Phonebook Eater 5/10

"The Great Misdirect" is one of the most ambitious and progressive metalcore albums.

Let me put this straight. I am not a fan of Metalcore. Actually, at times I get pretty close to hating it. Maybe one day I'll like more, but until then, I'll have a few issues with a band like Between The Buried And Me. But what makes them exceptional is the really big progressive influence that is noticeable in their music and their album structures. "The Great Misdirect" , the band's sixth studio album and follow-up to their most acclaimed album to date, "Colors", keeps this formula that has been a winning one for Metalcore fans. As for me, I'm enjoying it partially. Metalcore, to say it in an easy way, is a mixture between Hardcore Punk and Death Metal, and usually there is almost no melody in it. I like it when music has this characteristic, but not at all when these two genres combine. (I must admit though that I do like Grindcore, which is a little more extreme) "The Great Misdirect" has this type of music, and pretty abundantly too. But, like I said, what I like about the most about this band is the progressive side: many of the songs have crazy keyboard sounds, many time changes, alterations of moods, maybe even some electronic, and excellent musicianship. Because of these elements the songs on this album are extremely ambitious and adventurous, much more actually than many bands that define themselves progressive.

I've got to say that the highlights of this album, formed by six really long tracks, are "Fossil Genera", my absolute favorite, where even the harsher moments have some catchiness in them, even though the best part is at the second half of the song, where it gets more calm, and eventually it builds in a very epic way, until the end of the track where it has repeated the riff from the first part of the song. "Swim To the Moon" is another great track, with some flaws, but still pretty much worth the whole seventeen minutes; this is most definitely their most ambitious track off the album, where the experimentation goes wild with the keyboards and the time changes are infinite. A good thing about this album is that nearly every song has at least one great part in it, but all of these parts are the most experimental of the track (can't help it, I love progressive!!).

An album that just isn't my taste, but I do really appreciate the more experimental side of it, so this wasn't at all a terrible listen for me, but I do feel that many flaws are present, and I'm afraid that if I'll listen to the band's previous albums I'll find the same characteristics I consider negative that I see in "The Great Misdirect".

arcane-beautiful After the mammoth that is Colours, Between The Buried & Me made another epic of an album. And does it match up? It's not as good, but it's still pretty damn good. In fact, it's a step forward.

I believe that after the Progressive Nation tour, these guys really took a wide range of influences and really made another very special album. Again, its not for everyone, but on my first listen, I really did enjoy it.

With less songs but a lot more length, it really showed what these guys can do.

This is only the beginning and I can't wait to hear more from these guys.

1. Mirrors - An intro really. Starts off very dark and goes into King Crimson territory. The following instrumental section is very beautiful. 10/10

2. Obfuscation - Some nice changes and instrumental work. The guitar solo in the middle is pretty cool. Great build up in parts. Very melodic. 9/10

3. Disease, Injury, Madness - Perfect title. The Disease starts off very crazy and odd. The Injury is quite solemn and dark, while Madness is incredibly eclectic. 10/10

4. Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain - The intro is funny. The song is very frantic, odd and the story is enjoyable. Very diverse as well. The ending is incredibly epic and beautiful. 10/10

5. Desert Of Song - Great vocals. Beautiful composition. 10/10

6. Swim To The Moon - Frantic and quite hardcore at times. The instrumental sections are the real highlights. I love the Zappa like intro. 9/10

CONCLUSION: I wouldn't say it's worse than Colours. In may ways their equal, it's just Colours is slightly more stronger. Still a great album though.

Welcome ! You are logged as arcane-beautifulEdit your old reviews & ratings Log out

Enter your comments below

(will be sent as a forum private message)

topofsm Between The Buried And Me grows further into the prog metal genre with The Great Misdirect. Not only are the songs becoming significantly longer, but the guys are putting more melody in and Tommy's keyboard seems to be playing equal with all the other instruments. If there was any doubt before, this album is BTBAM's proof that they can give a one-two punch with many melodic ideas, rather than going back and forth between aggression and softness.

