    Jun 29, 2022
    10
    Every song on this album is a straight up banger. From the poppy songs like Comatose or Love Murder One, to the proggy tunes in Ladders Of Supremacy, Rise, and Window of the Waking mind. It's all incredible.
  5. eew5000
    Jun 29, 2022
    9
    I remember getting IKSOSE:3 the day it came out at the local record store and listening to that on repeat for months. I've generally enjoyed their albums since then but this is the first one I genuinely feel like I can easily listen to on repeat for some time. It's fresh for Coheed, but still sticks to their roots. In interviews Claudio has mentioned how he'd love to do a musical andI remember getting IKSOSE:3 the day it came out at the local record store and listening to that on repeat for months. I've generally enjoyed their albums since then but this is the first one I genuinely feel like I can easily listen to on repeat for some time. It's fresh for Coheed, but still sticks to their roots. In interviews Claudio has mentioned how he'd love to do a musical and you can really feel it more so in this album compared to others, especially with the final track.

    I really enjoyed them taking a stab a pretty tech-poppy song like 'A Disappearing Act' and try to expand on their sound. This album is definitely different than their earlier stuff - if you want that, then yeah you might think is album is not that great. But this album does great at evolving their sound and is an excellent new chapter in the story. And let's all be honest, your favorite instrument should be Claudio's voice and that doesn't disappoint whatsoever!    … Expand
  6. Jmitri
    Jun 25, 2022
    8
    I get why there are those who don’t like this album. This is definitely a bit of a departure from the standard Coheed sound. But they have always had some strong pop leanings and I have no problem with them giving this sound a whirl. The song craft is fantastic as usual. And a few of these are amazing. Shoulders, A Disappearing Act, Liars Club, and the final three songs are fantastic. II get why there are those who don’t like this album. This is definitely a bit of a departure from the standard Coheed sound. But they have always had some strong pop leanings and I have no problem with them giving this sound a whirl. The song craft is fantastic as usual. And a few of these are amazing. Shoulders, A Disappearing Act, Liars Club, and the final three songs are fantastic. I don’t love the poppy production but it’s miles better the the production on Year of the Black Rainbow. A good album from a great band. Cant wait to hear some of these songs live.… Expand
  7. waywardlaser
    Jun 28, 2022
    9
    After several listens I've grown to love this album more and more. It's a huge improvement over Vaxis Act I, which had some killer tracks but was also far too long for its on good. Vaxis Act II benefits from a more condensed running time and an eclectic collection of soundscapes. This has quickly become a new contender for my favourite Coheed album.
  8. Yourmumsbills
    Jun 25, 2022
    0
    Another band that seems to have lost almost everything that made them great. There's very little originality here at all, many of the songs just sound too similar to each other and to so many of their previous songs. They have also gone down the route of trying to appeal to the type of brain dead teenagers that listen to robot voiced rappers, by adding those awful wishy washy pitch shiftedAnother band that seems to have lost almost everything that made them great. There's very little originality here at all, many of the songs just sound too similar to each other and to so many of their previous songs. They have also gone down the route of trying to appeal to the type of brain dead teenagers that listen to robot voiced rappers, by adding those awful wishy washy pitch shifted vocal effects...F*ucking awful!! There are maybe two songs on this album i will actually listen to again, but all in all it's just rather mediocre pop record...oh and there are two songs that have a guitar part that sounds exactly like the intro to the ducktales theme music haha very off putting once you've heard it.… Expand
  9. maupton
    Jun 25, 2022
    0
    This album has had four years to deliver after the great Vaxuis Act I was released back in 2018. October 5th, 2018, that was my 30th birthday and was overjoyed to hear the full album for the first time. Fast forward to Friday, June 24th. Instant disappointment after going through the entire album 5 times in a row. It sucks, I mean bad. Gone were the days where Claudio and crew cared aboutThis album has had four years to deliver after the great Vaxuis Act I was released back in 2018. October 5th, 2018, that was my 30th birthday and was overjoyed to hear the full album for the first time. Fast forward to Friday, June 24th. Instant disappointment after going through the entire album 5 times in a row. It sucks, I mean bad. Gone were the days where Claudio and crew cared about the songs they write. Here we are with this catchy garbage of loopbacks, dreadful lyrics and terrible riffs. 010. I was hoping this was another 12 punch like Afterman ascension and descension. But here I am wishful thinking. Nothing is sacred anymore.… Expand
  10. WYKYDTRON
    Jun 28, 2022
    2
    Coheed have always been a band adept at finding that middle ground between radio-friendly catchiness and prog-rock legitimacy. Their landmark album "IV" (I know that's not the full title) has singalong classics and prog epics galore, appealing to all sorts which speaks to why it was their breakout effort.

    Vaxis II however, seems to have sacrificed all of that. It's not pop-rock catchy    Coheed have always been a band adept at finding that middle ground between radio-friendly catchiness and prog-rock legitimacy. Their landmark album "IV" (I know that's not the full title) has singalong classics and prog epics galore, appealing to all sorts which speaks to why it was their breakout effort.

    Vaxis II however, seems to have sacrificed all of that. It's not pop-rock catchy nor is it prog-rock complicated, it's just dull and uninspired from top to bottom. The first 10 songs on this 13-song album run no longer than 4 minutes and they all sound very similar and have a very similar tempo. Production on the album is bland and flat, drowning out instruments, burying the vocals and removing any rise and fall from the songs. Vocals are crowded and rushed, with frontman Claudio developing a severe case of verbal diarrhoea, resulting in vocal lines being long, run on sentences. Almost as though there is too much story to tell and not enough time to tell it.

