Coheed and Cambria are so far ahead of the emo absurdity curve, it sometimes seems like they’ve run clear off the road. It’s not just that Claudio Sanchez writes impenetrable and portentous lyrics — those lyrics construct a narrative he’s stretching over four albums. (This one, their third, completes the quad-ilogy; the next one’s a prequel.) He sings with the whine of a teenager — if that teenager were Alvin the Chipmunk. And, more than ever, his band indulges in grandiose, classic-rock, flaunting chops that could shame the showoffs in Rush. The result hits like a popcorn flick colliding with your worst breakup, partly thanks to a manic commitment to blazing tempos and sticky melodies. But while it’s nearly impossible to understand, Sanchez delivers his narrative without a hint of fashionable emo irony. His protagonist longs for a mysterious home; Coheed, meanwhile, have found their sweet spot.

Download: “Feathers,” “The Hound (of Blood and Rank)”