Between the Buried and Me

[ariich]

Man, ranking is hard. Early thoughts are something like this:

1. Parallax II
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. Colors /
=. The Great Misdirect
5. Alaska
6. The Silent Circus
7. BTBAM

[Zyzzyva17]

From what I've listened to:

1. Colors (I don't think this needs explanation)
2. Coma Ecliptic (Really good, but not enough to beat Colors)
3. Parallax I (Great music, but it doesn't quite work as a standalone album, probably because it isn't one)
4. Parallax II (in my opinion, the least cohesive of their concept albums)
5. The Great Misdirect (with the caveat that Swim to the Moon is my favorite song of theirs, me being the epic lover I am)

[TioJorge]

Argh! The boredom monster has forced me to break my 'no ranking rule'. Course this will change in a couple weeks at the very least, but here it is:

1. Colors
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. Parallax I/II (Given "I" is an EP that was created solely for a quick Metal Blade EP and that they were to be one album conceptually, I don't think it's too much to combine the two)
4. The Silent Circus
5. Alaska
6. The Great Misdirect
7. S/T

If it weren't for three songs on TSC, it wouldn't even be up there (kinda like the S/T), but god damn it does Mordecai/Reaction/Shevanel Take II hits me so fucking hard every time. I still think it's one of the best runs of songs from the band. The perfect blend of absolute guttural rage and complete blissful respite. I also have to say that Parallax I has grown on me so much over the years. Initially I wasn't into it in the least, it was even below the S/T. But with the second and full album releasing, combining the two, among my own changing preferences and likes/dislikes, it's quite the EP. Then listening to the two albums together just put it to the top with II.

I don't think anything will ever beat Colors simply because it has the three songs that got me into them (Informal/Sun/Ants...THE INFORMAL SUN ANTS!...well...Selkies was my first song by them and spurred my interest but I was still waaaay against the growls and just the solo lit the bulb) as well as the nostalgia that goes along with that. But it's still the only album I'll sit through without ever thinking "is it close to ending?" at any point at all and when it does, I both know it, and still think, "Damn, I wish there was more". It's quite the paradox because if it DID continue, I'd certainly have that thought of "is it close to ending?" and yet... I'm a greedy-ass human. I'm also a greedy ass-human.

All this said, there really isn't an album I dislike. S/T is tough to get through now that I've begun to slowly move away from the more truly hardcore and stripped-down music like that. It's really just "my favorite to least favorite". 

ED: Ariich, do you consider Parallax to be one full album, or do you just not like "I" enough to rank it? I'm genuinely interested because at one point I wouldn't have ranked it.

[ariich]

I always listen to them separately, and I don't think I is nearly as good as II (though it's still solid).

[mikemangioy]

Guys, how about we take a minute to try to understand the story going on in Coma Ecliptic? Here are my theories:

Node:
This could be two things - it's either the protagonist describing how he doesn't like his current life or it's like Goodbye To Everything, which is set at the end of the story.

The Coma Machine:
A pretty obvious description of the guy entering the coma

Dim Ignition:
I don't have a very clear idea, but it could be about the beginning of the man's journey through his past life, with "gather the dwellers" meaning that he now can see how many past lives he's lived in.

Famine Wolf:
Tommy said it's about a world of cannibals - Seems to be that everything is extinct but man, so people now eat each other to survive. There's a slight vegan vibe in the lyrics too.

King Redeem/Queen Serene:
The acoustic part I think is more about the "transition" between one life and the other, whilst the song itself seems to be about a deformed mankind, with no eyes, a fast heart and things like that. Also possibly in the sea. ("Breathe underwater, swim without limbs" - Option Oblivion has a few references to past songs, why not this?)

Turn On The Darkness:
Likely about an ever-dark and deserted world, where a few people wander around, good and bad. The first part of the song is the bad people, and then there's good folks, represented by Paul's verse.

