Review Summary: A disappointing regression back to old bad (haha) habits.
"Colors II" by Between the Buried and Me is a huge letdown, feeling like a confusing step backward into some of the bands less impressive habits. The album feels all over the place and really lacks any sense of direction or unity. There’s no overarching story that ties the songs together, which is something many great albums in this genre of progressive metal manage to do. Instead, the tracks come off as random and disconnected. You might go from a mellow part straight into a chaotic blastbeat section, but there’s no smooth transition to make it feel cohesive.
While the band does bring back some technical skills, it doesn’t feel any more complex than their other recent work. Plus, Paul Waggoner's guitar leads just don’t stick with you like they used to. Normally, there’s at least one guitar solo or guitar riff that you can’t get out of your head, but that’s missing here, which is a real bummer. The only real memorable lead line is in the transition to the chorus of "Never Seen/Future Shock," and even that feels lackluster. It’s a real drop in quality.
Many of the choruses sound like they belong in a cheesy 70s prog album, giving off a vibe that feels more like dad rock than anything else. Those chimes in some of the choruses are just cringeworthy. It’s way too cheerful and lame. Those 70s prog choruses always have that peppy feel, it’s so sweet it’s almost nauseating, like cotton candy drenched in Hawks' old man must. You can almost feel your hair thinning as you listen. Usually, the bands choruses flow seamlessly with the verses, but here, the contrast is jarring and awkward. Honestly, vocalist Tommy Rogers has never been the strongest clean vocalist. But this album really highlights him at his most grating and shrill.
Even in their more serious moments, they still manage to slip into some cornball stuff. The breakdown in "The Double Helix of Extinction" is just a mess. Seriously, who thought those keyboard notes would work with such heavy guitars? Clearly, there’s a reason nobody tried that before. This might be one of their worst attempts at a heavier sound; they somehow made their heavy side feel super cheesy as well. Slow clap. It’s like once more a 70s prog band trying to throw in a breakdown, and those keyboard notes just don’t fit at all—it’s a disaster. To make things worse, they throw in a lyric that mentions their band name, which probably seemed like a good idea at first, but in reality, it just adds to the unbearable camp that’s oozing from this saccharine cesspool.
The album is also way too packed with dull filler tracks that are just hard to sit through. Songs like "Stare Into The Abyss," "Prehistory," and "Turbulent" feel like they drag on forever. The band usually nails their interludes, but this time, it just doesn’t hit the mark at all. Their past interludes used to carry a lot of weight, revealing significant parts of the main character's journey. But now, it feels like there’s no character at all—just a bunch of random songs thrown together because they felt like it.
"Prehistory" stands out as one of the band's weakest tracks; it cranks up their usual goofiness to an uncomfortable level. Sure, Between the Buried and Me has always had a playful side, but this time it’s just over the top and corny. Normally, their silliness is balanced out by something more serious later on, but with this song and the album overall, it feels like a circus act that didn’t realize it was let go. There’s a serious lack of cohesion and direction in "Colors II", and honestly, it’s just a mess.
