"Build Me Up, Break Me Down" is the "You Not Me" of ADTOE

[ZKX-2099]

I fucking love You Not Me..... That groovy guitar riff, the solo bits. Solid as a fuck.

Build Me Up, Break Me Down on the other hand... I'm kinda neutral on that tune. Decent verses. But the chorus is so predictably generic I was able to sing along on the first listen. Ain't nothing wrong with being catchy, but this chorus is generic and boring. But the post chorus bridge with the screaming vocals is a cool touch that helps a lot.

The instrumental/unison section is "nice" at best. I thought that it was going to lead into a powerful solo or something, but it just went into the chorus again. Feels kinda half assed to me.

And that outro goes on for about 30 seconds too long.

[emindead]

I completely agree with the OP.

It not only challenges YNM but The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun.

Wow, and what do those two have in common?

That, to me, they are in the bottom pit of DT's song catalogue.

[Nihil-Morari]

I completely agree with the OP.

It not only challenges YNM but The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun.

Wow, and what do those two have in common?

That, to me, they are in the bottom pit of DT's song catalogue.

Ah, I thought so. I mean, it's the only thing that those could have in common.

Not that I agree with that. Personally I think TOWHTSTS is one of the best things DT recorded pre I&W. (I can't remember a Majesty demo come close, or any other demo, for that matter, and I'm not counting the original version of ACOS, cause that wins, obviously)

But carry on.

[Liberation]

I'm just confused a bit because I hadn't meant anything bad.

Good, neither did I.  So, would you like to answer my questions/comments?

Didn't have that much time yesterday but I can try now...

It's not "easily and without question the worst".

Thanks for not reading the very next thing I posted, "IMHO."

Ok, I admit I overlooked that at first, and it did sound a bit weird, but it's my fault I guess because this changes the meaning.

It has the same rights as every other song on the album

I have no idea what this means.

Meaning some people, just like You Not Me (which I also find not even 1/3 as bad as most people say, it's just a decent catchy song), treat it like it doesn't even deserve to be called good for whatever reasons (I don't want to sound like I'm stereotyping but I can't help feeling it's because it's the only not-at-all prog song on the album). Which I find annoying to say the least, because like I've already said, it's far more original and clearly had more effort put into it than A Rite of Passage which got a much fairer response.

and it's not any less DT.

It is to me.  There is nothing distinctively DT about it.  It is a song (again, like I mentioned, like Forsaken) that could have been done by anyone.  Specifically, this song sounds like it could have been on one of JLB's last two solo albums.  Both of which I love, but if I want to hear that, I will listen to them.  When I want DT, I want something different.

Well, I'd call that simply experimenting. Some riffs definitely sound DT to the core and except from the screamed chorus (which is new done _like this_ but not new for DT) the vocals are basically trademark JLB style. The rest is mostly something new, but there is honestly nothing I'd call out of place. And I really feel ADTOE NEEDS this song, otherwise it would explode from an overload of complexity imo, as most of the other songs take much more time to get into (for me at least, but most of them really isn't that easily accessible).

That they explore new territory (which is always a good thing) doesn't mean it's not DT - and unlike A Rite of Passage, which was a cool but rather predictable and not very original heavy/prog metal song, Build Me Up, Break Me Down is quite unique and remarkable.

I see nothing unique or remarkable, and I see no new territory.

The intro, the chorus, the totally different way of making a single-like song (fairly simple structure and catchy, without the obligatory solo section, but with a TON of details and different layers of sound instead), the ending (which is one of my favourite moments of the album, it's incredibly dramatic), and in general I'd say it's hands down the bravest single-oriented song DT has ever done, which _really_ moves out of their comfort zone (since, let's face it, pretty much all other single-oriented DT songs just followed the formula of a heavy/thrash metal song with more technicality and an occasional prog metal section - and I really like most of these, I'm not bashing them, just stating what I think).

And it is a much more straightforward song than most on the album because it doesn't contain any technical/solo parts, but it's in no way simplistic or uninteresting. There's a LOT of awesome detail in the song and they clearly put far more effort into it than "let's just make a modern metal single".

I didn't say it was simplistic and there was no detail, and I didn't accuse them of putting no effort into it or accusing them of trying to make a modern metal single.  What are you talking about?  Why are you putting words in my mouth?  Why are you working so hard to debate me on this?

I'm not putting words in your mouth, just saying what the song is/is not in my opinion?...

[ResultsMayVary]

Build Me Up, Break Me Down >>>>>>>> You Not Me

This.

It's not even a ballpark comparison.

[Jamariquay]

Both songs are fine.

[JPX]

Haven't read everything but I would like to support the OP. BMUBMD is awful.

If you like it cool, but so many weak arguments on here.

Straightforward is fine (As I Am ?!?!) but bland/boring isn't - and the chorus isn't even catchy - it's cliche and amateur at best.

[BlobVanDam]

I completely agree with the OP.

It not only challenges YNM but The Ones Who Helped to Set the Sun.

Wow, and what do those two have in common?

That, to me, they are in the bottom pit of DT's song catalogue.

Ah, I thought so. I mean, it's the only thing that those could have in common.

