The extreme metal and hardcore scenes are flowering like never before, and–perhaps emboldened by the success of groups like Poison the Well and Underoath–things are mutating even faster. One of the most intriguing acts in the white-hot genre is Between the Buried and Me, who call Charlotte home but have boasted members from all over the region. Their latest, Alaska (Victory Records), finds thundering hardcore-and-metal churn, epic King Crimson-style prog guitar and passages of pretty, pastoral melody coexisting seamlessly within the same song.
“We spent a whole lot of time making sure everything felt comfortable because we obviously went from genre to genre on some of these songs. We needed to do this in a way where it didn’t seem out of place at all. So we really analyzed our songs and changed things and just made it a priority to make the songs flow well.” says singer/guitarist Tommy Rogers, adding that the band is still part of the hardcore scene despite its new branches. “Music in general is boring right now, and we wanted to write a record that kept you on your toes, where you didn’t know what was happening next.”
Between the Buried and Me’s Alaska release party is at the Cat’s Cradle on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of show.