DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
General => General Music Discussion => Topic started by: Nick on February 12, 2014, 08:03:03 AM
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Old one here: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=5691.0
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Parallax 2 is the best them
Also first!
Also, self-titled is amazing.
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Future Sequence > everything
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Nah, Colors is still the best. They will probably never top it, but if they keep making albums as good as Parallax II, I won't mind.
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lolfacts.
I'll still always love TSC the most, but I love their recent work just as much for totally different reasons.
Speaking of... I would really love me some new BTBAM in the next couple years.
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I'm seeing them in Charlotte. Who else is going?
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Of all bands you could travel for, you pick this one? You have disappointed me.
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BTBAM are fantastic.
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why did we need a new thread
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Because the old one was huge.
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Because the old one was huge.
And you know what they say about threads that are huge :zydar:
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Because the old one was huge.
And you know what they say about threads that are huge :zydar:
They have huge feet? ???
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Of all bands you could travel for, you pick this one? You have disappointed me.
It's 90 minutes away and on a weekend. If more bands hit Charlotte, Raleigh NC, or Columbia SC I'd go to a lot more concerts.
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I kind of wish this band would stray away from the Colors sound. They seemed to keep changing album to album up until Colors and then it seems like they decided to release slight variations of Colors on the next new releases. I get that they may feel they found their sound and style but hearing it over and over again on the last few releases has made me lose a lot of interest.
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One song I really love that I don't often see much love for is Swim to the Moon. I know many people often describe it as "long for the sake of being long", and while that might be right, I just think it's such a fun song, and I really do love all of the middle section, even if a lot of it are random parts. It's easily my favorite from The Great Misdirect, and probably in my top5 BTBAM songs. Love that xylophone as well.
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I never got the hate for Swim to the Moon, even before I learned it was part of the Parallax storyline.
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It's just a big ball of nothing to me personally. When I saw it live the crowd energy died to absolutely zero when they played it except for a small group in the front that headbanged to everything.
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I wish they had death vocals instead of core vocals.
I REALLY wish they had death vocals instead of core vocals.
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Tommy is awesome, though I do kind of miss his more varied harshes from the self-titled.
His incredible clean singing makes up for it, though.
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One song I really love that I don't often see much love for is Swim to the Moon. I know many people often describe it as "long for the sake of being long", and while that might be right, I just think it's such a fun song, and I really do love all of the middle section, even if a lot of it are random parts. It's easily my favorite from The Great Misdirect, and probably in my top5 BTBAM songs. Love that xylophone as well.
Agreed. The only complaint I have about it is that the ending is a bit abrupt.
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One song I really love that I don't often see much love for is Swim to the Moon. I know many people often describe it as "long for the sake of being long", and while that might be right, I just think it's such a fun song, and I really do love all of the middle section, even if a lot of it are random parts. It's easily my favorite from The Great Misdirect, and probably in my top5 BTBAM songs. Love that xylophone as well.
I love Swim To The Moon. It might not be my favorite, but it's probably a top five. It maintains my interest throughout its entire run-time, much moreso than some of their shorter songs at least.
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Fossil Genera > the rest of their discography
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lol
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i wouldnt rule out fossil genera nor swim to the moon as my fav BTBAM song.
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I absolutely love TGM for the most part (especially Mirrors), but I still think it pales in comparison to TSC and was before they really got into their own after Colors kind of knocked their world upside down.
I don't think anything will ever trump TSC for me though..it's too perfect a blend of the beautiful and macabre. I know I'm definitely in the minority on that one though. Which is fine. :azn:
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i got into them thru TSC. hadnt heard of em til seeing commercials on television for Alaska when it was coming out. they seemed interesting enough, so i YouTube'd some live isht and went to buy the album that week. when i seen the copy of TSC came with a bonus live DVD, i bought that instead. right album at the right time for me. :metal
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Fossil Genera > the rest of their discography
(https://www.picz.ge/img/s4/1206/12/f/f395c2fda459.gif)
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Fossil Genera > the rest of their discography
Don't know if I'd go quite that far...but it's certainly a top 5 all time BTABAM song in my book. That song is AMAZING!!!
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I felt like Parallax II was a step in the right direction. Still "progressive" but with much shorter songs.
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I don't know that that's really the case, four of the songs on P2 were 9+ minutes.
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I felt like Parallax II was a step in the right direction. Still "progressive" but with much shorter songs.
I like the "more clean vocals" part. They seem to be bringing in more harmonies. If I had one complaint with Colors (which is brilliant), it's the monotony of the core vocals. It feels like about an 80/20 split on Colors. On Parallax, it feels more like 60/40. I hope they keep going in that direction. I don't want to see the harsh vocals go away all together, but I would rather hear them as an occasional thing to "color" ;) the rest of the music.
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Live in-studio recording DVD for Parallax confirmed.
https://richardthinks.org/2014/02/12/interview-dan-briggs-of-between-the-buried-me/
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Live in-studio recording DVD for Parallax confirmed.
https://richardthinks.org/2014/02/12/interview-dan-briggs-of-between-the-buried-me/
Best part...
I’ve got a record with one of my other bands, Orbs, that we recorded this past summer that’s being mixed in the upcoming weeks. I’m pretty excited about it, I’m hopeful it’ll be out by the summer.
2014 Just got awesome.
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This DVD will be amazing. Colors live is still one DVD I constantly go back to so looking forward to this.
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I like Orbs, and Dan's fusion group Trioscapes. Looking forward to the DVD also, sounds awesome.
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ya, pretty ecited bout the live in-studio AND the new Orbs album...Orbs was my 2010 AOTY, until I discovered Shaolin Death Squad this year and made the appropriate retroactive changes.
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So, is that DVD not going to be a live concert DVD? I'm a little confused.
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It will be live, but it will not be a concert. It's like what Oceansize did with Frames, or Trivium did with In Waves (though I don't think they did the whole thing).
edit: Also, just read the interview. Really good stuff, cool to see Dan mention DT, and that Trioscapes have another album due soon.
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I love in studio live performances. Bands should do it more and release with the cd, like St Anger.
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...cool to see Dan mention DT...
ya, i tripped out a bit on that...ive thought about before, and the impression ive gotten is Briggs would fit in perfect on this forum as "once a DT fan but not so much no more". hell, he probably IS one of us.
I love in studio live performances. Bands should do it more and release with the cd, like St Anger.
this, but like, with good albums n junk.
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(https://assets.blabbermouth.net.s3.amazonaws.com/media/betweentheburieddvd.jpg)
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My only wish is that they were filming the Charlotte show. Simply by my presence there it will be their best show ever.
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Colors is awesome, but I can't help cracking up whenever Tommy growls "WUBSESSION!"
:lol
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Hopefully this DVD was getting recorded early March, I'm looking forward to it.
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They are on tour now Kade. Early April is probably the earliest.
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Their tour aside, aren't they recording this new DVD in studio?
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Yeah, it's an in studio performance of the Parallax II
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They are on tour now Kade. Early April is probably the earliest.
Damn.
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Going to see them in Athens. Can't wait!
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I saw them live for the first time on Wednesday. Very good show, but I have to attribute some of that to the, what I assume is a rather odd setlist. Setlist spoilers follow for anyone who wants to be surprised.
Foam Born (A)
(B) Decade of Statues
Obfuscation
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts To Rest
Autumn
Selkies
Bloom
Swim to the Moon (the last half of the song)
Silent Flight Parliament
Goodbye to Everything Reprise
Sun of Nothing (encore)
Selkies + Obfuscation + Lay Your Ghosts to Rest + any part of Swim to the Moon = omfg
I was pretty expectant for them to play Mordecai, Ants of the Sky, White Walls or a couple of other songs that I didn't particular care to hear. Okay, Mordecai would've been cool but I'm glad I got what I got.
Intronaut was also pretty awesome. Deafheaven was largely boring and The Kindred, from what I saw, was pretty fun.
Intronaut and BTBAM were easily the best of the night.
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Their tour aside, aren't they recording this new DVD in studio?
Which is why they won't do the new DVD until after the tour.
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An in-studio DVD seems pretty stupid to me. Sure, you can see them play any song live, but usually live DVDs have a few things that bootlegs don't. Namely, good audio, more than one camera angle, and a physical product that you can put into a PS3 and output on a 40 inch Sony TV with a massively high-quality Sony sound system, while still keeping the atmosphere of a live show.
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eh whatever. I don't need to see a crowd to appreciate a live performance. I want to see a good quality video of the band playing their music and that's what this is.
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Yeah, I'm a big fan of the live in the studio thing.
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As long as theres an option somewhere to watch Blake the whole time, I'm happy.
That would seriously be so beneficial to drummers everywhere.
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As long as theres an option somewhere to watch Blake the whole time, I'm happy.
That would seriously be so beneficial to drummers everywhere.
Definitely! I watch the Obfuscation, PTTS, and Parallax EP videos of him :metal
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Yeah, those Parallax videos are insane.
I think the live in studio thing is pretty cool, so long as it is actually "live", without many overdubs. That would kind of ruin the whole thing.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR1AisSht5Y
Something like this, of course with better camera angles :P as well as better video and audio quality.
I'm so excited for this DVD :metal
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Just saw them in Athens last night. My first concert ever, and BTBAM did spectacular .
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ive been meaning to ask for a while what everyone thinks we'll get from these guys as far as a change-up goes with the next album(s)...
I was thinking i'd love to see them add a gues spot / extra member for the next record. would love to hear them include a violin or something to the mix and not just for a little moment here or there. I might be subconsciously leaning towards violin cuz of my love for unexpecT, but really it could be anything; strings, brass, whatever.
anyway, i dont think that's gonna happen, but based on this excerpt from a recent interview with Danny boy Briggs, I have a feeling theyre about to shake things up and change the direction of the band moving forward:
Coming back to BTBAM, ‘Parallax II’ was out in mid-2012, so it’s been almost two years. What’s the plan for the next one?
I’ve got so much on my plate right now. I’m in the middle of mixing a record for my band Orbs, and in the first week of April I go into the studio with my other band Trioscapes which is a fusion group. We’re going to recording our next album, and I’m going on tour with that band in May. BTBAM might be doing something in the summer and will probably start writing in the fall. I’ve already started writing and I probably have 3 or 4 things that have started to get a little bit developed that haven’t been shared yet. We’ll do that closer to the end of summer. You need time to decompress out of this whole Parallax world before you really settle into starting something now. I feel like it’s still pretty fresh with us, and the stuff that at least I’ve been writing is different. Doing the concept record format was so great and I’m really curious to try and take that next step further. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Who, the ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘Tommy’ records. I love the rock opera format. It’s so cool. The stuff that I’ve been writing is kind of more over-the-top super big thematic, and I think we’re really interested to take some leaps and bounds in different directions. We’ve done this thing pretty solidly for a couple of records and we’ve got to see what else is out there.
interesting stuff. no matter what they do, im confident theyre gonna kill it. :metal
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I seriously think they have grown by leaps and bounds over the last few albums since Colors. I would like to see them continue to explore more dynamics. Colors is an amazing piece of work, but IMO it does not offer as much variation of dynamics as TGM and the Parallax albums do. I think they could take it to the next step if they were to do more of a 50/50 (or maybe even 60/40) mix in favor of the cleaner vocal style. I love cookie monster vocals when they are done well and "peppered' in to the mix. But when you have too much of them, everything becomes too monotonous. Clean vocals offer a FAR greater variation of styles and tones. Cookie monster vocals are a singular tone, and they ONLY express anger, pain and frustration. They can be done very well...but they are absolutely one-dimensional.
I would never want them to get rid of the harsh vocals altogether...but I think more clean vocals would bring more variations to the sound.
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Just because Tommy's vocals on the last few albums have been monotone doesn't mean that they always have been, or that harsh vocals always have to be. Just listen to the self-titled.
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Just because Tommy's vocals on the last few albums have been monotone doesn't mean that they always have been, or that harsh vocals always have to be. Just listen to the self-titled.
Tommy's vocals are not very good on the self titled debut.
The riffs however, are crushing. And more interesting than most of the stuff on the Parallax albums.
On the topic of dynamics though, The Great Misdirect is my favorite BTBAM album for a reason. That beautiful clean opening track Mirrors, followed by the grandiose progressive death metal anthem Obfuscation, with that incredible bass driven solo section that grows and grows with each meter. Right into Disease, Injury, Madness, with its crushing, fast paced riffs that are very reminiscent of their earlier work, and those mellowed out bass parts, and that big rock and roll extended guitar solo, falling back into the brutal death metal onslaught that takes us to end of the track and into Fossil Genera, which is essentially a marathon of riff after riff after riff before coming up to a huge epic closing segment that could end any adventure movie so perfectly. Desert of Song bringing it back down with a fairly relaxed, completely clean vocal ballad-y type jam, and the 18 minute Dream Theater tribute known as Swim To The Moon.
The entire album dips and climbs and soars with its dynamic diversity, even within each song. Which is also why i think the album works better than Colors or the Parallax albums. Each song is a strong piece that stands alone, but works well with the other songs to form a great album, as opposed to a bunch of different songs that were intended to just be part of a much larger body of work. Sometimes, that just isnt as effective.
If they were to make another album in the style of TGM, with those dynamics, it would be a real winner.
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The Great Misdirect is probably my least favorite BTBAM album. :lol
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On the topic of dynamics though, The Great Misdirect is my favorite BTBAM album for a reason. That beautiful clean opening track Mirrors, followed by the grandiose progressive death metal anthem Obfuscation, with that incredible bass driven solo section that grows and grows with each meter. Right into Disease, Injury, Madness, with its crushing, fast paced riffs that are very reminiscent of their earlier work, and those mellowed out bass parts, and that big rock and roll extended guitar solo, falling back into the brutal death metal onslaught that takes us to end of the track and into Fossil Genera, which is essentially a marathon of riff after riff after riff before coming up to a huge epic closing segment that could end any adventure movie so perfectly. Desert of Song bringing it back down with a fairly relaxed, completely clean vocal ballad-y type jam, and the 18 minute Dream Theater tribute known as Swim To The Moon.
The entire album dips and climbs and soars with its dynamic diversity, even within each song. Which is also why i think the album works better than Colors or the Parallax albums. Each song is a strong piece that stands alone, but works well with the other songs to form a great album, as opposed to a bunch of different songs that were intended to just be part of a much larger body of work. Sometimes, that just isnt as effective.
If they were to make another album in the style of TGM, with those dynamics, it would be a real winner.
This is the perfect explanation for why I love TGM and why it's my favorite. I don't necessarily want them to make another album in this style but I wouldn't complain if they did. :)
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TGM is definitely underrated. I'd say it's at least on par with Future Sequence.
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Just got back from seeing them live. They could have charged me double and I'd still be happy.
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On the topic of dynamics though, The Great Misdirect is my favorite BTBAM album for a reason. That beautiful clean opening track Mirrors, followed by the grandiose progressive death metal anthem Obfuscation, with that incredible bass driven solo section that grows and grows with each meter. Right into Disease, Injury, Madness, with its crushing, fast paced riffs that are very reminiscent of their earlier work, and those mellowed out bass parts, and that big rock and roll extended guitar solo, falling back into the brutal death metal onslaught that takes us to end of the track and into Fossil Genera, which is essentially a marathon of riff after riff after riff before coming up to a huge epic closing segment that could end any adventure movie so perfectly. Desert of Song bringing it back down with a fairly relaxed, completely clean vocal ballad-y type jam, and the 18 minute Dream Theater tribute known as Swim To The Moon.
The entire album dips and climbs and soars with its dynamic diversity, even within each song. Which is also why i think the album works better than Colors or the Parallax albums. Each song is a strong piece that stands alone, but works well with the other songs to form a great album, as opposed to a bunch of different songs that were intended to just be part of a much larger body of work. Sometimes, that just isnt as effective.
Could not have said it better.
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The Great Misdirect is probably my least favorite BTBAM album. :lol
Were you a crack baby? Totally serious. :lol
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As much as I love Parallax (especially Part 2), I have to say that I'm shocked that anyone would not think TGM isn't one of their most amazing pieces of work. It's certainly their most diverse...but maybe that's exactly what polarizes people.
Fossil Genera is seriously in my top 5 BTBAM songs. What a freaking AMAZING song that is. If I had to show a newb one example of what made BTBAM so much more than the "metal core" band that they sometimes appear to be...this would be the song.
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Fossil Genera is amazing.
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The thing with TGM is that it's their most random album by far. Some of the criticism towards the band in general is that there are no structures and that the songs move between parts that doesn't belong together, and in that aspect, TGM is the "worst" album. Most of the songs (pretty much all except for Mirrors and Desert of Song) are very disjointed and structure-wise it's very much all over the place. While I do like the album myself (would probably say it's their third best), it's not weird that some people dislike it.
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The thing with TGM is that it's their most random album by far. Some of the criticism towards the band in general is that there are no structures and that the songs move between parts that doesn't belong together, and in that aspect, TGM is the "worst" album. Most of the songs (pretty much all except for Mirrors and Desert of Song) are very disjointed and structure-wise it's very much all over the place. While I do like the album myself (would probably say it's their third best), it's not weird that some people dislike it.
To me, the potpourri of styles is certainly more random than anything that they had done before...but I find the individual songs to be *A LOT* more structured than Colors. Even though I have grown to love Colors...with the exception of Veridian/White Walls...I cannot make heads or tails of that album. The first 6 tracks don't sound like songs to me at all. It sounds more like a suite of 20 different two-minute ideas put in a blender.
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I love Desert Of Song and Mirrors, but the rest of the album is pretty forgettable, even if I do enjoy it while listening to it.
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but I find the individual songs to be *A LOT* more structured than Colors.
Agreed.
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The thing with TGM is that it's their most random album by far. Some of the criticism towards the band in general is that there are no structures and that the songs move between parts that doesn't belong together, and in that aspect, TGM is the "worst" album. Most of the songs (pretty much all except for Mirrors and Desert of Song) are very disjointed and structure-wise it's very much all over the place. While I do like the album myself (would probably say it's their third best), it's not weird that some people dislike it.
To me, the potpourri of styles is certainly more random than anything that they had done before...but I find the individual songs to be *A LOT* more structured than Colors. Even though I have grown to love Colors...with the exception of Veridian/White Walls...I cannot make heads or tails of that album. The first 6 tracks don't sound like songs to me at all. It sounds more like a suite of 20 different two-minute ideas put in a blender.
You know, I was getting ready to disagree with you here, but you're right. Colors flows much better as an album, while TGM flows better on an individual song basis (save for Swim to the Moon). Maybe that's part of why I hold Colors at such a higher level than TGM. Once you've heard TGM, you pretty much know what you got. All the songs are quite set up in what they are. You have the two prog-metal epics in Obfuscation and Swim to the Moon, the more subdued opener and Desert of Song, and then the longer form tracks that seem like 6 songs crammed down into 2.
But Colors, holy piss. That album is like getting hit in the face with a box of chocolates. You don't know what you're going to get, and it hurts a little bit but it's chocolate so fuck yeah. Yeah, it seems disjointed as all holy fuck (and it is), but there's something so massively endearing about it. Listening to that album, it's almost like a badge of honor. Seriously, People should walk around with little stickers that say "I can listen to Colors while actually being able to follow it." It's like packing up your friends and going on a road trip. You have no idea where you're going, but you're going to have the best god damn time.
Really, I think that's the ultimate key. Colors is so adventurous, not to say that TGM isn't. But, TGM has more of a "trip to Grandma's" feel to it. You know where you're going, and fuck yeah it's going to be great, but there's something that can't be replicated when it comes to the spontaneity and the pure off-the-cuff feeling of not knowing what's happening. I think with Parallax they did a really good job of mixing those two ideas. There's a ton of great adventurous stuff going on with the random breaks and left-field breakdowns, but there's still enough structure to each individual song that you can latch onto it and remember what the catchiest parts are.
Alright, that's enough obtuse simile. Fuck yeah BTBAM.
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The thing with TGM is that it's their most random album by far. Some of the criticism towards the band in general is that there are no structures and that the songs move between parts that doesn't belong together, and in that aspect, TGM is the "worst" album. Most of the songs (pretty much all except for Mirrors and Desert of Song) are very disjointed and structure-wise it's very much all over the place. While I do like the album myself (would probably say it's their third best), it's not weird that some people dislike it.
Well, no it's not weird that people who don't like those characteristics don't like the album. But I still find it weird that some people really dislike it but love BTBAM's other albums, when they're all quite a lot like that.
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Usually their disjointed songwriting produces memorable songs. On TGM, it really didn't.
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Usually their disjointed songwriting produces memorable songs. On TGM, it really didn't.
I disagree. I find TGM more memorable than large swathes of Colors and Parallax II. However, I will agree that Colors flows much better as an album even if I find where it flows to be occasionally not worth the trek.
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I've noticed the only really heavy bands I can get into are BTBAM and Opeth... But other bands just don't do it for me, like Periphery, TesseracT, the Safety Fire, Protest the Hero, etc. I can't figure out why, but a BTBAM is just perfect for me. The monotonous vocals somehow appeal to me more than vocals from let's say, Periphery. Maybe I'm just weird.
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I've noticed the only really heavy bands I can get into are BTBAM and Opeth... But other bands just don't do it for me, like Periphery, TesseracT, the Safety Fire, Protest the Hero, etc. I can't figure out why, but a BTBAM is just perfect for me. The monotonous vocals somehow appeal to me more than vocals from let's say, Periphery. Maybe I'm just weird.
That's because most of those bands have terrible vocals. :lol
Tommy may have some monotonous growls (comparatively) but they're still hellishly powerful and effective.
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That's what I'm sayin! There is so much energy in his vocals. He doesn't sound whiney, he sounds like he's pissed (Telos).
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Agreed. He hit a new level of intesity in Telos.
I've noticed the only really heavy bands I can get into are BTBAM and Opeth... But other bands just don't do it for me, like Periphery, TesseracT, the Safety Fire, Protest the Hero, etc. I can't figure out why, but a BTBAM is just perfect for me. The monotonous vocals somehow appeal to me more than vocals from let's say, Periphery. Maybe I'm just weird.
Try some Dillinger.
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Telos is the only song that has ever given me a desire to mosh the fuck out.
And i hate moshing. The vocals on Telos are awesome and totally take the intensity of that song to a whole other level.
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Agreed. He hit a new level of intesity in Telos.
I've noticed the only really heavy bands I can get into are BTBAM and Opeth... But other bands just don't do it for me, like Periphery, TesseracT, the Safety Fire, Protest the Hero, etc. I can't figure out why, but a BTBAM is just perfect for me. The monotonous vocals somehow appeal to me more than vocals from let's say, Periphery. Maybe I'm just weird.
Try some Dillinger.
:tup to Dillinger.
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I've been looking at trying some Between The Buried and Me for quite awhile but haven't came around doing it till now. Any advice on which album to start off with? Just browsing on the internet, it seems to me that Colors is considered to be their best, but I'd like to know what you guys think.
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I'd honestly recommend the Parallax EP. It's really good, plus it's not going to be as hard to take in as most of their full-length offerings.
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Parallax II if ya ask me, definitely their best.
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I would say Parallax II. I love Colors now, but I found it unlistenable at first.
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My biggest piece of advice when getting into BTBAM: If you dont like it at first, dont give up on it!
I could not stand the band at all when I first tried them, and now they are my all time favorite besides Genesis. Just give them a shot until you get used to how ridiculous they are.
Start with Future Sequence. Work your way backwards.
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Agreed. He hit a new level of intesity in Telos.
I've noticed the only really heavy bands I can get into are BTBAM and Opeth... But other bands just don't do it for me, like Periphery, TesseracT, the Safety Fire, Protest the Hero, etc. I can't figure out why, but a BTBAM is just perfect for me. The monotonous vocals somehow appeal to me more than vocals from let's say, Periphery. Maybe I'm just weird.
Try some Dillinger.
Interesting idea. DEP is one of the most ridiculously intense bands on the face of the earth, yet I could totally see someone who likes BTBAM enjoying their later output. Option Paralysis and One of Us is the Killer are both more metal and less pure hardcore punk. The only thing is the sparing use of melody might put people off. There's plenty of awesome melodic moments on both albums, but usually they're scattered between sections of pure "holy shit stop raping my face with a jackhammer" insanity.
God I love that band.
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My biggest piece of advice when getting into BTBAM: If you dont like it at first, dont give up on it!
This is pretty much my mentality when it comes to any band I hear for the first time. I've been trying to expand my music horizons as much as I can ever since I started college a year and a half ago and had great success (since then I got into Tool, Devin Townsend to name a few) but I always find myself wanting to explore more, and BTBAM is one of the last bands that I hear quite often that I haven't tried yet. That said, it looks like I'll give the Parallax duology a try when I get home from class.
Edit: Okay, I've finished listening to the Parllax EP. For a first listen, I thought it was quite good, but I'll definitely need time to fully digest it. But from a first impression, BTBAM looks to be a band that'll definitely grow on me the more I listen to them.
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Okay, I've finished listening to the Parllax EP. For a first listen, I thought it was quite good, but I'll definitely need time to fully digest it. But from a first impression, BTBAM looks to be a band that'll definitely grow on me the more I listen to them.
:tup Their early work is nothing to scoff at either, although it's not nearly as grandiose and "progressive" as their post-Colors material. The self-titled debut is an awesome album.
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Fuck that just Go listen to All Bodies.
You can submit a thank you in reply form.
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All Bodies is top-3 BTBAM material.
And better than Selkies.
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I don't think it would be in my top10 even.
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All Bodies is top-3 BTBAM material.
And better than Selkies.
Hey that's you're opinion.
And it's not wrong.
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I've yet to properly digest all of Alaska. It's their one album that I havent paid as much attention to and hasnt clicked with me at all. I tried to give it a listen last night but I fell asleep (not from boredom, I was just very tired).
All Bodies -> Alaska -> Croakies and Boatshoes -> Selkies is an awesome succession of songs.
I think is the production of this album that's the biggest turnoff. Its got a very ugly mix.
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The production is one of the best parts. The rawness suits the album much better and listening to it next to a song off of Colors and beyond you can hear how compressed everything is.
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I think Alaska as an album sounds very flat and dry. In terms of production, it's really the only album they have done where I don't care much for the sound of the album. It's a shame considering how good some of the songs are.
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I think Alaska as an album sounds very flat and dry. In terms of production, it's really the only album they have done where I don't care much for the sound of the album. It's a shame considering how good some of the songs are.
Are we listening to the same album?
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I think Alaska as an album sounds very flat and dry. In terms of production, it's really the only album they have done where I don't care much for the sound of the album. It's a shame considering how good some of the songs are.
Are we listening to the same album?
This. It's got my favorite production of any of their albums.
And I don't really see how anyone could think it sounds worse than the first two...
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I think Alaska as an album sounds very flat and dry. In terms of production, it's really the only album they have done where I don't care much for the sound of the album. It's a shame considering how good some of the songs are.
Are we listening to the same album?
This. It's got my favorite production of any of their albums.
And I don't really see how anyone could think it sounds worse than the first two...
The drums drown out everything, especially on the blast beats, and the guitars and drums both just have a pretty weak tone. But at least the first 2 albums have a clearer sound than this and each instrument is more audible in the whole mix. Serious loudness war going on in Alaska. And this is based on listening to the album from a CD, an iTunes download, and YouTube videos, so unless it sounds incredible on vinyl Ive heard it all. I've even doubled up on loudness filters on iTunes EQ settings, and it still doesnt sound quite as good as the other albums.
That being said, Hypersleep Dialouges has my favorite mix/master of any BTBAM release, and that sounds perfect to me. So take my opinion as you will.
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Alaska has a ton of midrange in the mix. That leaves it lacking a lot of punch, at least to my ears. Still some great stuff, although everything else pales in comparison to the first four tracks.
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That being said, Hypersleep Dialouges has my favorite mix/master of any BTBAM release, and that sounds perfect to me. So take my opinion as you will.
Oh right, I forgot about that one. :lol
Yeah, that one could be my favorite sound-wise, too.
Colors and TGM, as great as they are, sound pretty muddy and compressed to me.
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(https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/v/t1.0-9/10151434_10152282971153189_999958974_n.jpg?oh=b513361b24aeafe49badcf6f7dbe7abb&oe=5397E434)
:censored :censored :censored ugh my girlfriend would love this show. Why are there no Pennsylvania shows??!!?
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Nearest date to me is Maryland. Arg why not DC!
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Nearest to me would be at Dallas. Sounds like helluva show, though not sure I could make it.
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This I'm interested in.
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Nearest one for me is fucking Bonnaroo, which BtB&M wouldn't even be at anyways, and Meshuggah would probably not get that long of a set either.
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Listening to Fossil Genera. I love all the riffs in this song. What are your favorite riffs in BTBAM's discography?
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Telos.
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^^ correct answer
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So, have they recorded this DVD yet? Anyone heard anything?
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Have P2 in the car at the moment. Just finished Telos. Man, this album is climbing the rankings when it comes to BTBAM albums. Seems like most of their albums needs a long time to really digest and get familar with, this one is no exception. Teriffic stuff.
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I think they recorded it right after their tour that ended a couple months ago, and is expected for a fall release. :metal
Telos is so good. :metal :metal :metal
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I think they recorded it right after their tour that ended a couple months ago, and is expected for a fall release. :metal
Telos is so good. :metal :metal :metal
I'm really looking forward to this. I also really like Extremophile Elite and Melting City.
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Yup. I've been listening to Extremophile Elite a lot lately. Probably one of the coolest intros I've ever heard. :metal
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The instrumental section is one of the best things they have ever done too IMO.
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That's why I love The Parallax II, it's just full of great moments. I really am looking forward to the next album. I'm hoping for a Q1 2015 release.
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https://www.metalinjection.net/latest-news/bummer-alert/between-the-buried-and-mes-guitarist-says-the-band-wont-play-anything-pre-colors-anymore
And...go.
