Enjoying their newfound freedom on Metal Blade,
Between the Buried and Me recorded
The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues as the first of two conceptual records. It’s a short one, but even with a 30-minute running time, the EP cobbles together enough intricate twists and turns that it feels massive, and each of the three songs is an epic journey in precision. The concept plays out like a compact version of what
System of a Down did on their
Mezmerize/
Hypnotize suite, combining wild signatures, scales, drastic genre shifts from one minute to the next, and syrupy vocals that erupt into roars. More than three songs of this caliber would be exhausting, so an intermission to break up this prog-metal opera feels necessary.
Rogers, Waggoner,
Waring, Briggs, and Richardson are at the top of their game, and couldn’t seem much more adventurous on their instruments as they interweave virtuoso parts that barely seem humanly possible. Meanwhile,
David Bottrill’s dynamic production (his credits include
King Crimson and
Dream Theater) is perfectly suited, and only enhances the band’s ever-intensifying talents. ~ Jason Lymangrover