In Focus: BTBAM brings a packed house in Buffalo

Between the Buried in Me (BTBAM) is a progressive metal band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2000, and played the Rec Room in Buffalo on March 4, 2022. This was the first time that the band has played Buffalo since 2015 where they played Town Ballroom. Rec Room is a smaller venue holding around 300 people so this was a very intimate show.

BTBAM’s tour is titled “Human is Hell” and has their opening band as Car Bomb. The tour has 30 dates and runs through the end of March. This is also opener Car Bomb’s first tour back from the COVID-19 pandemic, finally giving the mathcore band a chance to showcase their material from 2019’s Mordial.

BTBAM
Greg Kubacki -Guitars for Car Bomb (photo credit- Mike Miller)

Car Bomb is from Long Island and have been around since 2000. Their style is marked by an experimental and extremely aggressive approach to metal. They sound absolutely ferocious. Their psychotic turbo-thrash is disgustingly disorientating, ‘Frankensteining’ Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan into one relentless onslaught of time-chopping violence. BTBAM band members consist of: Michael Dafferner (vocals), Elliot Hoffman (drums), Greg Kubacki (guitar), and Jon Modell (bass).

The show started off earlier than usual for a metal show in Buffalo with two bands on the bill. The band kicked off the show right on time and gave the crowd their monies worth. The band’s 14 song setlist featured such songs as “Finish it” and “Lights Out”. The singer for Car Bomb tried to tell a joke in between songs about an item called a “Garbage Plate”, but was soon corrected by the crowd yelling that is a Rochester food item only. By the time Car Bomb had finished their set, the venue was mostly packed awaiting BTBAM’s start.

BTBAM
Paul Waggoner- Lead Guitarist for BTBAM (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)

Since the Covid pandemic started, there have not been many metal concerts like this in Buffalo. Especially at small venues like the Rec Room where you can literally reach out and touch the band. The fans were very eager to start mosh pits the second Between the Buried and Me hit the stage. You could feel the energy in the room from when the intro music was started by the drummers sample pad. The smoke machine went on and the lights went dark. You could feel the anticipation of the song starting. They opened with “The Double Helix of Extinction” off the album Colors II. BTBAM has grown and matured a-lot since their inception 22 years ago.

BTBAM
Tommy Giles Rogers- BTBAM Lead SInger (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)

Between the Buried and Me made use of their vertical light towers to put on an amazing synced bright light show. The fans were loving every minute of the show and being able to release their built up anger and stress in the mosh pit is not only fun, but should be considered exercise. BTBAM was very calm and collective during their set, focusing on playing their instruments while interacting with the fans.

BTBAM

BTBAM chose not to put song names on their setlist, but of Buffalo Bills players instead. This was done so fans up close to the stage would not know what song is coming up next.

BTBAM
BTBAM setlist (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)

Setlist: The Double Helix of Extinction, Revolution in Limbo, Fix the Error,Ants of the Sky, Dim Ignition, Famine Wolf, Informal Gluttony, Bad Habits, The Future Is Behind Us, Condemned to the Gallows, Selkies: The Endless Obsession

Encore: Voice of Trespass

BTBAM
Blake Richardson- BTBAM Drummer (Photo Credit- Mike Miller)

Remaining tour stops

Mar 06 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogarts⁣
Mar 08 – Detroit, Mich. @ Crofoot⁣
Mar 09 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Elevation⁣
Mar 10 – Fort Wayne, Ind. @ Piere’s⁣
Mar 11 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wooly’s⁣
Mar 12 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Truman⁣
Mar 13 – Tulsa, Okla. @ Cains⁣
Mar 15 – Denver, Colo. @ Summit⁣
Mar 16 – Grand Junction, Colo. @ Mesa Theater⁣
Mar 18 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ Catalyst⁣
Mar 19 – Berkeley, Calif. @ UC Theater⁣
Mar 20 – Santa Ana, Calif. @ Observatory⁣
Mar 21 – Tucson, Ariz. @ 191 Toole⁣
Mar 23 – Austin, Texas @ Emo’s⁣
Mar 25 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues⁣
Mar 26 – Little Rock, Ark. @ The Hall⁣
Mar 28 – Destin, Fla. @ Club LA⁣
Mar 29 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Saturn⁣
Mar 30 – Athens, Ga. @ Georgia Theatre⁣
Mar 31 – Columbia, S.C. @ The Senate⁣


Comments are closed.