How much were they playing pre-Colors anyway, Selkies and Mordecai?
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They cleared this up later:
To clear up any recent news posts...
We are an active band and we continue to write new music. As this happens, older material begins to become less relevant to what we are currently doing. If you've seen us multiple times over the last 4 or 5 years, you've probably noticed that we only play two or three pre-Colors songs. Those few songs are fan favorites and I'm sure we will still bust them out from time to time. Unfortunately, when we add some of the more obscure older songs to our set, they either detract from the flow of the show, or just generally go over like a wet fart at a funeral. So to sum it up and get crazy specific, you will still likely hear Mordecai or Selkies on occasion. Maybe even a couple others. But if you want us to play Naked By the Computer or Destructo Spin, you may have to wait until our reunion tour.
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They cleared this up later:
To clear up any recent news posts...
We are an active band and we continue to write new music. As this happens, older material begins to become less relevant to what we are currently doing. If you've seen us multiple times over the last 4 or 5 years, you've probably noticed that we only play two or three pre-Colors songs. Those few songs are fan favorites and I'm sure we will still bust them out from time to time. Unfortunately, when we add some of the more obscure older songs to our set, they either detract from the flow of the show, or just generally go over like a wet fart at a funeral. So to sum it up and get crazy specific, you will still likely hear Mordecai or Selkies on occasion. Maybe even a couple others. But if you want us to play Naked By the Computer or Destructo Spin, you may have to wait until our reunion tour.
Aspirations, Shevanel, and Fire For A Dry Mouth all need to be played far more frequently, but whatever. Im getting kind of sick of hearing songs from the same three albums over and over again. The band has a actually burned me out on Colors material. I dont even like Colors anymore.
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I think it's a bit of a cop-out excuse to be honest. "The fans wants the new stuff and that's what we will play" I would say there are several cases where bands have started playing more obscure/old songs live and the fans have responded well, and those have eventually become solid parts of the set. Considering most of the members joined on Alaska and have no real attachment to the first two albums, they might as well say "we don't want to play those songs".
Personally I don't care that much tbh.
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Doesn't really bother me, but there's a lot of gold on Alaska that should be played. As long as they keep making music though and continue to play that, I can't complain.
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I checked Amazon and it says the new live DVD/Bluray will be released September 30th. I'm hoping that's the actual date!
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I checked Amazon and it says the new live DVD/Bluray will be released September 30th. I'm hoping that's the actual date!
Don't you dare fail me on that date or else.........I will just cry. That's what.
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I'm really looking forward to this DVD.
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Interview with Dan Briggs about BTBAM, Trioscapes and Orbs. https://heavymetal.about.com/od/interviews/fl/Dan-Briggs-Interview.htm
Relevant bit about new BTBAM:
What's the status of the next BTBAM studio album?
We’ll be in the same room together next month or thereabouts. So far I’ve shared two songs with the guys to positive reviews. One is an 11 minute opus and the other a slightly shorter off the wall number. We’re just really pushing ourselves to do something differently, but it’s coming from the fact that that is the most natural thing to do. My favorite bands sound completely different from record to record (Zappa, King Crimson, Radiohead, Cave In). We’re really doing something new, I’m excited to see where it goes.
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Perfect, exactly what I wanted to hear. Fuckin' BREASTISES! :metal :metal
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I'm more excited for the new Orbs honestly...
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I'm excited for anything with Dan Briggs in it.
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^ Yeah, ditto to that. Dan is pretty much my favorite bass player these days.
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I've been thinking for awhile, I dont know if alot of you are fans of Trioscapes, but they are amazing. I think BTBAM would benefit greatly from adding sax player Walter Fancourt into the band. Just think of the potential.
Instrumental sections would become wilder, more avant garde, more improvisational. There could be dueling solos trading off between guitars and saxophone. Hell, throw in some keyboard shred while youre at it.
Mellow parts could feature beautiful flute passages, whether they be subtle or in the forefront. BTBAM could reach a greater level of sound and creativity in a Crimson/Bungle-esque way.
Of course, I'm only dreaming, but does anyone else see the potential?
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High hopes for the new DVD and I'm anxious to hear new stuff too.....they'll have a job beating Parallax II.
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https://metalblade.com/btbam/
Pre-orders available for the new DVD/Bluray of Future Sequence, being released September 30th!
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HYPED
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https://metalblade.com/btbam/
Pre-orders available for the new DVD/Bluray of Future Sequence, being released September 30th!
Good stuff.
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I can't say I'm too excited. It will probably be a nice addition to their catalog, but it's "just" the album played in its entirety, and I already know the album. Sure, there will probably be some differences and all, so I'll still check it out.
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Well, considering it's a top 5 album of all time for me, I'm really excited, and I love the studio take on this rather than a live show. This is a band where I really want to focus on the playing more rather than the atmosphere of a concert. :metal
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I tried to order the BluRay but the EU store doesn't offer it, just the DVD version. I could order from the US store but the shipping costs are almost as high as the actual BluRay price.
Anyone know an alternative?
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Move to the USA :biggrin:
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I've been thinking for awhile, I dont know if alot of you are fans of Trioscapes, but they are amazing. I think BTBAM would benefit greatly from adding sax player Walter Fancourt into the band. Just think of the potential.
Instrumental sections would become wilder, more avant garde, more improvisational. There could be dueling solos trading off between guitars and saxophone. Hell, throw in some keyboard shred while youre at it.
Mellow parts could feature beautiful flute passages, whether they be subtle or in the forefront. BTBAM could reach a greater level of sound and creativity in a Crimson/Bungle-esque way.
Of course, I'm only dreaming, but does anyone else see the potential?
Have you heard of Ihsahn? Sax heavy metal. So, I think it could work...but at the same time I don't want any band to mess with a winning formula. I wouldn't be opposed to a guest spot for a song, but adding a new full time member might cause problems.
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They're starting work on a rock opera, out next year!! :metal
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I've been thinking for awhile, I dont know if alot of you are fans of Trioscapes, but they are amazing. I think BTBAM would benefit greatly from adding sax player Walter Fancourt into the band. Just think of the potential.
Instrumental sections would become wilder, more avant garde, more improvisational. There could be dueling solos trading off between guitars and saxophone. Hell, throw in some keyboard shred while youre at it.
Mellow parts could feature beautiful flute passages, whether they be subtle or in the forefront. BTBAM could reach a greater level of sound and creativity in a Crimson/Bungle-esque way.
Of course, I'm only dreaming, but does anyone else see the potential?
Have you heard of Ihsahn? Sax heavy metal. So, I think it could work...but at the same time I don't want any band to mess with a winning formula. I wouldn't be opposed to a guest spot for a song, but adding a new full time member might cause problems.
Also, Ihsahn sax player, Jorgen Munkeby, has his own band Shining where he does this Sax Jazz Black Prog Metal (too much? :biggrin:) and they are awesome.
Ihsahn has only two albums with sax though :/
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I have been listening to their first two records a lot lately. Considering my usual dislike for anything -core, I was pleasantly suprised. The vocals did improve significantly on Alaska, but they are not bad here. The cleans are quite good, though the harsh ones are more hit or miss. I like the deeper growls, but do not care for most of the higher ones. Musically, the two albums are just as good as the rest of their stuff. Loved them overall. :metal
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"Extremophile Elite" performance from their new DVD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxGC5WpUbHQ
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"Extremophile Elite" performance from their new DVD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxGC5WpUbHQ
This is bloody unreal! Can't wait to get this.
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Fuck! I love this song and this performance is perfect!
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Oh sweet baby Jesus that was intense. I need this Blu-Ray in my life right now.
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I was kinda skeptical about this whole thing, but I have to admit that was pretty awesome.
btw why does Dan have a keyboard in front of him? Is he their second keyboardist now?
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Wow! That was freakin' awesome!
Great footage, great mix, superb performance. And DYNAMICS. It's great to hear this music this way. Parallax II is so compressed it's almost hard to listen to. They're sounding great this way, this should easily surpass the regular album.
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This is my FAVORITE song from Future Sequence. I'll watch the whole thing later (gotta fly) but I did have to quickly say that my fears about this release were confirmed.
As awesome as this is, it just sounds exactly like the studio version. What...is...the...point...of...this...release? :-[ It just sounds like a way to get us to buy the same album twice.
I'd have to hear some variance or improv before I'd commit. Otherwise, I'll pass.
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eh, this is how they look on stage anyway. now we just don't have to waste time with shots of a sweaty crowd. As for sounding like the cd, that's just how on-point btbam is live. Blake said the performance weren't touched up at all
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An amazingly accurate and consistent performance that one. I think I'd still like it more if it sounded a bit more live, even a little. As it is now, it could as well be a music video of the song :-\ Extremophile Elite is one of my least favorite songs on Parallax II though, I need to see Lay Your Ghosts To Rest or something.
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I would have just liked to see more livelyness from the guys. Specifically Tommy. Just a little bit more headbanging, hand gestures, full body movements, you know. Getting more into the songs, even though theyve played them hundreds of times and theyre likely stale at this point to play. More expressive I guess.
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Wow, that was awesome !
Very rare to see Paul Wagonner going public with an Ibanez Guitar !
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Anyone here got their BluRay yet? I preordered almost a month ago but my disc didn't even ship yet.
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I was intending to grab my copy at FYE when I got BTFW, but they said they were out :yeahright Load of BS if you ask me.
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Went back and watched Veridian/White Walls from the Live Colors video. Far superior atmosphere/performances throughout. I could watch that video all day long.
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My copy of Future Sequence came in last week, and I have had some time to digest it.
Just...wow. :hefdaddy
I thought that it would be impossible for them to top The Great Misdirect, but this one is even better. It flows perfectly; there is never a dull moment, and even though it is the band's longest record, it feels as though it is their shortest.
As for the Bluray, since I only recently got the album, I will hold off on it. I will get it sometime before the end of the year, but it is nothing urgent. I do like the previews, though they sound too similar to the studio versions.
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I would have just liked to see more livelyness from the guys. Specifically Tommy. Just a little bit more headbanging, hand gestures, full body movements, you know. Getting more into the songs, even though theyve played them hundreds of times and theyre likely stale at this point to play. More expressive I guess.
Hence why live performances are usually filmed at a show. It's almost like in this video they're not really playing for anybody, because they're not.
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For those of you who have the DVD...
Keep your eye on Tommy during the "eyes open to the sound of laughter" part of Silent Flight Parliament.
Its amazing how he can sing without even opening his mouth, or without facing the microphone!
This band blows my mind.
Seriously though, HUGE editing mistake. I thought this performance was going to be 100% legit.
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I would have just liked to see more livelyness from the guys. Specifically Tommy. Just a little bit more headbanging, hand gestures, full body movements, you know. Getting more into the songs, even though theyve played them hundreds of times and theyre likely stale at this point to play. More expressive I guess.
Hence why live performances are usually filmed at a show. It's almost like in this video they're not really playing for anybody, because they're not.
This...
And about that editing mistake...that's pretty huge IMO. I don't knock anyone for enjoying a video of watching the band play the material live in the studio if that's what you want....but it seems like having a mistake like that would really go against the spirit of the thing.
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I would have just liked to see more livelyness from the guys. Specifically Tommy. Just a little bit more headbanging, hand gestures, full body movements, you know. Getting more into the songs, even though theyve played them hundreds of times and theyre likely stale at this point to play. More expressive I guess.
Hence why live performances are usually filmed at a show. It's almost like in this video they're not really playing for anybody, because they're not.
Hey man, I jam out pretty hard to Future Sequence, and thats just in my free time for fun and just because I love the music.
If I was getting a paycheck to do it in front of a camera for fan's entertainment, I'd throw down so hard I might break something.
And about that editing mistake...that's pretty huge IMO. I don't knock anyone for enjoying a video of watching the band play the material live in the studio if that's what you want....but it seems like having a mistake like that would really go against the spirit of the thing.
It totally kills the whole atmosphere. It's so jarring that it just pulls me right out of the experience. I didn't notice anything else while I was watching, but I've only watched it once.
What a shame that they fucked up in the last 5 minutes of the album and had to replay a segment for the recording :lol
I bet Blake fucked up his fill and it threw the band off or something.
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I don't get re-recording it. That's part of a live show. You don't get a second take. I haven't gotten around to watching the DVD yet, but I've listened to the audio a few times. I wish they would have just recorded the last show of their tour in March, and not just because I was there in the front row. It was home turf, they had their families with them, had a nice thank you speech for the crowd, they nailed their parts, played an encore, and the crowd was electric. It's a shame fans didn't get to see that.
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I don't get re-recording it. That's part of a live show. You don't get a second take. I haven't gotten around to watching the DVD yet, but I've listened to the audio a few times. I wish they would have just recorded the last show of their tour in March, and not just because I was there in the front row. It was home turf, they had their families with them, had a nice thank you speech for the crowd, they nailed their parts, played an encore, and the crowd was electric. It's a shame fans didn't get to see that.
At least a bootleg would've been nice.
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For those of you who have the DVD...
Keep your eye on Tommy during the "eyes open to the sound of laughter" part of Silent Flight Parliament.
Its amazing how he can sing without even opening his mouth, or without facing the microphone!
This band blows my mind.
Seriously though, HUGE editing mistake. I thought this performance was going to be 100% legit.
Haven't seen the DVD yet but if that is indeed true, it's a shame.
Forgive my ignorance, but since it's a not a 'concert,' why couldn't they just replay/re-film the parts they messed up on?
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For those of you who have the DVD...
Keep your eye on Tommy during the "eyes open to the sound of laughter" part of Silent Flight Parliament.
Its amazing how he can sing without even opening his mouth, or without facing the microphone!
This band blows my mind.
Seriously though, HUGE editing mistake. I thought this performance was going to be 100% legit.
Haven't seen the DVD yet but if that is indeed true, it's a shame.
Forgive my ignorance, but since it's a not a 'concert,' why couldn't they just replay/re-film the parts they messed up on?
I agree. That would have made the product better in the long run. They could take breaks, rehearse certain parts, add little extras to the music, and perform every song flawlessly. Of course, certain songs would have to be played together, like the run from Goodbye to Everything - Autumn, or Telos to Melting City, just because transitions would probably be awkward otherwise.
Of course, they could just get around that by taking a little extra time to piece the songs together in post editing, perhaps in a slightly different way from the studio album version and make super fancy visual transitions in between every track.
Its not like the point of the DVD is to watch the band challenge themselves to a flawless 75 minute marathon of musical ridiculousness. The point is just to enjoy watching the band perform the songs in high definition with a dynamic and personalized visual representation, which they do provide, but it could have been better.
All things aside, I do really enjoy the product, and I think I actually like listening to the "live" performance better than the studio album. The instruments and vocals sound more raw and.... alive. But I guess that much is obvious :lol
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I was reading an interview with Dustie and Dan taken in 2010 (https://lastrit.es/articles/102/between-the-buried-and-me---unchecked-progression-) and read the following:
"MR: And speaking of influences, I think the cover album you did, The Anatomy of… was really an album that truly showed all of the influences that culminate in Between the Buried and Me. How did that album come about?
