![Between the Buried and Me – The Blue Nowhere [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]](https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/a0023762103_10.jpg.webp)
“With their move to Inside Out Music and the departure of longtime guitarist Dusty Waring, another shift seemed inevitable, with longtime fans like me wondering if the band could deliver another impressive offering. I’m happy to say The Blue Nowhere sticks the landing. It’s an impressive record that finds BTBAM confident, energized, and willing to explore new ideas while refining the familiar.” The grave digging was premature.
December is the best time to browse through the October Filter flotsam, as they’re now heavily discounted like Valentine’s Day candy in August. They’re probably still fresh though. Maybe.
“I get the sense that the members of Asira are particularly meticulous. The last time we heard from this post/prog group from Reading, UK was back in 2017. In his review of their debut album, Efference, El Cuervo asserted that Asira was on the cusp of being the next Big Deal. Just four months later, he decided that they already were, invoking Contrite Metal Guy powers to amend Efference’s score from 3.5 to 4.5 (a Big Deal, indeed!). Perhaps Asira felt some pressure, because they took their time to craft the best possible follow-up.” Painterly blackness.
Ah, the pungent stench of autumnal Filters. Forget pumpkin spice and get you some Filter droppings from September!
“Norway may always be most well known for its black metal history, but I’ve come to love the country’s progressive music more than anything else, with its penchant for the dramatic and theatrical yet heartfelt. Gazpacho is at the vanguard of this scene, their 2014 Demon a modern classic and one of the few albums nearly everyone at AMG seems to agree is a masterpiece. Demon was the start of a multi-album storyline about a being that lives in our collective subconscious and pushes us toward our worst impulses, culminating in the excellent Fireworker in 2020. Magic 8 Ball is the first album since, and the first in a few decades to not be a concept album, though there is a loose theme of fate or destiny.” Cold soup or hot sauce?
“What do you get when you combine old school doom with older school horror movie soundtracks? John Gallo of Orodruin asked this question roughly twenty years ago, and the answer became known as Blizaro. Despite the years of experience accumulated, the discography of this mostly solo project is quite brief; Light and Desolation is only Blizaro‘s third full-length. Time, ever the unfair mistress, treats everyone quite differently. Some artists have a lot to re-learn, others are able to pick up right where they left off. With nine years having passed since their previous album, how has the hourglass treated the intriguing and slightly bizarre concept of Blizaro?” How Blizaro, how Blizaro.
“Jim Matheos is not the kind of artist to sit still in one place for long. Best known for his splendid guitar work in amorphous US progressive metal band Fates Warning, he also wields a vast assortment of offshoots and side projects, some closer to his usual style than others. Instrumental solo effort Tuesday the Sky is one of Matheos’ more distant adventures with its ambient post-rock soundscapes and touches of electronica.” Tuesday is a proggy day.
“In the music business, the line between hobby and professional endeavor is often blurry. For brand-new musicians, the line might even be non-existent. And, every once in a while, a record graces our promo pile that is undeniably pure and authentic in a way only possible if its creator pours something deeply personal into the music. There is little doubt that this was the case for Jason Tyler when he formed Illusia in Manchester, UK. He took on a few bandmates and guest vocalists to help bring his progressive metal debut Mind over Matter to life, though he retains most of the songwriting and recording duties. How well might his passion project connect with a wider audience upon first exposure?” Smoke, mirrors, mind matters.
“During the 16 years that AMG has been a thing, I have criticized the trend of reaching back for the sounds of yore and creating high-fidelity copies. Dubbed “Nostalgiacore,” I regularly razzed Steel Druhm about his obsession with his lost glory days and heartily rolled my eyes at Rethrash. I thumbed my nose at the 3,500 bands a week we were getting in 2015, wearing bell-bottoms and writing Black Sabbath riffs 45 years after Black Sabbath was released.” Ruh roh…
“In the eyes of a legacy creator, novelty and personal excitement drive the continued pursuit of the release. Mark Zonder, esteemed drummer of Warlord and formerly of Fates Warning, lives by this mantra, using A-Z as an outlet for his frenetic rhythmic focus surrounded by the performances of trusted partners.” Prog letters by the numbers.
