On their fourth studio album, Coheed and Cambria largely downplay their sprawling prog-rock tendencies in favor of tight, self-assured, and utterly explosive songs. The sizzling “The Hound (Of Blood and Rank)” is lifted by its melodic string accents, while the catchy, metallic “The Running Free” showcases the band’s more pop-friendly side. Guest drummer Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters helps with this streamlined approach, bringing a hard-hitting precision to laidback classic-rockers like "Feathers" and an explosive velocity to the thrashing heavy metal of "Gravemakers & Gunslingers."