Dan: That’s right, when you look at everything we covered, its all on that album, from the metal of Metallica, Dream Theater, and King Crimson to The Counting Crows.
MR: Did you gets get to pick songs individually or come together as a band to agree on what to cover? Are there personal favorites on that record?
Dustie: A little of both. Like, Metallica’s “Blackened” was my idea, but it was unanimous to include it. The Pink Floyd track was another one everyone agreed on.
Dan: My favorites are the King Crimson and Dream Theater covers. That more progressive stuff is definitely much more of an influence now.
I was surprised to see DT mentioned among the covered bands, knowing that in fact the album's tracklist does not contain any DT song !!
Anyone could shed his light on me ??? :huh:
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I dunno what's up with that. And it's a shame, I'd love to hear BTBAM covering DT.
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Turned a cute chick onto this band tonight.
Aw yissssssssss
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You're doing the lords work getting anybody to hear them. :tup
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Turned a cute chick onto this band tonight.
Aw yissssssssss
You're close by. She have a sister? :zydar:
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Wow, I finally got my copy that I preordered in early September. I guess this album isn't a hoax after all.
Eager to listen tonight.
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Still waiting for my copy too. Still looking forward to it.
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Random comment here but, I think I'd take Future Sequence over Colors. Not certain, but it's possible.
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Future Sequence hasn't aged nearly as well as Colors have for me. I think especially towards the end of the album, there's a slight dip. But as a comparison, Future Sequence is also almost 10 minutes longer than Colors, so I feel like it overstays its welcome just sliiightly. We're still talking a really great album.
I'm very interested to see where they go next. In terms of production and their individual skill as musicians and as a band, they have only gotten better.
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Agreed. Future Sequence doesn't have as much staying power as Colors, or as much as The Great Misdirect even. It's a great album and all, but hasn't aged as well as the others.
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Future Sequence and the self titled are tied for my number one.
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Future Sequence is easily their best album IMO.
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Agreed. Future Sequence doesn't have as much staying power as Colors, or as much as The Great Misdirect even. It's a great album and all, but hasn't aged as well as the others.
I agree with this. Colors remains their best, TGM is a close second. Future Sequence might be third.
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It's pretty much tied with TGM for me, with Colors being miles ahead of both.
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It's pretty much tied with TGM for me, with Colors being miles ahead of both.
This. Colors made my top 50, and is just a work of genius. The other two are awesome, but not Colors awesome.
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The one thing I admire the most about Colors and probably the one detail that makes it so much more than just a great album for me, is just how cohesive and consistent it is. Not just in terms of quality, but you can really tell that they wrote basically 65 minutes of music, and it just flows perfectly. Recurring themes appear in different songs, and some sections are only featured once. And we're talking some of the best moments on the album. They just appear, they blow you away and then they are gone. Sometimes less is more, and what drew me into Colors and made me go back so many times, and still makes me go back is that I want to revisit all those epic moments.
TGM is a very worthy follow-up IMO. Some people hate on it, but personally I think Swim to the Moon is their best epic. Yeah, IMO it edges out White Walls (though not by much) and I think Silent Flight Parliament, while good, doesn't come close to the two. Future Sequence is a really strong album for the most part, but it's somewhere around the Melting City/Silent Flight Parliament mark that I kinda zone out when I listen to it these days. Not that those songs are necessarily bad, but the album does feel its length towards the end, and the ending of the album is a bit anti-climactic in the sense that the big epic finale is also probably the weakest non-intermission song on the album, at least for me. It has some great sections and it's a good song overall, but where White Walls and Swim to the Moon (at least for me) are two of the biggest highlights (if not biggest) on their albums, Future Sequence ends on a lower note. Just a minor complaint though.
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As much as I have grown to LOVE BTBAM...."cohesive" is not a term I would ever use to describe their music. :lol
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As much as I have grown to LOVE BTBAM...."cohesive" is not a term I would ever use to describe their music. :lol
Yet it absolutely applies in the case of Colors. So much so, it's kind of insane.
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I was about to post the same thing. Most of the time I couldn't agree more but Colors will always be at the top of my list simply because while the songs themselves are very much listenable as single entities and are different enough to be diversive, listening to it as an album from start to finish brings out a beautiful flow and cohesion. I love it. There hasn't been anything like it since, in my opinion; despite really liking their work afterwards (loving, in the case of FS), they haven't reached that kind of crazy cohesiveness while retaining a song's individual flavor.
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Future Sequence is easily their best album IMO.
Good to see I'm not alone in my thinking. I think it could be their best work too.
Also, the new DVD is great to watch, but the cd is pointless IMO. Also, I think it would have been a better release if they played Hypersleep too.
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Colors has weird transitions.
Like the one from AITS to PttS.
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I used to think that BTBAM had a solid debut, and that every successive album surpassed the one before it. I now think differently. The S/T has really grown on me. It is easily the best of their first three.
As for their next album, I really hope that they drop King and get a better producer. The production for their albums has been passable thus far, but they deserve much better. Unfortunately, I highly doubt that this is going to happen.
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I like the self-titled and I think it's a very solid debut, but for me it is easily the weakest out of the first three, and probably their entire catalog. The Silent Circus to me is better in almost every way, and Alaska is a bit different than both of them, but where the band started evolving the sound we hear today.
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Maybe "easily the best" wasn't the best choice of words. The S/T is definitely ahead of TSC, and likely tied with Alaska, though I will need to listen to both of them a few more times to be sure. TSC, while a good album, is their weakest.
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For the longest time TSC has actually been my favorite out of the first 3 albums, but I'm not sure if it still is. For the longest time I haven't been huge on Alaska, but it has slowly been growing on me.
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I gotta say that after a few years, Alaska has taken spot 2 in their lineup.
For me its TGM>Alaska>Parralax>Colors>TSC>ST
My ranking is probably the minority opinion.
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For anyone who likes metal and prog but hates metalcore, what album should I listen to?
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For anyone who likes metal and prog but hates metalcore, what album should I listen to?
The Great Misdirect and/or Parallax
TGM is more prog metal-y IMO. Colors is almost a perfect fusion of their more progressive elements and their earlier metalcore sound.
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For anyone who likes metal and prog but hates metalcore, what album should I listen to?
Listen to Colors onwards. That is three albums and an EP. Afterwards, I still recommend trying out their first three; I too hate metalcore, and was pleasantly surprised by them. As for a first album, The Great Misdirect is your best bet.
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For anyone who likes metal and prog but hates metalcore, what album should I listen to?
If it's the vocals you can't get past, it's not going to get better with BTBAM.
I for one, am really happy that they've been putting a bit more clean vocals in the mix. I felt like it was about an 80/20 split with Alaska and Colors...but it's been more like 65/35 with the last couple. I hope the next album goes 50/50 straight up.
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I think Colors has the best balance for my own taste. I think Tommy has great clean vocals, but part of what makes them great for me is the sparse use. By having long sections of harsh vocals and mainly blasting you in the face with heaviness, it makes the softer moments more nice and you get a nice little breather in between. It doesn't bother me that they upped the ratio of some more cleans on TGM and Parallax, but this is about as high as I want them to go. If they hold back even more on harsh vocals in favor of more cleans, I don't think I would enjoy it as much. (But it all depends on the execution of course)
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I don't mind harsh vocals. I went on a huge binge of them in the early 90's. But I ended up burning out on them mostly because...let's face it...they are 1-dimensional in their approach by their very nature. They don't have variance. Clean vocals have the capability of varying notes...harsh vocals generally don't. Unless you count going from a low growl to a high scream. That would make it at least 2-dimensional. But BTBAM doesn't even give you that.
I suppose that's why I really like Into Eternity's stuff. They will give you Bon Jovi style harmonies, regular clean vocals, low death growls and high pitched shrieking. A HUGE dynamic vocal range with all kinds of colors on the palate.
That being said, BTBAM's harmonies are perfectly placed, and they do give you a HUGE change up after going full throttle for a good while.
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Dude have you heard the debut. Tommy's harsh vox are way more varied than any of the recent stuff. Although his cleans have improved dramatically since then.
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Mordecai is still my absolute favorite song by them by light years. It's all of their best sides in one song and it's the most evil, heavenly, beautiful fucking thing I've heard. I don't think anything will ever beat it, I can safely say.
Oh and the lead in to Reaction and Shevanel Take 2 (my second favorite song by 'em) is equally, if not more beautiful (though the harshness of M, for me, takes it above and beyond). Take 2 always gets me teary eyed for a number of reasons, but on it's own it's still beautiful...
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Mordecai is still my absolute favorite song by them by light years. It's all of their best sides in one song and it's the most evil, heavenly, beautiful fucking thing I've heard. I don't think anything will ever beat it, I can safely say.
Oh and the lead in to Reaction and Shevanel Take 2 (my second favorite song by 'em) is equally, if not more beautiful (though the harshness of M, for me, takes it above and beyond). Take 2 always gets me teary eyed for a number of reasons, but on it's own it's still beautiful...
My favorite part of TSC is the run from Reaction -> Ad a Dglgmut (or however its spelt). There is a beautiful two parter, which does not even completely fade out before the brutality of AAD comes in. AAD is easily my favorite from the album, with the opening two parter and The Need for Repitition coming in right behind it. Mordecai, however, does not really do anything for me.
Edit: Damn, I completely forgot about The Man Land. :rollin I just cannot stop laughing
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https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/between_the_buried_and_me_announce_new_album.html
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:eek
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:woot: :woot: :woot:
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:metal :metal :metal :metal :metal
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Is this really news to anyone though? They have been talking openly about this for like 6 months now. I remember someone in the band getting asked in the summer, and whoever it was said that they would start recording it during the fall and have it out in 2015. Don't get me wrong though, I'm super stoked about this album, but the article and the "news" factor about it is on the same level as an article stating Tool are "working on a new album".
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Well yeah, except BTBAM will actually release something. :lol
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The "news" is that they are actually recording, which is a level of concreteness Tool hasn't reached for eight years.
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We've known for months now that they'd be recording around this time though lol.
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I guess just receiving confirmation is bound to generate some sorts of hype. I expected it, but am still stoked nonetheless.
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I completely forgot or missed the news that they'd be starting now, so this was news to me. But yeah FUCK CONFIRMATIONS, THEY'RE FOR NOOBS.
I love confirmation. It's a beautiful thing. So here's to that.
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https://emptylighthouse.com/between-buried-and-me-start-tracking-rock-opera-today-451101667
A rock opera ?? What does it mean? Can anyone give an example?
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Hmmm... Now, I'm sure it's not going to be what I'm imagining right now, but I don't really like the words 'rock opera' combined with BTBAM. Granted, again, I've no idea what to expect, but I've never been a fan of rock operas or that type of style. At all. But perhaps BTBAM can break that opinion, and if anyone could, it'd be them. I suppose I got what I wished though, in that I wanted them to do something drastically different. So... :metal :lol I am excited to see what comes of this though. It's better than getting the same old stuff regurgitated.
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I'm almost completely sure that Tommy referred to the Parallax albums as rock operas as well. I think they just mean the album has a storyline. That's how I took it, anyway.
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I'm almost completely sure that Tommy referred to the Parallax albums as rock operas as well. I think they just mean the album has a storyline. That's how I took it, anyway.
Yeah that's normally how the phrase "rock opera" is used, so I'm assuming he basically means concept album.
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I hope you guys are right. I don't really want them changing their style at all to be honest.
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I very highly doubt they mean rock opera in the sense of something like Bat Out of Hell. I don't see them changing their style that drastically.
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Rock opera? What the hell is going on with this band?
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Setting this thing to rest for good:
https://www.kzsc.org/blog/2013/03/07/interview-with-gojiras-joe-duplantier/
Brootalisk: How did you feel about the critical acclaim towards The Parallax II? Do you think it’s been a long time coming, or were you surprised to see it atop many year end lists?
Dan Briggs: Definitely not. We set out to kind of make our own version of a rock opera, just trying to make an over the top, thematic, progressive metal, operatic story, and it ended up being 70 something minutes long
He's referring to Parallax II as a rock opera. They're not dramatically changing their style as far as we know. Everyone can quit flipping the fuck out now.
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I just wish they'd bring back more Alaska style song writing but I know deep down that's never going to happen.
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The term "rock opera" isn't related to operatic vocals. A rock opera is merely a concept album with a storyline.
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Operation: Mindcrime is a rock opera
Scenes From A Memory is a rock opera
Bohemian Rhapsody is a rock opera
Ziltoid The Omniscient is a rock opera
Still Life is a rock opera
Parallax II is a rock opera
Some are more like "metal operas", but the point still remains.
Rock opera is almost synonymous with "concept album".
Its just a large, theatrical, over the top story driven musical piece.
NOT LITERALLY OPERA MUSIC.
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Who would even think it's actual opera?
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Who would even think it's actual opera?
According to their reactions, several people in this thread ;)
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Although, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe that would be cool. I'd like to hear Tommy sing opera. :P
No, wait, even better idea. Tommy doing RORORO over opera music. Now that would be awesome. :lol
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I don't think anyone is flipping the fuck out, nor did I personally think it was an opera. Jesus fuck, you fuckers. YOU RUDE FUCKERS. :D
I was misunderstanding the term rock opera though, and did not know that any of the aforementioned albums prog listed were considered 'rock operas', which is apparently completely synonymous with 'concept album'...which I think sounds fuckin' ludicrous. They're concept albums; I have literally never once in all my years here or in the musical world in real life heard Mindcrime, Scenes, Parralax, or any other concept album referred to as a fucking rock opera. :lol Not once until now. It's either a new trend or I have completely and utterly missed anyone calling it that, and for good reason...cause it sounds dumb as all hell. Rock opera makes it sound like a musical-esque venture, which is what I was thinking; not opera, but I was thinking it was going to be musical-based and more in line with something to do live, ala what Devy did with the Retinal Circus, and that they were simply doing an album for it as well. Rock opera...the fuck?. Concept album? YES, TOTALLY know what that is. I get it.
Pardon my ignorance. Or not. Or lick my pooper. :metal :corn :|
NOW I know what to expect. The same thing they've been doing for a few years now. Good stuff. Can't wait to hear it!
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FTR, "flip the fuck out" is just a reference, one that I make as often as possible. :P
i.e. this (https://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=002365), or this (https://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=4&p=001402), and so on and so forth. Though I thought that use of the term was pretty common, I swear I've heard it multiple times here, though I could be misremembering.
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Ah. I just equate that to someone posting...
OMG BTBAM IS DOING OPERA! I HATE OPERA! I'M OPERAIST! BTBAM IS DONE. DONE, I SAY!
and just going nuts. I would just be disappointed if it were some kind of 'project'/live venture instead of a concept album, but knowing I was wrong is comforting. I'd like a change of style in music a bit, something that breaks the mold of the last couple albums, but nothing that drastic.