Like the previous album, The Great Misdirect starts off on a quieter note with "Mirrors". Augmented chords and shifting keys create a tense atmosphere surrounded in uncertainty. It seems odd for the band to create such an uncomfortable aura, until suddenly all the tension releases into a beautiful wash of latin fusion. The chords are lush, certainly in more of a prog leaning than anything else. After another refrain, it bursts into the energetic Obfuscation, where the band's familiar style returns, although the atonal dissonant death-like riffs have been replaced by melodies akin to Dream Theater. The chorus even builds into a pure Muse anthem, albeit sometimes with growls.

Lo and behold, Between the Buried and Me seems to be making an album based more on melody than anything else. Sure, there are still deathcore-style breakdowns at places, but this time the breakdowns are surrounded by melodic riffs, where the opposite has been true in the past. Of course, the heavier styles are present in the two middle tracks, "Disease, Injury, Madness," and "Cloud Mountain". These contain the similar formula we're used to, with many shifting tempi and time signatures, and maybe a few different styles. "Disease" finds itself on a cowboy-blues jam similar to that of "Ants of the Sky", while the other ends up on a symphonic prog metal anthemic chorus that wouldn't be out of place on a Dream Theater album.

If you haven't noticed the comparisons to Dream Theater by now, you should. It has become more evident now that BTBAM is wearing their influences on their sleeves now. Although there are sweep picks and the riffs are distinctly Paul and Dustie Playing, the compositions are becoming more long form, just like the current most famous leader in Prog Metal. The closing epic, "Swim to the Moon" even comes to a DT-like tradeoff solo section. Even Tommy gets a synth organ solo! Of course, the songs are still far from predictable, there's always a riff to catch you off guard, a guitar or bass fill that twists the mind, or a complete change in style.

In any event, this should please fans who couldn't get into this band before. While most will probably still champion the masterpiece Colors, this is far from a bad album. Prog metal fans will be pleased, as will metalcore fans, and BTBAM lovers should not be disappointed in the least.

Conor Fynes 'The Great Misdirect' - Between The Buried And Me (9/10)

As the year 2009 reached it's final stretch, I was pretty certain that I had heard the best that the year had to offer. The year has seen some great achievements from bands both old and new, and by the time November came around, I was almost sure that while the year had not yet ended; there wasn't anything left musically to look forward to, so to speak. Of course there was new music being released (albums are released every week) but there didn't seem to be anything left that would really blow me away...

At the behest of a friend, I went and purchased 'The Great Misdirect' a week or two after it was released. Until this point, Between The Buried And Me has really been a mixed bag for me. The other album of theirs I own 'Colors' (and many other's introduction to the band) was fantastic instrumentally, but it seemed a bit dry and rough at parts. Most of the other material I had heard from the band had been less than impressive, to say the least. Suffice to say, despite some great things I had heard about this album, my expectations weren't exactly surging through the roof.

Upon the first listen of 'The Great Misdirect,' I found myself paralyzed. From that moment on, I was sure I had heard the perfect culmination of a band that was really going places.

Don't get me wrong, 'Colors' was an exhilerating listen, but this new record goes above and beyond it. Three days into listening the album, I had listened to it over 30 times. The only other time I've enjoyed an album enough to be so stuck to the replay button was years ago, when I first bought the cornerstone concept album 'Scenes From A Memory' by Dream Theater.

There's no denying it; 'The Great Misdirect' is in fact, one of the most innovative metal records I've ever heard.

Between The Buried And Me has really seemed to do away with alot of their metalcore sound and there's alot of a prog sensibility here.The record really takes the listener on a ride through time and genre. The album starts with some dark jazzy chords and a meloncholic vocal line before letting go into an incredibly beautiful and polyrhythmic section before erupting into the first heavy song of the album, 'Obfuscation.' Honestly, I don't think I've ever heard a band meld traditional beauty and mind-numbing technicality before.

