The Great Misdirect
by Between the Buried and Me
  • Record Label: Victory
  • Release Date: Oct 26, 2009
User Score
8.8

Universal acclaim- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 48 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 51
  3. Negative: 2 out of 51

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  1. RyanJ
    Jan 20, 2010
    10
    Yea seriously this album is incredible if your a true metal fan. I saw them live in October, they were insane, and the singer had bronchitis. That's besides, all metal fans need to hear Swim to the Moon in its entirety. Totally brilliant!!!!
  2. BillC
    Dec 15, 2009
    10
    Don't ever listen to the critics when it comes to music. Although it's not as good as colors in my opinion, it's still better than almost anything else. If you like Progressive/Technical metal, listen to this!
  3. jayl
    Dec 30, 2009
    8
    Technical showmanship is incredible. songs a are bit lengthy but overall sweetness. Must like metal to enjoy.
  4. JohnnyJ
    Dec 8, 2009
    9
    Memorable riffs, masterful solos, profund lyrics. Psycadelic, brutal, epic, etc. Alternative Press - just call it a day... your journalists need to go to school.
  5. BryanM
    Dec 8, 2009
    7
    I have to agree with AP on this one. The songs are technical, and well performed, there is no question of that. However, the songs are forgettable. They are expanding their sound greatly, but perhaps too much focus is put on change and not enough on actual songwriting.
  6. JoshK
    Jan 13, 2010
    9
    This album is not for everybody, but that doesn't mean it isn't brilliant. You will never hear anything like this music outside of BTBAM and any fan of ambitious and technical music will adore it.
  7. MatthewE
    Dec 7, 2009
    9
    The critics are morons! What album did they listen to? This is one of the most unique, well written and skillfully played albums in recent memory. Are these the same critics that enjoy Adam Lambert? Screw those hippies! Buy this record!!!!
  8. DasR
    Dec 13, 2009
    10
    Absolutely great album! I agree with Matthew E, what were these critics listening to? Amazing album from beginning to end. Same caliber as Colors and Alaska.
  9. Hunnybee2
    Aug 12, 2010
    9
    This record is another piece from Between the Buried and Me that should be remember and replayed numerous times. The album opens up with "Mirrors" which begins softly just like their other album "Colors". It is an easy listen and provides a great introduction to their next track. The track that stood out to me the most was "Fossil Genera: A Feed from Cloud Mountain". The opening is a catchThis record is another piece from Between the Buried and Me that should be remember and replayed numerous times. The album opens up with "Mirrors" which begins softly just like their other album "Colors". It is an easy listen and provides a great introduction to their next track. The track that stood out to me the most was "Fossil Genera: A Feed from Cloud Mountain". The opening is a catch piano tune followed by a heavy guitar riff. When you first hear it your stomach turns inside out with excitement. When I first heard I thought that the piano driven metal was one of the coolest things I have ever heard. Later in the song it calms down and transitions to an acoustic guitar tune with clean vocals. This section of the song is very soothing and leads to a very nice guitar solo. Then the ending arrives and it is a wall of sound that is hard to forget. The entire song is unforgettable and one of the most listened to songs on my iPod. The lowest point on the album for me is the final track, "Swim to the Moon". Throughout the entire song I had the feeling that they were just trying to hard. There was guitar solos and drum solos all around, and there were clean vocal sections that just weren't all that memorable. Another downside is that the track is 17 minutes long. This is usually the only track on the album I ever skip. Other than the last track the album is truly innovative and an unbelievable listen. Between the Buried and Me is a band that is constantly innovating and trying new things. While it may not be their strongest record, there is enough great material here to count it in as another epic peace from a band that really knows what they are doing.… Expand
  10. godofallu
    Oct 13, 2012
    10
    This album is a masterpiece. Even their country song has me hooked, and the 20 minute long epic that is swim to the moon never fails to enthrall me. This is original music. You can't just put this into a genre since it goes all over the place, and you certainly can't judge the album based around 1 song. Let it play all the way through and take it all in. It's the only way.
  11. CoryMatthews
    Aug 7, 2011
    9
    This album is a roller coaster of awesome, and shows what brilliant guys the members of this band are. Album is not perfect, but pretty damn close to being perfect.
  12. MispeledStalion
    Mar 7, 2013
    8
    Honestly, it's a great album, but if Colors and Parallax II are perfect 10's, this can't be. The music and composition is up to my lofty standards for this band, but outside of Swim to the Moon and Fossil Genera, there's significantly less inspiration and emotion in The Great Misdirect than the very best of Between the Buried and Me. This album is still head and shoulders above much of theHonestly, it's a great album, but if Colors and Parallax II are perfect 10's, this can't be. The music and composition is up to my lofty standards for this band, but outside of Swim to the Moon and Fossil Genera, there's significantly less inspiration and emotion in The Great Misdirect than the very best of Between the Buried and Me. This album is still head and shoulders above much of the rest of music, but it's just not BtBaM's best.… Expand
  13. archersvanity
    Oct 12, 2019
    9
    Possibly one of the best progressive metal albums ever. Fossil Genera is a goddamn masterpiece. And Swim To The Moon is such an epic track that it demands your full attention.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. AllMusic
    60
    It's an experience, to say the least. At the same time, The Great Misdirect is the type of overblown record that asks the question, "Is there such thing as being too ambitious?"
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  2. Slant Magazine
    60
    As the album stretches on, it's hard not to notice that some of the unbridled enthusiasm that made Alaska and Colors the heavy, heady trips that they were has been sacrificed. That's forgivable. The type of a maturation process that Between the Buried and Me has embarked on is never easy, and the record shows that few bands from rock's progressive edges pull it off.
    Read full review
  3. Sputnikmusic
    80
    Between the Buried and Me have refined their sound and improved their songwriting ten-fold, and while The Great Misdirect may not match "The Silent Circus'" raw energy and intensity, it might be their most coherent album yet.
    Read full review
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