BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

Track 1 - Foam Born (A) The Backtrack

We begin with simple piano chords and melody. The vocals join in with it. Just before the 1-minute mark there is a drum fill and the band kicks in heavy, but not overly so. There is a keyboard solo in a Wakeman arpeggio style. Then there are spoken word vocals then merge into screamy vocals not quite CM, but close.

Track 2 - (B) The Decade of Statues

Cookie Monster (CM) starts out right away as the track clicks over. Extremely fast tempo. This is the type of metal I DON'T like. All growls and death metal so far here. The riff becomes more listenable at around 1:30 and clean vocals are close behind, but they don't last. CM is right back. So far, this track is God-Awful. Finally, at 3:45 clean jazzy guitars, but they didn't last long enough for me to type the sentence. There are some cool scapular patterns in the instruments, which I might like if they'd shut CM up. Horrid track.

Track 3 - Informal Gluttony

Things slow down a bit with a cymbal crash and tribal style drumming. We have a nice cool groove happening as the bass joins in. The guitars join playing an Arabic style tune. So far, so good. Even the metal riff is cool. But Angry CM comes back, and we start sounding like a CD on fast forward. We get a breather at around 2:50 but again it doesn't last. People listen to this on purpose. Why?? Things slow down again at around 5 minutes with some clean vocals and harmonies buried in the mix. We end with some cool drumming that leads us into?

Track 4 - The Sun of Nothing

Which begins with a drum fill. Then super-fast and aggressive growly stuff. Someone give him a throat lozenge! There is a change for clean strumming electric guitars at 2 minutes, but then right back into the heavy growling stuff. There is a quirky part at 3:30 but it only lasts a few seconds. Every time I think they are going to redeem themselves a bit, they go back to the death metal stuff. Things finally ease off at 6 minutes with clean guitars and clean harmony vocals. At 7 minutes it gets almost breezy sounding. At 8 minutes it gets mellow and quiet, then there is a nice crescendo into a "wave your lighter in the air" moment, then we get to a mid-tempo rockin' part. CM returns soon after though. There are a few minutes in the middle of that I enjoyed, but the rest of it was atrocious. It leads straight into?

Track 5 - Ants of the Sky

Aaaand we start right off with speed metal madness and CM growling. This is anxiety-inducing stuff. Everything drops out for some simple piano for a moment, then we have a 6-8 section that is slightly reminiscent of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," but it is over far too quickly. There is a bit of Hammond organ in some of the heavy riffage that follows. CM is back before long to scream at us some more. There is a bit of odd-meter riffage but it's still really heavy. Then we are back to more of the same death metal stuff. I expect there are mosh-pits at their shows. There is a respite from the chaos at around 6 minutes. But it returns soon enough. Every time I think there is a bit I'll enjoy, it's over before it really develops. There is a quieter part at around 8 minutes. But by 8:30 we are mega heavy again with growls. To be fair it's at a slower tempo with clean vocals along with the growls, but still? We mellow out again at around 10 minutes. This breather is lasting longer with a nicely played clean guitar solo at around 11 minutes. Then at around 11:50 we have a country hoedown, for no apparent reason. By 12:25 though, we have the Bach style melody return, but CM is growling/screaming all over it. There is some nice dual-lead guitar harmonies to close out the track, but the bad very much outweighed the good.

Track 6 - Prequel to the Sequel

Some mid-tempo power chords and guitar licks start this off; I like it so far, but I've been burned before. Trying to have cautious optimism. Here we go again, this is more scream-o at first, then CM growls. And it sounds like metal furniture being pushed down a stairwell. There was a brief moment of bass & drums I enjoyed, but then back to [&*!#] soon after. Random accordion section at around 5:30. Being screamed at again soon after. More CM in a duet with screaming. This is horrid again. A nice cinematic moment around 8 minutes. Will it last? It did long enough to bring us to?

Track 7 - Viridian

The second shortest track on the album begins in a mellow fashion. Gentle keyboards and clean guitar arpeggios are allowing my blood pressure to ease off. Nice bass solo along with it. A very jazzy track so far. It stays mellow, but turns more ominous as we approach the transition to the final track?

Track 8 - White Walls

The intro is pretty good so far. But surprise. More CM and speed metal stuff. Wow, this album is relentless. At around 3:10 he sounds like the Judoon in Dr. Who. (I think he did that trick in the other album as well). There are moments of tight Dream Theater style playing but it never lasts. There is a softer section with some beautiful harmonies at around 5:15. Things mellow out even more at around 6:20. By 7:20 I begin to hear the harsh vocals fading back in. By 8:05 we are heavy but with nice harmony vocals. But CM starts growling by 8:30. More mosh-pit music by 10-minutes. Things moderate a bit at around 11 minutes. It's still heavy as F, but at least no one is screaming or growling. There are some great guitar harmonies & solos happening for a while. We switch to a shuffle beat at around 13 minutes. Then we fade out on nice piano arpeggios.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

The moments I liked were few and far between. This one seems more of a straight up death metalcore/speed metal experience with an occasional prog moment thrown in. Most of it was very difficult to listen to. Even on the Opeth album I just did prior to this one, the growly bits were much more tolerable and fewer and farther between. The best moment on the album was the intro to track 3 "Informal Gluttony." They could have taken that to glorious places, but it went to Hell (again). I can't believe that THIS album ranks above so many amazing classic prog ones. This is supposedly better than Rush's "A Farewell to Kings," Camel's "Mirage," DT's "Awake," Yes' "Drama," (which was at freaking 100) and many, many more? I can't say I agree at all. [on Prog Magazine's 100 Greatest Prog Album's List]

I give this one a generous 1.5 out of 5 for the few bits I did like. (I'm sure there'll be some "OK Boomer's" from some who read this, but whatever?)

Clicking 1, probably what it should be anyway.

Track 1 - Goodbye to Everything

OK, so actually, off to a good start. Gently strummed clean electric guitar with excellent harmony vocals start this short introductory track. Some tinkling glockenspiel adds color to the sound. A bit of synth joins in as we go.

Track 2 - Astral Body

Nice guitar riffs and accents from the band?so far, so good. I like the riff that begins around 1:15. Then the growling-screaming vocals come along and ruin the great playing. Really, the playing is fantastic! OK, he can actually sing around 3:00. But then he goes back to the horrid screaming. Why do so many modern metal bands feel they have to use this type of sound?

Track 3 - Lay Your Ghosts to Rest

Even more screaming to start this one. Extremely fast tempo. But at 1:30 he actually sings and the groove changes. I like this part. Piano at 2:25 for a few seconds, then the heaviness kicks in again, but without the screaming. But never fear, it comes back! This is ridiculous after the 4-minute mark. (It's a 10-minute song) ...Things ease off at 6:45 A waltz time at a moderate tempo, clean guitar & vocals. Actually, it reminds me of the Janis Joplin version of Summertime. But at 8:19 screaming over an otherwise cool riff. Real singing does return though. So, it ends pretty well.

Track 4 - Autumn

A brief track at 1:18. Spacy type sounds fade in. Sounds like we are on a spaceship.

Track 5 - Extremophile Elite

A pretty cool synth riff kicks us off here. The band comes in and it reminds me of Dream Theater. Until around 50 seconds in when he opens his mouth. They make pills for this?sigh. Real singing starts around 2:00, but it doesn't last. I like the riff at around 3:15. Then at 4:25, Xylophones! OK?. Some real singing at around 5:00 mixed with growling. Things ease off at 7:10 into a 5-4 time that's pretty cool. Wonderful guitar playing. If dude would just shut up this would be cool. Sitar around 8:40, nice. But then the ending is more screaming.

Track 6 - Parallax

Clean guitars and spoken word. An atmospheric interlude of 1:15

Track 7 - The Black Box

Another short one at 2:11. Piano starts it off and clean vocals join in. He can sing when he wants to. The intensity increases about halfway through, but not screamy.

Track 8 - Telos

Heavy guitars and the rhythm section fade in to be taken over by screaming. Sme cool riffage around 1:30 and beyond. Trying to ignore the screaming, but it isn't easy. Things chill out at 3:30 or so. Electric Piano and an almost Jazzy groove with mellow guitar solos. Some odd sound effects over the top are a bit distracting. Then some mellow clean vocals join in. A horn section joins in around 5:45. A heavy sounding horn section though, but it works. The demon returns around 7:15. Getting a headache around 8:45. Lol?

Track 9 - Bloom

A repeated piano note with band accents starts this one off. (A shorter one at 3:29) He's doing some gruff vocals here, but not screaming. Really quirky playing & singing around 30 seconds, then the screaming starts at around 1 minute. OK, we're surfing now?around 1:30, almost like "Wipe-out". Then we start demonic screaming again. Quirkiness returns around 2:30. Complex guitar & drumming close this one out. Pretty cool track, despite the screaming. A lot going on in 3 and a half minutes.

Track 10 - Melting City

I think he's melting it with his voice, lol. He goes to a clean voice around 1:30, briefly. But this may be the heaviest song yet on the album. Things ease off at around 3:10, with some mellow playing and even a flute. Lots of time and tempo changes and mellow vocals in this part of the song. Occasional heavier parts. But the screaming returns at 6:00. Odd meter with a cool bass line around 7:15. Clean guitar chords join over the top. Nice! Pretty cool clean vocals over heavy guitars at around 9 minutes. But it returns at around 9:40 for a few seconds and the spacy sound effects bridge us over until?

Track 11 - Silent Flight Parliament

The most epic length track at over 15 minutes. I like the opening riffs and drum parts. Mellow instrumentation and vocals around 1:40. Then here we go again at 2:10. I've got to figure out how to deal with the screamy/growly vocals, because there is so much great playing. Relief about 5:15 A moderately slow tempo, with heavy guitars and clean vocals. It doesn't last though. The next section is fast & heavy with vocals alternating between growl and clean. Some cool little bits of quirky sounds pop in now and then. A unique sound starts around 8 minutes, when things chill out again. Strummed clean electric guitar happens around 9:40, followed by a heavy riff with clean vocals. Then we get a guitar solo break. Big power chords close out the solo, nice. I like the vocals at around 11:50. Growling resumes at 12:30. Nice drum fills around 13 minutes, then a string section and distant clean vocals. Screaming returns at 14:40 for the closing bits of the song.

Track 15 - Goodbye to Everything (reprise)

We return to the opening bit of the album but rocking harder this time. I like how it begins. 6-8 groove with a nice guitar solo. Harmony vocals join in and some brief clean vocals. Then we have some phasey clean guitar sounds. Some gentle strumming in the background. And we fade out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

I have to get over my aversion to the screaming/growling vocals, because that's the only thing I don't like about this album. I get why people love this album so much. There is a bunch of cool playing, genuinely interesting rhythms and shifts in styles and timing. Honestly, it was a more interesting listen than Operation: Mindcrime by Queensryche was yesterday. (See my review, but it was a case of everything was fantastic, but it all started sounding the same after a while.) In the end though, I'm going to give it the same score as Mindcrime, 3.5 out of 5 stars, because I would have absolutely loved it were it not for the frequent screaming/growling vocal style.

Clicked 3 stars, but really 3.5.

The decision to do a sequel to their best-known album 14 years after the fact struck many (myself included) as an odd choice, but I did my best to keep an open mind. I don't pay attention to lyrics, and harsh vocals barely even register as words to me, so if you'd changed the title to something else, I doubt I'd know this was a sequel. It is undoubtedly a BTBAM album, but there's not much inherently Colors-y about it.

I'm also glad that this album was released whole, unlike the weird, two-part release of Automata. Automata works better as one unified piece, and it's a full 10 minutes shorter than Colors II. I've read some speculation that that may have been due to interference from Sumerian Records. If true, I'm glad they held back from issuing Colors 1.5 and Colors 2. (And side note--why does Sumerian Records have the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza as their logo? Couldn't they have used a ziggurat?)

This band can, at times, fall into a bit of a rut. There are a couple examples on this album of songs that sound like they were spit out by a BTBAM song generator. They're not bad, but there's nothing distinct about them. It's like a more enjoyable version of recent Dream Theater in that regard.

Colors II opens on one of the few moments where I thought, "Oh, this is like Colors!" "Monochrome" begins with a quiet piano intro, but it soon becomes something heavier, much like "Foam Born" on its predecessor. An airy synth line and delicate vocals keep the song from getting bogged down. "The Double Helix of Extinction" follows immediately, and it is one of those good-but-indistinct songs I mentioned. Yeah, it's fine, but it's just a generic BTBAM cut. There are some neat synth textures and percussion elements, but it's not enough to really elevate this track.

"Revolution in Limbo" has a more attention-grabbing opening with its rapid, technical runs, but it still has a hard time establishing itself as anything unique within BTBAM's oeuvre. In the song's second half, there's a fun, jazzy section with a vaguely Spanish feel.

"Fix the Error" was the lead single off this album, and I was not particularly taken with it at first. It works much better in the context of the album. It's gone from an underwhelming single to one of the album's highlights. I love the weird bass tone deployed here (and elsewhere on the album), and the song is as close to bright and sunny as death metal can get. The main riff channels Motörhead, and the trio of brief guest drum solos in the song's midsection is really fun. The guitar solo is another place where there were some obvious allusions to Colors, but it feels natural and purposeful.

"Never Seen/Future Sight" complements "Fix the Error" wonderfully, and I'm especially fond of both the bass work and the various keyboard tones. About two minutes in, there's a really strange bit full of flutes, acoustic guitars, and simple percussion which almost sounds like it could have been the music for some seaside town in a Pokémon game. The song's ending is fairly quiet and subdued, and it's a much appreciated bit of breathing room.

Following this is a pair of short tracks: "Stare into the Abyss" and "Prehistory". The former gives some vague echoes of Dream Theater with its quiet intro building to a big, grandiose moment; and the latter sounds like an (excellent) outtake from Coma Ecliptic crossed with "Bloom". These two cuts are relatively brief, but they work excellently. "Prehistory", in particular, is one of my favorite songs on the album with its overall weirdness.

"Bad Habits" opens with some Mike Oldfield-y organ-and-acoustic-guitar lines contrasted against the band's usual prog metal bombast. This is better than either of the above-mentioned generic BTBAM songs, but it does fall in that general realm. It's got its moments, but this nearly-nine-minute song could have been trimmed a good bit.

Following this is another high point, "The Future Is Behind Us". It has a very '80s intro with plonking synth patterns, weird, skittering flourishes of clean guitar, and an engagingly off-kilter main riff. This song is full of fun, wonky licks, and there's even a brief sample of Yello's "Oh Yeah". BTBAM's best moments are when they go all-in on oddness.

The vague '80s-ness of the preceding song's opening is continued on "Turbulent". The intro is distantly reminiscent of synthwave (a genre I can only handle in very, very small doses), and it serves the composition well. There's a build to a grand majesty for this song which leans ever-so-lightly into '80s cheese. It's a subtle hint: enough to grab attention but not enough to be distracting or act as a crutch.

"Sfumato" is a short instrumental evocative of The Division Bell and acts as an intro to the closing epic, "Human Is Hell (Another One with Love)". This opus's opening once again hints at (but does not lean upon) Colors, and sizzling synthesizers add great contrast. It's instantly attention-grabbing, and it makes this song feel like an epic conclusion. About six minutes in, there's a fun surf-rock inclusion which acts as a nice little break. This song features some of the best integrations of keyboards into BTBAM's music in their whole catalog, and the closing minutes are fittingly dramatic.

Colors II is a long listen, and it has a lot of really strong cuts. By the time you reach the end, you've almost forgotten about the underwhelming opening. However, those first 20-ish minutes probably could have been trimmed down a bit, and there are other brief passages throughout which could have done with some editing. BTBAM are best when they lean into weirdness and weakest when they just blast away as vaguely-proggy metalcore. Thankfully, this album has more of the former, but the latter does hamper this record a bit. 

My initial assessment of this album was "pretty good," and after a couple listens, it hasn't budged. The weak parts are more bland than bad, and there are strong cuts a-plenty. It's not a perfect record, but it's definitely worth your time if you're a fan.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/08/23/album-review-between-the-buried-and-me-colors-ii/

The first song is called Monochrome. This may be my favorite opener this band has made, besides Mirrors. It goes from 10 to 100 in such a good stretch of time. It starts with this very nice melodic section that just evolves into this tech metal piece. The drumming and grooves just lets this song soar for me. The rest of the instruments too, especially that keyboard playing that feels very crystal clear. Something about it just really lets this song be very attuned with what the band wants to make. The song writing on this is top notch. It feels very melancholic yet relatable. It feels reminiscent back when they made the first Colors, especially the line "We've been on this same page before". They are definitely aware that they have been here before, but things are different now to how the world changed in the new decade. It's familiar but not quite, and I just love that.

Now we get into the real meaty stuff on the album and the next song is The Double Helix of Extinction. What a brilliant song. It just harkens back into that amazing sound the band has done in their first 5 albums (minus The Anatomy Of). Just an awesome progressive metalcore ensemble. Every note and riff washes over me such power and force that it all just swoops up into this giant swirling mixture of pure insanity and amazing progressions. It also gets a little weird here and there, and sometimes even Avant Garde. Again I gotta say, the song writing is just on point. It is definitely a view on industrialism and the impact it can have on the wildlife. It is such a dark song but it really works in tandem to the magnificent instrumentation. I just really adore this song.

Revolution In Limbo is up next and its themes and lyrical concepts are basically a direct continuation. This is where you can really notice them trying new things, especially the later half on this song being a bit of a classical Latin tune that kinda reminds me of those small parts in L'via L'viaquez by The Mars Volta. The rest of this song is still that same heavy goodness that is virtually inescapable. Plus it lets itself develop throughout its length. Nothing ever feels rushed even with the rush of blood I get whenever I hear those intense drummings and riffs. You also get a little bit of a reprisal of Ants Of The Sky in some parts which I think is just cute. I don't know, I just like hearing reprisals in sequels, I think it's just fun. Just another spectacular song from this band.

Alright, so, if you thought this band had a lot of genre changes, you have not heard anything yet. Fix The Error is basically an ensemble of different mixtures of genres all in one song. Freak folk metal, weird proggy synths, sludge metal, and just so much more weird stuff jammed in here, and honestly it works well. It is just some crazy, nonsensical, lunatic Prog that I just love. I feel like some Prog bands never really show off that weird aspect the genre has, and I think this song shows that you can really make a great song that is just all over the place and still make it work. Plus it would be blasphemous for me to not mention that small but so good drum solo. It's super fun, and just feels good to hear. I am not the hugest solo fan but when I hear a good solo, I just get more pumped for more stuff honestly. This song is just so fun, honestly you really gotta listen to this track because it is just a ride.

Next up is Never Seen / Future Shock. This is basically two songs as one track with Never Seen being the very heated metalcore part and Future Shock being a bit more abrasive and melodic. This dynamic really shows who BTBAM are and I love it. A band that can go from intensity to enervation in a snap. I like to take a moment to really talk about the lyrics to this song. This song feels very up for interpretation with lyrics that seem to be very out of the ordinary. I don't really know what this song means, but it seems to be how we seem to be all against one another on a day to day basis. Kinda makes sense due to the internet and its track record of people arguing over pointless things. Gotta love how this band can make mundane life feel exciting, well as exciting as arguing can be.

