Formed in North Carolina in 2000, Between the Buried and Me looked to the past for inspiration. Carving out a unique sound and place in modern heavy rock, they combined '70s keyboard-style progressive metal with extreme death metal, often within the same song. This amalgam of the punishingly brutal with more melodic elements has seen them foster a loyal and diverse fanbase. Over the years, the band themselves have described their adventurous metalcore excursions as "new wave polka grunge" and "adult contemporary death metal."