Between the Buried and Me: The Blue Nowhere U.S. Tour - Spring 2026

Progressive metal visionaries Between the Buried and Me return with their most
immersive and eclectic record yet—The Blue Nowhere, their first on InsideOutMusic.
Mixing uncharted musical detours with their distinctive aggressive identity, the band
create a conceptual world unlike anything in their incredible catalog, inviting the listener
to experience the journey on their own terms. Though the story takes place in a hotel—
The Blue Nowhere—don’t expect haunted corridors or shadowy figures behind every
door.
“It’s more of a feeling—those moments when you feel alone in the world and use that
solitude to reflect on the human experience,” Rogers clarifies. “It exists in a space where
no one can find you, hidden from all forms of reality—that’s The Blue Nowhere.”
Trying something new is not unusual for the group, who once again find ways to expand
their musical palette while maintaining the band’s core sound. No more surprising is the
album opener, “Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark,” which sets the tone with INXS
and Duran Duran-inspired textures, even incorporating 90125-era Yes, filtered through
BTBAM’s signature chaos. Meanwhile, “Absent Thereafter” is a quintessential BTBAM
track—layered, intense, and unrelentingly dynamic, this 10+ minute opus delivers
everything a BTBAM fan could want and more.
Between the Buried and Me remain allergic to stagnation, and The Blue Nowhere proves
their creative drive is stronger than ever. “It feels like a natural evolution for the band,”
says Rogers. “We’re not repeating ourselves. We’re lucky to have a fanbase that’s along
for the ride.

There’s a murmuring amidst the monoliths of New York City as the sounds of the megalopolis
churn below. The city becomes the sound of a human engine that throbs like an atrophying
heartbeat; the decaying city of the future in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. That’s the grandiosity that
New Yorkers, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT have found equal amounts of beauty and horror
within. With their latest release, Goldstar, the masked triumvirate continues their exploration of
the urban and arcane. The band has found inspiration in the sound of metal pushed to its
darkest extremes, gilded, art deco temples, and looming cityscapes.
“The theme of every IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT record is New York City. That’s the fuel,”
states guitarist and vocalizer, Zachary Ezrin, who has been the voice behind the band’s sonic
expressionism since its founding in the shadow of the millennium. With bassist Steve Blanco
and drummer Kenny Grohowski, IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT has expanded the language of
musical extremity with records including Vile Luxury (2020), Alphaville (2021) and Spirit of Ecstasy
(2023).

While IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT has established itself as a portent of sonic improvisation and
experimentation, Goldstar reins in their musical wanderlust with a newfound focus that the band
has only hinted at with past works. Tracks like the album’s explosive opener, “Eye of Mars” or
the stirring “Hotel Sphinx” clock in around the five-minute mark while upping the trio’s
songwriting acumen and musical virtuosity. “It’s a challenge we posed to ourselves,” says Ezrin,
who credits the sonic shift, in part, to two years of relentless worldwide touring, playing
countless festivals including France’s Hellfest, the Czech Republic’s Brutal Assault or tours with
the likes of Behemoth, Carcass and Zeal & Ardor.

Goldstar is IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT’s most instant and evocative works to date. It bridges the
avant-garde and the present in a way they’ve never done before. It’s also the band’s most
ambitious album to date, swerving into North African Gnawa music on “Gomorrah Nouveaux”,
Brazilian Maracatu on “Pleasuredome”, and an ode to classic NYC architecture on “Lexington
Delirium” – “It’s our love letter to the Chrysler Building,” says Zach. “We shot a video there and
the last person to shoot there was Francis Ford Coppola for Megalopolis!” – and forays into the
unmerciful and extreme with the likes of “Hotel Sphinx”. “That one’s got heavy nods to Stanley

Kubrick,” says Zach. “That’s something we’ve never been shy about. The album was recorded by
Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice), mastered by Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Powertrip,
Ghostemane), and features guest artists Thomas Haake (Meshuggah) and Dave Lombardo
(Slayer).
Expect a gilded mask-lift when IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT returns to the stage. For all their
rich, musical indulgence and masterfully honed musicianship, onstage theatricality has always
been a key factor to the three New Yorkers’ live showings. New masks and an upgraded stage
show will be part of their live experience with Goldstar and beyond. “When you look at bands
like Slipknot and Ghost, there always is a new show to keep fans engaged and continue to
translate the music in the sickest way possible. This isn’t a recital, it’s heavy metal to the core!”
Down to Zbigniew M. Bielak’s signature, highly detailed future-noir artwork, which once again
adorns that album’s cover in classic cigarette packaging, IMPERIAL’s world building continues,
on gilded girders.

“We want people to remember IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT as a band that pushed metal music
forward,” says Zachary, summing up the New York trio’s stamp on the scene. “A band that
created records that had not existed previously. And hopefully inspiring others to look beyond
just metal into other places: film, classical music, world music, architecture, to find a new kind
of approach to metal itself.” Goldstar is a long cool drag and as intense an urban fever dream as
only IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT can deliver.