Stare Into The Abyss is right up next. This is like Never Seen / Future Shock but in reverse. This time the song starts with a smooth and ambient melody and then shifts to fierce riffs and grooves. As I stated before, I love this, because it really shows what BTBAM is like. The heavy parts of this song are so good and Tommy's vocals here really shine best, plus the lyrics are actually very positive. It's telling you to pick up your life and try to improve but never forget who you were. I just love when metal bands decide to make a positive statement honestly.

Prehistory is next. Back with those proggy riffs and grooves. We also see a return to the more weird stuff. As before I love that weird Prog that some bands really need. Oh yeah, this is basically just a goofy retelling of Desert of Song a little bit, especially with that "Will we be forced to sing with the fear?" line. It's a very tongue and cheek song, but still a rather enjoyable one.

Bad Habits is next. I am gonna be a broken record here, but man do I just love this style of playing. The intensity and that progression really delivers on this album. Those heavy and meaty riffs really make this song feel as extreme as it can really be which I just love.

Now I usually just do this for when I am reviewing bad albums, but I wanna do it here and instead compile 2 songs into a talking point since they all practically have the same praise and love throughout. The Future Is Behind Us, and Turbulent are just brilliantly executed proggy pieces. They explore and traverse through a lot of different feelings that it all just washes over me into these two big moments on this album that just feel so good to listen to.

Likewise, I get that very same feeling with the final track off this album, Human Is Hell (Another One With Love). There is a track before this one called Sfumato, but that is basically a small prelude track which is just fine. Now this is the real deal, the big one. This is just a ride throughout many different moods and sounds that just drip and drip through your soul. This 15+ minute epic really is just brilliant. It features some of their best riffs and chords, while also containing a lot of their best melodies. I won't say this track can rival their two other epics, Swim To The Moon and Silent Flight Parliament, but this is definitely another one of their great tracks, especially with that legendary ending. Just such a good closure for this masterpiece of an album.

This is an album worthy to be called the sequel to Colors. Colors is one of their best masterpieces, so in this day and age another one also being a masterpiece is very nice to see. Going back through these albums and reviewing them was hard, I cannot deny, but fun. I think this band really is the best metal band I have heard after listening to all their albums again. Their style is super performed and they just have this strong aura around them that I cannot help but fall in love too. Hopefully one day I can meet them in person, but until then I will still love their music until the day I die. Just a great band all around, and an amazing album too. Go check this out. If you are unsure about it because you fear it might not be as good as the original, fear not, it is just as amazing as the first Colors.

The first song here is The Proverbial Bellow. So with this track we still do not have that giant insanity that we usually get, but this time I feel like it has been better handled. You still get those meaty and heavy riffs here but it goes for more contemporary aspects. The riffs and drummings feel a lot more attuned with the vocals this time where before on Automata I, the lack of growls and screams felt off putting because the riffs and drumming were so big and large, but here they feel very in lined with what the band truly wanted to put forward, and the intensity comes in when needed. They definitely improved on this less heavy but still rocking sound that they introduced in Coma Ecliptic. Since this song is thirteen minutes in length you get a lot out of this whole style so it really grew on me the more I listened to it. It is really great stuff and probably one of the best songs off these two albums, which I think is really nice.

After that is Glide. This is a sort of short calm track but unlike Gold Drifter, this one I feel serves a sort of purpose to bridge the gap between the first and third songs off this album. It also has a bit more genre experimentation which I love. This is very baroque in a way, but like in a sort of a Dear Hunter style, which makes sense given they fact BTBAM and The Dear Hunter both had live concerts together, so maybe one of their songs rubbed the band a bit to try and attempt it. I gotta say it does sound pretty nice, though I still wish this was a little longer because it feels kinda incomplete with its shorter length. When the song was really getting into its own it feels like they cut it off too short. It doesn't ruin the song but it does feel like a cop-out.

Up next is Voice Of Trespass. I freaking love this song. It's so bombastic and jazzy, probably their most jazzy song yet. This perfectly captures what the band can really achieve if they put their minds to it. The horns and the perfect mix of those intense riffs and that 40s big band nature just feels so good. I think more metal bands should incorporate jazz elements in their songs because this is excellently well done. Plus the ending being this weird proggy finale that goes into this atmospheric short segment just really feels so good to hear. Plus we get a good amount of growls and screams here too, so they did sorta ditch the more calmer vocal arrangements on this song, but that does not really disappoint me. In fact I think this is a plus. This super jazzy number is just super well done, and it definitely was my favorite song from the band for quite a while. Just brilliant.

Last song on this album, I know it's pretty short, is The Grid. Where I felt Blot was a good ending but a little weak at points, here we get that classical BTBAM sound more. The harmonies and riffs just give off this epic feeling that just builds into this epic solo at the end. This song you can feel them really putting their all to make this work feel like the best it can be and it really does show. Everything about this song just engrosses the listener to really vibe with the music. It can be very calm at times but everything here feels as intense as it should be for a song by this band and I just love it. It is not face meltingly brutal but it does get the job done which I really appreciate. It is just really well made in every aspect, except for a tiny bit of the more calmer moments, but even then they aren't bad, just alright.

This is a really big step up from Automata I. This album feels a lot more cohesive and different. Even with 4 songs and 33 minutes of run time, this still has a lot to offer. Some great proggy tracks mixed with tight melodies and you got yourself an excellent album. Definitely not their greatest, but it still has a great deal to offer. Definitely recommend it if you love this band and want to see how much more they can experiment with their sound.

The first song Condemned To The Gallows. This song showcases a sort of "return to form" as it will to the band's sound. Basically put this favors a bit more to the sound of past records before Parallax or The Great Misdirect, being a lot less experimental and more in the favor of a traditional progressive death metal sound. We still have that vocal arrangement side of things from Coma Ecliptic where there was sort of a lack of growls and screams, but here it is better handled. It feels like a good balance between the chaotic and the melodic sounds. I really do enjoy this style since it allows the band to really be a bit more creative, while also staying true to their signature sound.

The second song here is House Organ and I think this is probably the most synth heavy track on here. You can hear Tommy playing his synth keyboard throughout the run time and you can kinda get a feel of what the band wants to do with this record. It goes for a more melodic sense of style while also being heavy and bombastic. Though I do wish there would be a little more of that face melting chaos the band has done for so long. I think where earlier records suffered from a lot of chaos, this record and Coma Ecliptic suffers from a distinct lack of chaotic elements. I want those aggressive riffs and harmonies that are blending in with the calm and melodic side of things, not just one or the other. This song is fine, but it isn't their best out there.

