Between the Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

When it comes to full-length albums, Between the Buried and Me never repeat themselves. ¹ Since reaching the upper tier of prog-nerdery with Colors in 2007, the North Carolina outfit has maintained a devoted fan base by continually reshaping their long-form progressive metalcore. That drive to evolve has always carried both risk and reward. Their last widely agreed-upon “great” record is 2012’s Parallax 2: The Future Sequence, ² and every release since has had its champions and detractors. I loved their shift toward more operatic prog rock on Coma Ecliptic (2015), a direction that felt natural and engaging, but their run on Sumerian Records with Automata I and II (2018) and Colors II (2021) left me wanting more. Those albums feature plenty of strong moments, yet they’re a bit bloated and sometimes feel like BTBAM-by-numbers. With their move to Inside Out Music and the departure of longtime guitarist Dusty Waring, another shift seemed inevitable, with longtime fans like me wondering if the band could deliver another impressive offering. I’m happy to say The Blue Nowhere sticks the landing. It’s a first-rate record that finds BTBAM confident, energized, and willing to explore new ideas while refining the familiar.

One of the most compelling aspects of The Blue Nowhere is the genre exploration BTBAM undertakes on nearly every track. In their earlier work (Alaska, Colors), BTBAM often veered into Mr. Bungle–esque genre detours as brief respites from their riff-salad. ³ Over time, these moments have gradually evolved into elements that feel more organically woven into the songs’ DNA. On The Blue Nowhere, that evolution reaches full maturity, with tracks built around key genre incorporations that bring a sense of playfulness and ingenuity to the A-side, making the lengthy record breeze by. From a funkalicious opener that careens between tasty chicken-scratch guitars and soaring, progtastic choruses (“Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark”), to a delightful bluegrass motif that anchors a rambunctious tune (“Absent Thereafter”), to an industrial-tinged rager that culminates in one of the band’s classic breakdowns (“God Terror”), the opening salvo showcases a band fully at ease melding their signature sound with unexpected combinations—and achieving stellar results.

None of these genre experiments would matter much, however, if the band lacked strong songs to support them. Fortunately, BTBAM excel in that department. The record’s B-side continues to explore new sonic territory for BTBAM, from an extended, vaudevillian, string-led passage (“Slow Paranoia”) to a post-rock–influenced climax (“Beautifully Human”), but the latter half is especially focused on sharpening their songwriting to a level it has never quite reached before. “Psychomanteum” and “Slow Paranoia” present the band at their very best, seamlessly blending breakneck pacing and technical wizardry with memorable hooks and an unmistakable sense of fun, earning their place alongside my favorite classic tracks and never once feeling their 11-plus-minute runtimes. It’s in the closing pair of tracks, though—“The Blue Nowhere” and “Beautifully Human”—that the album truly drives home its impact. These are cleaner, more somber compositions than nearly anything the band has released before, ⁴ complete with lush synth layers and captivating vocal harmonies. Together, they highlight BTBAM’s ability to craft powerful, emotionally resonant songs that place their impeccable musicianship firmly in service of the composition, serving as the finishing touch to an already excellent record.

The Blue Nowhere is Between the Buried and Me’s most exciting and fully realized release in years. It’s unmistakably BTBAM, yet it finds the band fully comfortable with their evolution, delivering an impressive set of layered, intricate, and emotionally resonant tracks. The record feels like a return to form, with the group confidently rediscovering their footing and producing one of the strongest prog releases of the year.

Tracks to Check Out: “God Terror,” “Absent Thereafter,” “Slow Paranoia,” “Beautifully Human”