Coheed and Cambria announces their forthcoming album The Father of Make Believe due March 14th, 2025 via Virgin Music Group. The new full-length marks the 10th studio album from the New York band and continues the narrative of The Amory Wars / Vaxis universe, following their 2022 album Vaxis Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind, which garnered critical success and the band’s first US Top 10 radio single of their career with ‘Shoulders.’ Additionally, the Vaxis Act III: The Father of Make Believe limited edition box set is available for pre-order today and features the CD and digital download along with various exclusives, including Blind Side Sonny’s fully wearable and functional helmet and neuro-dynamic display goggles, Vaxis Act III: The Father of Make Believe hardcover illustrated novella coffee table book, neuro-dynamic display goggles app for display customization, 11.5” x 35” Vaxis III: The Father of Make Believe bedroom poster and a signed Death Certificate of Siv Trafinder. Box set is available for pre-order HERE.
Alongside the album’s announcement, Coheed and Cambria shares new single ‘Searching for Tomorrow,’ which arrives alongside an Anthony Schepperd-directed animated video. The Father of Make Believe will also include the recently-released single ‘Blind Side Sonny,’ arguably Coheed and Cambria’s most aggressive track to date that was complemented by a Max Moore-directed video that unveiled a new villain in The Amory Wars realm.
The song is a reminder that always looking for something better in your life robs you of being able to appreciate the good things you already have.” – Claudio Sanchez (Vocals / Guitar)
One way to look at The Father of Make Believe is Coheed and Cambria establishing a desire to move forward while honouring a remarkable history. Another: a series of questions, emotions, and thoughts at war with each other — “a war within myself,” as bandleader, vocalist and lead guitarist Claudio Sanchez puts it. The Father of Make Believe fits into the band’s sonic oeuvre with wailing guitars, drums that crack like fireworks, and Sanchez’s aching, powerful voice centring us through moments both placid and pinwheeling. Where the set forges new ground is in how Sanchez embraces the role of main character. He’s often used epic songcraft to mask the stories he wanted to tell: reflections on an addicted father, memories of his beloved grandfather, fears about raising a child in a cruel world, anxieties around losing the love of his life. This time around, he’s writing more directly about his life and, especially, his career. Sanchez is the Father of Make Believe, gazing down upon this world he’s wrought.
Listen to ‘Searching For Tomorrow’ on streaming services here
Next year, Coheed and Cambria will join Tool, Primus, Mastodon, Eagles of Death Metal and more for the Tool in the Sand festival in the Dominican Republic in March ahead of their headline show at 2000Trees alongside Kneecap, Taking Back Sunday, Alexisonfire, and more in the United Kingdom in July. Next November, Coheed will embark on their S.S. Neverender 2025 cruise with Thursday, L.S. Dunes, The Dear Hunter, Hail The Sun, Meet Me At The Altar and more. Tickets available HERE. Earlier this year, Coheed and Cambria traversed North America with Incubus, which saw the band play legendary venues across the country, including sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City and Allstate Arena in Chicago as well as a co-headline tour with legendary funk-prog masters, Primus. Also, Coheed and Cambria headlined the Saturday night at Furnace Fest in Alabama and performed both dates of When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas before their trek to Australia where they headlined the multi-city Monolith Festival.
For the last 20 years, Coheed and Cambria have continuously broken the mould of what a rock band can be, forging their own path and building a universe around their music unlike any other. Whether it is in the way their genre-spanning approach to songwriting has allowed them to bridge worlds without being contained to one, or the multifaceted story arc of their albums and comic book series which mark the longest running concept story in music, Coheed and Cambria have consistently shaped new standards, never conformed. Comprised of Claudio Sanchez (Vocals / Guitar), Travis Stever (Guitar), Josh Eppard (Drums) and Zach Cooper (Bass) the band has gripped listeners and press around the globe with their visionary compositions and conceptual mastery.
Pre-order / save The Father of Make Believe, purchase the box set and check out ‘Searching for Tomorrow’ above, see live details below, and stay tuned for more from Coheed and Cambria coming soon.
Vaxis Act III: The Father of Make Believe
PRE-ORDER / SAVE: HERE
Upcoming 2025 Live Dates
7th – 9th March | Tool in the Sand @ Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
11th July | 2000 Trees Festival @ Cheltenham, UK
8th – 13th November | SS Neverender (Coheed Cruise) @ Miami-Cozumel
Connect with Coheed and Cambria: Instagram | X | Website | YouTube
Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine