Colors (Between the Buried and Me album)
Encyclopedia
Colors is the fourth album by American heavy metal
band Between the Buried and Me
, released on September 18, 2007 through Victory Records
. The group brought out many different influences within the structure of the songs featured on the album.
Some of these influences are not even derivative of extreme metal
. Examples include jazz
, acoustic pop, arena rock, and even bluegrass
. The album's sound was described by the band as "adult contemporary progressive death metal". Although separated in 8 tracks, Colors gives the impression of one continuous song, with transitions between each part.
, which was the first time the band reached the top 100 on the list. Mike Portnoy
, formerly of Dream Theater
(who was one of Between the Buried and Me's main influences when they had first formed their band) named Colors his favorite album of the year. PopMatters wrote, "A true marvel, this challenging but ultimately highly rewarding album is an example of a young band just discovering what it’s capable of. At the rate they’re going, the modern metal pantheon awaits," while Ultimate-Guitar.com also named it "Best Album of the Year" in their annual This Year in Metal.
A live DVD, titled Colors Live, was released on October 14, 2008 and includes footage from a live show on August 2, 2008 at Rocketown
in Nashville, Tennessee
.
The song "Prequel to the Sequel" is featured as downloadable content for the video game, Rock Band 2
, though it is the radio edited version of the song, shortened to five minutes leaving the polka verse and everything after missing.
"Foam Born (a) The Backtrack" and "(b) The Decade of Statues" — orange
"Informal Gluttony" — green
"Sun of Nothing" — yellow
"Ants of the Sky" — red
"Prequel to the Sequel" — aqua
"Viridian" — blue
"White Walls" — purple
Guest musicians
Production
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
, released on September 18, 2007 through Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
. The group brought out many different influences within the structure of the songs featured on the album.
Some of these influences are not even derivative of extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
. Examples include jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, acoustic pop, arena rock, and even bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
. The album's sound was described by the band as "adult contemporary progressive death metal". Although separated in 8 tracks, Colors gives the impression of one continuous song, with transitions between each part.
Overview
Colors was recorded in April through May 2007 at the Basement Studios with Jamie King as the chosen producer for it. Prior to its release, it received great praising reception and sold 12,600 copies in its first week of release, reaching 57th on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, which was the first time the band reached the top 100 on the list. Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
, formerly of Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
(who was one of Between the Buried and Me's main influences when they had first formed their band) named Colors his favorite album of the year. PopMatters wrote, "A true marvel, this challenging but ultimately highly rewarding album is an example of a young band just discovering what it’s capable of. At the rate they’re going, the modern metal pantheon awaits," while Ultimate-Guitar.com also named it "Best Album of the Year" in their annual This Year in Metal.
A live DVD, titled Colors Live, was released on October 14, 2008 and includes footage from a live show on August 2, 2008 at Rocketown
Rocketown
Rocketown is a facility with entertainment space, a coffee bar, and indoor skate park, located in Nashville, Tennessee. First opening in Franklin, TN in 1994-95 by Christian artist Michael W. Smith, Rocketown was created as a safe, drug- and alcohol-free place for teenagers to hang out. After...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The song "Prequel to the Sequel" is featured as downloadable content for the video game, Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
, though it is the radio edited version of the song, shortened to five minutes leaving the polka verse and everything after missing.
Promotion
Two weeks before the release of Colors, the band released a series of videos for the songs. The videos consisted of clips from classic films, and each video was shown for one day before being removed. The videos were designated different colors to coincide with the album's theme, although having no known relation to the lyrics:"Foam Born (a) The Backtrack" and "(b) The Decade of Statues" — orange
Orange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
"Informal Gluttony" — green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
"Sun of Nothing" — yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
"Ants of the Sky" — red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
"Prequel to the Sequel" — aqua
Aqua
- Music :* Aqua , a Danish pop band* Aqua , American record producer and composer of film and television scores* Aqua, album by Edgar Froese* Aqua , 1992* "Aqua", a piano piece by Ryuichi Sakamoto...
"Viridian" — blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
"White Walls" — purple
Purple
Purple is a range of hues of color occurring between red and blue, and is classified as a secondary color as the colors are required to create the shade....
Reception
- Allmusic [ link]
- AbsolutePunk.netAbsolutePunk.netAbsolutePunk is a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate . The website mainly focuses on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it has been known to feature artists who have eventually achieved crossover success, including Fall...
(88%) link - Alternative Press link
- BlogcriticsBlogcriticsBlogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
(recommended) link - DecibelDecibel magazineDecibel is a monthly heavy metal and extreme music magazine published by the Philadelphia-based Red Flag Media. Since October 2004, Decibel has featured a plethora of extreme metal bands and musicians. Its sections include Upfront, Features, Reviews, Guest Columns and the Decibel Hall of Fame...
link - DOA (favourable) link
- Metal StormMetal Storm (webzine)Metal Storm is a webzine specializing in various forms of heavy metal music. It is based in Tallinn, Estonia but caters to an international audience, symbolically recognized by the acquisition of an EU domain in 2008...
(8.6/10) link - Punknews.orgPunknews.orgPunknews.org is a website founded by Aubin Paul which launched in 1999. The website publishes music news and album reviews relating to punk rock, hardcore punk, ska, indie rock and heavy metal...
link - PopMattersPopMattersPopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
link - SputnikmusicSputnikmusicSputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
link
Track listing
Personnel
Between the Buried and Me- Tommy Giles RogersTommy Giles Rogers Jr.Tommy Giles Rogers is an American musician, most notable for being the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and founding member of the American heavy metal band Between the Buried and Me...
– vocals, keyboards - Paul WaggonerPaul WaggonerPaul Waggoner is the lead guitarist of the American heavy metal band, Between the Buried and Me from North Carolina. Being an avid fan of progressive rock, he is heavily influenced by John Petrucci, Pat Metheny, Allan Holdsworth and Steve Vai. He formerly played guitar in the metalcore band, Prayer...
– guitars - Dan BriggsDan Briggs (musician)Dan Briggs is a musician from Erie, PA, best known for playing bass guitar for the American progressive metalcore band Between the Buried and Me.He also plays guitar in the band Orbs. He is vegan...
– bass - Dustie Waring – guitars
- Blake RichardsonBlake RichardsonCartland Blake Richardson is the drummer for the American heavy metal band, Between the Buried and Me as well as the drummer for the deathcore band Glass Casket with fellow member of Between the Buried and Me, Dustie Waring...
– drums, percussion
Guest musicians
- Adam Fisher (of Fear BeforeFear BeforeFear Before is an experimental rock band that resides in Aurora, Colorado. As stated on their Alternative Press podcast, their name originates from a Denver Post newspaper headline of local forest fires titled "The Fear Before The March of Flames." They released their debut album Odd How People...
) - guest vocals on "Prequel to the Sequel"
Production
- Produced by Jamie King and Between the Buried and Me