#2. The Parallax II: Future Sequence - Between the Buried and Me (2012)
Holy shit. What an album. I debated putting this at #1, but I had to settle for #2. So now you don't have to kill me, Nelson. Also, no drive-by from Mason. This album is intense, and I can't even begin to describe how intense. It starts off beautifully with "Goodbye to Everything", a slow paced, acoustic driven intro track. Tommy delivers some very beautiful clean vocals, and it sets up for the next track, "Astral Body". Astral Body is probably one of the more accessible (if you want to call it that) songs by BTBAM. It's not too lengthy, but still delivers the same punch. "Lay Your Ghosts To Rest" is an outstanding track, hitting you in the face from the get-go. It's just over 10 minutes, and doesn't disappoint. The chorus is one of the best in their discography, as it's very memorable. Then follows a mellow section, with an awesome bass performance. Then hits, "THE END STARTS NOW!". After this ride, there's a short breather, "Autumn", with some weird ass alien noises. Then begins the keyboard intro of "Extremophile Elite". This one has been in my rotation as of late. The intro is the definition of badass. Great riffs, drumming, and everything. I really love Tommy's vocals on this song, he doesn't hold back. One thing I like about this song is that it pays homage to The Parallax: Hypersleep dialogues. Another breather after this heavy hitter: "Parallax". A spoken word track, which then leads into "The Black Box". A short, but awesome vocal and piano performance from Tommy. Next is probably the most intense BTBAM song I've ever heard: "Telos". Tommy sounds legit angry in this one, and it sends chills (throughout my body). The chill solo ambient section in the middle of the song is one of the major highlights of the album. The guitar solo is just sick. Tommy then emerges with more clean vocals, really shining. After this, it picks up the pace again and he sounds pissed again. "Bloom" is one weird track. It's got a bit of a "Surfer Death Metal" vibe to it. I really like where they went with this one. It's very different from their other stuff, and it's a very fun track. "Melting City" was the only song on this album I didn't appreciate when I first got this album, but now it's incredible. Has intensity, but also has the most beautiful part of the entire album, starting with the flute solo. That part actually makes me feel as if I'm in space, drifting. "Silent Flight Parliament" is the longest track of the album, clocking in just over 15 minutes. Being that long, it goes through several changes, but reprises much of the earlier moments in the album. It's great. "Goodbye to Everything Reprise" is the final track of this brilliant album, as it fades out. When this came out, I loved it. However, it has ONLY gotten better. BTBAM really was a band I wasn't fond of at the beginning of my musical search, but they have clicked like a World of Warcraft player getting his new gaming mouse. This album makes me feel good.
Favorite Tracks: Lay Your Ghosts To Rest, Extremophile Elite, Telos, and Melting City
Topic: FlyingBIZKIT's Top 50 v. The End is Nigh (Read 23910 times)
