Monday, prog-rockers Coheed and Cambria announced on their fan-site that they will be releasing a new album, titled Year of the Black Rainbow in April 2010, which will be followed by a US tour. While the official announcement of this album shouldn’t come as much of a shock to fans, the planned released date being only about four months away is a great surprise. An even greater surprise is what is set to accompany the album’s release…a 300+ page novel written by Claudio Sanchez and novelist Peter David.

That’s right, Claudio is writing a book. For those of you who do not already know, the four previous Co&Ca albums follow a story known as “The Amory Wars,” which follows the futuristic saga of the married couple Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon and their 4 children. According to the letter posted on their fan-site, the album and book will be a “prequel” of the Amory wars and that they will “tell the origins of Coheed and Cambria, and much more.” To read the full letter, click here.