I would, however, like to randomly/uselessly say that I'm with Orcus in that I also wouldn't mind a future album that is just simple and clean, an old fashioned track-by-track album ala Alaska or even Colors, in which there was just more of a unifying theme rather than a very specific, overarching story like they've been doing for a while. But again, as he said, I think they're pretty into this new found storytelling; which I'm completely into, but I've got a feeling I'll be over it by the end of this upcoming album. OR they'll spur me to love it even more if they do something really original and intriguing, but I've got a feeling that's not going to happen. Again, not necessarily a bad thing by nature, but eventually it will, for me personally, wear thin and being to bore. Granted, I'm also traditionally not a huge fan of concept albums given that I almost never listen to an album in its entirety in one go and that's most often the best way to listen to concept albums. I've definitely opened up to them the past few years though.
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Honestly the conceptual aspect doesn't really do anything for me either. I mean, I love PI and PII, but I have no idea what the story is. I even read along with the lyrics and still couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. :lol
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Right, same here. It's something that I don't look for, and it doesn't detract from the album (normally; if it's overly emphasized, it may hinder the experience for me...or if I think it's poorly done ALA PT's The Incident) but it also does jack shit to turn me onto the music or the experience itself. I've tried numerous times to get into the Parralax story and have the same problem. I can bullshit and be like "Aw YEAH, that shits cool" and end up thinking "....the fuck was that all about again?". In terms of the music, totally awesome, I'm into it...as a story? In one ear, out the other. I can sing along to most of the songs and know the lyrics but as for the overarching story, it's all gibberish to me. So I'm right there with ya. :lol (https://www.chicitysports.com/forum/images/smilies/11qmi6t.gif)
So on one hand, I'm still utterly excited to see what the guys bring out this time; but on the other...it's still just kinda like "Okay, another one". I just hope the music is as good and listenable as singular songs as the Parallax albums, because concepts like Scenes and even most of Mindcrime (even though that's one album I can actually listen to in one go, an immense rarity for me) are usually lower on my lists of favorites for the respective bands because of the very fact that they're SO story-based and work best when listened as a whole.
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Honestly the conceptual aspect doesn't really do anything for me either. I mean, I love PI and PII, but I have no idea what the story is. I even read along with the lyrics and still couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on. :lol
I don't even think the band does, based on what I've read especially when they tried to retroactively link it to songs from other albums.
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https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2012/07/24/prognotes-between-the-buried-and-mes-the-parallax-part-i-introduction/
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See....I mean, if I have to read that much shit to get a fucking album, I'm kinda out. I'm just gonna jam with the music. :tup
I mean, thank you for that; I'm sure it's informative beyond reason. But...therein lies my issue is that if I have to take the time to read all that mundane over-analysis...the album has kinda failed in the spectrum of storytelling. I LOVE the music. The story? Fuck that shit. :lol I'd just be willing to do that much analysis for an essay for college, not for an album I'm listening to for pleasure. It's cool and all, and I mean no offense to anyone that is into it and reads word for word, but for me that's just shit covered titty fucking nuts. To each his own though. I watch porn and read manga TWENNY FO SEYYYVEN. So y'know. Everyone has their thing; fuck it. Maybe I'll superimpose this shit for my tits and ass one day. I dunno. I'm too tired. Bed time. Maybe I'll drift through space and find some bone-covered planet and a lady calling to me through her nipples that are in themselves universes that hold the key to unlocking the ecstasy of the under-verse that I can use to make my penis bigger which will in itself slap the shit out of the real god of the omniverses and he'll turn everything into muffins. Or something. Fuck. So much shit. :corn :metal It's just not worth it to me. Whoa whoa whoa.
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As long as they don't go Jazz Odyssey on us like Spinal Tap did (we have Trioscapes for that) I'm sure the new album will be in the vein of the previous albums. It seems like most of the members already have outlets for material that doesn't fit the BTBAM brand.
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Tio you could've read that storyline twice through with how much time you put into writing your posts. Talk about bloated shit
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:lol
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SO WHAT!? SOMETIMES I GET GASSY!
That post still took me all of maybe three-four minutes to type. That website has multiple pages of essays scouring every inch of an album's (multiple albums', actually) storyline. Bloated shit? Sure, whatever that means (it's an effin' forum...). But you're exaggerating to the max.
If that post is bloated shit, which it DEFINITELY is (ask me how much of a shit I give), I don't even know what to call that website's over-analysis on a ridiculous time-traveling space-echelon mind-fuck. Shoo fly, don't bother me.
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Riight..
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K BB. Good stuff, great discussion. :-* I appreciate your input.
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A person whose entire forum existence is a series of calculated to be edgy and unorthodox posts complaining about the story in the Parallax albums.
There's some deep levels of hilarity there.
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Okay.
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Guys, play nice.
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Only took me about 45 minutes to read it.
Still not sure whats going on.
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I remember reading that about a month or two before I actually got Parallax II. In a reddit Q&A, someone asked about how certain songs from past albums tied into the concept. Intrigued, I looked into it, and read that. So I actually knew the story before my first listen. :lol
Honestly, I do not feel that familiarity with the story changed my listening experience in any way. The songs themselves are great, and the story they tell, while interesting (and admittedly a trainwreck), is more of a bonus.
Speaking of BTBAM and concept albums: I have heard Colors referred to as a concept album on multiple occasions, but can find nothing elaborating these claims. Does anyone know more about this?
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I think musically Colors was written as one piece, but lyrically the songs are not connected.
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Posted on their FB page yesterday: “I’m very proud to say that we are now recording a brand new BTBAM record. We have really pushed and challenged ourselves more than ever with this material. It is a perfect representation of where we stand as musicians and as people. This is our voice in the current age of music. Evolution is a must. We now enter the coma and we will see you on the other side… hopefully.“
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I think musically Colors was written as one piece, but lyrically the songs are not connected.
I don't totally buy that either though, because they mentioned Ants of the Sky being the first song written for the record in some interview. It definitely seems more like a collection of songs with seamless transitions written between them rather than a single song. The only ones that feel like a complete song together are the Foam Born songs, which are quite obviously meant to be together.
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I think musically Colors was written as one piece, but lyrically the songs are not connected.
I don't totally buy that either though, because they mentioned Ants of the Sky being the first song written for the record in some interview. It definitely seems more like a collection of songs with seamless transitions written between them rather than a single song. The only ones that feel like a complete song together are the Foam Born songs, which are quite obviously meant to be together.
As much as I love Colors, it often feels more like a collection of hundreds of cool riffs thrown in a blender. For a long time, I couldn't make sense of it at all, and I still can't make sense of much of it. Veridian/White Walls definitely sounds like one complete piece of music that I would actually call "a song", but the rest of it is so freakin random that it is often overwhelming.
My love of Colors mostly comes from a place of having a deep love of "puzzle box" music. Music that makes me go, "What in the actual **** is going on here?" There is a certain joy in solving puzzles...and I sometimes find joy in trying to figure out what on earth the artist is even doing, even if it takes multiple listens. (as a matter of fact, *especially* if it takes multiple listens)
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Yeah, Colors is a total mindfuck. It takes like 40 listens to comprehend it, but it literally never gets old. None of the riffs or sections stick around long enough to get boring.
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Yeah, Colors is a total mindfuck. It takes like 40 listens to comprehend it, but it literally never gets old. None of the riffs or sections stick around long enough to get boring.
Colors is definitely one of the hardest albums I've ever gotten into. The first 10 listens or so was a mix of jarring, "all over the place" and just very hard for me to latch onto anything. The vocals took a lot of time to get used to, and their very jazzy approach to progressive metal (basically an ever-evolving approach where the songs really have no verse/chorus structure) also took time to get used to.
But it totally paid off. Colors is one of my all time favorite albums and I still get a fresh experience whenever I listen to it. While I really like their other albums as well, none of them are on the same level as Colors IMO. TGM and Parallax are amazing IMO, but they felt easier to latch onto, and repeated listens didn't give me AS much as Colors. Still amazing, but Colors.. wow.
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Yeah, Colors is a total mindfuck. It takes like 40 listens to comprehend it, but it literally never gets old. None of the riffs or sections stick around long enough to get boring.
Colors is definitely one of the hardest albums I've ever gotten into. The first 10 listens or so was a mix of jarring, "all over the place" and just very hard for me to latch onto anything. The vocals took a lot of time to get used to, and their very jazzy approach to progressive metal (basically an ever-evolving approach where the songs really have no verse/chorus structure) also took time to get used to.
But it totally paid off. Colors is one of my all time favorite albums and I still get a fresh experience whenever I listen to it. While I really like their other albums as well, none of them are on the same level as Colors IMO. TGM and Parallax are amazing IMO, but they felt easier to latch onto, and repeated listens didn't give me AS much as Colors. Still amazing, but Colors.. wow.
Yes. All of that. Colors has a certain intangible quality to it that I don't think they'll ever achieve again.
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I try to enjoy Colors but the entire time I'm thinking "this would be a lot better without these awful -core vocals."
I'm not a huge fan of death growls but they don't hurt my enjoyment of the music. Core screams certainly do.
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I don't think the vocals are that bad, and I hate -core vocals of any kind. The only vocals on Colors that I don't care for are the guest vocals on Prequel to the Sequel.
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The vocals takes some time to get used to, but they add a lot to the heaviness of the music. My enjoyment of BTBAM would probably have dropped quite a bit if it was all clean vocals.
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I don't think the vocals are that bad, and I hate -core vocals of any kind. The only vocals on Colors that I don't care for are the guest vocals on Prequel to the Sequel.
Shit, those were guest vocals? (I'm assuming you're talking about the ones towards the end)
I like those a lot, actually. The band's harsh vocals are really lacking in variety, so when they do something different like that it's really nice.
The guest vocals at the start of Swim To The Moon are pretty terrible though.
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I too find Tommy's harshes to be a weak point which I've gone into detail before. He has moments but I would love for him to focus on his cleans and get somebody with more diversity in their harshes, obviously won't happen, but you wouldn't see me complaining. :lol
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Colors I like but a lot of the heavy heavy stuff has never been up my alley, I get a lot more from the proggier, overall lighter TGM.
Future Sequence I found not very interesting though, was nothing new that it brought to the table and I still can't remember what most of the songs sound like
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I don't think the vocals are that bad, and I hate -core vocals of any kind. The only vocals on Colors that I don't care for are the guest vocals on Prequel to the Sequel.
Shit, those were guest vocals? (I'm assuming you're talking about the ones towards the end)
I like those a lot, actually. The band's harsh vocals are really lacking in variety, so when they do something different like that it's really nice.
The guest vocals at the start of Swim To The Moon are pretty terrible though.
Yeah, the ones in Prequel are the dude from Fear Before IIRC. The ones in Swim to the Moon though...jesus.
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Saw them open up for Coheed and Cambria and was very impressed. Just picked up colors which is my first album by them, can't wait to hear more.
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Sun of Nothing is still my favorite of theirs.
Couldn't really get into Future Sequence, although their's great moments.
I think I enjoy their softer parts more. "I am floating" from SoN is a good example.
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Ants of the Sky is my favorite. That clean part around the 8-10 minute mark that starts with the "Sleep on, fly on" part is just epic.
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Between the Buried and Me and The Atlas Moth are touring together in April.
(https://i.imgur.com/WQLkWpu.jpg)
If you can make it to this you should by all means go. Obviously Between the Buried and Me but also The Atlas Moth are a fucking fantastic band that could use more exposure! (Also their first album's cover got me banned for a week a couple of years ago so you know they're gnarly)
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Ants of the Sky is my favorite. That clean part around the 8-10 minute mark that starts with the "Sleep on, fly on" part is just epic.
That's the best part of the song.
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That's my favorite part of their discography. It's the reason I bought Colors and got into the band to begin with. :metal
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Ants of the Sky is my favorite. That clean part around the 8-10 minute mark that starts with the "Sleep on, fly on" part is just epic.
That's the best part of the song.
Everything after the hoedown in Ants In The Sky is my favorite section of music ever.
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Everything after the hoedown in Ants In The Sky is my favorite section of music ever.
God yes. Dat soloing is just marvelous. Really hard to beat, and I think it's just barely matched by the last few minutes on White Walls.
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Really enjoying the album so far and the diversity of compositions/styles is off the charts. Very cool band
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Your band is going to do one stop in Florida. Do you hit: A) Jacksonville, the largest city B) Tampa/St. Petersburg/Orlando, centrally located 3rd, 4th, and 5th largest cities, and within an hour of each other C) Miami - the second biggest city with lots of other well populated cities or D) A town that is close enough to LA to not pull in much west of it and too far away from the larger population centers of the state.
If you chose D, you have brain damage, and are probably the shitty booker for this tour.
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Between the Buried and Me and The Atlas Moth are touring together in April.
(https://i.imgur.com/WQLkWpu.jpg)
If you can make it to this you should by all means go. Obviously Between the Buried and Me but also The Atlas Moth are a fucking fantastic band that could use more exposure! (Also their first album's cover got me banned for a week a couple of years ago so you know they're gnarly)
I saw Atlas Moth play in Brooklyn a few years ago and they broke not only their main guitars but their backup guitars. Halfway in the middle of the set they said "so we ran out of guitars, shows over guys".
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Hmm... Asheville, the closest date, is 'only' 6 hours away, and the concert is during Spring Break. I may be able to go to this one.
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Ants of the Sky is my favorite. That clean part around the 8-10 minute mark that starts with the "Sleep on, fly on" part is just epic.
Ants of the Sky is a close second behind White Walls, but I find it amusing that you mention that part. It is likely my least favorite section of Colors, though everything from the clean part after this to the end of the song is godly.
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Ants of the Sky is my favorite. That clean part around the 8-10 minute mark that starts with the "Sleep on, fly on" part is just epic.
Ants of the Sky is a close second behind White Walls, but I find it amusing that you mention that part. It is likely my least favorite section of Colors, though everything from the clean part after this to the end of the song is godly.
Does not compute.
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Coma Ecliptic will be released via Metal Blade Records July 7th!
More about our new album:
"Once again, the band has returned with an ambitious concept album. This time, the story follows the wanderings of an unidentified man, stuck in a coma, as he journeys through his past lives. Each song is its own episode in a modern day, sort of The Twilight Zone-esque fashion. The unidentified man enters each world and is offered a choice: stay, or move on to the next in search of something better, something more "perfect." Vocalist / keyboardist Tommy Rogers spoke with Revolver Magazine for their upcoming issue, which will be on newsstands everywhere March 31st. Pick up the magazine for an exclusive first look at the album's recording process and concept. New music and pre-orders bundles will be launched on April 3rd, 2015."
:metal
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Concept doesn't really interest me much but color me excited!
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Concept-part sounds really generic, but they are probably the best progressive metal band at the moment and I'm still really excited for this.
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Yeah, I don't care about the concept that much. I still don't know what the fuck is happening in Parallax. :lol
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I still don't care what happens in Parallax, the music is what interests me :metal
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Oddly enough, I think the actual contents of Paralax II were what I felt was a bit lacking, but I'm still hyped as hell for this. I mean, these guys made freaking Colors. :metal
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Colors will forever be one of those special albums. I mean, I do like their other albums quite a lot, some more than others, but Colors will always be THAT special one.
