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Between the Bured and Me, do it again... And with Covers at

Sunshine the Werewolf | Canada | 06/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME - The Anatomy of...

-

Truthfully I was cautiously optimistic about this CD when I heard about it's inception... a cover album? I mean at this point in their career, BtBAM had grown progressively stronger with each of their 3 previous releases. Then I read their set list and became incredibly excited. Titles like, The Day I Tried to Live, Cemetary Gates, Blackened? Then some even truer classics like Three of a Perfect Pair and Us and Them... these are great and by no means generic covers. Then Again... Between the Buried and Me isn't your generic band either!



After one full listen to this CD I can safely say it is nothing short of brilliance! After multiple listens I can safely say

the bands ability to capture another bands true essence, yet still give it their own sound is executed amazingly. The musicianship is spot on, essentially perfect... and anyone who is familiar with the bands previous work realizes the vast majority of the songs covered are simplistic in nature to what BtBAM usually play. The real winner here is Vocalist (And Keyboardist) Tommy Rogers, whose vocal range is beyond belief. I swear I heard Freddie Mercury, Adrian Belew, and even Max Cavelera coming out of my speakers. Despite his great range shown on albums like 'Alaska', I still think many may have underestimated Tommy's vocal range, after hearing this CD all worries are washed away.



My one complaint is the order... The album opens with Blackened, which although well executed cover, it is an odd representation of what the album has in store. This track has more of a BtBAM Signature Sound then the rest of the tracks... Which is not a bad thing. Just in comparison to such perfectly executed tracks as Bicycle Race, Three of a Perfect Pair or Us and Them it sounds unlike the majority of the other tracks. Truth is Blackened is still a fantastic cover... I just would have preferred a different order either way it is a very minor complaint.



1. Blackened - METALLICA - 4/5

-Like mentioned above fantastic song, but a bit sub par in comparison to the rest of the album. Have to admit the more I listen to it the more I like signature twist BtBAM put on it.



2. Kickstart My Heart - MOTLEY CRUE - 4/5

-Not even a Crue fan, but hot damn! BtBAM Can pul it off...



3. Day I Tried to Live - SOUNDGARDEN - 4.5/5

-On of my favorite Soundgarden songs... Fantastic variation on the vocals, not over done. But a great spin on a great song.



4. Bicycle Race - QUEEN - 5/5

-I thought Freddie was dead! But I swear I hear him on this track, FANTASTIC!



5. Three of a Perfect Pair - KING CRIMSON - 5/5

-Nice to hear someone paying tribute to a criminally underrated band such as KC. Perfectly executed - if you sync this on up with the original they are less than 1 second out of sync.



6. Us and Them - PINK FLOYD - 5/5

-I actually forget I'm listening to BtBAM... Another perfect song.



7. Geek U.S.A. - SMASHING PUMPKINS - 5/5

-Another fantastic song here... And a great pumpkins song to cover.



8. Forced March - 4.5/5

-Earth Crisis was alright but BtBAM make this a classic and even make me want to revisit the Vegan HxC musically catalog.



9. Territory - SEPULTURA - 5/5

-Sepultura were once the high point of Metal... Now BtBAM take their place with another 5 star cover.



10. Change - BLIND MELON - 5/5

-Damn!, this is fantastic. Again Tommy's vocal work is perfect.



11. Malpractice - FAITH NO MORE - 4.5/5

-FNM is clearly a band which has influenced the boys and it shows on this great homage to Patton and Co.



12. Little 15 - DEPECHE MODE - 5/5

-Who would have thought? Perfectly executed.



13. Cemetary Gates - PANTERA - 5/5

-Glad they did this more along the lines than



14. Colorblind [*] - COUNTING CROWS - 5/5

-This covers been circulating for quite some time now... loved it when I first heard it and still love it today.





Favorite Songs: Three of a Perfect Pair, The Day I Tried to Live, Bicycle Race, Cemetary Gates and Us and Them.

-5 Stars



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Competent cover album, and occasionally great

Dennis G. Voss Jr. | Lexington, KY USA | 07/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Some people are impressed when bands show off by performing cover songs in a way that mimics the originals. "Wow, that sounds just like..." This CD certainly documents BTBAM's versatility, because they can sound uncannily like some of their sources. They successfully capture Queen's layered vocals, Pink Floyd's ethereal moodiness, Sepultura's muscularity, and the harmonic drone of 80s-era King Crimson. It's scary how much they can sound like Motley Crue. But imitation rarely results in art. Aside from introducing BTBAM's fans to a few older bands or songs that they otherwise might not have discovered, the best thing I can say about the imitative cover songs is that they should help listeners navigate the complexity of BTBAM's own compositions by isolating the different elements. For folks who know the source material, though, the real treats on the album appear when BTBAM offer something new. Soundgarden's song, for example, works really well with the chorus sung in hardcore style. The Blind Melon reinterpretation is refreshing; it starts out acoustic and soulful before kicking in with a raucous performance that differs in tone from the original. And it's refreshing to hear Metallica's "Blackened" performed with a different vocal style. I wish they'd played around like that on more of the numbers."