Next up is Yellow Eyes. This track features a lot more weirder elements. Some parts of the song feel very bizarre in the vocals and musical aspects of it. It is a little Avant Garde in a way but not too much where it feels too out of the ordinary. This is also a little bit more insane. The more melodic stuff still takes hold of the whole song but you can definitely feel the chaos more thoroughly here than House Organ. Because of it, I think it's pretty great, super proggy but still has that division between the face melting insanity and the calming melodies.

Millions is next. This is probably the first song the band has made without any growls or screams. As I stated before, I want some intensity in my heavy metal music so hearing a lack of it in the vocals department is kinda sad. I really do enjoy this song instrumentally, it has some great riffs and some amazing melodies, but the lack of growls paired with those riffs and melodies is just super weird to me. I don't know it feels very much like a song that was intended to be the first one because songs like Mirrors and Node also had a lack of growls and screams and they were the first tracks on their respective albums, so Millions is kinda weird. Honestly this would work better if it was the first track rather than the fourth one.

Up next is Gold Distance. I am gonna be blunt, I do not care about this track. It's just a short ambient track. This could be removed from the album and basically nothing would change it. It's just there to be there honestly.

Blot is the last song on the album. This is the big track off this album, and it does serve what it intends to do very well. This is definitely the highlight of the album as it really does feel like it is building to a good payoff, and the ending we do get is super great being a bombastic metalcore-esque finish. The little moments this track has are pretty good and they really do understand how to utilize their riffing abilities to make awesome songs that are truly progressive. Sadly it still has a lot less growls than I wanted it to have, which is still weird to me since Tommy made no mention of the growling or screaming hurting his voice to where he would rather not do it as much, so I guess it is just a weird artistic choice. A good ending to the first part of this two way experience.

This album is kinda like Coma Ecliptic where it has great songs but they also feel a bit dry in the very intense aspects. It is a fine album, but I feel as though they are saving the best for later instead of having a good handful and mix that their other albums have going for them. Check it out if you want a little more Between The Buried and Me stuff.

First song is Node. This song is an introductory piece for the album moving forward. It is another track that is a staple for the band's music, something that sets the mood. It builds throughout, taking its sweet time to really set the stage moving forward. Here we see the comatose man's introduction as his mind drifts onwards to a light. As everything begins to set in, some awesome guitars start to play. This song is great for really setting the feel for this album moving forward. It's definitely not their best first song out there but it isn't bad by any means.

Next up is The Coma Machine, and I freaking love this song. It goes through some awesome riffs and melodies, with the prominent one being the chorus. We get some of the band's most prominent and clean riffs and vocals here. You can feel the intensity while not being too overwhelmed. It moves through a ton of great movements that just drive home the band's progressive nature. I do admit the ending should've been a little better, but looping back to the beginning is fine but a little cheap. There is also a distinct lack of growls. They are still there but it's mostly singing. The album is clearly trying to do something different and unique here, focusing more on melodies and less on growls and trying to bring the heat up. It is kinda like how Ghost Reveries by Opeth did things, but here it is less classically attuned and more tech metal based. Here the comatose man in his status goes through an imaginary building filled with velvet walls. He soon discovers a machine that can rewind his memories back to his past lives, this is called The Coma Machine. Therefore with no way out of the room he is in, he uses the machine to go to another life. An interesting start for the story, definitely intrigued.

After that is Dim Ignition. This band really loves to experiment with genres and with this track it is less metal, and more electronic. I can definitely hear some inspiration from Vangelis or Kraftwerk in this song. The vocals are also smooth as butter. Tommy really is a great singer no matter if he is screaming or not. I do admit that this track feels a little too short. It has a great melody and everything but it feels like it got cheaped out with it being two minutes long. It's nothing to really fester over but it does feel very small. Here we see the comatose man experience his first life as king of a castle who then gets sieged. It feels very interesting how they managed to make this feel both like a story driven album that also feels as though it is like a normal album with songs that aren't really related to one another. I gotta say, I really dig this approach. It's very new and exciting for the band to be experimenting a little bit more than usual with their albums.

Next up is Famine Wolf. This song is very interesting but hard to describe without sounding like a broken record. It is heavy and progressive, which are staples to the band's sound, so there is not much to talk about there, so instead I'll talk about the vocals. Tommy's voice is just so great, he is definitely one of the best singers I have heard from any metal band. He sounds so smooth and clean. You can feel his words magnificently and it all ends up being these amazingly performed melodies. Even when he is screaming it feels very smoothly done so I gotta give props to that. Here the comatose man (who from now on I'll just Name Coma) arrives in his second life where was a scavenging wolf in an abandoned city, feasting on the weak but then gets caught and put down. Kind of a dark song, but it's what you kinda expect from this band.

King Redeem / Queen Serene is up next and this is probably the album's most varied track. The first half is very calm and pretty but the second half feels intense and brutal. You can just feel the shift in the two songs perfectly and I love that. It has that immaculate shift in tone that I cannot get enough of. It rises to this awesome sound. It also doesn't feel sudden too, you really do get that anticipation and it is brilliantly done. It is like a punch that was being pulled for so long and as it releases, it feels very powerful. Here we Coma reflect on himself as he is at a crossroads in his decisions. He doesn't know how to feel about himself and his past lives. This is just a great song all around to be honest.

After that is Turn on the Darkness. We get a lot more progressive aspects from the band on this one with some string work on here with some variations of their sound. It is eight minutes of very proggy elements that makes this song feel very at home in the BTBAM catalog of work. I do however have to say that the lack of growls really makes this feel rather soft in my opinion. It doesn't excite, it doesn't have enough teeth, you know? It's a good song, but I feel like it shoots itself in the knee with the lack of any real heaviness besides in musicianship. The story now shows Coma in a void of other comatosed patients who also used the Coma Machine, however have died and lost their spirits. It continues that dark and underlying motif of death in a limbo-like state. A very interesting concept for a story to have.

Next song is The Ectopic Stroll. This is more of the same as the last song but with more of a bouncy feel to it. You can feel a lot more rhythm to the song's riffs and drum patterns. It has a fun melody and it pays homage to the more fun and wacky aspects of Prog rock that I do enjoy. The song shows Coma meeting a god of sorts who decides to help him out on his journey of exploration. Kinda similar to Night Owl in Parallax, perhaps some interconnected lore? Probably just a coincidence though.

