Between The Buried And Me

Colors

Written by: AP on 28/09/2007 15:26:47

Once again procrastination has taken its toll on my productivity, and as conscious and well intending as the postponing of this review has been, it has lingered in my thoughts too long. When Between The Buried And Me released their third album, "Alaska", it managed to sneak beneath my radar screen and I found out about it the year after. But after journeying through the dark and claustrophobic universe that is "Alaska", I was resolute about keeping a close eye on the band because, well, frankly Between The Buried And Me does something to me that no other band has managed to do. Whether it's the sardonic undertone, the angularity of the songs, or their skill to insert seemingly random capsules of the most unimaginable genres here and there and make them sound completely in place where they are unmistakably out of place, I don't know, but they reach me.

You can guess then that for me, "Colors" was this year's most anticipated release, and I had monstrous expectations for it. Now, expecting perfection leaves no room for mistakes of any kind, but "Alaska" lead me to expect nothing less. So when the fine piano tunes of "Foam Born: The Backtrack" began lingering in my headphones, I felt like Christmas morning. And as I unwrapped one gift after the other, it became clear to me that this was going to the best Christmas ever; Eight gems, beautifully packaged in eight colors, chained into a single 65-minute prog-metal extravaganza that is composed almost entirely of moments of ingenuity. Part of this stems from the band's understanding of contrast. Between The Buried And Me has always had a taste for jazzy passages and such, but "Colors" expands way beyond and completely defies the concept of genre. That is to say: even though extreme metal is what "Colors" revolves around, it occasionally shoots into unthinkable directions that, if it weren't for the skill with which they have been built into the songs, would sound utterly out of place. In that respect, "Colors" is miles and miles ahead of "Alaska", "The Silent Circus" and "Between The Buried And Me" in terms of creativity.

"Colors" is composed in such a way that it actually sounds like a musical. Most of the individual songs are lengthy, but thanks to the musical divisions that don't correspond to the single songs’ structures as much as to the 65-minute uninterrupted whole, it's hard to be bored. In fact, it's hard not to be amazed. If you were impressed by "Selkies: The Endless Obsession", your jaw will drop and remain dropped for the entirety of this album. The musicianship here is absolutely stunning, with most songs containing more solos, more complexity and more progressive riffs than is reasonable. This is not to say that "Colors" is some kind of light, access all ears pop opera, because the band constantly pays homage to the extremity of the previous albums through the many passages that border the insane.

Just as the arpeggio that is Colors begins, it also concludes with a beautiful piano tune that is the perfect closure to the perfect album. And I say this with a clear conscience because I haven't been able to find a single weak moment in "Colors", much less something to criticize. "Colors" is an unparalleled experience that, if anything, should show how beautiful extreme music can be. It is not only a fantastic album, it is also the best I have heard this year by far, and among the best I've ever heard. It leaves nothing to be desired. To me, "Colors" is the perfect album. I cannot stress how badly you should crave this, so go out, make haste and get a copy now.

10

Download: the entire 65 minutes of it

For the fans of: Between The Buried And Me, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Tool

Listen: Myspace

Release date 18.09.2007

Victory

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