BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
On 2007 album Colors North Carolina’s progressive metal luminaries put prog and metal on a collision course, and now they’re revisiting those early years with a spiritual sequel. Two members of the band talk to Prog about the new record, which has echoes of the past while staring boldly into the future.
Words: Phil Weller Portrait: Juan Pardo
It’s been over 14 years since Between The Buried And Me redefined not just themselves as a band, but the way the music world looked at the unification of extreme metal and progressive music. Their fourth album, Colors, came out in 2007, and remains a vivaciously extravagant record, journeying from grinding metal moments through dizzying jazz passages, soulful blues interludes and twanging of country backwaters. It showed that extreme metal could be shot through a progressive lens.
Now, the band have surprised fans with an LP that is very much a spiritual sequel to its predecessor. As vocalist Tommy Rogers and bassist Dan Briggs explain, Colors II was the perfect opportunity for the band to redefine their present day identity against a backdrop of uncertainty and unease.