Album Review: BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Coma Ecliptic

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME – Coma Ecliptic

In the realm of technical/progressive music 2015 is turning out to be an extraordinary year, and with the release of the seventh studio album by tech metal powerhouse Between the Buried and Me, the North Carolina quintet prove with Coma Ecliptic that they are capable of continuing to push the envelope of technical music to new heights. BTBAM – featuring Tommy Giles Rogers on vocals and keyboards, guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring, bassist Dan Briggs, and drummer Blake Richardson – continue to evolve as a group, perfecting their individual skills as musicians while breaking through the boundaries of the genre with each subsequent album. [columns] [column size=”1/3″]

Coma Ecliptic is a concept album that tells the story of a nameless man trapped in a coma, who is able to travel through past lives. Each track on the album tells a unique tale, and within each world the man must choose to stay or move on to the next in search of a better life. It is only when he awakens from his coma that he realizes that the past lives were just dreams, and that the better life he had been searching for is the waking world around him. However, there is a tragic twist to the story at its conclusion and I can only say that it’s important to appreciate each day as if it were your last.

Frontman Tommy Giles Rogers offers much more clean singing on Coma Ecliptic compared to previous studio releases, as well as an abundance of keyboard work woven throughout the album. In fact, the keyboard and piano elements contribute a significant layer of tonal color to the overall sound that BTBAM have crafted on this latest effort. Starting off with the slow opening sequence of “Node,” the band begins to weave together the thematic material, both lyrically and musically, into an ever-expanding canvas of progressive prowess filled with dynamic peaks and values that traverse the fine line between the light and dark subject matter of the protagonist’s journey.

Coma Ecliptic is a masterpiece of modern progressive music filled with some truly brilliant moments from start to finish. Too many, in fact, to mention in this review and it will take numerous listens to fully appreciate the depth of the writing on this latest release. However, some of the tracks that stand out include “The Coma Machine,” with its constantly shifting dynamics and bouncy, chugging guitar riff keeps your attention throughout. “Famine Wolf” starts out with a sinister sounding pulse while Paul Waggoner lays down some fretboard gymnastics as the song develops into a heavy combination of clean singing mixed with the growling vocals that Tommy Rogers has used on previous albums. On “King Redeem – Queen Serene,” there is a beautiful development of acoustic guitar, piano, subtle delayed electric guitar and harmonics, with Rogers’ melodic singing leading up to a break point which shatters into a heavier middle section featuring more extreme vocals and full-on progressive wizardry from the entire band.

Although Between the Buried and Me continue to shift away from the death metal style of earlier albums, the group is consistently evolving and pushing creativity into new directions, facilitating the evolution of the genre as a whole. Coma Ecliptic stands as a new milestone for the band and will undoubtedly inspire future generations of musicians to push the limits of creativity.

[10/10]

Fans can listen to the album in full now via SPIN HERE. Coma Ecliptic is set to drop via Metal Blade Records on Friday, July 10th worldwide.

Coma Ecliptic is available for pre-order with special bundles and packages offered, including: CD, LP, two pre-order exclusive t-shirts, an exclusive hour long behind the scenes making-of DVD, and a “Coma Ecliptic” limited edition 27″x40″ movie poster. Fans can listen to the first single, “Memory Palace,” as well as pre-order the upcoming album by heading to metalblade.com/btbam.

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Watch “The Coma Machine” Video:

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