BTBAM's upcoming headline tour is being promoted as follows: "The “evening with” set is a curation of almost 20 years of music with the specific intent on realizing what it all means in 2019; how did we arrive here and where do we go? Sometimes the process of realization comes from breathing new life into old material. Over the two sets of music there’s a four part arc that will play out in the form of one cohesive night of music spanning 2002-2019."
Since 2012 I've been a fan of the progressive modern metal from Between The Buried And Me or BTBAM. Back then while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence, I was sold when I listened to "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors. From there I started to dig their whole discography. Consequently, I am less familiar with their albums pre-Colors. So, in light of this tour, I decided to revisit their whole catalog. However, for the pre-Alaska albums and the EP, I only focused on some key songs. Here you have it...
"Shevanel Cut a Flip" is the closing track of BTBAM's debut self-titled album. The first third of the song is very hardcore and noisy, but being an almost 10 min affair, it does transition to a slow tempo section (like many of their songs until today) with clean guitar arpeggios and beautiful singing. The transition is not as seamless as they proficiently start doing a couple of albums later. While it is a good song, appearing live sometimes, it doesn't have the identity that the band would create later on.
"Mordecai" is arguably the best song from BTBAM's 2003's The Silent Circus. It's the album's only song that still pops up in their setlist from time to time. Under 6 min, the song is a relatively short one for today's standards. The first half is very hardcore and influenced by The Dillinger Escape Plan. In contrast the middle section has one of their most beautiful melodies and clean singing. It almost sounds like late The Beatles. There's an improvement from the debut but they were still searching for their own style.
Alaska (2005) - 75
BTBAM third studio album is the first album to feature the band's current lineup, with Tommy Giles Rogers (lead vocals, keyboards) and Paul Waggoner (guitar) joining forces with Dustie Waring on guitar, Dan Briggs on bass, and Blake Richardson on drums. Here we see this new line-up starting to solidify their signature and unique sound. BTBAM was ahead of their time and back in 2005 the album wasn't a commercial success. However, it achieved positive critical reviews and "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" is still today one of BTBAM most notable songs being featured constantly on their setlist. The song demonstrates the band moving from the chaotic mathcore sound to a heavier version of what Dream Theater would sound like. In "only" seven and half minutes, the song features several smooth transitions. Overall, despite good songs such as "All Bodies" and the title track, Alaska is still very hardcore with Death Metal and less progressive and groovy than the band would eventually become.
The Great Misdirect (2009) - 79
Their fifth studio album despite containing only six tracks reaches nearly an hour in total time length. It includes their longest song to date "Swim to the Moon" with nearly 18 minutes. Of course BTBAM had the difficult task to follow-up the highly acclaimed Colors. "Mirrors" opens the album with a statement that this is not Colors II and that the band will continue to move forward. The song is very melancholic and jazzy with a very prominent bass line over some beautiful guitar arpeggios. "Obfuscation" follows with a catchy guitar riff and bringing the heaviness. The duo functions as one song and are sometimes played live as such. The other highlights are "Disease, Injury, Madness" which is my favorite from the record and "Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain" which brings back some of the mathcore elements from the early records combined with a circus-like vibe? The Great Misdirect has its moments but it's less cohesive than Colors and it goes a bit too far on the complexity.
"Specular Reflection" is the coolest song from the 2011's EP The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues which is the first release in a two-part concept album suite. It is often on their setlist. It features a cinematic intro, nice grooves, some alt rock vibes and Pink Floydian moments. That works for me!
The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012) - 85
This was actually my first BTBAM album and I love it for that. The album's concept is the continuation of the band's 2011 EP. It's a long affair clocking in at 73 minutes. Still It's a cohesive and mature album. One song seamlessly transition into the next, it's one long musical. For the first time BTBAM used a few segues, a intro and reprise tracks s much so that the album has 12 tracks. Parallax II is dynamic and more than before displays various metal influences from 1970's progressive rock, to jazz and fusion. There's a lot of groove and riffs with "less notes". While in the past clean vocals were mostly used in slow tempo sections, here they are often used in mid-tempo verses which makes it slightly more accessible than previous works. But don't get me wrong, it's still very heavy at times and progressive. Take "Telos" and the songs around it, pure brilliance. Parallax II two gives Colors a run for its money.
Coma Ecliptic (2015) - 85
The concept album Coma Ecliptic while bringing back the elements from previous records, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But it's not to say that heaviness isn't there! It's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, one of the best albums of 2015.
Automata I/II (2018) - 87
Albeit as progressive as previous records, Automata being released in two parts is easier to digest than previous records. Part I features 6 songs in 35 minutes, one being a 1 min instrumental. Automata II features 4 songs in 34 minutes, one being a 2 min transition. Originality, exceptional musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, Automata has it all. The jazzy big band influenced "Voice Of Trespass" is one of their best songs ever. The album is standing the test of time and becoming a serious contender for BTBAM's best album.
* Source: https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/ accessed on 09/02/2019.
Since 2012 I've been a fan of the progressive modern metal from Between The Buried And Me or BTBAM. Back then while getting ready for the release of The Parallax II: Future Sequence, I was sold when I listened to "White Walls" from the magnificent Colors. From there I started to dig their whole discography. Consequently, I am less familiar with their albums pre-Colors. So, in light of this tour, I decided to revisit their whole catalog. However, for the pre-Alaska albums and the EP, I only focused on some key songs. Here you have it...
