On one hand I could retroactively review a comic series, since series' reviews are the best way to retroactively review comics (Aside from noteworthy single issues), as opposed to currently reviewing single new releases. On the other, I could review an album.
I decided that considering my annual Album of the Year list will be posted here from now on, I'd review one of the releases in contention for such an award.
With that said, let's get started.
The Great Misdirect by Between the Buried & Me.
Before I get onto the album itself, let me give you a bit of background on my opinions regarding this kind of music.
All the best metal bands have began heavy and worked slowly toward a progressively more varied approach to their output. There are exceptions such as Slayer and their ilk (Who I do like), but these bands tend to fall under the curse of being hit and miss. When the albums you release are essentially the same because you only know one style, regardless of whether the style is good, you will end up with a very stale yet patchy body of work.
Opeth, Emperor, Mastodon, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan; all of these bands have expanded from their heavier roots to encompass a much more eclectic style. The reason? Any "metal" band with stand-out talent will eventually grow tired of making metal and metal alone. The bands making the heaviest metal often lack the most ability.
Enter Between the Buried & Me.
Like the aforementioned bands who have expanded with time, Between the Buried & Me (Gotta get a shortened name for these guys) have followed suit. From their self-titled album to The Silent Circus follow-up, they had clear technical gifts, but seems stuck in a rut of feeling like they had to conform to an archetype. Their third album, Alaska, exhibited a sneaking desire to be more than they were. It was a breath of fresh air to many who listen to this kind of music on a regular basis, and those who didn't also found themselves surprised by the slight adjustments they made. It was, for all intents and purposes, the album that had them earmarked as a band to watch.
Despite enjoying Alaska, I went the opposite way. Rather than praising it wildly for showing signs of bursting potential, I felt disappointed that they were holding themselves back for whatever reason. It wasn't until they finally broke the shackles and released Colors, an hour-plus marathon of one continuous piece broken up into eight songs, that they became a band I was personally keeping a watchful eye on. Colors was an example of everything a young band looking to break out of a stale genre should be; ambitious, varied, serene and serrated all in one. However, whilst the band had reached an epiphany, the album still felt slightly flawed and failed to reflect this new found confidence. Tremendous as it was (It made my top 10 list that year), it felt incomplete.
With that history out of the way (Normally I'd jump to the review, but this may not make sense without background), let's get onto their current offering; The Great Misdirect.
On this album, Between the Buried & Me have set a new benchmark not only for themselves, but for heavy music in general.
Beginning with the very spacey, ethereal tones of Mirrors, Between the Buried & Me immediately set the precedent for this album; it's a journey. Tommy Rogers, who remains one of heavy music's best and most varied vocalists (Only Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth and Ihsahn of Emperor are better) displays exactly why these guys are not just another alarm clock metal band. His voice cascades over a melancholic guitar line in a very Thom Yorke-esque manner, circa Kid A, surprising even myself. The song picks up pace with its remarkably dreamy, echoey guitar passages that contain tinges of Dave Gilmour's time in Pink Floyd, and modern day Porcupine Tree. It's evident even in these comparisons which kind of company this band wish to keep.
Out of the haunting reverb of this minimal yet impactful opener, comes Obfuscation. The opening riff spirals dizzyingly out of control in a way that has become customary for this band, whilst Tommy Rogers enters the fray with his powerful metal vocal that manages to separate itself from the rest. It's a massively impressive shift, if a little samey, but that soon vanishes when the song rises and falls between beauty and brutality. Paul Waggoner and Dustie Warring play off each other's riffs as if competing, yet it never gets in the way of the totality of creativity that this band has. Most impressive is the way Blake Richardson perfectly, I stress perfectly, encases every single shift in time signature, key or tempo with pinpoint accurate drumming. Whether it's staccato riff battery or intricate guitar lyricism, he's there matching up. Again, there is heavy influence from other progressive bands. I hear a lot of similar guitar solo tones to Porcupine Tree, specifically The Sky Moves Sideways album.
None of these musicians are content with being just a piece, they want to stand out. The bass, supplied by Dan Briggs, perfectly compliments Blake's drumming and it wouldn't surprise me to see these two stake a claim as one of THE world's premier rhythm sections.
Most songs on this album have more sides to their personality than a schizophrenic ventriloquist, and even if they're just shifting between heavy and delicate, they do so with such effortless grace and attention grabbing finesse that there's never a dull moment.
If that wasn't enough, you have songs like Fossil Genera: A Feed from Cloud Mountain. This song opens and progresses with a jazz/polka fusion that, despite being clearly ripped from the mind of Mike Patton or latter-day Devin Townsend, delights and surprises in equal measure. The speed of the jaunty piano line juxtaposed with the crushingly slow guitar riff is daring to the point of comedy, even more hilarious is that they pull it off.
The closer, Swim to the Moon, is the final culmination of this band reaching what I call "The Elite". Opening with a chilly, bassy rhythm consisting only of minimal tribal style drumming and woodwind instruments, the song cascades into a repeated riff so amazing that it might just rank up as one of my favourite musical moments ever. Never ceasing for a second, I found myself floored by the onslaught of high-tempo, stabbing, classical style riffs. Overjoyed at the pulse-pounding drum fills and time shifts (Blake Richardson's finest moment comes on this song) it finally became apparant to me that this was a band not content with being just like the rest anymore.
I'm a big fan of set-pieces, so for me to say there are more memorable riffs and passages of genius in this one song than in any non-elite (My opinion) band's discography is a big deal. It's truly ridiculous, the competence with which they shift between riffs that could put you in a coma or make you dizzy enough to want a sit down, and passages so addictive that you could dance to them. Not just on this song, but the whole album.
On an album like this, all I can do is describe what I remember of the tracks and hope it's something you check out for yourself. This really is something that, far from being intended to be listened to in one piece, DESERVES to be listened to in its entirity.
If you are looking to branch out your tastes or even if this is to your liking and you haven't got it yet; do NOT sleep on this album. It is quite simply the sound of one of the new best bands in the world making one of the best heavy albums, or albums in general, of recent years.
Tool had Lateralus, Prince had Sign o' the Times, Opeth had Damnation, Radiohead had Kid A.
All the bands and artists in "The Elite" (Some not shown) have had an album or two that absolutely breaks every mold, whilst simultaneously creating its own. The Great Misdirect by Between the Buried & Me is one of these.
Like the Juggernaut, they seem to be showing total disregard for any and all obstacles in their collective way. The Great Misdirect sees Between the Buried & Me become an irresistable force, capable of crushing anything in their path. Only their will can slow them down, and if this album is any indication; either get on or get out of the way, because there's nothing stopping these guys.
Between the Buried & Me on MySpace.
-The Mast