    However, the runtime of this album is a relatively svelte 53 minutes. Compared to Vaxis I's runtime of 79 minutes, you have to wonder why they went with this approach. Perhaps, as with most underwhelming things, we can blame it on the Pandemic and lockdowns, but plenty of other bands produced great albums between 2020 and 2022, so I doubt it's that.

    Story-wise, the album is much like it's production - bland and one-note. It's about a boy named Vaxis, the child of our protagonists from Unheavenly Creatures. He's born, but he's in a coma. Then there are 11 songs of his parents asking him to wake up and one where a "Bad Man" comes along and tells us he's a bad man and it's bad.

    I love Coheed and Cambria, I've loved them for 15 years. They are the soundtrack to some of the best days of my life and I was very excited for this album. I wanted to love it, I have listened to it several times trying to fall in love with it, but there is nothing there to fall in love with. It's 53 minutes of half-baked ideas performed by a band who seem to have forgotten what their instruments can do.

    It sounds like Claudio locked himself in a room for a month, listening only to The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons and early 2000's pop-punk. Then he convinced himself everyone wants to hear more songs about his son and made the entire album alone while half asleep.    … Expand
  11. stevRaJah
    Oct 6, 2022
    9
    Manage to combine prog with a more direct, pop / new wave sound and sacrifice absolutely none of their idiosyncrasies.
  12. CakeEater
    Jun 29, 2022
    10
    One of their best albums! Can't wait for V3 and their upcoming tour. Jsjdjdjd
  13. KingCrimsonIV
    Jun 29, 2022
    9
    This is probably the most accessible Coheed album in a long time, if not the most overall--and that's not a bad thing.

    Coheed is generally known for the longer, prog-opus type songs, and this album does still do that well in the final 3-song stretch (Ladders, Rise, Window). A lot of the other tracks are shorter and more poppy (Comatose, Liars Club, A Disappearing Act) but not to the    This is probably the most accessible Coheed album in a long time, if not the most overall--and that's not a bad thing.

    Coheed is generally known for the longer, prog-opus type songs, and this album does still do that well in the final 3-song stretch (Ladders, Rise, Window). A lot of the other tracks are shorter and more poppy (Comatose, Liars Club, A Disappearing Act) but not to the detriment of the album, because Coheed still covers that genre beautifully. Don't forget that some of the pop-rock bangers of Coheed's past are still some of their best songs overall (A Favor House Atlantic and The Suffering, to name a pair).

    Overall, a stellar album, and to me, one of their best in years.    … Expand
  14. kyleric21
    Jun 29, 2022
    8
    A Coheed album that is very Coheed. Poppy Songs, Ballads and Face Melters. All in all a solid album.
  15. Tmcc3426
    Jun 29, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I personally love the direction and the production! Huge sounds across the board. I connected to the lyrics on a personal level through my experiences of watching family members grow out of infancy and into early childhood. I believe this to be a big theme throughout the record…seeing the world be built through the eyes of a child, and the feelings that brings you as the parent or caregiver.
    Fav songs- embers, losers, comatose, disappearing act, blood, liars, ladders of symmetry, rise, and of course WINDOW OF THE WAKING MIND…my new favorite Coheed song!    … Expand
  16. h20lover
    Jun 29, 2022
    10
    Such a rad album. Like that they’re still pushing the boundary and refuse to be boxed into one sound. The closer is EPIC btw. Appreciate all the intricacies in this album. Now to see them live!
  17. syfur2113
    Jun 30, 2022
    10
    I've been a Coheed fan since 2002 and I have to be honest, my first take on this album was that this wasn't Coheed, at least the Coheed I knew. But after spending some time with this album, it has really grown on me and I have to applaud the band for always expanding their horizons. While the style of this album may not be your particular cup of tea, I think this is them trying somethingI've been a Coheed fan since 2002 and I have to be honest, my first take on this album was that this wasn't Coheed, at least the Coheed I knew. But after spending some time with this album, it has really grown on me and I have to applaud the band for always expanding their horizons. While the style of this album may not be your particular cup of tea, I think this is them trying something new and different, at least for them, and in all honestly, just makes me more excited about what they come up with for Vaxis III.… Expand
  18. hbfdgthrfthrh
    Jun 30, 2022
    10
    To the Ppl that think this is not a "Coheed" album or " it's not like before" or whatever BS you drum up, this is indeed a typical Coheed And Cambria album. If you want a band that sounds the same all the time listen to AC/DC or Airbourne or maybe FFDP. Indeed a continuation of the Vaxis series. To the Ppl that don't like it, you don't like Coheed and Cambria. Bottom line. Pop Prog at it'sTo the Ppl that think this is not a "Coheed" album or " it's not like before" or whatever BS you drum up, this is indeed a typical Coheed And Cambria album. If you want a band that sounds the same all the time listen to AC/DC or Airbourne or maybe FFDP. Indeed a continuation of the Vaxis series. To the Ppl that don't like it, you don't like Coheed and Cambria. Bottom line. Pop Prog at it's finest. Excellent work.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. The Guardian
    Jan 3, 2023
    80
    Coheed have been heavier and more forward-thinking than on Vaxis I, but they’ve never released an album with so many tracks primed to become hits. Rarely has almost an hour of sci-fi mumbo jumbo been easier on the ear.
    Read full review
  2. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 24, 2022
    70
    The good news for casual listeners, though, is that the music works as a standalone experience. [Jun 2022, p.82]
  3. AllMusic
    Jun 24, 2022
    90
    Ultimately, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind is stellar; it offers fresh, wildly creative terrain for the Amory Wars saga to mine going forward.
    Read full review
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