Review Summary: This album kicks Progressive Metal ass! Yes its that simple!
Between the Buried & Me - Colours
Released 24th September 2007 (UK)
Victory Records
So another review about Colors. Has this website gone Colors mad? Its certainly divided opinion in one way or another. I'm certainly on the 'for' side. Here's why: This album kicks Progressive Metal ass! Yes its that simple!
If you like progressive metal ala Opeth, Mastodon, The Red Chord and the Mars Volta(plus many more) then i'm certain you will find something to like on this album. The album has been created to be listened to as a continuous whole rather than individual songs and it honestly works much more effectively that way and yes its pretentious and self indulgent, but its also enjoyable.
The album contains parts of virtually every genre available (death metal, jazz, country, folk, pop, polka, metal) It certainly gives the impression that its an uncohesive mess, but in actual fact it all works perfectly.
Songs such as 'Informal Gluttony' have riffs that stop, start and thrash wherever the please. Tommy Rogers vocals make this album, alternating between a croon a gothic screech and full death metal growls but the guitar playing of Paul Waggoner and Dusty Waring along with the drumming of Blake Richardson make this album exceptional. Oh and lets not forget Dan Briggs on bass!
'Sun of Nothing' and 'Ants of the Sky' are album highlights while 'White Walls' could be the best thing the band have writtens since 'Selkies the Endless Obsession' from their 2005 album Alaska.
Mixing brutallity with beauty has always been one of Between the Buried & Me's strong points and the off kilter time changes, breakdowns, acoustic interludes, jazz guitar prove how well they accomplish this feat. the fact that they sit together seamlessly with each other is testamnet to the songwriting skill of BTBAM.
This for me along with Baroness's 'The Red Album' define a year that has had some exceptional metal releases heaped upon our ears, and in my mind Colors is up there at the top spot.