The Ectopic Stroll:
I see this as a mid-coma interruption by some random doctor, and the guy wanting to go back in the coma really bad. The word "Ectopic" also fits this because it means " An abnormal location or position of an organ or a body part ", like if the guy was so getting used to the coma that he finds it abnormal to be back in the real world.

Rapid Calm:
I think that the guy realises that he has to make a choice, whether to stay in the coma (velvet lever) or live on his normal life (golden lever), because the "machine is crumbling". At the end of the song he decides to do OOOONE LAST SEAAAAAAARCH. (Note the couple of lyrical references to Turn On The Darkness and Famine Wolf, possibly meaning that he's undecided between those two worlds)

Memory Palace:
The guy has a sum-up of his previous lives before him, but he's undecided in what to do. (I did not i did not want to come back.. I did not... take me back)

Option Oblivion:
I think that he decides to give up on the coma, and pulls the golden lever.

Life In Velvet:
He realises that the life he didn't like in the beginning was just another coma, and that the whole journey never actually happened,  as he wakes up in a sunny, beautiful and comforting world. But then he dies, and he ends up living in velvet anyways.

I have no clue if this is right, but it seems to make sense to me at least 

[kaos2900]

Awesome show by BTBAM last night! The set was the same as the one listed a few pages back. We missed the Contortionist and I was not impressed by Animals as Leaders. Very talented but very boring. Anyway, this was my 4th BTBAM show and it was by far the best. The band was super tight and seemed to have the most fun of any of the past shows I've seen.

[Randaran]

I have a little over a week until I go see them in Norfolk. I already saw them in Asheville back in April, and there are only a few repeat songs between the shows. My only concern is the setlist; there are two versions. One has Prequel as the last song of the main set, and a Queen cover as the encore. The other removes both in favor of a White Walls encore. I'm really conflicted on which show I want; on the one hand, WW is awesome, but I've already seen it live. But the other option is almost as good, and I imagine that Prequel especially would be amazing live.

I'll be happy as long as I get Ants. Easily a top 5 BTBAM song.

[hefdaddy42]

Now beginning my first listen of the new album.

First track is reminiscent of Porcupine Tree so far.

[hefdaddy42]

Holy crap, that was incredible!

Obviously, further listening is required, but at first listen, I would venture to say this is one of my favorite albums from BTBAM!

[FlyingBIZKIT]

Great to see Coma Ecliptic is getting such great reception around here. 

[fadetoblackdude7]

I always listen to them separately, and I don't think I is nearly as good as II (though it's still solid).

I think Parallax I is pretty weak, with the exception of Specular Reflection (which is one of my favs). The other 2 tracks are just kinda meh for me.

[TioJorge]

Man, I love it all; but that's exactly how I was when it first came out. Over time though it grew immensely for me, it's just that it's still only part of a larger album and the fact it's separate and three songs makes it a weird one to rank unless you combine them. I usually don't even listen to them together unless I've got some serious time to kill but conceptually I definitely view it as one big concept.

[Scorpion]

So... I didn't think it would ever happen, but Colors is no longer my favourite BTBAM album. CE now holds that spot.

[TioJorge]

Dayuuum!

[Zantera]

I'm also really loving CE but I wouldn't go that far. I think with any band, it's easy to call something your favorite during that "new" phase, but to me, the most important opinion is the long lasting one. Colors for example, has been my favorite for years, and I've had maybe 4-5 years of listening to it, enjoying it. A few weeks of a new album (no matter how good it is) can't top that instantly, and it's also too early to tell how much I will enjoy that album in 4-5 years from now. But with that said, I do think CE makes a great case for being better than the last two, at least I'm enjoying the "new" phase more than I did with TGM or Parallax II.

[Scorpion]

See, I can understand that point of view but I disagree.

Because the rankings aren't meant to be eternal, they just capture how I feel at a certain moment. And while that is certainly subject to change in the future (though I have a feeling that it won't), at the moment, CE is the one that I enjoy more, so it currently holds the top spot.

