Between The Buried And Me, The Great Misdirect

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Jonathan Keane

Pay attention. This is very important. In 2007 Between The Buried And Me more or less cast aside their early hardcore leanings and fully embraced their progressive sensibilities that was always present in their music. They did so in the form of the record entitled Colors.

 

 

 

BTBAM, The Great Misdirect

 

 

Colors is a monolithic piece of music fusing too many styles to name. It shiftz from punishing metal, to jazz, then to some country. While Dream Theater and Tool often take the mantle of the most revered prog metal acts of this age, Between The Buried And Me rightfully earned the right to call those great bands their peers. Musically, the album is utterly engrossing and is the sound of 5 ridiculously talented musicians perfecting their craft to unheard of heights.

So, it comes as little surprise that a follow up is an unruly assignment. Let’s just get straight to the point. The Great Misdirect is astonishing. It is without flaw as it pushes their boundaries beyond comprehension. The only way to do this record remote justice is to break things track by track.

Obfuscation, now, an instantly attention grabbing lead pierces the air for Obfuscation. Between The Buried And Me then shift to their relentless and punishing beginnings on this track, void entirely of clean vocals, surprisingly. This is like a battering ram, completely unyielding. The mid section then returns to some uneasily peacefulness but then builds to an astonishing lead which sounds like it could soundtrack the apocalypse. Rogers then screams his way to its close as guitarists Dustie Waring and Paul Waggoner gloriously widdle away.

On The Great Misdirect, Between The Buried And Me have further asserted their unparalleled talent 

There is not one superfluous moment on The Great Misdirect nor is there any imitation. Between The Buried And Me are one of the most strikingly original bands right now and a somewhat bizarre one. The Great Misdirect is yet another calling from them for everyone to take notice of their uncanny abilities. It’s impossible to pick out one of the five men on this record that are a highlight as each musician is offering something completely different. But one thing that can be gauged is that you need this album.

Drop-d Rating: 10/10

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Filed under: featured, records

Tags: Between The Buried And Me, Blake Richardson, Colors, Dan Briggs, Dustie Waring, Paul Waggoner, The Great Misdirect, Tommy Rogers