Great fun!

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 11/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A quick cash-in on the recent success of 2005's phenomenal "Alaska"? The band had one album left under their current record contract? They needed to get a new record in stores to help them land a stint on 2006's Ozzfest? Or maybe they just wanted to have some fun and pay some tribute to their influences? Numerous rumors have been circulating about why Between The Buried And Me would release a covers album, especially less than a year after their last studio release. But even though most of the rumors are probably not far from the truth, there's no debating that BTBAM's "The Anatomy Of" is great as far as cover albums go. And it probably isn't the follow-up fans were hoping for, but it is a whole lot of fun to listen to!



All of the band members are in fine form here, but the main star is definitely vocalist Tommy Rogers, who proves his range is nothing short of astounding. "The Anatomy Of" is a vocal tour de force; Rogers nails everything from death metal to thrash to traditional metal to grunge to pure rock to prog to metalcore to alternative to electronica, and even folk/country music! The only conceivable thing the album could have benefitted more from would have been if a cover of a grindcore band/song had been included (because BTBAM definitely have some grind influences, too). Nonetheless, this is still a very interesting and diverse collection with plenty of breadth.



The opening cover of Metallica's 1988 thrash classic, "Blackened," will be hit-or-miss for most people due to Rogers' wacky, snarling, frog-throated death metal croak. But even if you can't get used to them, you should definitely get passed them and focus on how the song retains the same catchiness, groove, and excellent guitar lead as the original, and also boasts more complex and, well, better drumming, and unorthodox soloing (and what a great and wailing solo it is, too!). Then comes Motley Crue 's "Kickstart My Heart," a rockin' good time that sees Rogers doing a virtually flawless Vince Neil impression by singing in a calm lower register. And even though a couple of completely unexpected whammy bar licks are tossed in, most listeners will probably catch themselves several times forgetting that this is BTBAM and not the Crue. Similarly, Soundgarden 's "The Day I Tried To Live" has an abundance of warm, Chris Cornell-worthy crooning, thus making it almost identical to the original, except for the mid-range screams and deathly in the chorus.



The album's clear highpoint is track four, "Bicycle Race." This Queen cover is so eccentric and trippy that it would probably be considered a joke song - that is, if it weren't so darn well done! It is a very dreamy and beautiful piece complete with piano keys, operatic touches, and fantastic, often angelic clean singing. A total mindtrip, indeed! King Crimson's "Three of a Perfect Pair" is also a great song. It's highlighted by excellent, almost soulful clean singing and strong bass work throughout. "Us and Them" (which was first played by Pink Floyd), another glowing highlight, is so atmospheric and blissful that it's spine-tingling.



Later, the Smashing Pumpkins and Earth Crisis covers, "Geek U.S.A." and "Forced March," are probably the least interesting moments, but even they aren't without their charm (like strong guitar leads, chunky riffs, and ripping melodic solos.) These two tracks are immediately overshadowed by the rest of the album, though. Rogers' Cannibal Corpse-ish vocals in the verses of "Territory" are a little crude and off the mark, but the song atones with abrasive, grinding guitars, and a chorus that is even more powerful, visceral, catchy, and memorable than it already was when it came out on Sepultura's "Chaos A.D." album in 1993 (and that's a really saying something!) Finally, Blind Melon's "Change" is a docile, laid back, "feel good" acoustic jam; Faith No More's "Malpractice" rocks really hard and has more excellent singing; Depeche Mode's "Little 15" is a very dark, ominous, and screwy industrial metal number topped off by gothic, Marilyn Manson-like crooning; the cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" is enjoyable (even if it doesn't stray far from the original version), and features a pulsing bass and some especially pretty and ambient acoustic picking; and set closer "Colorblind" is a simple and stripped-down, yet positively gorgeous Counting Crows cover.



"The Anatomy Of" is easily the one of the most enjoyable and all-around best covers albums this reviewer has ever had the pleasure of hearing (it ranks right up there next to Rage Against The Machine's "Renegades"). This is an essential purchase for all fans, and there are still several songs (i.e. "Bicycle Race" and "Us and Them") that are worth downloading even if you're not one."