COLORS II

So far I have reviewed every studio album by Between The Buried and Me. With that I think it is high time to take a look at their most recent album. This time we get another sequel on our hands. We had The Parallax II, Automata II, and Colors II. It is a trifecta of sequels. This is of course a sequel to the ever so popular Colors released 14-15 years ago. During those 14-15 years, the world had changed drastically. New presidents, a virus, isolation, protests. It was an off putting time for most of the world, for most of humanity. So which probably made the band curious on how to return to the whole concept of an album based around what makes us human due to these changing times. So as opposed to this being like a direct sequel to Colors, we get instead an album that is like a modern take of what Colors means.

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.