Review Summary: I dare you to find an album with the amount of creativity, flow, and precision, that Between the Buried and Me flaunts in this album.
Members (at the time of recording):
Tommy Giles Rogers - Lead Vocals/Keys
Paul Waggoner - Guitar
Dustie Waring - Guitar
Dan Briggs - Bass
Blake Richardson - Drums/Percussion
Between the Buried and Me is one of those bands you definitely have to acquire a taste for. Simply put, they are different. A good kind of different. Going from death growls, to mellow singing, and death metal to blues is not usually found in the poster-boy hardcore band. But, the thing about BTBAM, is not about how the music is written, it's in the execution. BTBAM delivers one-hundred-percent throughout this entire album (also see Colors_LIVE). If there was ever an album to get in your entire lifetime, this just might be it.
Each song acts as if it was carefully molded, like a sculpture being worked on by an artist. The album starts with the calm, soothing, and assuring key/vocal talents of Tommy Rogers on "Foam Born (A)". It slowly fades into a hodgepodge of noise and closes with Tommy's signature death growls over a brilliant guitar lead and impressively cadences right into "Foam Born (B)", which is famous for it's atonal, jazzy breakdown near the end. After these two songs in itself, this album has already been considered impressive. The next six songs just put the cherry on top.
"Prequel to the Sequel" starts off with a dreamy intro that slowly builds and explodes into Tommy's growls, and many haunting leads orchestrated by Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring. The guitar-work of these two is unimaginable, and is evident throughout this album. To be quite frank, the guitar makes this band what it is. "Ants of the Sky" is a showcase for the two guitarists, heavily. It is quite eerie, and has what might be the best solo of the album played by Waggoner.
"Viridian" gives the listener a breather, in a sense, as an instrumental piece. This piece is very captivating and really makes you think about the musicianship that BTBAM possesses. The melodies and harmonies are absolutely amazing in the song. The album then closes with a band as "Viridian" melts into "White Walls", which showcases some of the off-kelter times being kept by solid drummer, Blake Richardson. The 14 minute epic closes this album off perfectly, and leaves you with a feeling that you don't usually get after listening to any kind of hardcore or metal album.
Between the Buried and Me's "Colors" is a complete masterpiece. Just reading my review about this album doesn't even do the record justice. Go listen. If you're looking for a specific list of songs that are recommended:
- Tracks 1-8.
That's right. The whole album. Each song is captivating in it's own way, and sure enough, you just might see the genre a little differently after giving this one a listen.
