Review: “Self Titled” by Buried Realm

Having reviewed sophomore album “Embodiment of the Divine” in 2020, the third chapter in the journey of multi instrumentalist and vocalist Josh Dummer’s solo studio project Buried Realm is without doubt one of the most highly anticipated releases of the summer if not the whole of 2022. As with that record, this new self titled album sees the Colorado Springs resident bring with him a myriad of special guests, some we have heard on his work before like Christopher Amott, Bob Katsionis and Dean Arnold while others like Christian Münzner are fresh to what the mastermind does. His inspirations are Opeth, Symphony X and Hair Metal, his influences are personal experiences and put simply, he paints pictures with Technical Progressive Heavy Metal that is as fiery and biting as it is melodic and memorable…

Taking a page from the book of Dream Theatre, introduction piece “Entrance” is the kind of epic scene setting that blows the mind before “Spectral Light” takes a dive into Death Metal with caustic unclean vocals permeating the jackhammer footwork and riffs a plenty. The two opening cuts are opposing forces, day turning to night before your very ears, the juggernaut going for the jugular with frantic and frenetic yet controlled leads taking hold to create a grand finale that is breath taking. The pace and energy is so high on these cuts that you can only imagine Dummer needing to do finger exercises to avoid cramp and and having calloused hands from the heat of the flames he creates on the fretboard of his guitar. He’s got what it takes to raise the hairs on the back of your neck as he brings tornadoes of riffs and lead parts that make other guitarists sound lazy. The presence of the guests is far from essential, having heard his previous works there is no question he can do it on his own, however they seem to inspire him to push himself that much further and push the boundaries of what he can do with the guitar. But it’s not showmanship for showmanship’s sake and these are genuinely stunning songs in their own right, each one delivered at breakneck pace with fierce and fiery attitude.

Following a conceptual lyrical narrative on this third full length, these are tales of the paranormal, psychological twists and tricks of the mind steeped in blood. “The Iron Flame” has flavours of Killswitch Engage in places while “Witch Bones” has moments that The Black Dhalia Murder would be proud of. Dummer has worked on his vocal prowess following his last album, developing his pair of distinctive voices, one being shriller and sharper, the second being deeper and more brutal and in combination they are as effective as the one-two punch of a prize heavyweight champion. The violent rampage of “Elder Gods” borders on Melodic Death Metal, the leads as vibrant as they are anywhere on this record as they flow over the top of punchy staccato riff breaks and while the album is 38 minutes long, it flies by in what feels like seconds as Dummer adopts the ‘go hard or go home‘ attitude. “Quicksand Memory” has some ethereal almost ancient Egyptian vibes to it in the vein of Shokran while the sweeping leads mesmerise before a mid cut blast beat passage that decimates the weak. Even his cover of Alice Cooper’s “He’s Back” is blistering and caustic, created in the fires of hell and yet pulsating addictive, a scream along from the very first note, the very definition of putting your own spin on a classic. This is an adrenaline junkies Metal fix and will put a smile on the face of even the most hardened of Metal Heads because its a tour de force that puts Dummer on par with some of the finest Metal musicians out there. Wow! [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Entrance
2. Spectral Light (ft. Dean Arnold of Primalfrost, ex-Vital Remains)
3. Poison Palace (ft. Christian Münzner of Obscura, Alkaloid)
4. The Iron Flame (ft. Christopher Amott of Dark Tranquillity, ex-Arch Enemy)
5. Witch Bones (ft. Bob Katsionis of Firewind, Power Quest, Outloud, Serious Black)
6. Where the Armless Phantoms Glide (ft. Dan Swanö of Bloodbath, Edge Of Sanity)
7. Elder Gods (ft. Christofer Malmström of Darkane, Non-Human Level)
8. Quicksand Memory (ft. Christopher Amott of Dark Tranquillity, ex-Arch Enemy)
9. He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask) (Alice Cooper cover)

“Self Titled” by Buried Realm is out 3rd June 2022 and is available here.