BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME — The Great Misdirect (review)

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME — The Great Misdirect album cover Album · 2009 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
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the energetic Obfuscation, where the band's familiar style returns, although the atonal dissonant death-like riffs have been replaced by melodies akin to Dream Theater.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.
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