Between the Buried and Me - Coma Ecliptic
Label: Metal Blade Records GmbH
Format: 2 x Vinyl, Gatefold, Limited Edition (500 Copies), 180g
Lenght: 68:31
Lenght: 68:31
Country: Germany
Released: July 10, 2015
Side A:
01. Node
02. The Coma Machine
03. Dim Ignition
04. Famine Wolf
Side B:
05. King Redeem/Queen SErene
06. Turn to Darkness
Price: 22,90 € @Saturn
Side A:
01. Node
02. The Coma Machine
03. Dim Ignition
04. Famine Wolf
Side B:
05. King Redeem/Queen SErene
06. Turn to Darkness
Side C:
07. The Ectopic Stroll
08. Rapid Calm
Side D:
09. Memory Palace
10. Option Oblivion
11. Life in Velvet
07. The Ectopic Stroll
08. Rapid Calm
Side D:
09. Memory Palace
10. Option Oblivion
11. Life in Velvet
I like the cover they have chosen for the album, quite minimalistic and and least to me peaceful. The whole concept of the album is about a man in a coma journeying through his past lifes. As serene and beautiful as the cover is, the backside of the sleeve is quite different.
I like the constrast here, depicting the dreamstate and maybe the harsh reality on the other side. When I opened the gatefold it revealed two printed inner sleeves holding the records. There are images on the front and lyrics on the back of each sleeve. I am pretty much aware that the album is about a man journeying through his past lifes, but the pictures seem quite random. You get some feet in the sands and next to them the red cables running into/or out of the ground. The other picture is quite odd. Four people in dark robes holding torches in front of a man hanged by his feet. The inner gatefold is printed as well - depicting a hooded figure kneeling on grass in purple mist. Again compared to the front and back this kinda looks it does not belong here. As odd as they seem, the pictures are explained via the lyrics of the different songs, otherwise they seem quite random. The records themselves are pure 180g black vinyl.
So enough for the looks - time to give these records a spin. Please not that I'm writing this review based on my third setup. I replaced my cheap hifi with a vintage turntable and amp and my generic speakers with some high quality stuff. More details on the setup coming soon. The advantage is, that I can compare how it sounds on a crappy turntable with low-end speakers and a vintage model with higher-end speakers.
When talking about how the album sounds one thing stands out. It's less heavy and more prog compared to the previous releases. The clean vocals are great as ever, subtle and fit the overall theme of the album. The music seems to flow from dreamy, slow and soft parts to heavier parts. What stands out to me is how they make good use of all the variety they have in their music. The various styles and vocals are placed perfectly. Really heavy parts often surprised me as I did not expect them at this stage of the songs. Yet, that's what makes listening to Coma Ecliptic a great experience. I'm still not sold on the vocals though. Don't get me wrong, Tommy Rogers is a gifted vocalist. What bugs me on this album is that I feel like there is that the vocals vary too much. On some songs like "The Coma Machine" it feels like there's one style change too much. I get the impression they tried to hard to fit everything in. Does this make the album a bad one? Not at all.
The biggest strength of Between the Buried and me is definitely how they are able to link every song together. I listened to the whole album maybe a dozen times and if I had not have to turn the record over I would not have noticed any song ending. The songs flow in each other and overall they feel like only one song. A great story told via the means of music. And that's maybe the biggest problem of the two disc vinyl release. Turning the record often destroys what the songs where able to build in your mind. So high-quality audio files may be the better choice if you don't need anything physical in your hands and are all about high quality.
Even when the music creates a nice flow, some songs stand out as they differ a bit from the whole concept. "King Redeem, Queen Serene" is a surprisingly heavy song placed perfectly. When I turned the first record to side B I expected the album to continue as "Famine Wolf" ended. This helps a bit with the break created by changing and turning records. Somehow the album reminds me of an opera. Certain elements just throw me back to the times of Aina or old Avantasia. Here I get the impression I'm not listening to a prog concept album about a man in a coma anymore. It feels more like a fairytale. When you expect Between the Bured and Me like on the Parallax release or Colors you may be disappointed. First I disliked this change but it grows on to you.
