That CD was the latest installment of a fantastical series of albums that began with the group’s debut CD, the 2002 release “The Second Stage Turbine Blade,” and continued with “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3” in 2003.

The decision by bassist Mike Todd and drummer Josh Eppard to abruptly quit Coheed & Cambria in June 2006 tossed out any assumption that the story would be completed with the next album.

Left to sort out the wreckage were singer/guitarist/songwriter Claudio Sanchez and guitarist Travis Stever. Sanchez said for a time it was anything but clear what his next move should be.

“It was certainly a trying time for Travis and myself,” Sanchez said. After exploring other options, the two decided “it kind of just made sense to pick up the pieces and move forward as Coheed & Cambria.”

As it turned out, Todd rejoined Sanchez and Stever shortly before the duo was set to start recording what became the new Coheed & Cambria CD, “No World for Tomorrow.” Eppard, though, moved on.

Taylor Hawkins, drummer of the Foo Fighters, filled in for the recording sessions for “No World Tomorrow,” before former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie was hired to complete the current Coheed & Cambria lineup.

The group hasn’t seemed eager to discuss the reasons why Todd and Eppard left the band, noting in the bio for “No World for Tomorrow” that they left “under somewhat cloudy circumstances.”

Todd, however, in a video interview posted on the Ultimate-Guitar.tv Web site, said that he and Eppard needed to quit to deal with substance-abuse problems. Sanchez didn’t go into detail about the situation, but offered a few insights on the circumstances of last June.

“I can’t speak for Josh because he hasn’t returned. I’ve lost communications with him for awhile now,” Sanchez said. “But Mike is back. … He’s in very good spirits and everybody is very proud of him for his accomplishment.”

But by the time Todd rejoined in April 2007, things were already looking up for Coheed & Cambria, and Sanchez said the addition of Pennie only helped make it feel like a new start for the band.

Packing a punch

Perhaps the rebirth the band was experiencing helps to explain the musical personality of “No World for Tomorrow.” The lyrics would have seemed to portend a much darker musical work, even to Sanchez.

In a nutshell, here’s the story: A married couple named Coheed and Cambria have to murder their children in order to save the universe from collapse. One of the four kids, Claudio, survives and initially goes into hiding. Meanwhile, because of a serum that had been injected into his bloodstream years earlier, Coheed is transformed into the character Monstar who has the ability to save or destroy the universe. The story centers on what decision Monstar will make and what role Claudio will play in the outcome.

And as the title of the new CD suggests, not all ends well.

“It is the ultimate end of this saga,” Sanchez said.

Add to that the fact that along with telling the final chapter of the story, Sanchez also filtered in lyrics that dealt with the real-life struggles of the band, and “No World for Tomorrow” had all makings of a bleak experience.

Instead, at least on a musical level, it might be the most approachable Coheed & Cambria CD yet. Previous albums had their share of epic songs that bordered on progressive rock intricacy and took several listens to digest. But by and large, songs from “No World For Tomorrow” are a bit more streamlined — but not dumbed down — and pack more of an immediate melodic punch than on previous albums.

Some songs from “No World For Tomorrow” — not surprisingly — are finding their way into the current Coheed & Cambria live set, which also features material from the other albums.

“We’re going to bring a fairly large show,” Sanchez said. “We’ve actually incorporated more musicians this time.”