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Awesome, looking forward to this. So that means a new single in a little over 2 weeks.
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They announced tour dates w/ Animals as Leaders and The Contortionist, too.
They're completely skipping Massachusetts, from the looks of it. :-[
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Love the last album, can't wait for the new one!
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Slowly getting into this band thanks to The Parallax DVD. Stunning performance.
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Love the last album, can't wait for the new one!
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I am excite. Tour stop in Orlando to boot.
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:metal
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They seem to change up their sound every 2 albums, so I bet this new album will mark a new era for the band, and a different musical direction all together.
Not a drastic change, but as much of an evolution from the TGM/Parallax sound as Alaska/Colors was from their first two albums, and as TGM/Parallax was from Colors.
Very excited. This will probably be album of the year. BTBAM have a perfect discography imo
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BTBAM have a perfect discography imo
Wait... yeah that's true.
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Hard to find many flaws with their work. I'm not huge on the debut album, and I think The Silent Circus had some really good stuff on it, but everything Alaska onwards is just incredible.
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Man these $65 VIP tickets are a steal. I really want to go see them in Athens or Tallahassee but damn last time I saw them the fucking crowd got on my nerves. I couldn't pay a whole lot of attention to BTBAM cause the people in the crowd were being idiots.
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I didn't get any of my stuff when I bought VIP tickets last tour, just a ticket. Never got a reply to my emails. Buyer beware on the VIP package.
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The new song is called "Memory Palace"
hypehypehype
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Yup, next Friday! Man it's been a while since we've heard new BTBAM
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Yup, next Friday! Man it's been a while since we've heard new BTBAM
Man it really has been. I remember going out and getting the Future Sequence and the new Pig Destroyer and just driving around jamming them before class haha. Time really flies these days.
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I know, kinda scary to be honest. I remember I was listening to it on the way home from school my senior year. Hell now I'm halfway through college.
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I know, kinda scary to be honest. I remember I was listening to it on the way home from school my senior year. Hell now I'm halfway through college.
Shit, I'm graduating next week.
EDIT: Memory Palace is a radical song title.
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Memory Palace... damn, I really like this title. Only one more week until I get to hear new BTBAM, and then a concert two days later!
As this will be my first time seeing them, I am not sure of what I want from a setlist. I would be ecstatic if they play at least one of White Walls, Ants in the Sky, or Disease Injury Madness, though their discography is so strong as a whole that they could play whatever the hell they wanted and I would be satisfied with the setlist.
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https://www.revolvermag.com/news/interview-between-the-buried-and-me-give-update-from-the-studio.html
Sounds good to me.
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Yes! More melody is what I was hoping for. Tommy's screams and growls are great, but nothing beats something like, let's say, Lay Your Ghosts To Rest chorus.
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:caffeine:
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More melody? Me interested.
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I'll take anything from this band tbh. Everything they do is fantastic. Keen to hear this new one though is melody is a focus.
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On the band's website, the most recent post is a short video advertising their appearance at an upcoming festival. During this clip, a portion of a song, possibly Memory Palace, plays. It definitely sounds like BTBAM, though a little different from their sound on the past few albums, and I like it quite a bit. I look forward to hearing the rest tomorrow (assuming that it is from the upcoming single).
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I have now listened to the full song. It reminds me of Parallax II, though it is not as heavy. I can now safely say that CE is my most anticipated album of the year so far.
Tracklist (from iTunes):
1 Node (3:31)
2 The Coma Machine (7:35)
3 Dim Ignition - (2:16)
4 Famine Wolf (6:50)
5 King Redeem / Queen Serene (6:58)
6 Turn on the Darkness (8:26)
7 The Ectopic Stroll (7:02)
8 Rapid Calm (7:59)
9 Memory Palace (9:54)
10 Option Oblivion (4:22)
11 Life in Velvet (3:38)
It seems strange that they released the longest song on the album as the single.
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Yes! More melody is what I was hoping for. Tommy's screams and growls are great, but nothing beats something like, let's say, Lay Your Ghosts To Rest chorus.
That's funny because, while I normally really enjoy well done death growls (John Tardy from Obituary will always be the king), I never thought Tommy's were anything really special. I still love Colors, but I have enjoyed BTBAM's material more and more as they seem to have introduced a bit more melody with each passing album.
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I have now listened to the full song.
Wait, what? Did I miss something?
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The new song kicks ass.
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I'm not too sure how I feel about this one right now. It's definitely something new for BTBAM, but nothing drastically different either. It's just the right amount to keep people interested.
While refreshing, I'll have to let it sit with me for a while. It certainly didn't blow me away or anything, but there were definitely some great bits dotted throughout.
I have now listened to the full song.
Wait, what? Did I miss something?
It's on iTunes, brah.
Though I did find it curious that there was little mention of it on their social media outlets.
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I like the song, feels refreshing and new like how they were describing the album. Less heavy, more melodic and proggy.
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Pre-orders are up and the single is now out!
https://www.metalblade.com/btbam/
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Was very underwhelming for me.
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I liked it a lot.
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A lot of it just seemed proggy to be prog. Didn't mind less harsh vocals as I agree with Jammindude, Tommy's aren't the best, but it just felt like they were running through multiple ideas.
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I feel like I'm in the minority that really loves Tommy's vocals, granted BTBAM was the first band with "harsh" vocals I listened and got into.
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I quite liked this song. It's not Colors or Alaska, but it works for what it is! :metal :tup
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Holy crap what an amazing song.
Took about 6 listens to figure out but its actually quite cohesive, more than one would initially think on first listen. Good flow, good riffs, Tommy's melodies are stuck in my head!
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Don't want to pass judgement on one listen. I don't know what to think about this song to be honest, although, I too was a little underwhelmed.
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Just heard the song properly for the first time, and my god guys. It was the most euphoric listen to a (metal) track I've had in months. This shit is fantastic.
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Granted I'm almost two minutes in but they've finally succeeded in becoming Dream Theater. I miss the rawness of the older stuff.
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This song - to me - sounds like they got rid of the completely random sounding stuff. I've always loved the band, but there were always some parts I had to sit through to get to the awesome stuff. Now it just all sounds like awesome stuff to me. And to top it off, this song has been produced to be incredibly nice and warm sounding. I never liked their production, but man have they gotten their tones right this time. Good production in metal is rare these days.
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The production still sounds like compression hell to me. The tones are tight for the most part but they don't breathe at all.
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ive been meaning to ask for a while what everyone thinks we'll get from these guys as far as a change-up goes with the next album(s)...
I was thinking i'd love to see them add a gues spot / extra member for the next record. would love to hear them include a violin or something to the mix and not just for a little moment here or there. I might be subconsciously leaning towards violin cuz of my love for unexpecT, but really it could be anything; strings, brass, whatever.
anyway, i dont think that's gonna happen, but based on this excerpt from a recent interview with Danny boy Briggs, I have a feeling theyre about to shake things up and change the direction of the band moving forward:
Coming back to BTBAM, ‘Parallax II’ was out in mid-2012, so it’s been almost two years. What’s the plan for the next one?
I’ve got so much on my plate right now. I’m in the middle of mixing a record for my band Orbs, and in the first week of April I go into the studio with my other band Trioscapes which is a fusion group. We’re going to recording our next album, and I’m going on tour with that band in May. BTBAM might be doing something in the summer and will probably start writing in the fall. I’ve already started writing and I probably have 3 or 4 things that have started to get a little bit developed that haven’t been shared yet. We’ll do that closer to the end of summer. You need time to decompress out of this whole Parallax world before you really settle into starting something now. I feel like it’s still pretty fresh with us, and the stuff that at least I’ve been writing is different. Doing the concept record format was so great and I’m really curious to try and take that next step further. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Who, the ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘Tommy’ records. I love the rock opera format. It’s so cool. The stuff that I’ve been writing is kind of more over-the-top super big thematic, and I think we’re really interested to take some leaps and bounds in different directions. We’ve done this thing pretty solidly for a couple of records and we’ve got to see what else is out there.
interesting stuff. no matter what they do, im confident theyre gonna kill it. :metal
well I can't speak for everyone here, dudeman, but I for one am expecting some crazy new territory (possibly subconsciously expect it based on the Briggs quote you've provided)...I'm thinking maybe they'll sound at varying times like Queen (on steroids), Muse (on steroids), The Smashing Pumpkins (on steroids), Oingo Boigo (on steroids), King Crimson (on steroids), Candiria (on steroids...if that's possible), Porcupine Tree (on HGH), and Closure In Moscow (on roids AND acid), amongst others.
sorry it took so long to get back to you, dudeman...I meant to, then put it off, then forgot a few times. You know how it goes. Regardless, I'm surely as stoked as you are.
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I gotta disagree with PixelDream and orcus on one thing...I'm still hearing quite a bit of pretty sick randomness. There is a cohesiveness to it, but I don't think any moreso than Parallax. The change is mostly just in the styles they are throwing into "the blender". It's true that it may not be quite as "raw", but I like the more balanced feel of it.
I think comparing it to Dream Theater is WAY off. They may have achieved a Dream Theater-like balance of melody and harsh...light and heavy...but I've never heard DT do the completely out of left field change ups that BTBAM is known for...and I still hear them here.
It's not like this is a "sell out" album or anything. If you weren't a fan before, I doubt this is going to change your mind. This is some pretty sick stuff.
BTW, in case you were wondering, I just heard it for the first time, and it's my favorite BTBAM "single" I've ever heard. :metal
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I have my fears that this album could turn out hilariously bad, because most friends who are fans of BTBAM have been very negative about the song. I'm holding off myself until the whole album comes out. I'm hoping for another good album, but initial buzz scares me.
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I'm diggin the new song. Very obvious DT vibe.
Somebody play the song for Opeth. Give them an idea on how to change their sound properly.
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Withholding judgement until I hear the entire album. First impression though is that it's BTBAM with the rough edges filed off, if that makes any sense.
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Kinda digging the new song though did anyone else notice how... different Tommy's screams/growls are? They sound much higher pitched.
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Yeah I don't see a "BTBAM going DT" vibe at all.
Kinda digging the new song though did anyone else notice how... different Tommy's screams/growls are? They sound much higher pitched.
They do sound a little different now that I think about it.
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Kinda digging the new song though did anyone else notice how... different Tommy's screams/growls are? They sound much higher pitched.
I noticed this too. Hate to say it, but they sound weaker. Wonder if his age is catching on?
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This is going to be a polarizing album for sure.
I think the biggest change is going to be Tommy's vocals. You can tell in the new song that he's trying out a bunch of new styles for him... whether or not he has to voice to pull it off is up for debate.
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Kinda digging the new song though did anyone else notice how... different Tommy's screams/growls are? They sound much higher pitched.
I noticed this too. Hate to say it, but they sound weaker. Wonder if his age is catching on?
After only one song, I think it's too early to make that claim. He could just be trying something new. It sounds less guttural and a bit less... refined maybe?
Not sure if I like the change yet. I'll have to see how he sounds on the other tracks before I pass final judgment.
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New track doesn't do a ton for me, but it always takes BTBAM albums forever to really click for me, so I'm not too worried at this point.
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I love the way Tommy's growls sound. They seem... idk how to describe it really. More breathy and real. Throaty. He's been sounding like this live since the touring for Future Sequence and I'm really glad that it transferred over to a studio recording. Unique sound!
Here's some (official) live audio from a couple years ago where he started growling like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aliHf4NTg4
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This song is really clicking for me. Love it.
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After a few more listens, I am really liking the new single. I'm stoked for the concert tomorrow! Luckily, no one in my family celebrates Easter, so I do not have to miss out on anything.
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Holy shit that was underwhelming.
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After a couple more listens, I think my main dissatisfaction comes from the first half of the song. It starts to pick up after that. As a whole, still a good song, but I don't think it'll be one of my favorites off this album when it comes out.
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I read a comment defining Memory Palace "Dream Theater on astral steroids" - it's actually pretty accurate :lol
Anyways, I really like the song, and the direction they're going for.
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I read a comment defining Memory Palace "Dream Theater on astral steroids" - it's actually pretty accurate :lol
Anyways, I really like the song, and the direction they're going for.
Dream Theater is the last direction I wanted this band to head. Now they're just part of a bunch of other bands that sound like Dream Theater.
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I just got back from the show, and...well...damn. It was my first time seeing them, and they played what was essentially my ideal set list.
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I read a comment defining Memory Palace "Dream Theater on astral steroids" - it's actually pretty accurate :lol
Anyways, I really like the song, and the direction they're going for.
Dream Theater is the last direction I wanted this band to head. Now they're just part of a bunch of other bands that sound like Dream Theater.
This single sounds nothing at all like Dream Theater.
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I read a comment defining Memory Palace "Dream Theater on astral steroids" - it's actually pretty accurate :lol
Anyways, I really like the song, and the direction they're going for.
Dream Theater is the last direction I wanted this band to head. Now they're just part of a bunch of other bands that sound like Dream Theater.
This single sounds nothing at all like Dream Theater.
I think it sounds a ton like DT style wise. Obviously it sounds like BTBAM but it sounds like they're stylistically becoming a heck of a lot like DT. And I love DT but I was hoping BTBAM would steer away from that.
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DT found a nice balance between the heavy and the light....the fractured and the melodious. Beyond that, I hear no similarities.
People who hear DT in this (IMO) are simpletons who are making snap judgements based on a 2 second phrasing. I guess I can get where they are getting it from if I squint. But it's such a stretch that they become like those people that think the moon landing was fake and wrestling is real.
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Well IMO your opinion is full of snottiness. I've given the song a couple of listens and I looove both bands, I'm not somebody making rushed judgements. I wish I could explain it better but there's those moments where an instrument will have a quick little solo'ish lick or something that's trying to sound tasty, something Dream Theater does a lot when they're getting heavy into the instrumental part of a song and there's a bunch of points in the song in which BTBAM do it and yuck.
Other non related to the above gripes I have is that the sections in this song are so disjointed and and the song has almost no flow, until the end when it recoups a tiny bit.
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You're saying that like it's a new thing. BTBAM has always had those moments, certainly since Alaska anyway.
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I'd say the DT shadow looms large over The Great Misdirect, only BTBAM are pulling it off slightly better. But yeah, not really a new thing IMO, it's an element that has kinda been in their music for the last couple of albums.
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It's been there but this song is the tipping point for me. It's also a wreck of a song and probably has INO Tommy's weakest harsh vocals I've heard.
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I miss the rawness of the older stuff.
I think this is my issue with the new song too.
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It's been there but this song is the tipping point for me. It's also a wreck of a song and probably has INO Tommy's weakest harsh vocals I've heard.
Go listen to JFAC :P
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lol I really liked this song.
Disjointed? BTBAM have always had that element.
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It's actually quite a fascinating element that made me appreciate BTBAM when I discovered them, they don't really have any song structures. Sure, there are a few exceptions where a verse is repeated or a theme comes back, and the first two albums (plus maybe some of Alaska) is more structured, but Colors and forward, for the most part the songs start at A and end at B, and everything in between is a random journey.