"Shevanel Cut a Flip" is the closing track of BTBAM's debut self-titled album. The first third of the song is very hardcore and noisy, but being an almost 10 min affair, it does transition to a slow tempo section (like many of their songs until today) with clean guitar arpeggios and beautiful singing. The transition is not as seamless as they proficiently start doing a couple of albums later. While it is a good song, appearing live sometimes, it doesn't have the identity that the band would create later on.
Alaska (2005) - 75
BTBAM third studio album is the first album to feature the band's current lineup, with Tommy Giles Rogers (lead vocals, keyboards) and Paul Waggoner (guitar) joining forces with Dustie Waring on guitar, Dan Briggs on bass, and Blake Richardson on drums. Here we see this new line-up starting to solidify their signature and unique sound. BTBAM was ahead of their time and back in 2005 the album wasn't a commercial success. However, it achieved positive critical reviews and "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" is still today one of BTBAM most notable songs being featured constantly on their setlist. The song demonstrates the band moving from the chaotic mathcore sound to a heavier version of what Dream Theater would sound like. In "only" seven and half minutes, the song features several smooth transitions. Overall, despite good songs such as "All Bodies" and the title track, Alaska is still very hardcore with Death Metal and less progressive and groovy than the band would eventually become.
Colors (2007) - 90
Colors is a masterpiece and consequently over the years it has been featured in countless "top of" lists. Like almost all best progressive albums, Colors is challenging but ultimately a highly rewarding album. The blending of styles without loosing coherence is a remarkable achievement. Their metalcore roots are very much alive here, but the mathcore and chaotic elements are almost completely replaced with more groove. The progressiveness of bands like Pink Floyd and Dream Theater are deeply upgraded and perfectly infused into their own style. And that's not all, there's some death and black metal, grind, hardcore and most impressively also ambiance, jazz and even country music. Although the 65 minutes of this marvelous mix of styles are separated in 8 tracks, Colors gives the impression of one continuous song, with a track transitioning seamlessly into the next. In fact, the songs themselves have several impressive transitions within them. With that said, notice that it's not a concept album, each song is quite unique in lyrics and styles. Hence why I love the title Colors in which each song depicts a different color from a very rich palette. Needless to say that the musicianship in all aspects and instruments is spotless and jaw dropping. Fantastic solos, great riffs, impressive drumming and a bass that is clear on the mix with special moments of shining. Finally, the versatility of the vocals is a highlight. All in all, simply put, Colors is one of the best progressive metal albums of the 21st century.The Great Misdirect (2009) - 79
Their fifth studio album despite containing only six tracks reaches nearly an hour in total time length. It includes their longest song to date "Swim to the Moon" with nearly 18 minutes. Of course BTBAM had the difficult task to follow-up the highly acclaimed Colors. "Mirrors" opens the album with a statement that this is not Colors II and that the band will continue to move forward. The song is very melancholic and jazzy with a very prominent bass line over some beautiful guitar arpeggios. "Obfuscation" follows with a catchy guitar riff and bringing the heaviness. The duo functions as one song and are sometimes played live as such. The other highlights are "Disease, Injury, Madness" which is my favorite from the record and "Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain" which brings back some of the mathcore elements from the early records combined with a circus-like vibe? The Great Misdirect has its moments but it's less cohesive than Colors and it goes a bit too far on the complexity.
"Specular Reflection" is the coolest song from the 2011's EP The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues which is the first release in a two-part concept album suite. It is often on their setlist. It features a cinematic intro, nice grooves, some alt rock vibes and Pink Floydian moments. That works for me!
The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012) - 85
This was actually my first BTBAM album and I love it for that. The album's concept is the continuation of the band's 2011 EP. It's a long affair clocking in at 73 minutes. Still It's a cohesive and mature album. One song seamlessly transition into the next, it's one long musical. For the first time BTBAM used a few segues, a intro and reprise tracks s much so that the album has 12 tracks. Parallax II is dynamic and more than before displays various metal influences from 1970's progressive rock, to jazz and fusion. There's a lot of groove and riffs with "less notes". While in the past clean vocals were mostly used in slow tempo sections, here they are often used in mid-tempo verses which makes it slightly more accessible than previous works. But don't get me wrong, it's still very heavy at times and progressive. Take "Telos" and the songs around it, pure brilliance. Parallax II two gives Colors a run for its money.
Coma Ecliptic (2015) - 85
The concept album Coma Ecliptic while bringing back the elements from previous records, the emphasis is different. Melody and clean vocals gained more focus while the death metal growling is less prominent. The influences of Queen and Pink Floyd are more accentuated., e.g. "Dim Ignition" reminding of "On the Run". Also modern progressive influence from Dream Theater is seen particularly in "Turn on the Darkness". But it's not to say that heaviness isn't there! It's part of a very dynamic album that uses several elements from acoustic guitars, keyboards, clean singing, death metal passages and tons of heavy riffs. It's all there in a great modern musical journey, one of the best albums of 2015.
Automata I/II (2018) - 87
Albeit as progressive as previous records, Automata being released in two parts is easier to digest than previous records. Part I features 6 songs in 35 minutes, one being a 1 min instrumental. Automata II features 4 songs in 34 minutes, one being a 2 min transition. Originality, exceptional musicianship, thought provoking lyrics, Automata has it all. The jazzy big band influenced "Voice Of Trespass" is one of their best songs ever. The album is standing the test of time and becoming a serious contender for BTBAM's best album.
* Source: https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/ accessed on 09/02/2019.
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