I became a fan of Between the Buried and Me relatively recently (probably about a year and a half now) and this was, in fact, the first "new release" for me.
It is an EP that is part one of a two part story so there is no surprise that it is shorter than previous releases (although still a respectable 3 songs in 30 minutes) and is a good indication of things to come. Worth a mention that it is very good value for money because of this.
The EP itself took a few listens to fully appreciate although there is no denying it does live up to the musical standard BTBAM have set in the past. However, one could argue that it is just setting things up for the full length album which will be part two of The Parallax.
For the uninitiated this band borrows and manipulates a range of influences into its sound. Their covers album "An Anatomy of..." is a testament to that, although it misses out overt death metal/grindcore influences which is the backbone of their sound. Onto that pallet they add piano or electronica type interludes and memories of Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Queen etc (each of which is covered on "An Anatomy of...").
BTBAM are a victim of their own success (a bit like Opeth in that way) given the aforementioned high standard of previous output so possibly even the band itself might not disagree that this is not their best work....but compared to most other bands it still deserves four stars I reckon.
BTBAM have carved out a distinctive genre-defying sound (I liken it to grind-Queen) which appeals to me, but might not be everyone's cup of tea. However, I think they have a fanbase that is pretty genuine and loyal so they will all want this new EP. For everyone else metal-minded, this will do as a good introduction to the band.