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Released on September 30, 2014 via Metal Blade Records
The title itself, Live at the Fidelitorium, already invokes grandeur, imposing images of Greek style coliseums and massive Roman amphitheaters. To have Between the Buried and Me perform their sixth studio album The Parallax II, Future Sequence in its entirety in such a setting would be an epic event, one to be heralded throughout the prog metal world. Cue their new live cd and dvd release, doing just that.
Their isn’t much to say about The Parallax II that hasn’t already been said. A mind blowing technical metal journey which some say is BTBAM’s finest work to date, some say it’s their most tired. Whichever side of the fence you may be on, hearing the five piece in this type of setting is something else. It has a certain intimacy that often lacks in live recordings. The boys manage to draw you into each of the tunes and keep you captivated for the entire journey. With the addition of a small orchestra to assist in the production it becomes apparent that the whole album is indeed an organic accomplishment. Each tune rolls into the other flawlessly.
Each song is executed in sheer perfection but without the seriousness of most prog bands these days. The listener can tell these guys are in their element and having a shitload of fun doing so. The Mr Bungle-esque erraticness and the Devin Townsend delusions of grandeur are seamlessly woven into BTBAM’s style, happily making it their own but giving their influences a well deserved nod.
With Tommy’s vocals being the catalyst that binds this whole live experience is one hell of a ride. A technical metal opera that holds its own and draws you in deeper with each tune, nodding your head endlessly and smiling at the musical wizardry that unfolds before you. Between the Buried and Me have without fail succeeded in raising the bar for all tech metal alumni with Live at the Fidelitorium.
