Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic

Them boys from Raleigh are back to fuck you up with some progressive hi-jinks, and I couldn't be happier about it.Those mad North Carolinians are back with the follow-up to their amazing back-to-back concept albums, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues and The Parallax II: Future Sequence. I remember reviewing Between The Buried And Me's The Parallax II and really hearing them for the first time. I was damned impressed. Their seemingly effortless progressive metal stylings have all the virtuosic skills of Dream Theater layered with elements of more traditional, 70s era, progressive rock like Genesis or Yes, and inspired by the fearless audacity of genre-mixing artists like Queen. Don't get me started on all of the different elements going on in this seventh studio effort, it's kind of overwhelming some times.

Suffice it to say that as a concept album about a man trapped in a coma and seeing his life flash before his eyes over the course of 11 episodes/tracks, the narrative can get a bit fuzzy. But the music is nevertheless an impressive achievement of composition that never quite goes off the rails - even if it gets damn close. There are some really great moments on this album where melodic death metal, new wave, progressive metal, art rock, and even jazz intersect in an intoxicating blend that demands attention from progheads. I only wonder, as I did with the last album, how they're gonna top this.

The Bottom Line: Between The Buried And Me continue to make some of the most interesting, innovative and just plain enjoyable cross-genre prog metal in the business. If you're looking for something different and haven't heard these cats before, check Coma Ecliptic out.

Tracks To Headbang To While You Wonder 'WTF?': The Coma Machine, Turn On The Darkness, and Memory Palace

- Genghis wonders why he's passed up opportunities to see these dudes live...