Colors Released by Victory Records
Prog Metal Album by North Carolina's Between The Buried and Me
Between The Buried and Me recently released a relentless new album in the form of 'Colors', via Victory Records - but does it cut the proverbial mustard?
'Colors' is the next installment of musical wizardry from North Carolina progressive metal outfit Between The Buried and Me. Since their last outing with 'The Anatomy Of' in 2005, the band seem to have been very busy indeed. The new album is a slice of in-your-face metalcore which doesn't let up for even a second.
Hardcore, Metalcore - Bizarre-core
One thing that instantly strikes the listener when giving the record its first listen is how eclectic this album really is. Imagine a band like August Burns Red performing a rock opera, and you'd be pretty close to the mark. Having now dropped that infamous phrase - 'rock opera' - it's difficult not to refer to the masters of the art, Pink Floyd. Whilst the level of musicianship, conception and orchestration come nowhere close to such musical royalty - BTBAM do a solid job of creating an atmosphere and sense of flow throughout the entire piece.
Rock Opera?
This album is a cacophony of sound, it's a real aural assault that will be sure to stick in the memory of listeners for months after first experiencing it. The album starts out fairly quietly (although that lasts mere moments), before the theatrics really kick in.
Songs such as the first really epic song, Sun of Nothing, meander and grow as the song progresses. From soft and sombre melodic moments to blood curdling screams, and back again. Bear in mind that for an album of only 8 tracks, this record goes on for over an hour - the songs are long, and necessarily so.
What Does 'Colors' Sound Like?
It has to be said that 'Colors' is, for the most-part, a progressive metal album. Sure, it has it's melodic and almost 'poppy' moments, but they are few in comparison to the amount of disc time dedicated to shredding guitars and piercing growls. Fans of bands such as Dillinger Escape Plan and August Burns Red will most likely find a lot of value and entertainment from this album. For an average music fan, it's probably a little too heavy and a little too 'out there' - but fans of the genre will absolutely lap it up.
Production on the record is fantastic. Guitars sound crisp, drums sound pounding and the vocals are more than clear enough. Instrumentally, the furious shredding is pretty non-stop. Some incredible guitar work is on display here, and the band are as tight as can be. Face-melting solos can be found in near enough every song, and fans of complex guitar work will be in heaven.
Does 'Colors' Come Recommended?
Well, overall BTBAM have done a fine job in crafting a metal concept album with a touch of the modern-day rock opera. It's hard to describe it as ground-breaking, because it's not entirely original. At the core of this album is a solid metalcore record - the rest is a whole lot of bells and whistles. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as 'Colors' is full of stand out moments and has a great sense of atmosphere.
The bottom line? Great for fans of BTBAM, great for fans of hardcore or metalcore; hard to recommend to the general music-buying public, but there's certainly a market for this - and its those people that will absolutely love it.
'Colors' is available now via Victory Records.
Score: 3/5
