Between The Buried And Me- The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (Metal Blade Records, 2011)
I became a lifelong fan of Between The Buried and Me (aka BTBAM) in 2007 when they released their Homer’s-The Odyssey-sized epic, Colors. Every day for two months I listened through the entire album during my 40 minute commute to and from YSU. What must be understood is that Colors is is much more than a great metal album. Rather, it’s a brutal, 1 hour and 6 minute, hyperbolic, genre-challenging instant classic. The follow-up The Great Misdirect was impressive. However, it wasn’t able to live up to the glory of its predecessor.
So when I heard that BTBAM was releasing a new EP, I certainly felt skepticism. I didn’t doubt the band’s abilities, but I was concerned that their career may have peaked at Colors. Alas, I was wrong.
With the release of their newest EP came evidence that BTBAM are indeed on the path to becoming metal legends. The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues contains only three songs, but that isn’t saying much given the average length of each is about ten minutes. Aside from lengthy compositions, however, BTBAM keeps it pretty traditional (in a death metal sense). There is only one gypsy-style breakdown (see last two albums) and there are no acoustic passages. Clean vocals are kept at bay. Instead, The Parallax relies on intensity and brutality. It’s still progressive, but in a different way. Before, BTBAM was progressive because they tackled many styles, often in a single song, and often without any foreshadowing. On the new EP, they embody progressive by creating complex rhythmic patterns (even more so than before) and approaching simple concepts from various angles.
Most of the time, the simple concepts are in the form of incredible guitar riffs. A good example would be at one minute and nineteen seconds into the song “Augment Of Rebirth.” Drummer Blake Richardson is critical here. He plays both with and against the riff; and in both the foreground and the background of it. The result is metal ecstasy.
In another notable part of the album, near the end of the opening track, guitarists (Paul Waggoner and Dusty Waring) recreate the orchestral introduction as a dissonant, electric guitar arrangement. The entire EP is like that, filled with clever interpretations of brutal and adrenaline-pumping ideas.
But at the end of the day, The Parallax is awesome because it’s the perfect combination of Between The Buried And Me’s brutal roots and their progressive originality. Many fans (myself included) have been impressed with, but also irritated by, the band’s wacky stylistic evolution. If you are like us, this EP is what you’re looking for. It offers only the best of BTBAM- old and new.
Best Tracks: All
For Fans Of: Protest The Hero, Rush, Dream Theater, Meshuggah
Rating: 4.5/5
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