All the same, the first two songs do resonate alot with 'Colors' and existing fans of the band will certainly be pleased. It's not until the heaviest number 'Disease, Injury, Madness' rolls around where it becomes clear that this isn't just a victory lap for the band, and the expected 'Colors' formula is broken. From that point on, 'The Great Misdirect' really takes a form of it's own.

Even the less fantastic sections on the album have a role to play. 'Desert Of Song,' a hard- edged country/western ballad, is a good song with that would even shine on a lesser album, but it ends up being 'The Great Misdirect's lowest point. The album benefits greatly from it however, as a mellow, less demanding track is a very welcome segue between heavy, technical sections.

The album's epic finale, 'Swim To The Moon' is 18 minutes of seemingly unrelelenting tech-metal madness. While there are parts in the song that are among the best of the album, there could have been a bit more of an 'epic' build up to the climax. With 'White Walls,' there was a very gradual tension that put the listener on edge for minutes until the big climax burst out in full force. With 'Swim To The Moon,' the album seems to just 'end.' There's no big payoff, although that certainly doesn't rob the epic of being a great track.

This is undoubtedly the greatest album I've heard all year, and even one of the best modern metal albums ever made. Absolutely brilliant... I would say 'words cannot describe it,' but that's what a review is for! Five stars, essential, masterpiece... whatever you want to call it, 'The Great Misdirect' has it all, and is living proof that Between The Buried And Me are the great progressive metal band of the new generation.

J-Man A Breath of Fresh Air In the Crowded Prog Metal Genre!

Between The Buried and Me's fifth album (not counting The Anatomy Of) is pure gold, and is one of my favorite albums from 2009. This unique band has been stirring up much discussion in the progressive metal world lately, and after hearing this album it's obvious why this band is getting so much attention.

I had enjoyed their previous album, Colors, prior to hearing The Great Misdirect, and I must say that this album is just about equal with its outstanding predecessor. The type of music that is played here is undeniably BtBaM's unique spin on progressive metal. To me, this album sounds like your traditional prog metal in the vein of Dream Theater with more space rock sounds (think Pink Floyd) with some added death metal and metalcore influences. Don't be scared away by the death metal or metalcore labels, though. If you are a progressive metal fan who can handle growling, I can almost assure that you will love The Great Misdirect.

One of the highlights of this album for me is the outstanding musicianship. Every musician is tight and precise, and that is really what is needed for this type of technical prog metal. Sloppy playing can ruin an album in this genre (I've seen it many times), but BtBaM is so fantastic on their respected instruments that this is never a problem. The bass playing from Dan Briggs is smart and innovative; I think modern metal bassists should learn a bit from his intelligent playing. The drumming from Blake Richardson is fantastic as well, and he is definitely one of the best drummers in modern prog metal. The dual guitarists do their job exceptionally as well, and good guitarists are essential for this type of music. While I was initially not very keen on Tommy Rogers's vocals, I've learned to appreciate his talent more. He is a very skilled vocalist in terms of growling and clean vocals.

The songwriting is also really excellent. The Great Misdirect is filled with interesting compositions and the excellent musicians deliver it perfectly. This is filled with soft and heavy moments, and many influences you wouldn't expect from a band in this genre (Fossil Genera sounds like ragtime at times, believe it or not). The beautiful Desert of Song serves as a breath of fresh air in the album, and the opening track, Mirrors reminds me very much of Pink Floyd. The heavier, more epic songs are my favorites, though. My personal favorite is Swim To The Moon, which has a superb instrumental section near the end. All of the songs on this album are great, though. I have no complaints at all.

Conclusion:

The Great Misdirect is a superb album from one of the best modern progressive metal acts around. A 4.5 star rating is well earned for this outstanding album. If not for Transatlantic's latest effort, this would have been my favorite album of 2009. This is highly recommended to any prog metal fan, along with their previous album, Colors. I'm still debating what my favorite Between The Buried And Me album is, but The Great Misdirect may very well be my favorite. This is essential for anyone into heavier prog metal with a true sense of originality.