Between The Buried And Me Gear Up For Release of New Album Colors II

For over twenty years American progressive metal band Between The Buried And Me has consistently impressed critics and blown away audiences with their unique style of technical skill and artistic experimentation. This has garnered Between the Buried and Me numerous accolades including Grammy nominations, top spots on Billboard, and high ratings from various metal news sources ranging from Kerrang to Loudwire.  They even have a new species of starfish named after them. After two decades Between The Buried And Me show no signs of letting up as they are set to release their twelfth album, Colors II on August 20th, 2021 from Sumerian Records.

Interestingly, Colors II is a clear reference to their fourth studio album, Colors released in 2007. Colors was a highly regarded album. For the band to want to connect with it fourteen years later is mostly definitely deliberate.

“Especially with 2020, we really wanted to give it all we could and show the world we’re still here,” explains lead vocalist Tommy Giles Rogers. “That’s part of the reason we named it Colors II. We were in a similar spot when we did the first Colors. Back then, we had just gotten done with OZZfest. We were wondering, ‘Where do we belong in this music scene?’ We still struggle with that. At both of these moments in our career, we decided to just be ourselves and write the best album we can. We came out guns blazing, and I feel like it’s some of our most creative material in a long time.”

That sentiment is echoed by lead guitarist Paul Waggoner. “Colors was very much our attempt at a do-or-die statement,” said Waggoner. “We had to establish our identity and be who we really wanted to be in order to have a career. This time around, our industry was shut down for a year. Once tours were canceled due to the Pandemic, we were like, ‘We’ve got to write a record, and it’s got to be good. We had to do something next level.”

Next level is an apt description of the band’s first single from their new album, “Fix the Error.” The single doesn’t just have one guest drummer, but three. The song boasts three separate drum solos by renowned percussionists Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis, and Ken Schalk. The video for ‘Fix the Error” is also rather unique, being an animated depiction of an uprising against a repressive king.

The choice for animation was an enthusiastic one for the band as explained by Rogers. "We have finally taken our first steps into the world of animation, and it’s a sight to see! As children of the ’80s and ’90s, we wanted to encapsulate that feeling we had growing up watching the wacky world of cartoons in that era. It’s uneasy, unsettling, and somehow very fun! Let’s celebrate!”

Continuing Rogers’ goal to show the world that they are still here, Between the Buried and Me will be touring this summer. The "An Evening With Between The Buried And Me" tour will consist of two special sets each evening. The first set will include a mix of songs from throughout the band’s career, while the second set will be from their second album, 'The Great Misdirect' played in full.

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