Catch Between the Buried and Me w/ Animals As Leaders & The Contortionist | TONIGHT @ Marathon Music Works

As we’ve been raving about for months, seminal prog metal rockers Between the Buried and Me, who also blew us away last month at Bonnaroo, are set to return to Nashville proper for the first time in two years tonight, Aug. 15 at Marathon Music Works. Supporting the group are two similar spirited acts (and longtime tourmates) Animals As Leaders and The Contortionist, and you can still grab your tickets right here. Read on for more about the lineup!

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

Last month, seminal North Carolina progressive metal act Between the Buried and Me dropped their long-awaited seventh full-length, Coma Ecliptic. Back in June, they injected Bonnaroo with a healthy dose of heavy metal. Tonight, they return to Nashville for their previously announced show at Marathon Music Works, where bands like Mastodon have passed through already this year. Not a bad time to be a metal fan in Music City. Formed in 2000, BTBAM really rose to prominence a decade ago, following a few lineup shakeups which culminated in locking down the quintet of talented players who’ve remained since ’05, for the release of their buzzworthy third album, Alaska. Throughout their Victory Records years, the band quickly found an audience in the metal and hardcore scene, going on to perform at the likes of Ozzfest, Warped Tour, and countless other high profile events, and to tour with Mastodon, Every Time I Die and more. Though their earlier years saw the band experimenting with metalcore (a thriving genre in North Carolina in the early ’00s), progressive metal, and death metal, they’ve evolved to become a lot heavier on the prog with recent releases, incorporating more technical prowess, broader instrumentation, and more unique and unpredictable songwriting. The band’s last effort, The Parallax II: Future Sequence, even became the basis of a DVD, where they broadened the already ambitious album’s scope with a wide variety of unorthodox instruments. Drawing also from prog rock, alternative, and more, Between the Buried and Me are group built for fans of sweeping, technical songwriting and heavy sensibilities, and they’re sure to bring an intense, rowdy evening to Marathon!

ANIMALS AS LEADERS

Born out of the ashes of prog metal mavens Reflux, Washington, DC’s Animals As Leaders were founded by guitarist Tosin Abasi, one of the most gifted players in the heavy music scene. The guy can shred so quickly that it’s difficult to even tell when one note stops and another starts. However, Abasi, guitarist Javiar Reyes, and drummer Matt Garstka where not content simply running through scales at 9000 BPM; they also make an admirable effort to tell a story through their music. The result is a instrumental progressive metal sound that is distinctly different from most any other contemporary act. So far, Animals have put out three studio albums, the most recent of which, The Joy of Motion, dropped last year. Sonically, the band have matured quite a bit since their first album, settling into a unique and unparalleled sound. Having already made a name for themselves in the metal scene, clocking in countless hours touring with the likes of Underoath, Decapitated, Circa Survive, and even Between the Buried and Me, the band are the perfect choice to support BTBAM on the road once more!

THE CONTORTIONIST

Another act who are no strangers to sharing the stage with BTBAM, Indianapolis group The Contortionist share the prog metal tendencies of both other acts, and, over the past eight years, three full-lengths, and three EPS, have earned a solid reputation for being one of the best underground acts in the modern metal scene. They’ve toured with the likes of Hatebreed, All Shall Perish, Protest the Hero, and more, so you’d better believe they’re more than qualified to kick off this show.

Between the Buried and Me, Animals As Leaders, and The Contortionist will perform tonight, Aug. 15 at Marathon Music Works. The show is 18+, begins at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.), and tickets are available for $23.