REVIEW: The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues by Between The Buried & Me

Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues

Between the Buried and Me are a band that have consistently produced fantastic material since their humble beginnings in 2000. Their last three albums, in particular 2007’s Colours, have been absolute progressive metal masterpieces, proving that metal can be a highly interesting and creative genre.

They are best known for their ability to flow from one genre to another within a song, whilst still being able to maintain a constant overall feel and atmosphere. Colours saw the band go from death metal, to jazz, to acoustic pop to bluegrass. Sound ridiculous? These guys pull it off perfectly. You have to hear it to believe it. Their new release The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues is certainly no exception. Although this release is officially an EP, it still sits at a comfortable 30 minutes - which is in fact longer than many full lengths. The release is the first part in a two part conceptual album suite. The second part will be a full length for which a release date is not yet known.

Although BTBAM are an incredibly technical and highly diverse band, this EP is a showcase of the fact that they are in fact a band that ensures that song writing comes before musicianship. These days there are plenty of metal bands around that put musicianship ahead of song writing by being as technical as possible. Generally bands like this get boring quite quickly.

BTBAM are the polar opposite of this as they constantly keep their songs fresh and exciting. They’re what I would call a ‘cinematic’ band, meaning that listening to them is almost like watching a movie. This EP takes you on a musical story as it flows through different musical atmospheres. The first track 'Specular Reflection' begins with an interesting symphonic progression which creates tension that quickly leads into classic chaotic BTBAM riffage. Here we see some very interesting rhythms, time signatures and drum patterns. The song carries some truly fantastic vocal work from frontman Tommy Rogers as he weaves between growls and his unique clean voice.

The second track 'Augment of Rebirth' is probably the heaviest song on the EP with some seriously intense moments of sheer tech metal. The last track 'Lunar Wilderness' is a different story again. Whilst still carrying the signature BTBAM sound, this song starts off with a more melodic feel that showcases Paul Waggoner and Dustie Warings’ diversity as guitarists.

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues helps continue to prove to the metal and wider music community that BTBAM truly are a band that fit into a league of their own. In a genre filled with bands that almost appear to replicate each other, BTBAM stand out as they are not afraid to play round with a range of different musicals styles and contexts. The Parallax is without a doubt another progressive metal masterpiece that constantly keeps you interested as it moves through different musical landscapes with varying degrees of intensity. Between the Buried and Me are most certainly at the top of my ‘to see’ list.

By Hugh Collins