Best Of

Recording information: Q Division; The Basement Studios, Winston Salem, NC; The Basement, Rual Hall.
In 2011, after Between the Buried and Me announced they would be jumping ship to Metal Blade Records, Victory promptly issued an early-career greatest-hits compilation titled Best Of. Boasting two discs and a bonus DVD with four music videos, as well as some slick packaging, it's a nice collector's item for fans, and a good jumping-off point for people looking to get their feet wet with one of the most versatile prog-metalcore groups in the business. Disc one is the most essential. It includes 13 songs from the first three Victory studio albums, with The Silent Circus, Alaska, and Colors picked over chronologically. Unfortunately, it's not quite the full experience because BTBAM's impressive first self-titled album is not included, and the band's albums often play conceptually from front to end, but these are minor complaints. The included selections are strong choices that showcase the group's inventive playing style, imaginative writing, and ability to turn styles at the drop of a dime. Disc two starts with an excellent two-parter from The Great Misdirect, "Mirrors"/"Obfuscation," which turns abruptly from a soft, jazz-influenced ballad into a thrashing nine-minute beast. The remainder of the CD is comprised of five previously unreleased live tracks, to illustrate what a brutal force the band is on-stage. ~ Jason Lymangrover