BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

LIVE GALLERY + REVIEW

07/16/23 - @ THE OBSERVATORY NORTH PARK - BY KSENIYA

After a night of anticipation and high-energy openers, Between the Buried and Me, also known as BTBAM, began the final California show of their Parallax II: Future Sequence Tour to the roar of an excited crowd. One by one, the members of the band got on stage and took the audience on a fantastic ride that can only be described as a progressive metal suite, resembling a classical music show with a little more headbanging.

And just like the classical masters, BTBAM does not hold back from complex technical instrumentation that often comes at breakneck speed. Lead vocalist Tommy Rogers transitioned flawlessly from crushing guttural screams to elegant harmonies, showing no signs of slowing down after 20 years in the business. Session guitarist Tristan Auamn joined the tour as a fill-in, fitting in perfectly with his unmatched skill and execution of this legacy album.

The album tells a dark story of space, death, and betrayal, with stunning onstage visuals that set the tone for each song, accentuated by strobe lights that pulsated to the beat of odd time signatures. As the show progressed, the audience’s energy was electric. Mosh pits grew and crowd surfers were sent one by one towards the stage. Even venue security was seen rocking out to the impeccable beats laid down by drummer Blake Richardson. As the story concluded with the brutal end of humanity, the band departed and the audience was jubilant, leaving the historical Observatory North Park as if their own humanity had just begun.