It would be different if I were making, say, my Top 50 of all time. Then, yeah, I would probably go with what you said.

[XB0BX]

I'm trying to get into BTBAM. Love the new album, but was always turned off by how cut and paste the Colours album was. Seems like they came up with 200 melodic ideas for the album, threw them into a blender, arbitrarily cut them into 7 minute sections, titled the sections, added some lyrics and called it an album. No rime or reason for any of their transitions, and more or less impossible to tell the songs apart.

At least, that's the impression I got based on a few listens. Can someone confirm that the songs do start to make more sense over time?

Shocked by how... non-cut and paste the new album is. CE resolved all the faults I found in the Colours album. Love it. Surprisingly tame, almost DT and Porcupine Tree-esque in places.

[Zantera]

I think BTBAM has pretty much always been like that. Maybe less so on the first two albums, but ever since they went prog, their "take" on prog is in many ways defined by the songs not having any structures and being more like a continuous journey rather than having verses and choruses. As far as I'm concerned, the new album is no different. Either you like their style or you don't I guess.

[jammindude]

I'm trying to get into BTBAM. Love the new album, but was always turned off by how cut and paste the Colours album was. Seems like they came up with 200 melodic ideas for the album, threw them into a blender, arbitrarily cut them into 7 minute sections, titled the sections, added some lyrics and called it an album. No rime or reason for any of their transitions, and more or less impossible to tell the songs apart.

At least, that's the impression I got based on a few listens. Can someone confirm that the songs do start to make more sense over time?

Shocked by how... non-cut and paste the new album is. CE resolved all the faults I found in the Colours album. Love it. Surprisingly tame, almost DT and Porcupine Tree-esque in places.

It's always going to sound that way, but there are repeating themes.   One thing I started to notice is things like (in the first song in particular) there were different riffs played over the same backbeat.   Sometimes the drums would recall a pattern, but the riff would have a different take on the same idea. 

But at the end of the day, it's more about "music" than "songs"...and there is a big difference.   It's not really "song oriented"...but then again, was Miles Davis?    I mean, it's just a matter of exposing yourself to different approaches.   Sometimes new ideas hit us from so far out in left field that it takes time to adjust...but often times, people don't have the patience for such things.    It took me over a year to "get" Colors...but I kept coming back because I could tell that there were a) really cool ideas in there and b) there was a method to it....a thought process that I simply wasn't accustomed to.    Once I stopped looking for "a song" and realized that I was, in fact, enjoying "the music", I stopped worrying about trying to focus on something that the band was not trying to do. 

[ZKX-2099]

If you're trying to think of what a song should be you probably won't enjoy it too much.

Also TGM is still the best.

[XB0BX]

I'm not the only one who sees how DT-esque the new album is, right?

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I'm not the only one who sees how DT-esque the new album is, right?

Is that good or bad?

And personally, I think Turn on the Darkness has a DT influence, and I sure love it 

[Mosh]

I hear a lot of DT influence, but I also hear some Opeth, Queen, Pink Floyd, and all kinds of other things. Still unmistakeable BTBAM though.

I like the album a lot, been playing it in the car regularly. Definitely a grower, at first few listens I enjoyed it but didn't know if I'd come back to it much. It has an addictive quality to it though that makes it hard not to come back to it every couple days. Some nice reprises in there too, I'm always a sucker for that stuff.

[Zantera]

There has definitely been some DT in BTBAM since TGM came out. Personally I feel like BTBAM does more interesting things with that sound than DT though.

[jammindude]

I'm not the only one who sees how DT-esque the new album is, right?

I hear small snippets of DT-esque sections....but it's just one more thing they've thrown in the "blender".   It used to be there were only 3 or 4 things in BTBAM's mix, and now there's more lik 8-10 or more.   They've only become more diverse.   

[me7]

The strongest DT vibe I get from them is during the Scenes from a Memory section of "Swim to the Moon".

