Between the Buried and Me are one of the most ambitious and genre-defying bands in modern progressive metal. Formed in North Carolina in 2000, they began in metalcore before evolving into something wholly their own: sprawling, virtuosic compositions that lurch from death metal to jazz, classical and even country, all held together by Tommy Rogers’s voice and keyboards. Their 2007 album Colors is a modern landmark. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “White Walls”, “Swim to the Moon”, “Selkies: The Endless Obsession” and “Ants of the Sky” — widely hailed as their greatest song, an eighteen-minute epic, their breakout signature, and a genre-hopping tour de force. The full ranking is below.

Prog metal with no rules

Few bands in any genre are as fearless as Between the Buried and Me. Formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2000, the five-piece began life as a metalcore band before transforming into one of progressive metal’s most adventurous forces. Led by vocalist and keyboardist Tommy Rogers and guitarist Paul Waggoner, their music crams death-metal brutality, jazz interludes, neoclassical solos, prog grandeur and the occasional country hoedown into single, sprawling compositions — and somehow makes it all cohere. Their 2007 masterpiece Colors changed what the genre thought possible. These fifteen songs are the best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing ambition, that jaw-dropping musicianship, the epics and lasting impact. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sits “White Walls” (2007), widely hailed as their greatest song and the fourteen-minute climax of their masterpiece. With it: “Swim to the Moon” (2009), an eighteen-minute epic ranked among prog’s finest; “Ants of the Sky” (2007), a genre-hopping tour de force that runs from carnival metal to a country hoedown; “Selkies: The Endless Obsession” (2005), their breakout signature and enduring fan favourite; “Sun of Nothing” (2007), a crushing, ever-shifting centrepiece; and “All Bodies” (2005), a beloved, sprawling early highlight.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Prequel to the Sequel” (2007) is a wild, sing-along fan favourite; “Silent Flight Parliament” (2012) is the emotional, epic finale of their concept album; “Obfuscation” (2009) is nine minutes of brutal, dynamic prog metal; “Mordecai” (2003) is an early classic that first turned heads; and “Telos” (2012) is a soaring, melodic standout.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “Desert of Song” (2009) is a gentle, acoustic-leaning change of pace; “Alaska” (2005) is a punchy, four-minute burst of energy; “Astral Body” (2012) is the propulsive opener of the Parallax saga; and “The Coma Machine” (2015) is the catchy centrepiece of their rock opera.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with Colors, their masterpiece and a continuous sixty-four-minute journey, and Alaska, the breakthrough that first showed their range, then The Great Misdirect and the concept album The Parallax II: Future Sequence. Their early metalcore records and the acclaimed sequel Colors II reward deeper exploration.

The players

Between the Buried and Me are led by vocalist and keyboardist Tommy Rogers and guitarist Paul Waggoner, the band’s core since the early days and its chief songwriters. Alongside them, guitarist Dustie Waring, drummer Blake Richardson and bassist Dan Briggs — also of the jazz-fusion side projects Trioscapes and Nova Collective — complete a lineup whose collective virtuosity is the envy of the genre. Together they have kept the band restlessly evolving across more than two decades, never content to repeat themselves.

Why they still matter

Between the Buried and Me proved that progressive metal could be limitless — that death metal, jazz, prog and pop could all live inside a single song. Standing alongside Opeth, Cynic, Mastodon and the prog-metal lineage of Dream Theater, they pushed technicality and ambition to dizzying new heights and inspired a whole generation of genre-blending bands. Decades on, Colors remains a touchstone of 21st-century metal.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best Between the Buried and Me albums, dig into the underrated Between the Buried and Me albums, or place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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