Next up is Rapid Calm. This song is practically void of growls and screams which as I mentioned before kinda make these songs not feel very heavy. Well this song is true to its name, it is not their heaviest song, not by a mile. It is very calm, and that is both good and bad. On one hand it is a new and great way of exploring new sounds for the band, but on the other it feels cheap. I want my Between The Buried and Me songs to feel at least a tiny bit more edgy, even their calmer tracks in the past still had that distinct style the band has had for decades. I think this song does have some edge, especially in the story, but even then it does feel rather void of any real sharp attributes. I appreciate the band for trying new stuff but sometimes the experimentation can fall flat. Continuing from the last song, Coma and the godlike being discover that the Coma Machine is breaking down and the velvet room is soon turning white, signifying death. Coma decides to go to a dream-like state and fix this entire conundrum so he can live another day.

Up next is Memory Palace. This may be their most progressively adjacent song ever. With the lack of any real growls, this feels like a homage to the early Prog of the 70s with the more complex yet safely done song structure. This is also the longest song on the album, being 9 minutes long, so we get a lot more densely packed epicness here. Despite it being 9 minutes it feels like a first part of a suite of sorts, and the next two songs on the album are kinda like the second and third parts, sorta making this a Prog epic in a way. I won't consider it to be, but the cards are definitely available. So Coma finds himself lost in thought and dreams. He is dying yet he feels alive in his dreams, so feels almost obligated to live the rest of his days in his mind, away from the burdens of the world, but he does feel like there should be more. A delima sets upon him.

Next track is Option Oblivion and it continues the sound and styles of Memory Palace while being a lot more technical in scope. I can definitely feel the band putting their all into this track to make it sound the best that it can be. Heck it also kinda harkens back to Swim To The Moon a little bit with the lines 'Breathe underwater, swim without limbs' so there's that too. In Coma's delima he decides to stay in the dream world. He gets swept through waters in his mind as he reawakens in a new place.

At the end of it all is Life In Velvet. This reprises the theme of The Coma Machine while giving an epic ending to this album. Even after death and turning into a spirit of dreams, Coma finds happiness in his new state, yet exhausted by the journey he went through to find his new resolve. Likewise, this song feels very celebratory as it ends on a more happy sounding crescendo and melody, ending off with a bang. They clearly wanted to at least make this album feel rewarding and I think this song succeeds in that regard. Not the longest, or complex ending out there, but it is a good way to end this album off.

I will say that this album is definitely mixed for me. The story is great and some of the songs are really excellent, but other parts of it makes me feel very unsure. I will say this is a perfectly fine album and one that can be very fun to go through, so really I think it's more just a matter of what you want out of your metal acts. I recommend it to those who want a tiny bit more softer death metal in their lives. It can also be a pretty good way to introduce someone to this band, so that's a plus too. This is a good album, but not amazing.

The album begins with a short prelude called Goodbye To Everything. Now unlike most stories this starts at the end. I will not spoil what it means but it certainly points to a more bittersweet finale with the lyrics. The song itself is an acoustic ballad with some sound effects sprinkled in. Tommy's vocals are on point as ever. This is a solid song to start the album off with.

Next song is Astral Body. Now this is where the story of the EP left off. It follows Prospect 2 breaking down mentally after realizing his planet is gone from existence so he starts to analyze and dissect himself. This band loves to create a mental conflict with the characters they make in their music and this is definitely one of the more up close examples we got. The EP had a sense of technicality, lost in trying to find this new sound to tie the Parallax stories around musically, so with this release it's a bit interesting to see them going to that complex approach to playing while also showing off the band's prog rock motif. The changes in tempo and pitch adds a nicely made layer to make this song feel super rich yet never too much. Despite being a very heavy metal band, Between The Buried and Me never had songs that feel too intense. They strike a nice balance between being fulfilling while leaving the listener wanting more.

Next up is Lay Your Ghosts To Rest. In this song Prospect 2 wakes up from his nightmare, however the planet is still gone, so he decides to go to another planet, the one he was sent the mission to go to, embarking on his journey. For the music side, it has that very articulated and refined Prog Metal I love dearly, while also showcasing a bit more flavor. It has a sort of space rock feel to it. The production definitely feels similar to an Ozric Tentacles or a Hawkwind album to me. The tiny bit of reverb does make this feel a true space adventure through the stars. I do like how it sort of has a waltz style near the end. The band does love experimentation with new styles so this fits pretty well. In all and all this is a great song, however I think it has a tiny bit of filler in some areas. I love my longer songs but this song still works if they cut a tiny bit down and make it like 7 to 9 minutes in length. I feel it's a bit overzealous in what it's trying to do musically. That aside, it's still great.

After that it's Autumn. This is an interlude. To be honest I do not care for it, it is just there. It is just some spacey sound effects and nothing more, but it does have a tiny bit of story. It's basically Prospect 2's mind at the current moment, in lost confusion, so it has some elements to it. Other than that, it exists.

The next song is Extremophile Elite. Now we get into the Prospect 1 side of the story as he reflects on his visions of Prospect 2. He wakes up though finding robots building something around him. The sound of metal clanking and building torments him so he buries his head in the dirt on this supposedly new planet. Prospect 2 soon makes his way down to the planet and finds a corpse in the dirt. This was so happened to be another nightmare but it does show the two Prospects are related in a visionary sense. This song continues the complex Prog Metal nature the band has, but I do notice a little something else. Up until the 2010s, Prog Metal was still progressive but it never truly captured the wacky and fun nature some other genres captured in the Prog scene. That was until something sparked. The most prominent contributor of this whole new wave of progressive metal was Haken. They showcased that Prog Metal can be more than just serious in terms of the music, it can be fun and silly too. Between The Buried and Me definitely had some great experimentation with the genre in the past but here you can definitely hear some Haken influence. The weird use of keyboards and a general sense of bounciness can be found all throughout this song and it gives it a more catchy flavor to it. I like this a lot, I just love a little silliness in my Prog.

Next up is Parallax, another interlude. This time I actually like this compared to Autumn. Yeah it's short but it is a bit more musical and the spoken aspect of it really changes things up a bit to give this a more interesting twist on the band's formula. It follows Prospect 1 and 2 as they realize their true goal and that is to become one again. Two seemingly reality bending characters trying to find a way to become whole again is such a cool story line to be honest.

After that is The Black Box. This time, instead of the prospects singing the song, we get another perspective, which is a being called Night Owl, a god who created everything and sees and hears all. This is the main threat of the story as they try to stop Prospect 2 from reuniting with himself and becoming one again. This is a shorter song but we get less of a heavy metal sentimentality through it and more of a ballad-like feel, but obviously in a villainous approach as it builds up into an epic crescendo. I do wish this was longer since the build up almost felt unearned quite frankly, but it does leave a good introduction to the main villain of this album.

