BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

There may have been a few folks that just knew the future would be bright for BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME upon the release of 2003's "The Silent Circus", but who among you would have thought that phenomenal albums like "Alaska" and now "Colors" would have been on the way? That "Alaska" was not even the band's peak says a great deal about its deep well of innovation. "Colors" is an even more stunning effort, one that unleashes the act's enormous potential by continuing to hold tight to the aggressive death metal elements and fusing them with prodigious amounts of progressive rock/metal and beautiful melodies.

"Colors" is 64 minutes of musical might, no two ways about it. Beginning with the soothing piano and Beatle-esque clean vocal melody of "Foam Born: The Backtrack" the album is a captivating journey through peaks and valleys, rugged trails, and smooth highways. There are so many albums defined by terms like "progressive" that either leave the listener bored listless by the end or elicit nods of appreciation, but few lasting memories. "Colors" is not one of those albums. The manner in which the band blends so many varied elements into a cohesive whole is awe inspiring. It can be as simple as the mesmerizing tribal beat and Middle Eastern guitar to end "Informal Gluttony" or as gargantuan as the 11-minute "Sun of Nothing", which features what is perhaps the album's most arresting (and here again BEATLES-esque) melody; the marathon track is simply amazing. The textures and coloration are omnipresent here, as the wonderful organ and bits of bluesy soloing and grooves during moments of the 13-minute "Ants of the Sky" demonstrate. Then you have the out-of-nowhere flourishes of wacky carnival music during one section of "Prequel to the Sequel", one of several twists and turns on the eight-minute track. And when the boys choose to rock out with pure aggressiveness they do it with aplomb; the guitar solos incorporated therein soaring high above the clouds.

"Colors" is a monster and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME is an American — check that, international — act like no other, the likes of which can only be compared to groups like OPETH. You must hear it to believe it. Buy it and immerse yourself in musical excellence.