Between the Buried and Me - Colors II (August 20, 2021) Album

amorningofsleep · Jun 24, 2021

via Sumerian Records

Preorder

Tracklisting:
1. Monochrome
2. The Double Helix of Extinction
3. Revolution in Limbo
4. Fix the Error
5. Never Seen / Future Shock
6. Stare Into the Abyss
7. Prehistory
8. Bad Habits
9. The Future is Behind Us
10. Turbulent
11. Sfumato
12. Human is Hell (Another One With Love)

Meghin · Jun 24, 2021

THIS IS THE NEWS THIS YEAR NEEDED

Brodobaggins34 · Jun 24, 2021

Based on the teaser they posted, I was almost positive this was going to be Colors 2... but now that the announcement is real... I can't even process it. So stoked.

amorningofsleep · Jun 24, 2021

sawhney[rusted]2 · Jun 24, 2021

That's a hell of a record to attempt a follow-up on.

StormAndTheSun · Jun 24, 2021

Despite not really loving the past two releases, I still get unreasonably excited for new BTBAM

amorningofsleep · Jun 24, 2021

Amazon preorder link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097F12WNT/?tag=absolutepunk-20

bd007h · Jun 24, 2021

Wow. Two of my favorite concept albums getting sequels this year (the other being Spiritual Machines by Our Lady Peace)

amorningofsleep · Jun 25, 2021

amorningofsleep · Jun 25, 2021

Preorder link

Colors II

Micah511 · Jun 25, 2021

Here for it 100%. Loved Automata and it reinvigorated my love for the band.

EDIT: I can't tell if there are any exact callbacks, but I can definitely see why they're calling it Colors II... These vocals at the end are... something, along with the raspy scream he's doing at in the beginning.

Supernova · Jun 25, 2021

Oh great all the vinyl is sold out already of course.

Groogz · Jun 25, 2021

Supernova said:

Oh great all the vinyl is sold out already of course.

Looks like there's still a Monochrome variant available from Kingsroad Merch. It's through UK/Europe, so the shipping costs will be high most likely, but at least there is still an option if you're interested.

Elder Lightning · Jun 25, 2021

Supernova said:

Oh great all the vinyl is sold out already of course.

This one is still available:

Between The Buried And Me - 'Colors II' 2xLP Black in Purple in Electric Blue Vinyl

Supernova · Jun 25, 2021

Oof it’ll be like $57 USD shipped. I won’t go that high but good looking out. That electric blue shows sold out for me. Maybe I’ll get the energy to drive to the record shop day of release maybe they will have something.