Coming off of it we have Telos. It shows Prospect 2 using his abilities to contact Prospect 1 in an attempt to try and get them on his plan to start things anew. Prospect 1 seems interested in this plan. Prospect 2 also finds a letter from his dead wife who couldn't bear being alone, so she killed herself but to send a message to Prospect 2 on how bad the mission has become. With these feelings, Prospect 2's end goal is to now destroy earth, which fears Prospect 1, who now has an end goal to become a normal person again and not go through his other's plans for destruction of humanity. Now this is a good song, a really good song. It is super virtuous and is filled to the brim with excellent changes in sound and style that it truly creates an epic scaling song. Musically this song is as good as ever, but the story could use a little work. Prospect 2's goals feel very cookie cutter like. The whole destroying humanity due to a lost thing has been a sort of basic and bland trope even in the year of 2012. It doesn't feel completely absolute, but Prospect 1 definitely is a lot more interesting, I just wish they utilized him a lot more in the story. Also they kinda ditched Night Owl in the plot in this song which felt weird. I kinda wanted a big epic battle between a godlike being and an actual god to take place, but I guess that didn't happen for this song. Some weird choices. The song is good, but the story feels weird now.

Next up is Bloom. Prospect 1 now floats in a body of water and soon gets dragged down by a bunch of jellyfish who hypnotizes and experiments on him. After they found out his purpose they let him go where he drifts onto the faithful island that showed up in the first song of The Parallax EP, showing a flashback. You can definitely hear the weird Prog vibes in this song. It's super wobbly and funky sounding but still distinctly from the same cloth as many other songs this band has made. It is just a wacky song and I love that a lot. Just a fun song all around, despite the dark story.

Melting City is up next. Another perspective is introduced and that is a government investigator named Black Mask. He is sent to steal the letter Prospect 2 read in Telos. Black Mask decides to keep it which soon eats at him so he goes back to where he stole it, only finding ash. He leaves the note behind after reading it and runs off for Prospect 2 to find. This and Bloom are kinda in the same form, this being longer though. It is a flashback song that shows a chain of events that'll lead to the epic of The Parallax. This also has the same vibe as Bloom too, a more wacky sounding song, though this doesn't fit as well since the story and subject matter is much grimer. I do love this song, but it does feel a tad out of place and unneeded in the long run. It is a good addition and a little more story elements doesn't hurt, but it does feel filler for the sake of filler.

Next up is Silent Flight Parliament. Now this is a song worth talking about, another big epic from the band. It has such a good melody throughout it with a good amount of technical skill to really make this song feel epic in nature. It has a consistent yet ever changing vibe and style in the music that really sets a nice run for this album. Of course an epic wouldn't be complete without a solid ending. The repeating lines of 'Jet propulsion disengaged, dancing towards our future, a future of nothing, a future towards nothing' is such an awesome finale line that just makes this experience feel all the more worth it. The story of this song is Prospect 2 realizing that Night Owl and Prospect 1 oppose his plans, so he decides to put his plan to action. He kidnaps Prospect 1 and forces him to witness his plan of moving the earth into the sun. Now this is a good plot, but here is the weird part, and that is Prospect 1 accepting this fate. I am saying he had an advantage against his other self, but come on, they should've fought. Like the ending would be so much better if they had one last battle, the ideals of moving forward and destruction, life and death battling one last time. It's kind of a cop out ending to be honest, but it doesn't sour the song too much, but it does feel a little wrong. That aside it's still a magnificent piece for this album.

Lastly is the reprisal of Goodbye To Everything. So now the two Prospects accept their fates and earth and then are destroyed by the sun. This whole thing wraps the adventure up, but it does lead some questions like how did Prospect 2 find a way to kidnap Prospect 1 if they are in separate realities, and also why did Night Owl not try to stop them as he wanted to before in The Black Box. The story feels janky at times, but still a nice concept album for this band's career.

I know I am in the minority here but I do not find this album to be their best work, but that does not stop it from being a very enjoyable musical venture. It is certainly a recommendation for people who want a space bound story while also wanting some awesome heavy music, just note the story is a little all over the place.

This EP sets the stage with Specular Reflection. We get introduced to two main characters, Prospect 1 and Prospect 2. Prospect 1 is on an island and has foggy visions of meeting themself, while Prospect 2 is sent away to a distant planet away from their family for a mission having those same visions. It sets the beginning of this epic pretty well, giving us two distinct yet similar characters. On the musical side of the spectrum, we have a little less of the proggy stuff found on The Great Misdirect but it is definitely more akin to Colors in a way. The song shifts around, having a consistent theme and style, while also finding a sweet spot. The 11 minutes of this song's structure is well defined in trying to find some new ground, something to make this tale stand out from the rest of their epics. In doing so they succeeded, however this song definitely feels very lost in direction. The band clearly wanted a different approach, something that can make this a different album, something that isn't The Silent Circus or Colors, and they definitely succeeded with finding that sweet spot, but in searching it feels like they were going all around to no avail. It is definitely a good song, but it lacks those big and defining moments.

After that is Augment of Rebirth. Here we see the two Prospects bouncing back and forth with each other. They seem to both be aware of their existences despite the fact that they are in separate realities. It sort of plays into the whole fear of a doppelg'nger, someone that looks like you, speaks like you, but may be better than you. The two Prospects fear each other. It is a very excellent way of creating a sort of driving narrative. The song has now reached a good sound, giving a focus more on making technicality based metal and progression. They found their distinct new style for these epics, but they haven't mastered this new direction of sound. It is a great execution, but you can definitely feel them struggling to really focus on the complexities and riffs as opposed to forming something totally new and unbreakable. This is probably due to the change of labels and wanting to get something out as soon as possible, which may have made this EP slightly rushed a tad bit in sound.

The last song here is Lunar Wilderness. The two Prospects leave each other, with Prospect 1 finding out that his own planet is fading away until he seems to uncover some way to cross realities. Prospect 2 however finds out that his planet faded when he was on his mission, which leads him to have a breakdown. Now while the other songs were meandering through a new sound, this time they truly understood what they wanted. We get that truly progressive technicality that this EP truly was reaching towards and grabbed onto. It delivers in a very nice way, having stuff that you can really sink your teeth into, with a very nice ending crescendo. You can definitely feel the band truly perfecting one of their many facets, and it is so nice to hear.

Not the best EP, but this is a pretty good way of starting their long epic. It is a little weird at first but towards the end I can definitely feel them truly making this new direction of sound their own. If you liked the stuff they made before then this is also a great way to spend your time with the band's work. Just a nice EP to set The Parallax story in motion.

