Between the Buried and Me - Colors Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 10.25.2007
Between the Buried and Me returns with their most epic release of their career. Eight tracks and 64 minutes awaits the listener, but is the music worth it?
The Band
Tommy Giles Roger Jr.-Vocals, Keyboard
Paul Waggoner-Guitar
Dusty Waring-Guitar
Dan Briggs-Bass
Blake Richardson-Drums
The Track Listing
1. Foam Born (A) The Backtrack-2:13
2. (B) The Decade of Statues-5:20
3. Informal Gluttony-6:47
4. Sun Of Nothing-10:59
5. Ants Of The Sky-13:10
6. Prequel To The Sequel-8:36
7. Viridian-2:51
8. White Walls-14:13
The Review
It takes a lot of balls to write and produce a concept album in this day and age, where songs that are over four minutes long are considered too long by the mainstream. Now, when I say concept album, I mean an album that actually sounds like a whole cohesive unit instead of a bunch of singles strung together with a loose storyline (I’m staring at you, Welcome To The Black Parade). Between the Buried and Me took a huge chance and decided to release a 64 minute album that sounds like one song, as each song flows into the next one. Does the chance pay off for Between the Buried and Me?
The simple answer is a definite yes. The band takes their sound and evolves it, adding more elements to their sound, while retaining the brutal side of the band. The album starts off with a two part song, the first part starting out as a piano ballad that is both touching and gloomy before the band comes in to lead the song into the second part, which sounds like it could have been on Alaska, the band’s last album. The song is the heaviest track on Colors and shows the band at the top of their game .
The album is only broken up into eight tracks, with three of them being over ten minutes long. “Sun Of Nothing” was the first song I had heard from the new album and it was on repeat in my Ipod for a week. “Sun Of Nothing” is my favorite song on the album, and for good reason. Switching between blast beats, heavy riffs, and atmospheric keyboards and soft guitars, the song shows the band changing tempo at least five times. Tommy’s vocals on this track shine through, as his whispered singing in the melodic section is full of dark beauty. “Sun of nothing. Floating towards the sun, the sun of nothing. I have become the sun of nothing. Nothing is here. Memories are not clear” is one of my favorite lyrics of the year so far.
The other two epic tracks, “Ants Of The Sky” and “White Walls,” keep the attention of the listener, even for the 28 minutes they both take up on the disc. The band’s musicianship stands out, especially when they add the strange musical sections. For example, near the end of “Ants Of The Sky,” the song turns from this metal track into a country track, with the sounds of a bar in the background and acoustic guitars playing this groovy and upbeat melody. Its random as hell, but it works so well in the context of the song. Another highlight from these two tracks is the outro of “White Walls.” An almost three minute long guitar solo, which shows guitarists Paul and Dusty dueling to the death, leads into a stunning piano ending that ends the album on a depressing note. The other tracks are solid as hell, with the bass solo in “Viridian” and the Middle Eastern-tinged sounds of “Informal Gluttony” really leaving an impression on me.
The band is able to take 64 minutes of music and turn into a masterpiece of a track. The only problem that arises from Colors is not even the fault of the band. It’s the fact that Colors is 64 minutes of music that is meant to be listened to in one sitting. For most people, that can be very tough, especially with everything that the band throws at the listener. Personally, I had no issue with the length, as Between the Buried and Me kept the tracks interesting enough to keep my attention. So as long as you have the patience, Colors length won’t be a problem.
Tommy Giles Roger Jr. does so many things with his voice on Colors. From hardcore barking to clean singing to crooning to child noises, Tommy really shows his range as a vocalist. His keyboard work is phenomenal as well, using the keyboards to heighten the mood and add the right elements to the sound.
The guitar duo of Paul Waggoner and Dusty Waring are some of the best players out in the current metal scene. The two of them can play slow, moody guitar licks or blast away with crazy solos that go up and down the fretboard. It is impressive to listen to the different guitar tones they use throughout the album and the fact that they can make a 14 minute song sound interesting gives them bonus points.
Dan Briggs is incredible on the bass and is able to show off his immense talent on the instrumental “Viridian,” which has a bass solo that is one of the best I’ve heard in a long time. Thankfully, the production is good, so the listener can clearly hear Briggs’s thumping bass work.
Blake Richardson is unorthodox in his drum playing and it works to the band’s advantage. Drumming like Richardson benefits the music’s crazy tendencies, as he is able to keep up with the band, whether its slowing the track down with some quiet cymbal work or two minutes of frantic double bass work.
Colors is the best album that Between the Buried and Me has released. The band has set the bar high for themselves, as Colors shows Between the Buried and Me at the height of their creativity. Any fan of metal should run to the stores to pick this up. Colors is definitely my sleeper hit of the year, and could possibly be in my top 10 at the end of the year.
The 411: Colors is a modern day masterpiece that will appeal to almost any metal fan. You like blast beats and growling vocals? You got it. You like slow melodic sections with masterful clean singing? You got it. Hell, if you are into country music, the band throws a short section of that at you as well. Between the Buried and Me has taken the next step as a band and I can't wait to see what direction they go into next album. Until then, pick up Colors as soon as possible.