What strikes me as new in this album are the Pink Floyd resemblances. Never noticed anything like that in their previous albums.

[pain of occupation]

they've kinda gotten a touch more DTesque with every successive album since Alaska. could probably even say since the very beginning.

but really the most outright DTesque songs have gotta be Astral Body and Memory Palace.
...and now that BIZKIT mentions, ya, maybe Turn On The Dark; I'm gonna go spin it and further consider.

[TioJorge]

I've not felt a DT presence, but I know what people mean by it. More prog-oriented doesn't necessarily equate to sounding like DT to me. I love DT, but I just don't like their sound anymore, and BTBAM is a far cry away from that I think. Again though, I get the gist of the meaning behind saying it. I can kind of see it on Memory Palace but that's probably also why it's my least favorite on the album; I don't dislike it, but about halfway through I start to become a little bored and the song meanders a smidgen.

If anything, I think they're starting to sound like the Opeth of their last few growl albums. Option Oblivion, right when those first notes hit, smacked me with an Opeth vibe right off the bat. That's still kind of an odd comparison I think, but it's closer than DT in my opinion. The thought is still there though: more prog, less hardcore metal. But BTBAM makes a great blend of the two genres and I think it's even more balanced than on albums like Parallax II or TGM.

[XB0BX]

I've not felt a DT presence, but I know what people mean by it. More prog-oriented doesn't necessarily equate to sounding like DT to me. I love DT, but I just don't like their sound anymore, and BTBAM is a far cry away from that I think. Again though, I get the gist of the meaning behind saying it. I can kind of see it on Memory Palace but that's probably also why it's my least favorite on the album; I don't dislike it, but about halfway through I start to become a little bored and the song meanders a smidgen.

If anything, I think they're starting to sound like the Opeth of their last few growl albums. Option Oblivion, right when those first notes hit, smacked me with an Opeth vibe right off the bat. That's still kind of an odd comparison I think, but it's closer than DT in my opinion. The thought is still there though: more prog, less hardcore metal. But BTBAM makes a great blend of the two genres and I think it's even more balanced than on albums like Parallax II or TGM.

The symphonic riff at 2:30 in Node is incredibly DT. Funny that the first 2:30 of that song is incredibly Porcupine Tree..

[fadetoblackdude7]

I finally got around to grabbing the first 2 albums and all I can say is WOW lol

[took_the_time11]

Seeing BTBAM for the first time tonight. Really excited! Also love AAL

[FlyingBIZKIT]

I've not felt a DT presence, but I know what people mean by it. More prog-oriented doesn't necessarily equate to sounding like DT to me. I love DT, but I just don't like their sound anymore, and BTBAM is a far cry away from that I think. Again though, I get the gist of the meaning behind saying it. I can kind of see it on Memory Palace but that's probably also why it's my least favorite on the album; I don't dislike it, but about halfway through I start to become a little bored and the song meanders a smidgen.

If anything, I think they're starting to sound like the Opeth of their last few growl albums. Option Oblivion, right when those first notes hit, smacked me with an Opeth vibe right off the bat. That's still kind of an odd comparison I think, but it's closer than DT in my opinion. The thought is still there though: more prog, less hardcore metal. But BTBAM makes a great blend of the two genres and I think it's even more balanced than on albums like Parallax II or TGM.

Yeah Option Oblivion reminds me a lot of Opeth

[seasonsinthesky]

The symphonic riff at 2:30 in Node is incredibly DT. Funny that the first 2:30 of that song is incredibly Porcupine Tree..

Gotta say I hear it more as The Pineapple Thief — who also sound like PT, true, but Bruce Soord and Tommy have nearly identical singing voices, especially when they stack harmonies!

[mikemangioy]

Spilled the beans on my new band in Buffalo today- Nova Collective featuring myself and Richard Henshall from HAKEN..more info soon!

    

[ZKX-2099]

Dan is trying to take Portnoy's crown for endless side projects.