Artist: Between the Buried and Me
Album: The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues EP
Label: Metal Blade
Release Date: April 12
Grade: A-
By the standards of most bands, 10-minute songs, inhuman rhythmic shifts, and a transcendent mastery of musical genre expectations wouldn't just push the metaphorical envelope; it would tear the envelope up into little pieces and set it on fire. By the standards of Between the Buried and Me, the insanity just described is merely par for the course.
Such musical insanity is on display in droves on The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, the band's seventh major studio release since its formation in 2000. Though the album contains just three tracks, each is a 10-minute monstrosity that shows off the band's technical prowess and musical dynamism.
The EP begins with "Specular Reflection," a track that tantalizes with a sinister piano, brass and string introduction before the progressive metalcore insanity commences. The listener is bombarded with more syncopation and changes in time signature than any human could possibly keep track of, the madness occasionally relenting to accommodate surprisingly melodic interludes.
Frantic guitar and crashing chords start off the next track, "Augment of Rebirth." Dominated by its staccato guitar parts and the excellent percussion of Blake Richardson, it's another song that qualifies as beyond impressive. Highlights include a brief but fantastic solo from guitarist Paul Waggoner, a lengthy folk-inspired segment, and an absolutely furious conclusion.
The final track, "Lunar Wilderness," is the real treat of the album. Clearly taking a page out of Opeth's handbook, Between the Buried and Me stress the interplay between heavy and melodic passages to great rhetorical and emotional effect. A slew of deceptively simple melodies seem to dominate the song's eight-minute runtime, and yet, even at its most serene, Between the Buried and Me's signature metal insanity is never too far removed.
In case this wasn't clear already, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues certainly isn't for everyone. For those few intrepid metalheads, prog rockers, and music majors able to handle the awesomeness that is Between the Buried and Me, though, The Parallax is a fantastic addition to the oeuvre of a maddeningly amazing band.
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