Between the Buried and Me - Colors

I am just going to step out and say it. Colors, the newest CD of original material from Between the Buried and Me, is flat out amazing. Looking at 2007 back in January I saw very little worth buying from the hardcore scene. It all just seemed so bland. New bands rehashing what bands before them had done, but without the same commitment. Old bands rehashing exactly what they’d done on previous CDs with no signs of growth as musicians or songwriters. There were a few bright spots though, Life in Your Way being one of them and this new Between the Buried and Me being another.

From the very first note you know you’re listening to something special. A lone piano starts off with the beginnings of a ballad that would have made Freddy Mercury smile, which isn’t too surprising as Queen was one of the bands covered on Between the Buried and Me’s previous album, ‘The Anatomy of…” However, the song morphs as metal guitars slowly make their way into the song followed by drums that gallop along at full speed and the piano’s fading out as the next track begins. The second track flies at high speed and is probably the closest to a straight forward track the listener would find on this album as it hearkens back to their days when they were more of a straight ahead metal core band and less experimental. This track is far from bland though as the band demonstrates just how interesting metal core can still be when not retreading the same sound over and over again.

The third song is a return to those beautiful prog moments one heard on ‘Alaska’ while still keeping their signature brutality and speed. From then on the album barely lets up as song after song assaults you in new and unexpected ways, such as when the band goes from full on metal, to jazz, to honkey tonk and then back to metal without missing a beat in the song ‘Ants of the Sky’. There’s a short breather in the song ‘Viridian’, but don’t get too comfortable. ‘White Walls’, the bands last offering for this album is a culmination of everything you’ve heard on the album and more.

After just a few listens to the album it’s easy to see that the band put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this album and I have to say that every last second of the album is worth it as I am certain that this album will win more than a few accolades and awards for this masterpiece.