Between the Buried and Me-the Silent Circus

 The last piece of my Between the Buried and Me vinyl collection is "the Silent Circus," the band's second album. i was able to win this in an auction on eBay a few weeks ago and received the record in the mail the other day. The packaging for this album is very sparse and basic, consisting of a cardboard sleeve and a (seemingly) photocopied lyric sheet. The vinyl is a beautiful gray-green color with rainbow colors mixed in.
 
The album begins with the schizophrenic series of "Lost Perfection," parts A and B. These songs mix together metal, hardcore, southern rock riffs, a brutal breakdown, a hand clap/drum interlude, and vocals that remind me of a velociraptor. These songs kick the album off with a kick to the head, mixing brutality and creativity.

The third track is "Camilla Rhodes," a song which lyrically speaks about the role of image and how it affects our world, where style is emphasized so strongly. Although the song explicitly uses the context of sexuality in the music industry, the main message is applicable to all ares of life and is just as relevant, if not more so, today as it was when BTBAM recorded this song. A sweet breakdown is featured in this song with some bendy, slidey bass work and rapid double bass action. Another really strong song that continues the flow of great songs to start this album.

Next is the legendary "Mordecai," a staple in the band's live repertoire for years. i love the first two seconds of this song with the double bass and clean guitar stabs, just before the ensuing chaos is unleashed. The frantic pace of this song continues while Tommy wails "Why should i sit in your chair and satisfy your standards?!"
The tempo then slows, ever so slightly, for a continued heavy assault. Finally, a bit of relief is thrown our way when the guitars go quiet and the vocals follow suit. The song then builds to its epic conclusion, showing Tommy's abilities to actually SING and the band's ability to match his moods and whims. A guitar solo takes us out and keeps us amazed. An awesome, incredible song. "Keep the notes coming."

"Reaction" changes things up, bringing in quiet guitars and keyboards with simple, yet effective, clean vocals which speak of dreaming and sleep. A nice interlude and another example of the band's ability to play different styles of music and to play them well.

"(Shevanel, Take 2)" is a song from way out in left field, perhaps even out of the ball park. It is a quiet, soothing, and powerful acoustic and clean guitar-driven song. Another strong point on the album.

After this period of rest, the band goes in the complete opposite direction with "Ad a Dglgmut," a noisy song written in honor of noise and its beauty and use in music. In fact, the beginning of the songs features vocals which are basically just noises, not words. For once, our parents are right: it IS just noise! Anyway, just to through our parents off, the band throws in a pretty part in the middle singing that "it all makes sense: we're capable of beauty" which is preceded by an incredible guitar solo. Then, we get more noise and pummeling to end the song. Yet another highlight (!).

 Keyboards and electronic blips bring in "Destructo Spin," an opinionated song about George W. Bush. Musically, it is another pummeling piece. i would still call this a good song, but it doesn't really stand out to me.

Up next is "Aesthetic," which features a really interesting start-stop introduction. This rhythm continues for a bit into the song before the band decides to change it and make things even more chaotic and technical. The lyrics speak of the band's love of music and how they will play until they die. i love the passion the band has.

"The Need for Repetition" starts out slow and heavy, with Tommy doing his best death metal vocals. The guitars do an interesting dual-direction sliding riff which sounds pretty cool in this song. The tempo then increases and keyboards creep in underneath to take the song towards its end. A clean guitar interlude is then thrown in before one last blast of chaos and brutality. The clean guitars and keyboards return before noisy guitars, bass and feedback take the song to its conclusion. There may or may not be a secret song to end the album. It's a secret.

"The Silent Circus" is not silent, but it could be a circus of daredevil drumming, gymnastic guitars, backflipping bass, and violent vocals. Yes, my description is silly but the album is not. Listen to it. Be amazed. Thrill at the risks the band takes! Marvel at the songsmanship! Hear the human rubber bands stretch conventions and genres to create a fascinating mixture of melody and morbidity! "The Silent Circus" is coming to town!