COLORS

Between The Buried And Me

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

4.11 | 463 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Last year this album captured the world's attention. The only way I can describe it is as an epic beauty of excess.

Technicality has been slowly dirtying prog rock- fast fingers trying to emulate the prog of olde. We have groups like Dream Theater, a group that hasn't put out a properly progressive effort in more than half a decade, yet still considers themselves the kings of progressive rock. Their technicality, their pointless solos with no rise, no fall, no suspense, their (pretty much) pop songs with five minutes of instrumental fluff stuffed inside; all of these have far overshadowed the creativity that made albums like Metropolis and Six Degrees a real treat to listen to.

Between the Buried and Me- Oh. My. God. Finally, a group that knows how to properly make technical progressive rock. It's so beautifully controlled. The technicality is there, but unlike with bands calling themselves prog, it actually has a place in the music, it's not just dressed up with some pointless lyrics and called music.

I'll give an example. Dream Theater's In the Name of God versus Between the Buried and Me's White Walls.

Lies Tools of the devil inside Written in Holy disguise Meant to deceive and divide Us all

These lyrics just constantly drone on and on in James LaBrie's tired screech. They never actually say anything, they just bring a tiny amount of attention to crimes committed in the past. And then John Petrucci steps in with his bland, stupid solo. The Petrucci freaks who just come to the concerts to see his solos eat it up. He just panders to the crowd and then lets the rest of the band try and pick up the pieces of the song he just completely smashed and ruined (which they can't, given that Jordan is on almost the exact same wavelength and always comes along to pound what's left of the music into the ground).

On the other side...

The monsters are made, and we have proven that we will be one of them. The whores take the stage...flash our skills... gotta draw 'em in...gotta keep 'em on their toes...

Poetry that rivals the bible. It's like the final burst of rising action before the climax of the entire album. The solos are discreet, intelligent, understated, understood. The drastic changes in dynamic make sense as it follows the mental transitions of the narrator. There's no excess, there's nothing to hold back the creation process of the music, it's just exquisite.

The rest is all magic of a similar style, and honestly, there's no way words can do it justice. Put this way- prog fans can pick up this album with confidence that it isn't just overly technical poser prog.

kickflipthecat | 5/5 | 2008-10-5

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