Lately I’ve
had an obsession with concept albums. I’ve been listening to The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, and
EP by the band Between the Buried and Me. The EP is part one of two, the other
being a full length album title The
Parallax II: Future Sequence. Although perceived as a metal band producing
metal albums, there is more to these works. With influences ranging from Queen,
Soundgarden, Pink Floyd, and Metallica, their music compiles many genres.
Lyrically though, both albums tell stories. The Parallax tells extrapolates on
the central theme of humanity. Guitarist Paul Waggoner says in an interview “…we’re
introduced to two characters that live in two totally different planes of
existence. Separated by billions of light-years and planets, they’re both faced
with personal dilemmas to confront and reckon with. On this first one, they
become aware of the other’s presence in the universe in a weird way. That’s
really what the EP is about; these two guys confronting their problems, and at
the same time, through some sort of weird cosmic energy, they’re able to
subconsciously become aware of the other person. So one could assume that in
part two, they are actually going to meet each other, and that’s where the
action picks up.”
The
Parallax II does indeed pick up there after the EP, but other than Between the
Buried and Me I’ve been listening to Protest the Hero, The Mars Volta, Devin
Townsend, and Brendon Small and many others fascinated by the idea. I had
always been a fan of heavy music but seeing how it can be creative and still
aggressive. Concept albums have been around for a while, The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band is
an early example one. I have been working on my own concept album for about a
year now and I look forward to the day when it’s ready.
