I will begin by introducing exactly what “Upstaged” is. I’m sure you’ve gone to a show and been more impressed by an opening act than the headliner; well that’s exactly what Upstaged is all about. Having finished my brief introduction, on with the show…
Between the Buried and Me
Late afternoon on August 17th, 2012 I found myself at the Rave in Milwaukee for the Summer Slaughter Tour. It had been a while since I’d attended a show at the Rave, but with so many good bands like Job For a Cowboy, Cannibal Corpse, and the Faceless, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving disappointed. As a veteran metal concert-goer, I’ve come to expect certain things from a metal show. High gain discord, blast beats and wretched screams; every band had that, but that’s not what impressed me, as I expected as much.
There was one band that truly stood out from the rest. They had all the same expected elements as the usual suspects, but went above and beyond. I’m talking about Between the Buried and Me. This is one band that definitely breaks the mold. They’re nothing short of beautiful madness. They’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, growing on you all the while. They push nearly every genre boundary in the book. With songs like “Sun of Nothing” ranging from progressive melodic death metal to jazz fusion/classical and “Informal Gluttony” starting with a Egyptian/tribal feel and gradually building into a grinding progressive metal machine, then into a “soothing valley” for a moment, then they blast off again. Upon listening to “White Walls” I thought it’s as if Mastodon, Blotted Science, Dethklok, Muse and Radiohead had a baby, but even that doesn’t do justice. They’re very tough to nail down; never boring.
I instantly knew that I’d found the highlight of the evening, and it wasn’t the headliner. In-fact I could have left after their set and been perfectly content. It was such an over-the-top magical performance, I knew there wasn’t much that would top it. I was right, the night came to a close and Between the Buried and Me proved to be the strongest contender.
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