StormAndTheSun · Jun 25, 2021

Press release

Time may move in a circle, but we pick up wisdom along the way. When we face similar situations further down the line, we’re armed with the experience to not only survive, but actually thrive. Between The Buried and Me built their influential 2007 album, Colors, on an unwavering commitment to artistic integrity. They’ve only fortified that commitment on its 2021 sequel, Colors II [Sumerian Records]. The circumstances surrounding both records bear key similarities, yet the North Carolina quintet—Tommy Rogers [lead vocals, keyboards], Paul Waggoner [lead and rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals], Dustie Waring [rhythm and lead guitar], Blake Richardson [drums], and Dan Briggs [bass, keyboards]—once again stretch the boundaries of their signature sound and heavy music at large.
“Especially with 2020, we really wanted to give it all we could and show the world we’re still here,” explains Tommy. “That’s part of the reason we named it Colors II. We were in a similar spot when we did the first Colors. Back then, we had just gotten done with Ozzfest. We were wondering, ‘Where do we belong in this music scene?’ We still struggle with that. At both of these moments in our career, we decided to just be ourselves and write the best album we can. We came out guns blazing, and I feel like it’s some of our most creative material in a long time.”
“Colors was very much our attempt at a do-or-die statement,” recalls Paul. “We had to establish our identity and be who we really wanted to be in order to have a career. This time around, our industry was shut down for a year. Once tours were canceled due to the Pandemic, we were like, ‘We’ve got to write a record, and it’s got to be good’. We had to do something next level.”
Throughout 2020, the band members wrote remotely before congregating in Winston-Salem, NC with longtime producer Jamie King. Instead of adhering to a conceptual thread, the conditions gave the concept meaning.
“Musically, it flows like a sequel to Colors, but it wasn’t just another version of that album,” Tommy goes on. “On the original, I was analyzing myself and analyzing humanity. With last year, I was in a perfect position to do that. I wrote lyrics in the same way, but they felt new. It was more of a real-world concept by virtue of making a continuation.”
They introduce the album with the pummeling single “Fix The Error.” Galloping thrash drums collides with a wah-ed bass solo and carnival-esque keys before launching into gritty verses. It twists and turns towards a hardcore chant punctuated by topsy-turvy vocals and mind-numbing fretboard fireworks underpinned by drum solos by an ironclad trifecta of Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis, and Ken Schalk.
“The intention was to write a metal song with a big gospel vibe,” smiles Tommy. “It turned into this monster. It’s a small story on the record about this guy who lives in a big apocalyptic city. He retires from his job, but he wants to take down this huge corporation. The song is a celebration of taking down corruption and saying, ‘Fuck you’, to the man. It’s about as punk as we’ll ever get.”
Meanwhile, the nine-minute “Revolution In Limbo” steamrolls through frenetic keys with fascinating guitar movements and a head-spinning vocal ebb-and-flow. “The songs are meant to flow in and out of each other like one big chunk of music, creating a seamless and chaotic musical journey,” the frontman observes.
Between The Buried and Me encode various “easter eggs” for fans of the original Colors inside of the opening salvo of “Monochrome” and “The Double Helix of Extinction,” while “Bad Habits” calls back to the lyrics of “Ants Of The Sky” with the line, “Sleep on…fly on.” “There are a lot of fun nuggets,” Paul continues. “You’ll hear certain instrumental parts and lyrics that remind you of Colors. Everything comes full circle.”
In the end, Colors II sees Between The Buried and Me make a similar connection. “Music’s purpose is to help,” Tommy leaves off. “That’s a big theme of this album. Once our songs are done, they belong to our listeners. Maybe this will help them move forward creatively or in life.” “I hope audiences get a feeling similar to what they got when Colors came out,” Paul concludes. “This is a full 80-minute album experience. For years, fans have told us how much they loved Colors. I hope they feel the same way about Colors II.”

amorningofsleep · Jun 25, 2021

StormAndTheSun said:

Between The Buried and Me encode various “easter eggs” for fans of the original Colors inside of the opening salvo of “Monochrome” and “The Double Helix of Extinction,” while “Bad Habits” calls back to the lyrics of “Ants Of The Sky” with the line, “Sleep on…fly on.” “There are a lot of fun nuggets,” Paul continues. “You’ll hear certain instrumental parts and lyrics that remind you of Colors. Everything comes full circle.”

Oh I love this part.

Brodobaggins34 · Jun 25, 2021

I got lucky and checked Summerians merch store at like 11:40pm and they had them up already. Then out of curiosity checked the band's website at midnight to see if there were other variants, but the website had crashed from so many people checking.

Groogz · Jun 25, 2021

Brodobaggins34 said:

I got lucky and checked Summerians merch store at like 11:40pm and they had them up already. Then out of curiosity checked the band's website at midnight to see if there were other variants, but the website had crashed from so many people checking.

I was on their website a couple of minutes before midnight and I don't think the site loaded until five or ten minutes after. Was able to grab the variant through their main merch store. I think those were all gone by like 12:30.

amorningofsleep · Jul 23, 2021

Henry · Jul 23, 2021

Ohh I like this one

bd007h · Jul 23, 2021

Song rips

tvck · Jul 23, 2021

Now this sounds ripped straight from Colors era. Fuck yes

sukottokairu · Jul 23, 2021

wow, this is soooo good!!! this is at the top of my most anticipated. and so excited to see them live too!

waking season · Jul 23, 2021

Caved and listened, I love this band

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No Fun. Not Ever.

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They fixed your brain when you were young.

No Fun. Not Ever.

I'll write you into all of my songs Supporter

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We reach for the longest shadow

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With metal in my bones and punk in my heart Supporter

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They fixed your brain when you were young.

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