I think there is disjointed good and disjointed bad. So far BTBAM has stayed within the former, and I hope they don't cross over into the latter with this album.
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It's been there but this song is the tipping point for me. It's also a wreck of a song and probably has INO Tommy's weakest harsh vocals I've heard.
Go listen to JFAC :P
I do and their music may have sudden shifts but it flows divinely.
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DT found a nice balance between the heavy and the light....the fractured and the melodious. Beyond that, I hear no similarities.
People who hear DT in this (IMO) are simpletons who are making snap judgements based on a 2 second phrasing. I guess I can get where they are getting it from if I squint. But it's such a stretch that they become like those people that think the moon landing was fake and wrestling is real.
Easy now. There are little stretches, especially towards the beginning, that resemble the tone and overall musical vocabulary of Petrucci. It could just be the production but if you didn't tell me this was BTBAM and I had to guess I'd probably guess it was Petrucci. Maybe not with DT exactly but it sure doesn't sounds like Dusty and Paul which is a damn shame because they're great guitarists in their own right.
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I'd say the DT shadow looms large over The Great Misdirect, only BTBAM are pulling it off slightly better. But yeah, not really a new thing IMO, it's an element that has kinda been in their music for the last couple of albums.
Basically what I was gonna say. TGM was kinda sorta 'Colors goes DT'. this direction isn't exactly new(s).
(For the record, I haven't spun the new song)
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Well IMO your opinion is full of snottiness. I've given the song a couple of listens and I looove both bands, I'm not somebody making rushed judgements. I wish I could explain it better but there's those moments where an instrument will have a quick little solo'ish lick or something that's trying to sound tasty, something Dream Theater does a lot when they're getting heavy into the instrumental part of a song and there's a bunch of points in the song in which BTBAM do it and yuck.
Other non related to the above gripes I have is that the sections in this song are so disjointed and and the song has almost no flow, until the end when it recoups a tiny bit.
I should have put a caveat on this.
Have you ever been around a group of people so long that you figure they "know you". In person, this is pretty easy. I have friends that I've known for years, and they get my mannerisms and they know that my occasional bouts of snarkiness are purely tongue in cheek. I've been part of the DT community for so long, that I often make the leap of faith that everyone should "get me" by now. But print and text is very different from IRL.
I assure you that my post was purely made out of hyperbole. I take mild snobbishness that lives inside of me, and then self-depreciatingly blow it up to Frasier-like proportions (if you're familiar with the TV show Frasier) in order to make fun of myself and always remind myself not to take myself too terribly seriously.
Does that make sense? Or am I babbling again?? :lol
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Bruh, Frasier is one of my all time favorite shows :metal
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Was not a fan of the new song. I'll wait for the album to make any sort of "end of days" claims but yeah. The change in direction and less harsh vox scares me a bit. BTBAM has always been cool because of the contrast between the heavy and the light. The ending chorus of Sun of Nothing or Ants of the Sky wouldn't have nearly the same impact without the 8 minutes of insanity building up to it. Likewise, the self-titled doesn't reach me very well because it's all chaos and no contrast. Making a full album of the quieter moments would be pretty damned boring, IMO. I know that's not remotely what they said they were doing, but that's the other extreme.
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BTBAM announced on their Facebook page:
“The Coma Machine” video goes live tomorrow morning. Get Ready.
:metal
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BTBAM announced on their Facebook page:
“The Coma Machine” video goes live tomorrow morning. Get Ready.
:metal
I'm so hyped right now.
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That's a different song to the one they have released hey? Can't even remember what the first one was called haha.
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That's a different song to the one they have released hey? Can't even remember what the first one was called haha.
Yes, the first one was called "Memory Palace".
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New video is up at the Metal Blade site! Awesome song, awesome video! Couldn't be more stoked about this album. This is the BTBAM album I've been waiting for. There are still harsh vocals, but I think this album (so far) achieves the perfect balance of clean to harsh that I've been hoping for from them ever since Colors.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R40wAZxMsTg
Sounds pretty damn weak to me, but I guess they needed to change things up at some stage.
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Better than Memory Palace but only like parts of the song really.
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Better than Memory Palace but eh. Does anybody else think Tommy's vocals sound way to dry?
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Better than Memory Palace but eh. Does anybody else think Tommy's vocals sound way to dry?
Everything including his vocals seem to lack so much power and energy.
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I don't think Tommy has good enough clean vocals to carry the music. And I still love his vocals. In fact, some of my favorite Tommy moments are clean vocals (like the calm part in Ants of the Sky, or the outro to Fossil Genera), but it works so well because it is sparingly used. If they are gonna try to carry this album mainly on his clean vocals, I think we could be heading for a disaster.
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I don't think Tommy has good enough clean vocals to carry the music. And I still love his vocals. In fact, some of my favorite Tommy moments are clean vocals (like the calm part in Ants of the Sky, or the outro to Fossil Genera), but it works so well because it is sparingly used. If they are gonna try to carry this album mainly on his clean vocals, I think we could be heading for a disaster.
I 100% agree with this statement and exactly sums up what I think I'm thinking about the new direction.
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Honestly I'm totally down with more clean vocals, since his harshes can get a bit monotonous at times.
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I don't think Tommy has good enough clean vocals to carry the music. And I still love his vocals. In fact, some of my favorite Tommy moments are clean vocals (like the calm part in Ants of the Sky, or the outro to Fossil Genera), but it works so well because it is sparingly used. If they are gonna try to carry this album mainly on his clean vocals, I think we could be heading for a disaster.
"Disaster" is probably an over-exaggeration, but that is something that stuck out to me from these singles. Tommy's really trying to do a wide variety of vocal styles, and while that's admirable, he simply doesn't have the voice for it.
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I think we got a preview of it on Bloom. I like that song, and Tommy is fine in it, but it's like he thinks he's Mike Patton or something. His voice is good for what he has been doing, but sometimes singers have a certain range and it's not always bad. About the complaint that the harsh vocals are monotonous, his cleans aren't? Again, I like him, but he pretty much has two modes, and the way they changed between them was great. Going from one dominant monotone singing style to another won't change much, except make the music slightly cheesier.
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I'm loving what I'm hearing so far from this album.....Tommy's clean vocals are outstanding IMO. Great tones from all the instruments too!
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I'm loving what I'm hearing so far from this album.....Tommy's clean vocals are outstanding IMO. Great tones from all the instruments too!
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I'm loving what I'm hearing so far from this album.....Tommy's clean vocals are outstanding IMO. Great tones from all the instruments too!
This.
And also, I was never really a fan of Tommy's harsh vocals. And I *AM* a fan of harsh vocals generally. I love Mikael's vocals from Opeth, and Jon Tardy from Obituary is one of my all time favorites. But Tommy's just always sounded way too monotone for me and I kept hoping he would mix it up more and use his harsh vocals more sparingly. I finally got my wish.
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I think his harsh vocals are amazing.
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I've always meant to give this band more of a shot. I listen to other bands that are similar and this band is from right around the corner from me so I've had no good reasons not too.
I listened to one song from the new album ("Memory Palace") and there was lots that I really liked. So yeah, I hope they don't upset their hardcore fanbase (like most metal bands tend to do) too badly with this album.
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I think his harsh vocals are amazing.
This, I prefer his harsh vocals to most others. The "monotone" quality of them actually adds to it for me, and makes their heavy sections really heavy.
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I think his harsh vocals are amazing.
This, I prefer his harsh vocals to most others. The "monotone" quality of them actually adds to it for me, and makes their heavy sections really heavy.
In general, yeah, but there's something about the production of his vocals on these new songs that feels a little off. Maybe I'll get used to it once the album comes out and I've given it a few spins.
Like the new song. Seems like it'll take time for the album to sink in - not much in the way of immediately memorable melodies like Parrallax had.
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They have been doing it a bit since TGM (though the new album seems to be more of it), but I'm not a fan of BTBAM trying to be DT 2.0. While I would say that DT are down, and another band could swoop in and take over the mantle, it's just not what I want from BTBAM. We already have one DT, we don't need another one. I'm still gonna hold out hope that the new album is good, I don't want another Heritage situation.
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So yeah, I hope they don't upset their hardcore fanbase (like most metal bands tend to do) too badly with this album.
They've already been slowly doing that over the last few albums.
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I've loved both songs so far. And I love Tommy's solo albums as well. So I'm fine with the vocal variety.
Also all the instrumentals are as great as ever. Can't wait for the album.
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Don't know how many of you have heard his 2nd solo album, Modern Noise, but I feel like the clean vocals on that album sound a lot like this one, as opposed to the other BTBAM albums.
And I love both songs so far. But I'm probably just a fan boy, I don't really find anything weak about their music.
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I've been searching for the right word for this song and the previous one, and I hit on it earlier today.
Neutered.
This just feels like neutered BTBAM. I can get that they have probably taken the direction that began on Colors about as far as it could go, but all the edge the band had is gone with these two songs. They might be atypical and the rest of the album has more bite and edge to it, but these two songs feel like they filed off all the rough edges. I'll still buy it because I love BTBAM but I'm not sure how much I'd like an album where these songs would be the norm.
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I just have to say that I cannot stop listening to Memory Palace!!! I've never been more in love with this band than I am right now!!
Sorry to all the haters that have been fans since Alaska...but I could never get into Alaska. I liked Colors a lot, but it took awhile. I liked The Great Misdirect more than Colors, I liked the Parallax material more than The Great Misdirect, and now I just feel like they are totally peaking with this new material. From the first moment I heard Colors, I just felt like it had potential, but it needed to be taken to another level. Colors was brilliant, but felt unfocused and the vocals were bland and one-dimensional. Now they've kept the Zappa-esque craziness, but haven't limited the influences, and they've expanded Tommy's vocal talents. This is a FAR FAR more diverse record than anything they've ever done.
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Alaska is a hard album for me, I never quite understood why people loved it so much. I would say it pales in comparison to both Colors (and everything since) as well as The Silent Circus which has a few more "in your face" metalcore-ish songs. I'd take Alaska over the debut, mostly because of Selkies, but IMO Alaska kinda lacks really memorable songs. Most of the songs are good, but few of them are great. (Selkies being the exception)
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ALL BODIES
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CONTORTION
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Alaska is a hard album for me, I never quite understood why people loved it so much. I would say it pales in comparison to both Colors (and everything since) as well as The Silent Circus which has a few more "in your face" metalcore-ish songs. I'd take Alaska over the debut, mostly because of Selkies, but IMO Alaska kinda lacks really memorable songs. Most of the songs are good, but few of them are great. (Selkies being the exception)
I like Alaska quite a bit; though it does have its highlights that easily beat out the rest of the album (Selkies, Backwards Marathon, All Bodies), everything else is at least good. I feel that The Silent Circus does not fare so well; the only songs on the album that I really like are the opening pair, (Reaction)->Ad a dglgmut, and The Need for Repitition. The rest of the album, despite some occasional moments of brilliance, falls flat for me. I would take the self-titled and Alaska over it any day.
Of course, Colors onwards is in an entirely different league in terms of quality.
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Dude...Mordecai?
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I've listened to Mordecai several times in an attempt to understand what all the hype is about, and I really can't see why many people consider it to be one of the band's best songs, let alone their best.
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I've listened to Mordecai several times in an attempt to understand what all the hype is about, and I really can't see why many people consider it to be one of the band's best songs, let alone their best.
I feel the same way. When I saw them live back in April, the crowd was chanting 'Mordecai" after Silent Flight Parliament and I was hoping that they would play anything else. They then pulled out White Walls, which is far superior in every way. As much as I like a few songs from the first few albums, I would not want to see most of them live.
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Mordecai is easily top 5 for me, maybe top 3. Just brilliant.
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Yeah, I am definitely in the minority of BTBAM fans regarding my position on Mordecai.
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I agree with you that White Walls is better though.
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I always feel like my favorite BTBAM song might be Extremophile Elite, it's just so fun.
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I always feel like my favorite BTBAM song might be Extremophile Elite, it's just so fun.
YES!!!! I see so much love for several of the other tracks on Parallax, but this one was my favorite from day one, and is still one of my favorite BTBAM songs. DAT CHORUS!!! :metal
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Mordecai's great and all, but it doesn't blow the rest of the album away by any means.
What I don't quite get is the praise for Selkies. I mean, it's love-able, but it's my second least favorite non-instrumental next to Roboturner off Alaska.
also, Extremophile SLAYS. :metal
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Mordecai's great and all, but it doesn't blow the rest of the album away by any means.
What I don't quite get is the praise for Selkies. I mean, it's love-able, but it's my second least favorite non-instrumental next to Roboturner off Alaska.
also, Extremophile SLAYS. :metal
Selkies is my favorite song from the first three albums. As for the praise, the song has many memorable sections. The 7/8 and 6/8 intro (I think I got the time signatures correct), the heavy verses, the solo at the end; every part of the song is great, and it flows fairly well. It contains all of the elements that make a great BTBAM song that were later expanded upon in Colors.
As for my favorite song of theirs, I would have to go with Disease Injury Madness. The best part is the (2/4 5/8 3/4 6/8) 6/8 4/4 (once again, I am fairly certain that I got this right, though correct me if I am wrong) bit after the clean section and its reprise later on, but every bit of the song is great. Other contenders include White Walls, Lunar Wilderness, Telos, and Ants of the Sky.
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Telos = best BTBAM song.
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I always feel like my favorite BTBAM song might be Extremophile Elite, it's just so fun.
YES!!!! I see so much love for several of the other tracks on Parallax, but this one was my favorite from day one, and is still one of my favorite BTBAM songs. DAT CHORUS!!! :metal
Awesome! I love everything about this song, it's just badass :metal
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I'll throw my hat in the ring for Ants of the Sky as best BTBAM song. Nothing they'v done since comes close to the sheer amount of raw energy and emotion they capture in that one song. :metal
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My top five would probably be something like...
1: White Walls
2: All Bodies
3: Swim To The Moon
4: Ants Of The Sky
5: Selkies
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1. Veridian/White Walls (they should NEVER be separated)
2. Extremophile Elite
3. Fossil Genera
4. Desert of Song
5. Ants in the Sky/Swim to the Moon (tie)
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1. Melting City
2. Disease, Injury, Madness
3. Specular Reflection
4. Ants Of The Sky
5. Lay Your Ghosts To Rest
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Swim To The Moon tho.
Also, I agree about Extremophile Elite, it's sooo fun :metal
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...As for my favorite song of theirs, I would have to go with Disease Injury Madness. The best part is the (2/4 5/8 3/4 6/8) 6/8 4/4 (once again, I am fairly certain that I got this right, though correct me if I am wrong) bit after the clean section and its reprise later on, but every bit of the song is great...
Great choice! But the 2/4, 5/8, 3/4, 6/8, 6/8, 4/4 section is only the second best part next to that muthafucking horse's nay! :metal
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So I've known about this band for awhile, but couldn't really get into them, mainly because I'm not a huge fan of hardcore. But now I'm really starting to like them. I think Obfuscation was the song that really turned me on to them.
