Between the Buried and Me

When you've reached the point in your career that Between the Buried and Me have, you no longer need to restlessly expand on your formula ― you must refine it. Coming off 60-minute-plus opus Colors, the group have chosen to apply their established face-melting theatrics to a different format: six individual pieces that pack all the craziness into tracks that are distinct from each other and move their sound forward in several directions. Opener "Mirrors" is gentle, unassuming prog pop, but three minutes later the listener is thrown swiftly into "Obfuscation," a dense concoction of spiralling riffage that merely hints at what's to come. "Fossil Genera" begins with a strangely predictable Mr. Bungle-esque circus segment before stampeding its way through ten more minutes of alarming wankery, which manages to segue effectively into comparatively brief western-tinged rock number "Desert of Song." Wrapping the album up is monolithic closing suite "Swim to the Moon," a 17-minute tech metal opus with an appropriately epic chorus that sets the bar unrealistically high for future releases. While The Great Misdirect is an admirable achievement and a clear assertion of mastery of their craft, one can't help but wonder: where will they go from here?