Colors II by Between the Buried and Me (BTBAM), a 2021 album.
Colors II by Between the Buried and Me (BTBAM) is a spiritual sequel to their 2007 album, which forever changed modern progressive metal.
With almost 80 minutes of music split into 12 rich, layered tracks, this album is the peak of the band's artistic maturity.
The band that created Colors II is the same one that’s been together since 2005, and their chemistry is the secret behind their super complex music.
Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. – Lead vocals, keyboards
Paul Waggoner – Lead guitar, guitar vocals, backing vocals
Dusty Waring – Rhythm and lead guitar
Dan Briggs – Bass, additional keyboards
Blake Richardson – Drums, percussion
The recording of Colors II brought some noteworthy new elements and collaborations, while keeping the official lineup unchanged. In 2023, guitarist Dusty Waring recorded the entire album in the studio, but had to miss part of the promotional tour due to a serious injury and health issues. For the live shows, Tristan Auman temporarily replaced him.
Also, the track “Fix the Error” features three drumming legends who perform three mini-solos one after another: Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Navene Koperweis of Entheos (ex Animals as Leaders) and Ken Schalk of Candiria.
The album is an existential, conceptual exploration, shaped by the pandemic and by the “colors” metaphor to describe the human experience.
Written entirely remotely during the 2020 lockdowns, singer and lyricist Tommy Rogers poured into the lyrics the sense of alienation, monotony, and frustration we all felt.
Rogers said that, while on the first Colors (2007) he was analyzing himself and the world as a twenty-something, 2020 put him back in that same isolated situation, pushing him to take a deeper look at modern society and its problems. The strongest link to the first album is the band’s mindset during the writing.
With the music industry at a standstill and tours canceled, they felt the need to create something monumental to give meaning to a time of total uncertainty.
Colors II is an avant-garde progressive metal album that pushes the genre’s boundaries, blending technical death metal, metalcore, and jazz in a continuous, gripping flow.
Incredible how they can switch genres in the blink of an eye. They go from energetic blast beats to ’80s pop interludes, polka, bluegrass, electronic noise, and even orchestral passages, all with exceptional smoothness. It’s as if the music dances between genres, creating an atmosphere that’s always fresh and unexpected.
Tommy Rogers, the singer, delivers an outstanding vocal performance, alternating powerful growls and screams with clean, dreamy, theatrical melodies. He often layers vocal tracks, creating an effect that carries you on an emotional journey.
The songs are tied together by sonic transitions and ambient effects, making the album an experience to live from start to finish, a one-of-a-kind sonic adventure.
This album is spectacular, and even if it’s best listened to in one go, there are four absolutely great tracks.
Monochrome / Revolution in Limbo, an explosion of energy. It starts with a sweet, melancholic ballad, led by piano and clean vocals, then turns into a powerful finale that flows straight into Revolution in Limbo. The latter is a 9-minute journey that begins with thrash/death riffing, moves into an unexpectedly bossa nova/Latin middle section (complete with Spanish lyrics!), and ends with an epic, majestic chorus.
Fix the Error is a crazy, fun, unpredictable track. It’s a super rhythmic prog/punk piece overflowing with creativity. Great are the three back-to-back drum solos by legends Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis, and Ken Schalk.
The Future Is Behind Us, where the band has fun experimenting with electronic sounds. ’80s synths, broken and syncopated rhythms that recall the more modern King Crimson or Tool: a psychedelic, alienating mix that’s incredibly catchy.
Human Is Hell (Another One With Love), the closing track, is a true monument at over 15 minutes. It’s the longest piece on the album and a perfect summary of the whole record: complex, powerful guitar riffs, lightning-fast neoclassical solos, atmospheric moments, and an emotional finale that closes the album.
Colors II is a masterpiece of modern progressive metal. The main strength is its internal cohesion: even though the 12 tracks range across dozens of different genres, from the aggression of death metal to the sensuality of bossa nova, from ’80s synths to cartoon-like atmospheres, the album flows in an incredibly smooth, organic way across its 80-minute runtime.
The only drawback, in my opinion, is its inaccessibility for newcomers: the density of the compositions and the lack of linear structures require attentive listening; it’s not suited to those looking for background music. Excellent!
My Version
Label: Sumerian Records – SUM-1493
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Limited Edition, Black Purple Yellow Red Melt [Black Inside Grimace Purple Inside Transparent Highlighter Yellow]
Country: UK, Europe & US
Release: 8 Oct 2021
Tracklist
A1 Monochrome
A2 The Double Helix Of Extinction
A3 Revolution In Limbo
B1 Fix The Error
B2 Never Seen/Future Shock
B3 Stare Into The Abyss
C1 Prehistory
C2 Bad Habits
C3 The Future Is Behind Us
D1 Turbulent
D2 Sfumato
D3 Human Is Hell (Another One With Love)
Lineup
Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. – Vocals, keyboards
Paul Waggoner – Guitar, backing vocals
Dusty Waring – Guitar
Dan Briggs – Bass, keyboards
Blake Richardson – Drums
With:
Mike Portnoy – Drums
Navene Koperweis – Drums
Ken Schalk – Drums
