THE GREAT MISDIRECT

This is the first metal album of 2009 where I feel like i have been offered something refreshing as well as very inspired. The great Misdirect is a tech/extreme metal masterpiece, and sets the new benchmark for progressive metal acts to come.

Firstly it has to be pointed out that if you cannot tolerate screaming vocals at all, then this band is not necessarily for you. This album is going to take a beating for this very reason. Also, there is a LOT to take in from this album. It requires iterative listening. And I do think this applies to ALL types of music, even popular music. But this notion particularly applies here, because Between the buried and me can cram a ton of musical ideas within a short time span, and there are some lengthy tracks on this record, too. So before going on a BTBAM rant campaign about how noisy, poorly constructed or self indulgent there music seems (or ranting about any music for any reason for that matter), put you're impartial listening caps on and give it a couple of spins.

There has been a drastic improvement of tone and production quality. Even the more dense guitar riffs similar to that which can be heard from their previous album, colors, are more coherent and audible (relatively speaking [It's still tech/extreme metal after all!]). The bass and Drums also follow suite, and prove that Between the buried and me potentially have the greatest rhythm section in metal today. The lead vocals are pretty much the same deal as colors, although the vocalist proves that he has a versatile singing voice. There are also vocals other than that of the lead singer, such as that from Paul Waggoner and other guest vocalists (swim to the moon).

The great Misdirect is not just a bombardment of in-your-face technical/extreme metal. In-fact, two of the six tracks are far from that, and that the other tracks consist of quieter segments of music. The quite/quirky sections may be labeled contrived or there for the sake of differentiation, but it's hard to deny that these sections are, most importantly, musically tasteful and very fitting. They delve into other genres or styles which ultimately impact on the mood of an entire track (imagine fossil genera without that first section, it just wouldn't be the same!). I do believe this genre exploration is the secret to the bands success, and is justified by the musical brilliance along with how these parts work well within the context of the progressive metal elements.

This really is the greatest progressive (metal) album of 2009. When I think of the many albums that have been released this year, the words "uninspired" or "incredibly overrated" generally come to mind (I need not name albums). this is NOT the case for the Great Misdirect. They have stuck to their guns, but they have also, successfully, refined their sound and pushed the envelope.