On occasion, however, there are songs that are inspired by nothing more than life itself. Such was the case with one of Good Apollo’s standout tracks, the gently sung ballad “Wake Up.”

“I wrote that song in what felt like one minute,” says Sanchez. “I had just gotten on a plane to go back to New York after spending time with my girlfriend in California. The band was getting ready to go out on the road again and I didn’t know when I’d see her next. So I was sad, and this song came out. I sent it to her and it made her cry. As to where the influence for something like that comes from, it was really just a case of that being the song I needed to write in order to make it to the next day.”

“Wake Up,” whose lyrics begin with the lines “I’m going to ride this plane out of your life again/I wish I could’ve stayed,” is perhaps the most overtly personal song in Coheed and Cambria’s catalog. But after four years, two records and innumerable discussions centered on the plight of the fictional characters that have dominated Sanchez’s lyrics, it’s possible that he found it was time to introduce another character into the mix: himself.

“Incorporating the character of the writer into Good Apollo was sort of my way of doing that,” he says. “Things that I’ve gone though, he goes through too. Things that have troubled me trouble him. But really, when you get down to it, my life experiences have an influence over the story in general. In many ways, I see the story as a metaphor for the band itself.”

As for what lies in store for said band after the release of Good Apollo, Sanchez doesn’t appear to be too nervous. He’s willing to accept—but not be controlled by—whatever hand fate deals out.

“The album’s done and it’s like, ‘Okay, we did what we had to do,’ ” says Sanchez. “If it works, then great. If it doesn’t, we’ll just try again next time.” He pauses, and smiles. “Or maybe we’ll get dropped. Who gives a shit, you know? We’ve all worked shitty jobs before, we can all do it again.”

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