"Coma Ecliptic" is certainly no album to listen to as background music or when doing something else. I'm listening to it as I write this and I have a hard time to concentrate on the music. This is an album which should be enjoyed without any disturbance. You have to focus on the music to grasp everything which is hidden. And it's certainly no album you like on the first playthrough. This one needs to be played a couple of times before it unfolds it's whole potential. Still, I'm not convinced that they were able to transport the concept of the album entirely.
I'd still recommend the album to any fan of progressive rock/metal. If you find this record for an acceptable price - go for it. When I compare this record played on my first setup and now there's a huge difference in quality and I always discovered tones hidden to me before. But the most important part is: You have to turn the volume up when you listen to "Coma Ecliptic". Otherwise It may sound dull at times. It defnitely needs some power to unfold.
Just a little reminder. I'm no music critic. I don't know anything about reviewing albums. I just want to write down my own impressions and thoughts as music is an integral part of my life. It's more like some therapeutic approach for me. So take everything you read with a grain of salt. You may have a totally different experience with the records I review. Oh and as you might have guessed, english is not my first language - so please excuse some minor (or major) mistakes.
Next up:
A review of Paradise Lost's Symphony of the Lost. A live album of a band I've listened to since my teenage years. And after the review I plan to write a little about my search for a vintage turntable and how I ended up with a Dual 1219.
When talking about how the album sounds one thing stands out. It's less heavy and more prog compared to the previous releases. The clean vocals are great as ever, subtle and fit the overall theme of the album. The music seems to flow from dreamy, slow and soft parts to heavier parts. What stands out to me is how they make good use of all the variety they have in their music. The various styles and vocals are placed perfectly. Really heavy parts often surprised me as I did not expect them at this stage of the songs. Yet, that's what makes listening to Coma Ecliptic a great experience. I'm still not sold on the vocals though. Don't get me wrong, Tommy Rogers is a gifted vocalist. What bugs me on this album is that I feel like there is that the vocals vary too much. On some songs like "The Coma Machine" it feels like there's one style change too much. I get the impression they tried to hard to fit everything in. Does this make the album a bad one? Not at all.
The biggest strength of Between the Buried and me is definitely how they are able to link every song together. I listened to the whole album maybe a dozen times and if I had not have to turn the record over I would not have noticed any song ending. The songs flow in each other and overall they feel like only one song. A great story told via the means of music. And that's maybe the biggest problem of the two disc vinyl release. Turning the record often destroys what the songs where able to build in your mind. So high-quality audio files may be the better choice if you don't need anything physical in your hands and are all about high quality.
Even when the music creates a nice flow, some songs stand out as they differ a bit from the whole concept. "King Redeem, Queen Serene" is a surprisingly heavy song placed perfectly. When I turned the first record to side B I expected the album to continue as "Famine Wolf" ended. This helps a bit with the break created by changing and turning records. Somehow the album reminds me of an opera. Certain elements just throw me back to the times of Aina or old Avantasia. Here I get the impression I'm not listening to a prog concept album about a man in a coma anymore. It feels more like a fairytale. When you expect Between the Bured and Me like on the Parallax release or Colors you may be disappointed. First I disliked this change but it grows on to you.
"Coma Ecliptic" is certainly no album to listen to as background music or when doing something else. I'm listening to it as I write this and I have a hard time to concentrate on the music. This is an album which should be enjoyed without any disturbance. You have to focus on the music to grasp everything which is hidden. And it's certainly no album you like on the first playthrough. This one needs to be played a couple of times before it unfolds it's whole potential. Still, I'm not convinced that they were able to transport the concept of the album entirely.
I'd still recommend the album to any fan of progressive rock/metal. If you find this record for an acceptable price - go for it. When I compare this record played on my first setup and now there's a huge difference in quality and I always discovered tones hidden to me before. But the most important part is: You have to turn the volume up when you listen to "Coma Ecliptic". Otherwise It may sound dull at times. It defnitely needs some power to unfold.
Just a little reminder. I'm no music critic. I don't know anything about reviewing albums. I just want to write down my own impressions and thoughts as music is an integral part of my life. It's more like some therapeutic approach for me. So take everything you read with a grain of salt. You may have a totally different experience with the records I review. Oh and as you might have guessed, english is not my first language - so please excuse some minor (or major) mistakes.
Next up:
A review of Paradise Lost's Symphony of the Lost. A live album of a band I've listened to since my teenage years. And after the review I plan to write a little about my search for a vintage turntable and how I ended up with a Dual 1219.
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