Between the Buried and Me
Colors

Release Date: 2007 | Tracklist

BTBAM Colors

Regardless of who you are, if you pay any attention to heavy music these days, you’ve probably heard a fair bit of hype regarding the release of this album. The comments made about Colors are generally much of the same “65 minute masterpiece,” “Technical Insanity,” and so on. However, what impresses me the most about this band is not their jaw dropping ability to shread arpeggios at unconceivable speeds. These guys have a gift for creativity in a way that is seldom seen today. With each release, Between the Buried and Me manage to completely blow the heads off of their most dedicated fans, picking up a few more each time. This latest release is certainly their least aggressive and most accessible, featuring more use of Tommy’s clean vocals and longer melodic sections than they’ve used in the past. That being said, anyone with an ear for good music and an open mind should be able to appreciate this fairly easily.

It’s best not to get caught into trying to slap a genre on these guys. Too many try to describe them as “progressive metalcore,” “deathcore,” or some other ridiculous title, its best not to touch the subject because this album is truly genre-less.

I’m trying not to describe this album on a track-by-track basis because this is simply not an album that can be listened to on that kind of level. However, I will point out a few strong points of their musicianship. The bass is nothing short of legendary. Far too many bands in this scene tone the bass to almost inaudible levels that make you wonder why they even have a bassist. B TBAM makes the best use of their incredibly versatile bassist. Check out “Viridian” to see him at work. His breathtaking bass solo sounds more like something you would find on a smooth jazz record than a metal record.

One fairly new element that BTBAM have added is the use of keyboards, we heard them shine briefly on Alaska during Selkies, but this time around Tommy has made them more apparent throughout. Particularly during Sun of Nothing, they serve as a good tool to switch from a relentless skull-crushing assault to a somber, melancholic interlude.

Being a drummer, the percussion work here makes me question if this guy is even human. Clearly he is capable of jaw-dropping blast beats and complex fills, but his ability to maintain chemistry with the rest of the band while asserting his technical prowess leaves me astounded.

I’m not going to get into the guitars too much because anyone with a set of ears should be in awe of the face-melting solos scattered throughout colors. But once again, these guys step it up a notch. Instead of boring the listener with solo after solo after bone crushing riff, the guitars really take on character. For example, the guitar intro of Informal Gluttony sounds like it could just as easily be the opener to a Nile album.

Another astonishing feature of this band is their ability to prove their technical proficiency without sounding too pompous. BTBAM have a great formula for writing albums. With each album they build upon their previous material, staying true to their style while taking elements of other legendary bands such as Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Mr. Bungle, and King Crimson to name a few. These guys don’t stop there however. Instead of simply ripping off of the above bands, they do a phenomenal job of elaborating on the work of these aforementioned legends. There’s no single point on this album where I’m thinking “gee that sounds like David Gilmour should be playing that;” what I’m really thinking is “wow, these guys did their homework!”

The power of this record can‘t be felt by checking out a few songs on myspace. Sorry folks, this is an album that you actually have to buy to fully appreciate. At least for me, listening to it in MP3 format takes away from the album as a whole. BTBAM’s ability to transition effortlessly from track to track makes this a landmark for the world of heavy metal. It’s bits and pieces of things you’ve heard, but it’s like nothing that ever came before and nothing that you’ll ever hear again. The only thing that’s left to wonder is what the hell are they going to do next? The message is clear: BTBAM is here to stay! This album is a piece of heavy metal history.

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4.2 excellent

Rank: #14 for 2007