Between the Buried and Me

Between the Buried and Me didn't need to make The Parallax II: Future Sequence 73-minutes long, just like they didn't need to tease the solid, groovy hook in "Lay Your Ghosts to Rest" with an organ, but these are the excesses we've come to expect six albums in. What's different this time is that the songs shine through the drab, requisite heavy parts and thrive in progressive ones that are finally more melodic than gimmicky. This dynamic is hinted at in album opener "Goodbye to Everything," but the best balance is on "Melting City" and "Astral Body," the latter of which highlights Paul Waggoner's dynamic guitar playing without shoving it down the listener's throat. Between the Buried and Me might never learn to trim the fat, but this release proves their unwillingness to suffer because of it.