This was the first time I’d been to the Paramount; it was a nicely sized venue and a very sophisticated venue for a Progressive Metal-core band, from men in suits opening doors to the bathroom attendants, which I’d never experienced at a concert like this before, but it was a great plus. The size of the venue encouraged bigger mosh pits and louder crowd participation. The audience would watch in awe, singing and screaming every line or mosh their hearts out; all being fans of either the aggressive nature of the music or talent of the musicians. When there was no band playing, the members of the audience would converse and bond over other progressive, technical bands, talk about their own bands or influence people to go out and listen to other bands they had never heard of. If anybody wasn't a fan before but were brought by a friend because they like “heavier” music, I guarantee that they fell in love with the complexity and musicianship the band displayed.
Between the Buried and Me's performance was astonishing with their musical prowess. They played each song flawlessly as they appeared on the albums, leaving no room for improvisation and with little emphasis on the backdrop lighting to make the focus the real show of talent they displayed. They didn’t have a stage show or a unique way they dressed; they were all dressed casually. Besides a few key moments when the members would interact with the crowd, they were focused on keeping time and the constant changes in time signatures over the course of songs that would go on for about 16 minutes. With the ability to play so fast in such a complex manner over a long period of time makes them one of my favorite bands and makes Blake Richardson one of my favorite drummers. Each member throughout the night had their time to shine with guitar solos, bass solos, drum solos, and keyboard solos from the singer, when he wasn't displaying his vocal ranges from melodic singing to aggressive screaming.
Their songs have a wide range of weird topics like their song, “Sun of Nothing,” which is about a spaceman, who ends up traveling into the sun in an attempt to commit suicide, but when he realized that suicide wasn't the answer, it was too late to turn back and had accepted his fate. The lyrics “I just see faces/faces staring blank as they go on with the routine/this routine/nothing new/it’s time to go through with this” display his wish to escape society and to commit suicide, while other lyrics “floating to the sun/farther away/I can't believe that's what it has come to/I never really had it all that bad” show his regret in his decision. The lines of the song that are the most sympathetic have the melodic singing and guitar tones, while the aggression being released is displayed through screaming and the guitarist's complex rhythmic parts. Obscene stories like that attract people to the worlds these musicians created within their minds as opposed to just focusing on their musical talent.
Between the Buried and Me has done what everyone expects of them, which is to display why they are on the stage in the first place. Their performances are always memorable ones and inspire every musician in the audience to practice and attempt to achieve their level of talent. Between the Buried and Me has left me speechless for the 6th time and there definitely will be a 7th time for them to do it again. Witnessing them show off such skill will never get old. With complexity in their songs, frequent time changes, displays of calm emotion to aggressive screaming, and extreme musical prowess, they are a force to reckon with in the Progressive Metal world. I encourage any inspiring musicians to check them out or at least experience them in concert to see what the human body can do.
-Keith Just, Spring 2014
