JULY 10th, 2023
THE PARALLAX II FUTURE SEQUENCE TOUR
Review by Metallic Barbie
Photos by Peter Ruttan

http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/the-parallax-ii-future-sequence-tour/

Just over the halfway point for Between the Buried and Me’s The Parallax II: Future Sequence Tour, they pummelled Vancouverite audio holes at The Vogue.  The band have been playing their October 2012 album cover to cover in celebration of its almost 11th birthday.

Before BTBAM imposed sonic overlordship, Pennsylvania’s Rivers of Nihil got the night turned up to eleven with a meaty set spanning their last two albums.  Bassist and now-lead-vocalist Adam Biggs showed up so hard he had fans asking: “Jake who?” while newcomer Andy Thomas (rhythm guitarist, backing vocals) maniacally shred his way into our little black hearts.  There was no slouching from Brody Uttley (lead guitar, keys) or Jared Klein (drums, backing vocals) so for those who were late to the RoN camp, they were properly indoctrinated with unbelievable speed, energy, precision, and brutality.  The setlist included latest release “The Sub-Orbital Blues”, which only dropped June 15, as well as slivers from Where Owls Know My Name and 2021’s The Work.

By now you know I’m certainly a sonic freak but overall am probably more traditionalist in my metal genre-bending - as in blend more than 4 flavours and you may have overstretched my palate - so I was absolutely caught off guard by runners up Thank You Scientist, a band that has 7 instruments on the go at any given time in a proggy-ska-like blender.  While not personally a fan, there was no denying the musicianship of the septet as they crossed mellifluous streams from string to brass to woodwind to skin to key.  Parts of the crowd were as confused as I and parts sang along to every “Gigglebutton” or “Terraformer” word, throwing themselves to the mercy of the chaotic jazzy group.

After such a gear shift, it was agony waiting for BTBAM to materialize back on stage.  As they are known to do, without a word to the crowd, they launched into their almost 74-minute break-less set that was The Parallax II.  The band whimsically hammered between brutal assault and lullaby-esque sequences at the helm of prog-metal Jebus Tommy Giles Rogers Jr., who commanded the crowd with a wave of his arms or a gentle grimace.  Long-time bandmates Paul Waggoner (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dan Briggs (bass, backing vocals), and Blake Richardson (drums, backing vocals) were joined by Tristan Auman, taking over on rhythm guitars from Dustie Waring, who stepped down from the tour in May.  As a veteran band to the stage and the music, BTBAM caustically and unapologetically maneuvered cover to cover through the album, demonstrating their creative vision with engaging interactive backdrops, and savage charge of complicated and technical string, skin, and key pieces.  There was no need to waste time recruiting the crowd: the crowd had shown up they day the tour was announced.

From pit to praise waves, BTBAM reminded Vancouver why they are a cornerstone of the prog-metal community, scorching aural apertures and livers alike (that last may have been of my own doing…)