FEATURED CD - Between The Buried And Me : Alaska

[Duncan Glenday]

Per SoT dude:

This latest release from Between the Buried and Me is going to surpise a lot of people. Forget the fact that they are on Victory Records-Alaska is no punk, hardcore, or emo album. These guys play a style that is like a mixture of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Andromeda, Morbid Angel, Mastodon, In Flames, Atheist, At the Gates, The Black Dahlia Murder, and Dream Theater. What do these bands have in common? Well, other than the fact that they run the gamut from brutal death metal to melodic prog-metal, each band is extremely technical and complex. Between the Buried and Me play insanely complex music...let me say it again, INSANELY complex music! This is metal, without a doubt, but I can see fusion and proggers getting into this band as well, as the intricate song structures are extremely challenging to listen to, and the sheer virtuosity is amazing.

The dual guitar workout of songs like "All Bodies" and "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" take you on an exciting journey, and singer Tommy Rogers mix of growls and clean vocals add plenty of variety to songs that are already jam packed with enough time changes and tempo changes to make you dizzy. Paul Waggoner and Dusty Waring are the two axe-murderers here, and do a fantastic job, while the rhythm team of bassist an Briggs and drummer Blake Richardson pound a furious yet catchy groove. Rogers, in addition to vocals also handles keyboards, which are sprinkled around many of the songs and add a nice symphonic touch. As if to say, "OK, now you can take a breather", the CD ends with the lovely classical/Latin guitar ditty "Laser Speed", which allows for sufficient cool- down time.

After listening to this album a few times, it's almost hard to decide just which tunes I liked more, the heavier pieces or the more progressive songs. For example, the pummeling "Roboturner" features some killer and pounding guitar riffs, plus an evil vocal turn from Rogers, but the instrumental "Medicine Wheel" is a great, atmospheric slice of spacey prog rock that will certainly please Pink Floyd fans. Of course, the unbelievable "Autodidact" is a song that definitely needs to be heard to fully get the talent that is in this band. Wicked unison guitar lines weave around gymnastic rhythms, with plenty of stop/start arrangements as well as some jazzy interludes, making this one sick piece.

You'll be breathless by the time the CD ends, and ready to hit the replay button. As manic as the songs get at times, there's plenty of melody, and if you dig complex music that doesn't focus on endless solos, but on intricate ensemble interplay, then Alaska should be a mandatory purchase.

http://www.seaoftranquility.org/revi...ontent&id=2928

[SteveSly]

I saw these guys once open for Dream Theater. Great musicians, but the vocals are not really my thing. Still it is great that a band like this is able to garner a decent young audience.

[jlneudorf]

Is it true their last couple albums have more clean vocals?

Jon

[mnprogger]

yeah, although there is still a fair amount of growling. That to me isn't the issue with the last 3 records, in that they seem to be into writing longer, drawn out parts, almost for the sake of it.

Whereas on Alaska and Colors, they found a really great balance.

Selkies will remind some of King Crimson.

I sometimes feel I like this record more than Colors, but the whole Concept part of Colors is what wins me over I suppose. But Alaska is chocked full of many of the bands best compositions.

[Digital_Man]

I saw these guys once open for Dream Theater. Great musicians, but the vocals are not really my thing. Still it is great that a band like this is able to garner a decent young audience.

Yeah, younger people seem to have a different perspective and take on prog. I was talking to a younger guy earlier tonight and asked him to name a non prog metal prog band and the first band he thought of was Karnivool. Wtf? He did mention YES but other than that he didn't seem to be interested or knowledgeable about the classic prog bands. He never even heard of Marillion yet he did know about this band and a few others especially prog metal.

[mnprogger]

it's largely due to them being a big name in the Metal scene. Metalcore especially, as when that genre started to get popular, they were one of the bands those kids were exposed to. They toured with bands whose fan base is far outside of even Dream Theater's fans demographics.

Plus being on Victory Records, really didn't have them promoted as Prog.

Wikipedia includes them within a list of Metalcore bands, a list that you can probably count on 1 hand, how many other bands are even remotely Prog. Protest the Hero, Dillinger Escape Plan and maybe a couple of others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metalcore_bands

I think now being on Metalblade, who at least have some history with Prog, has got their name a bit more in with that demographic.

[Wounded Land]

The singer has finally figured out that his vox are more effective when he slows down a little bit. Sometimes on those early BTBAM albums it's just a non-stop barrage of vocals. He puts more space between his phrases now.

That being said, this is a good album.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

I used to see this album in Best Buy many many moons ago.

I never bought it.