Not that I agree with that. Personally I think TOWHTSTS is one of the best things DT recorded pre I&W. (I can't remember a Majesty demo come close, or any other demo, for that matter, and I'm not counting the original version of ACOS, cause that wins, obviously)

But carry on.

Being one of the best things pre-IaW isn't mutually exclusive with it being the bottom of the pit of DT though.

Sorry, I had to.

[Nihil-Morari]

I knew it, when I saw that quote in your post, haha.

[ZirconBlue]

fairly simple structure and catchy, without the obligatory solo section, but with a TON of details and different layers of sound instead

There really is a lot more going on in this song than it seems on a casual listen.  I keep noticing cool little parts every time I listen to it.

[KevShmev]

Bump just to say that while still one of the least best songs on ADTOE, it's still highly enjoyable, which is a testament to how strong that record still is.

[Anguyen92]

I don't mind it.  I actually found this to be one of the more enjoyable tracks from ADTOE.  It's also an easy song to sing where I know I can sing it in proper timing.

[Crow]

BMUBMD is infinitely worse than YNM and I could not despise it more than I do.
I still don't think I can even say why I hate it so much and it's objectively better than a lot of their "bad" songs but every time I listen to it it just infuriates me like no other song the band has ever put out.

[?]

After 3 years I still like this song Definitely better than You Not Me.

[Zydar]

Both pretty good songs, but I prefer You Not Me.

[BlobVanDam]

I think I'd slightly prefer BMUBMD, but I don't hate either song at all, and don't think either song is anywhere near as bad as people on DTF say.
Sure, neither would ever make my top 50, but nor would either one make an effective torture method if you were trying to find out where I buried the gold.

I don't even consider it the weakest song on ADTOE. I prefer it to OTBOA, Outcry, BTS, and FFH, so it's right about middle of the pack for me. It doesn't come close to the rest though.

[Sycsa]

I really like YNM. If the third and final chorus were replaced by the YOM chorus, I'd love it.

[ariich]

Cool song, prefer it to YNM, but both are pretty good.

[RoeDent]

I have always loved BMUBMD. I absolutely do not get the hate for it here. The chorus is soaring, and it contains what are surely JLB's highest ever recorded notes.

[hefdaddy42]

It remains the weakest track on the album by a WIDE margin for me.  So in that sense, the comparison is valid.

[KevShmev]

Okay, but that would be like deciding that the least best song on I&W is that by a wide margin and then saying it's that album's You Not Me.

In other words, all least best songs are not created equal.

[hefdaddy42]

Okay, but that would be like deciding that the least best song on I&W is that by a wide margin and then saying it's that album's You Not Me.

In other words, all least best songs are not created equal.

I know, but that particular comparison would still be valid.

[Tick]

I like the tune a lot and much more than "You Not Me"
Its a great tune to crank when driving!

[Dublagent66]

I like BMU, BMD in some strange way.  Same with YNM.  Neither of them are that great.  Slightly below average I'd say.

BMU, BMD >>>>>>> YNM   

[Madman Shepherd]

Both seem to be the most contentious on each album, both are the second track, and in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with either of them. 

Kickass rock songs.  They don't reach the epicness of Metropolis or IT but I wouldn't want an album full of those anyway. 

[Zook]

YNM is cheesy fun while BMU, BMD is an overly long snoozefest. I just listened to it again after who knows how long, and yeah, it's not that great.

[Mosh]

Can't stand this song. I remember listening to ADTOE for the first time and being very worried about the rest of the album after getting such a huge dip in quality after OTBOA. It doesn't have the cringy things that YNM has, but it's much more boring and generic. I get they were trying to write a straightforward modern alt rock/metal track and I hope they never attempt that again.

The YNM comparison is pretty interesting though, actually. I think they have similar feels, heavy riffing combined with a catchy chorus, the string hits in the choruses, the simple form. They're both sort of album anomalies too.

[jammindude]

I don't get the comparison at all.   BMUBMD is one of my favorites from ADTOE.   Top 3 I'd say.   YNM is just an uninteresting clunker.  My least favorite on a halfway decent and underappreciated album.

[BlobVanDam]

YNM is cheesy fun while BMU, BMD is an overly long snoozefest. I just listened to it again after who knows how long, and yeah, it's not that great.

For all of the criticisms you could make of BMUBMD, I wouldn't call it overly long. It's a pretty concise song even as far as DT's shorter structured songs go.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

YNM is cheesy fun while BMU, BMD is an overly long snoozefest. I just listened to it again after who knows how long, and yeah, it's not that great.

Swap those descriptions and we're golden. Neither song is that great though but I can see the comparison of them being the least best on their respective albums by a pretty decent margin.

[JiM-Xtreme]

To say BMU, BMD is the You Not Me of ADTOE is being wayyyy too kind.

[Zook]

YNM is cheesy fun while BMU, BMD is an overly long snoozefest. I just listened to it again after who knows how long, and yeah, it's not that great.

For all of the criticisms you could make of BMUBMD, I wouldn't call it overly long. It's a pretty concise song even as far as DT's shorter structured songs go.

It feels very long.

[SuperTaco]

I've had moments where I've loved this song, and moments where I've sorta despised it. It has aged well though, and thus it recently went back into my shuffle.