The album begins with Mirrors. This is essentially a calm before the storm in a way, much like the last album's first song, however this piece has a more focus on setting the mood as opposed to being a prelude to things to come. In fact the line 'close one eye, step to the side' essentially tells the listener that this album is going to be a lot different. The guitars have this sort of dirty echo to them, and the vocal harmonies feel super angelic yet almost angry in a feel. This is definitely when Tommy's vocals were at their peak performance. It's such a good opener, it sets the mood perfectly. Not only that but it also sets the stage for the concept of this album, where Colors was about what makes us human, this time we are looking at what is next for us. The lines 'everything's a novelty' and 'everyone grows but me' are enriched in emotion. You can definitely feel what Tommy is saying on this song. This isn't even that long, heck it is the shortest one here, but man for an opener it just delivers amazingly.

Even more so is the song that comes after, Obfuscation. I freaking love this track. How it just goes and goes into these big and epic moments, how Tommy uses his keyboard work to the best of its abilities, and every little fiber of the guitars and drums just create such an intense yet almost carefree tone of sound. You can also definitely have a bit of influence on this song. They were definitely Prog before this album, but here I can hear some kinda influences of King Crimson, heck even a little bit of The Mars Volta. It does such an amazing job with delivering and expanding on the vibes Mirrors established and it just explodes into some amazing crescendos at the end. It is just a super great song from beginning to end. It also delivers so much more with the themes that were laid down, asking a what if question on what if we can become something more than a brain. You can definitely feel elements of sci-fi literature that have stories on humans becoming more than just flesh and bones but rather on comparative levels to gods. It is such a mind screw of an idea yet for this song it just works so well. I'd be hard pressed to not mention the chorus, because that chorus is so good. It's the same as Mirrors, 'Close one eye, step to side' but it just makes it feel more intense and legendary than it already is. It's just a chef's kiss of a song.

Just as amazing is Disease, Injury, Madness. This song is super heavy, the riffs are just gnarly but it does have some neatly placed quieter moments. What I love about Between The Buried and Me is their way of blending and smoothly transitioning to different sounds, whether that be heavier stuff, experimental stuff, or quieter stuff. They have a clear knack for this kind of stuff, and so this song basically showcases what the band can really accomplish with that. It combines beautiful melodic moments with the intensity and fury this band delivers on a regular basis, and it all just creates this one big feeling of epicness. It's enriched with carefully played out and performed instrumentation. The lyrics too also just sky rocket this song for me, again this band really knows how to deliver their concepts. This time it talks about madness, going insane, mental disorders, all that stuff, but told from the perspective of the mind. It isn't just a song about going insane, it shows that mental health is a very hard topic that simply saying someone who is mentally ill is just psychotic and will stay psychotic is just not the way to go. It perfectly relates to what this album wants to explore, which is again, how can humanity move forward. This song is just amazing and brilliantly executed.

Next up is Fossil Genera (A Feed From Cloud Mountain). This band doesn't have a big track record of being jazzy but this is definitely their most notable work that has a bit of a jazz twang to it. You can feel the proggy aspects of this song way more with the use of a more gothic, cryptic, and almost Halloween-like jazz feel. The beginning melody especially creates this ring leader feel, like this kind of song that plays in a circus in Hell. I especially love this part of the song that happens after 7 minutes and 40 seconds where it has this keyboard work that has this super spooky feeling to it. I don't know how to describe this song's whole aesthetic, but I can say it is certainly villainous. I think the reason this has that sort of villainous feel is the fact that this is a song about aliens coming down to earth to either enslave or assimilate. I really love this song but it is hard to really convey what it is that I love about it. The instrumentation is on point and so are the lyrics and themes, but man is it difficult to give a feeling for this song's mood. It is pretty experimental, in terms of sound, playing, and stylization. It is unlike anything the band has released up until now, which is just super cool.

Next up is Desert Of Song, which is much like Mirrors where it is more of a shorter song. This album already has like 50+ styles in it, but I didn't expect a more melodic sort of southern rock ballad from this band but after hearing it for a long time, months even, this song is just really good. Tommy takes a more backseat on this song in favor of Paul Waggoner who has a more southern and homegrown type of singing. It takes its time, with the chorus coming in pretty much halfway through the song. It builds into this amazing piece of music that is just brimming with care and love. The song writing also excels, especially in tandem with the music. It's almost poetic in a sense, more about what music, more specifically mainstream music is too the band with depictions of a desert and a radio and static and all that neat little stuff that we wouldn't think much of but looking at it from a new angle, we can see a little more of what this band wants to tell to their listeners. I'd say this is probably the only song on this album that can be interpreted, maybe it is a love song on music as a whole, or maybe it is a ballad against mediocrity. Whatever it is, it's just super well executed.

And lastly is the kahuna of this album, the big fish, Swim To The Moon. This is the song that basically told me that this album is a masterpiece. It would already be something that I'd consider to be an amazing experience, but this song just elevates it to an extremely legendary degree. This 17 minute epic just has so many amazing qualities to it that it is hard to describe. The riffs are just so meaty, the drums elevate this song, and those vocals and growls Tommy provides creates this level of absolute perfection. But it doesn't stop there, the playing is so well done. It goes from intense, almost marching beats, to some crazy and almost Avant Garde playing, to stuff that has a sort of swing to it. Every little part of this song just breathes every new way imaginable. And it is not like a suite where one part builds and then leads into the next, no, instead we get new stuff practically every few minutes, or shorter. To some it might be a little crazy, but for me it just creates a layer of brilliantly executed song making prowess. And it all builds up into this awesome crescendo. Throughout the whole song, the chorus 'Slide into the water, become one with the sea, life seems so much smaller, swim to the moon' appears from the beginning, the middle, and the end. Each time it is different, one with growls, the other without, and the last is the cherry on top of it all. It's almost symphonic in how it ends with that big swirling and emotional growl at the end, screaming out the title of the song as it just melts down into heavy riffs and some of the best drumming on any album by Between The Buried and Me. I haven't even talked about the song's lyrics yet. This epic tale of a man going to the moon because of his loneliness with everyone around him is so sad but so amazingly done. Lines like 'No wake ups, no expectations' and 'Panic takes over my body' are so well done that it probably can put Shakespeare to shame. This entire piece is perfection, in no stretch of the imagination. How it all accumulates into this big finale yet in between shows a level of creativity and musicianship that is just so well developed that saying this is not one of the best Prog epics to come out would be blasphemy. It's perfect.

This album is just brilliant. This is another essential listen from the band. It is from point a to point b, a masterpiece in progressive metal music. I implore you to check this out because this has become one of my favorite albums of all time just by how excellent each of these songs are. I love this album with my whole entire heart, and I cannot say anything less than so.