Automata II
Automata II is the ninth studio album by the American progressive metal band Between the Buried and Me. It was released on July 13, 2018 through Sumerian Records, and it is the second part of a two-piece album, the first one being Automata I, which was released March 9, 2018.
Background
On the release of the album, vocalist Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. stated:Through his official Facebook page, Blake Richardson also talked about the album:
Bassist Dan Briggs added:
Critical reception
Review aggregator Metacritic scored the album an 81 out of 100 based on four music critics, citing "universal acclaim".Allmusic's Thom Jurek claimed that "Automata II can be listened to on its own, but it holds much greater power when taken together with its predecessor. It is easily the more musically adventurous of the two recordings, making it an indispensable part of Between the Buried and Me's provocative catalog.
Victor Giol of The Prog Report stated that "This will please both the longtime fans as well as new listeners; a very well done feather in BTBAM’s prog concept album cap. Automata is sure to be a top prog album of 2018".
Personnel
;Between the Buried and Me- Tommy Giles Rogers Jr. – vocals, keyboards
- Paul Waggoner – lead guitar
- Dustie Waring – rhythm guitar
- Dan Briggs – bass, keyboards
- Blake Richardson – drums
- Cameron MacManus – baritone sax, trombone
- Jonathan Wiseman – trumpet
- Jamie King – production, engineering, drum and piano engineering
- Kevin King – additional production
- Jens Bogren – mixing, mastering
- Kris Hilbert – drum and piano engineering
- Nick "Biggie" Grimaldi – management
- Ash Avildsen and Nick Walters – A&R
- Dave Shapiro and Tim Borror – North America booking
- Tom Taaffe – international booking
- Bryan K. Christner, Esq. – legal representation
- Corey Meyers – art direction, layout, photography
- Aaron Strelecki and Andrew Strelecki – photography