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The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues is an extended play by American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me. It was released on April 12, 2011 and was the group's first release through Metal Blade Records[3] after leaving Victory Records in 2010. The entire EP was made available for streaming two weeks before its release on March 31, 2011.[4]

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
EP by Between the Buried and Me
Released	April 12, 2011 (2011-04-12)
Recorded	December 13–23, 2010
Studio	Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario and Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario
Genre	Progressive metal,[1] technical death metal, avant-garde metal[2]
Length	30:02
Label	Metal Blade
Producer	David Bottrill Between the Buried and Me
Between the Buried and Me chronology
Best Of (2011) The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues (2011) The Parallax II: Future Sequence (2012)

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues is the first release in a two-part concept album suite. The second half, The Parallax II: Future Sequence is a full-length album that was released on October 9, 2012.[5] Between the Buried and Me made the conscious decision to precede a studio album with an extended play for several reasons, particularly to release a first album on Metal Blade fairly quickly.[6] In addition to being part of a concept album series, frontman Tommy Giles Rogers also listed wanting to keep the group's name "out there" and seeking new material to perform at concerts in an interview with MetalSucks.[7]

In support of the release, Between the Buried and Me toured North America with Job for a Cowboy, The Ocean and Cephalic Carnage during April through May 2011. During this tour, the group performed the entire EP, along with several tracks from previous albums, live at all concert dates.[8]

Concept and story line

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues opens with "Prospect 1" waking up on an island in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how he got there. His last memory was of him drifting off in the ocean. While on the island, he keeps having these dreams about meeting himself. After not being able to decide whether he is alive or not, he is rescued by a boat and goes back to his old life. However, when he arrives, everything is gone. He had drifted off to sea on the old planet and awakened on the new planet.

"Prospect 2" works for the government on the old planet and is hired to go to the new planet and plant souls there for when the old planet dies. He is ordered to leave his family without explaining anything to them or seeing them ever again. On the trip to the new planet he has hallucinations of meeting himself. After finishing his job, he goes back to the old planet only to find it has disappeared.[9]

The Parallax II: Future Sequence continues The Parallax saga.

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[11]
Daily Dischord	9/10[12]
Decibel	7/10[13]
PopMatters	6/10[14]
Revolver	[15]
Rock Sound	8/10[16]
Audiopinions	10/10[17]

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues received generally favorable reviews. Jason Lymangrover of Allmusic praised David Bottrill's production stating that it "is perfectly suited, and only enhances the band's ever-intensifying talents," and that the EP itself is "a short one, but even with a 30-minute running time, the EP cobbles together enough intricate twists and turns that it feels massive, and each of the three songs is an epic journey in precision."[11] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters noted that, "there's nothing at all new [that Between the Buried and Me is] doing here, but what matters most is just how fresh they can make this new material sound, predictable as it all may feel."[14]

Jeff Treppel of Decibel said that the concept of the EP was difficult to follow, commenting that "if they want you to care about what's going on, they fail."[13]

Charts and sales

In its first week of release, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues sold around 10,000 units and debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number 54.[18] On other Billboard charts, the album ranked at number 16 on Rock Albums, number 8 on Independent Albums, number 5 on Hard Rock Albums and number 13 on Tastemaker albums.[19]

Track listing

Personnel

The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues as adapted from the CD liner notes.[20]

Between the Buried and Me

• Dan Briggs – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Blake Richardson – drums, percussion
• Tommy Giles Rogers – vocals, keyboards
• Paul Waggoner – guitars, vocals
• Dustie Waring – guitars

Production

• David Bottrill – engineering, production
• Mat Klucznyk – assistant engineer
• Jamie King – mixing, mastering, additional production
• Between the Buried and Me – production
• Sons of Nero – artwork, layout

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[21]	54
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22]	8
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[23]	5
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[24]	16
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[25]	13

References

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