Between the Buried and Me
The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
Metal Blade
April 10

By Danny Contreras

Progressive metal heavyweights Between the Buried and Me finally return to the stage with The Parallax, a very interesting EP that will remind old listeners of why they love the band, and summarize the evolution of the band to new listeners.

The Parallax opens with “Specular Reflection,” an eleven minute epic that rarely ever surpasses the “Ants of the Sky” (from their 2007 album Colors) feeling. It’s long, it’s smart and it’s catchy. There are some moments when Tommy Rogers goes to his old voice found in earlier albums (think of the self-titled and The Silent Circus). The song unfortunately strays too much on the sound found in Colors and fails to deliver anything new for the band.

Following is “Augment Rebirth” and it is the star song of the EP. It opens up with in-your-face intent; Blake Richardson, the drummer, is very fast in this—his style shines through the whole song. If AllMusic described the two previous albums as “guitar albums”, then The Parallax is most definitely a drumming album and this song is the reason why. Rogers continues with a desperate voice in this song, rarely ever letting go of the intensity. The song feels like an evolution of the music found in The Silent Circus’s “Ad a Dglgmut”. It’s a good song that relies heavily on the most unheard band members, Richardson and bassist Dan Briggs. If you have good quality speakers or headphones, their awesome ability shines through amazingly. Not to be outdone by their counterparts, guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring throw in a guitar solo to melt your brain.

“Lunar Wilderness”, the EP’s final track, follows suit to “Augment Rebirth” in that it is the second best song of the album. It’s similar to “Swim to the Moon” and “White Walls” in the sense that it picks up from where the songs prior to them leave off and slow down the intensity of the song. It begins with a acid jazz-like guitar solo that plays on for a good 2 minutes until Rogers screams back at you. It’s interesting to hear so many lyrics; the last two albums he was nonexistent save some songs. His minimal keyboarding leaves something to miss in this last song; one would think Rogers would’ve included some good melody—but the singing probably kept him from doing so. However, it is Richardson and Briggs who steal the show with some accurate drumming and slap-bass playing. It’s evident, the slapping of the bass, because it feels desperate and fast, unlike his more sophisticated pick playing in 2005’s Alaska.

In all, this EP is a worthy buy for fans, and a decent entry for new listeners. It feels amazing to get new Between the Buried and Me material; but the quickness of the EP leaves the mind to wonder where the band is heading with this music. Have they reached their pinnacle? Doubtful. The drumming and bass playing would prove otherwise. After Roger’s release this past January, Pulse, it seems like the band will have better material for the second half of this EP. Pulse was a great album and it showcased to a very good extent how talented Rogers is. The EP is a great listen, though it does not take from or add anything to Between the Buried and Me. Their music is expected to progress with their next release.