Between the Buried and Me at Revolution, November 4

Nothing about Between the Buried and Me is predictable, starting with the band's appearance. Although the guys look like laid-back surfer dudes, the band's sound is a fierce combination of nearly every kind of metal in existence. But where other bands attempting an "experimental" tack wind up with a disjointed mishmash, BTBAM manages to weave divergent parts together expertly. One part of a song may be warp-speed thrash, another may veer into death metal, another may flirt with hardcore, and another may go full-on prog. But in the best BTBAM songs, it all works to dramatic narrative effect, with no given three-minute chunk ever going boringly or as expected. The band's latest release boasts similarly overblown but entertaining aims. Titled The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, it's the first entry in a two-part conceptual arc whose musical sound often borders on the operatic.