And, they're also from my hometown, so that's pretty cool.
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New BTBAM song "Famine Wolf" officially streaming on Metal Injection.
https://www.metalinjection.net/av/song-premiere/premiere-between-the-buried-and-mes-famine-wolf-is-everything-we-love-about-btbam-in-one-track
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At least there is some more prominent heavy sections in this one.
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As much as I like the first two released songs, I think I will abstain from listening to any more until the release date.
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Danny Elfman influence strong with this one.
MOVE THE FLESH OVER THIS RRRRRROT-TING BONE
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The synth at the beginning sounds like a 80's John Carpenter movie. The whole song is pure BTBAM, with bits of Colors (the ending), Parallax and the gread misdirect (the part before the ending), while maintaining some of the prog-rock vibe of the other two songs. It's also tighter than the other two, which is pretty reassuring. Strong vocals, great guitar work. I just which it was longer. I hope the whole album will flow, because until now, it seems that all the songs are written with the whole album in mind, and not as seperate entities - at least, I hope.
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I like it. It's fresh sounding. Looking forward to the album. I imagine this is going to be the last single until the album's release which is a month from now, considering the 3 singles were released the 3 months before the album is going to come out.
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Really digging the new song. I've liked each song they've released more than the last, so far!
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I'm really liking the new album so far.
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Never listened to much BTBAM, there were songs I really liked here and there but I never got to the point of listening to full albums or anything.
This new stuff, however, is some of the best prog-metal (or what have you) I've heard this year. Really good stuff and I'm psyched for the album.
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:tup
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Keys/Synth are the worst sounding stuff on this album. The key's in title track sound so so so so bad. Other times they just feel pasted in and stock. Overall I don't mind this album but it really sounds like they're starting to get close to empty. Guitars at parts really sound like rough track, not final finished track material. Tommy's harshes are starting to sound tired, and he doesn't really push himself cleanwise on this album. I don't know, it's better than I expected but it's a far cry from the bands other material.
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*Dumb opening opinion of the album*
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The key's in title track sound so so so so bad.
There is no title track.
At first I thought it was better than expected, and overall strong. On second spinning, it think it's downright amazing. What is most impressive is how the band matures with each album. The writing on Colors sounds juvenile compared to Parallax II and this. There is nothing rough or tired about this album. On the contrary, it showcases the band's hability to drift away from their over-the-top heavy style while still improving on their songwriting. The album brings tons of ideas, switching from one to the next in a matter of seconds, with some damn intricate parts, while never feeling all over the place or overly and needlessly "showy", even with all the "rock opera" influences. This is seriously tight songwriting. Moreover, while being their less heavy album, it's also maybe their most complex one in terms of detail and overall structures. There is no concession, to anything or anyone.
And just when I thought they would end the album on a quiet note... Oh, boy.
I don't know how it will last, but there is no question that it holds to their precedents, and proof that they have still a lot to give. Fourth amazing album in a row.
And Tommy not pushing himself ? This is the most diverse he's ever been, pushing his high and low registers, trying effects, tone variations and something in pretty much every song.
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The key's in title track sound so so so so bad.
There is no title track.
My bad, meant Coma Machine
Anywho, the keys in that are disappointing imo.
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Anywho, the keys in that are disappointing imo.
What keys are you talking about ? The piano has a digital piano sound when a real piano would have been better, but keys are not proeminent in that song. From 2', apart from some sawtooth synth in the last climax, it's pretty much all guitars.
On the whole album, it's pretty obvious they were going for a 80's sounding synth/keys (with that John Carpenter's movie feel in Dim Ignition/Famine wolf), in relation with the overall themes of the songs, but they're buried under the guitars most of the time, except in a few parts. I'm not fond of that type of sounds, but at times it's pretty fun (dim ignition), and they're not really a key (ahah) element here.
A lot of prog albums have more embarrassing and invasive synth sounds than that.
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Hm i dunno, I liked the keyboard sounds.
Also, great fucking album. The Ectopic Stroll blew my mind.
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Hm i dunno, I liked the keyboard sounds.
Also, great fucking album. The Ectopic Stroll blew my mind.
Ditto.
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Yeah this album is already starting to grow and I like it more than I stated in my previous post. :lol
I think Tommy is fantastic in this album. This is a different album for sure, just going to take time to soak in for me!
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I'm listening now. Just listening to the third track, and I'm already familiar with Memory Palace.
Sounds really great to my ears. As energetic as ever, lots of creativity and catchiness. Great production. As much as I dig the band, their albums always have that 'grating' quality to the production, but this one hasn't. Organic drum tones, synth experiments. I'm digging this very much already.
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I wish they'd get away with opening tracks always being piano and vocals featuring other instruments.
edit: get away from
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I wish they'd get away with opening tracks always being piano and vocals featuring other instruments.
Well, aren't they getting away with it?
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I like this quite a bit. Probably the best progressive album of 2015, though I'm not sure if that's saying much.
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Wait, is Coma Ecliptic already out?
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Yes. But not to buy.
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I wish they'd get away with opening tracks always being piano and vocals featuring other instruments.
Well, aren't they getting away with it?
Obviously I meant get away from doing that. Ugh.
It seems incredibly forced now.
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I think they do it so well, it doesn't bother me. Backtrack and Mirrors are amazing, and I would say Node is a great addition. Goodbye to Everything is probably the most meh out of the bunch, but still a nice little intro.
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All of BTBAM's album intro are truly something. They know how to start an album, and they've confirmed it with Nodes IMO.
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I think they do it so well, it doesn't bother me. Backtrack and Mirrors are amazing, and I would say Node is a great addition. Goodbye to Everything is probably the most meh out of the bunch, but still a nice little intro.
Oh, I love those. It's just clear the one on the new album is not that great. It makes it look like they're thinking "we always need a piano and clean vocal opening featuring everyone in the band in a low-key type way" for the opening track on every album. Backtrack was cool, because it fit. This one just doesn't fit, at least to me.
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So, I was casually in the funny things thread, while listening to Coma Ecliptic.
Dim Ignition starts, and I almost immediatly see this gif.
(https://i.imgur.com/xiyHWN4.gif)
This is a perfect union.
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I fucking love the end of Rapid Calm.
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whoa, this thing's been leaked for damn near a week?!
I like this quite a bit. Probably the best progressive album of 2015, though I'm not sure if that's saying much.
it IS saying much; that Native Construct album's from this year!
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Checking in to say I think I like this album better than Future Sequence, maybe more than TGM. Not quite sure yet, but it's a really refreshing and enjoyable album-- like Colors, it doesn't feel like a task to sit through the whole thing, which Future Sequence did at times.
Turn On the Darkness is the JAM, too, btw.
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lolfacts.
I'll still always love TSC the most, but I love their recent work just as much for totally different reasons.
Speaking of... I would really love me some new BTBAM in the next couple years.
Another Silent Circus lover here. COME ON: Mordecai!!! Shevanel!!! :heart Ad a Dglgmt (or something)
Still love everything else but this one has a special place in my heart. Also the liner notes:
"I'd kill love and hate for all of you. Thank you for the best part of my life"
I'd also love there would be more bootlegs of them circulating :(
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Ok, Coma Ecliptic is so fun. It's different from their other stuff not only because of the music, but also because of its vibe and what reactions I have to it.
While Colors leaves me like this
(https://i.imgur.com/rfFWukr.gif)
and Parallax II like this
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/KI9oNS4JBemyI/200.gif)
Coma Ecliptic just makes me go "YEAH" and rock out, something that their music kind of has, but it's buried underneath all the technical chaos. But in this album it shines.
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Quick thoughts on the album. Will always be in favor of the S/t, TSC, Alaska and Colors. Feel like after these albums they started to add too much filler throughout the songs and Memory Palace is a perfect example. Would be a much MUCH better song without that pointless boring instrumental in the first minute of the song. Coma Machine and Famine Wolf rule, Turn on the Darkness is kind of meh until the last two minutes. When the chorus first hits in King Redeem the first time it's honestly my favorite part of the album so far. Rapid Calm doesn't do anything for me but the last two songs I feel are pretty solid. Will definitely be giving it a lot of listens in the coming weeks. Also saw there was a top favorite 5 list going around.
1. Mordecai
2. More of Myself to Kill (seriously the clean part is god damn perfection)
3. Ad a Dglgmut
4. Backwards Marathon
5. Viridian/White Walls
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I just can't seem to get in the mood for this album. I'll wait until I have a craving for over-the-top hardcore-goes-opera music.
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lolfacts.
I'll still always love TSC the most, but I love their recent work just as much for totally different reasons.
Speaking of... I would really love me some new BTBAM in the next couple years.
Another Silent Circus lover here. COME ON: Mordecai!!! Shevanel!!! :heart Ad a Dglgmt (or something)
Still love everything else but this one has a special place in my heart. Also the liner notes:
"I'd kill love and hate for all of you. Thank you for the best part of my life"
I'd also love there would be more bootlegs of them circulating :(
Mordecai - Ad a Dglgmt is utter perfection.
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lolfacts.
I'll still always love TSC the most, but I love their recent work just as much for totally different reasons.
Speaking of... I would really love me some new BTBAM in the next couple years.
Another Silent Circus lover here. COME ON: Mordecai!!! Shevanel!!! :heart Ad a Dglgmt (or something)
Still love everything else but this one has a special place in my heart. Also the liner notes:
"I'd kill love and hate for all of you. Thank you for the best part of my life"
I'd also love there would be more bootlegs of them circulating :(
Mordecai - Ad a Dglgmt is utter perfection.
Indeed. It's an incredible experience, I also love how those last albums connected lyrically with Silent Circus.
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Coma is their best album since Colors IMO, just wonderful. :heart
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Waiting to pick up the new album when it comes out, I find that I've enjoyed albums immensely when waiting for their release date and picking it up at the store.
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Coma is their best album since Colors IMO, just wonderful. :heart
I... agree, honestly. At first I didn't think so, but after letting it grow on me, I definitely find myself like, having fun listening to the entire album. It's not just good music, it's an entertaining listen.
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This album has REALLY grown on me. I'm still not the biggest fan of Node, but the rest is just fucking killer. King Redeem - Queen Serene is probably my favorite at this point.
And no matter how hard I try, I can't get the "One" (Metallica) thoughts out of my head when listening to "Turn On The Darkness."
Fucking killer album, though. Definitely their best since Colors, as others have said here.
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Can't say I agree with that though.
The Great Misdirect is such a better album than people give it credit for, and Future Sequence while tilting into the wonkadonk sound had a solid song selection.
This album just feels like they're slightly dumbing down their writing, and throwing in a couple good spots in too small of proportion.
Idk, I'm off and on about BTBAM anyways.
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I really like both TGM and Parallax but Coma is just better than both IMO. Really happy with the result considering I had some concerns beforehand, but I've already pre-ordered the blue vinyl, the CD and a t-shirt. :)
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Really do not like going back to the chorus at the end of Ectopic Stroll instead of ending the song at the end of the solo. Another example of just adding more than needed. Turn On The Darkness has grown on me more though. Really has some guitar riffs similar to Kashmir, plus the slam at the end is great.
Even though the last two songs are pretty good, it just sounds like they are both outro songs and it's a weird thing to hear. Another album though and Mirrors is still the best song post Colors.
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That's the best part of the song IMO. It gives it unity and a cool vibe.
The Ectopic Stroll is really one of the best songs I've heard in a while, it has the perfect mixture of epic/dramatic vibes and quirkiness. It just lacks a bit of heaviness, than it would be a truly perfect mixture.
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It's hard for me to point at any specific standouts (either positive or negative), but that's part of why I like the album so much. I love it from start til finish, something I can only really say about Colors if we look at their other albums. I do very much like TGM (which falls slightly short) and Parallax has the weakest endings for me, but Coma is just awesome from the start until the end. Whether it's Rapid Calm, Memory Palace, King Redeem/Queen Serene or any of the other tracks.
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Ranking? Sure
King Redeem/Queen Serene - One of the best choruses BTBAM has ever made, this song is pretty much perfect. Definitely my favorite, it's got beautiful moments and straight up fucking badass moments. :metal
Famine Wolf - Everything about this song is amazing. The heaviness, the cool eerie vibes, it's great.
Turn on the Darkness - I think this is the most melodic from the album. This one is really nice, love all the different moments.
Memory Palace - Still love this one ever since I first heard it. 4:15-5:25 may be my favorite part of the album. Tommy's best moment of the album I think.
The Coma Machine - For what little time they are in this song, I love the growls a few minutes in. That part is Badass.
The Ectopic Stroll - Really quirky, reminds be a bit of Haken. I like it!
Rapid Calm - Love the calm section of the song, and the ending is really good as well. Probably the weakest of the longer tracks IMO.
Node - Love the vocals on this one. Great intro.
Dim Ignition - Love this one. Wish it was a little longer but I like how it segues into the next track.
Life in Velvet - Cool ending, still maybe hasn't fully clicked.
Option Oblivion - Hasn't really clicked with me yet. Maybe i just haven't heard it enough but it's pretty good.
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I don't know, I really love Rapid Calm. Those keyboards in combination with the "Darkness"-part is just really darn epic, one of my favorite parts of the album. :hefdaddy
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Long songs:
1. Ectopic Stroll
2. Famine Wolf
3. Memory Palace
4. King Redeem / Queen Serene
5. The Coma Machine
6. Turn On The Darkness
7. Rapid Calm
Shorter
1. Dim Ignition
2. Node
3. Life In Velvet
4. Option Oblivion
Disclaimer:EVERY SONG IS GODDAMN AMAZING
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I love Dim Ignition. I get hella hyped every time I listen to it.
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pre-ordered one of the vinyl bundles, haven't heard the albun though. I just have blind faith in anything BTBAM. I'm so excited :rollin
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You guys are making the wait so much worse... only four more days now...
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RANKINGS? Yes, please.
King Redeem - Queen Serene
Memory Palace
The Coma Machine
Turn On The Darkness
Ectopic Stroll
Rapid Calm
Option Oblivion
Famine Wolf
Dim Ignition
Life In Velvet
Node
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New album streaming online https://www.metalsucks.net/2015/07/06/stream-between-the-buried-and-mes-coma-ecliptic/ (https://www.metalsucks.net/2015/07/06/stream-between-the-buried-and-mes-coma-ecliptic/)
Halfway through the album now and it's definitely more laid back with less harsh vocals, music wise it's still the same ol kick ass BTBAM
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This album is impossible to rank right now, every song has some amazing parts.
The "Lift our limbs to focus" lyric part from Coma Machine
The heavy guitar riff in the chorus of Famine Wolf (1:38)
THAT chorus of King Redeem/Queen Serene
2:30 - 4:17 of Turn On the Darkness is one of the most genius parts of the album
THAT chorus of The Ectopic Stroll
That spacey part of Rapid Calm (5:39-6:25) is sooo good. Not to mention the outro.
Memory Palace is a headbang-fest all the way through, but "Live in the name of the ghost" is really epic
And the reprises in Option Oblivion/Life In Velvet are executed perfectly in my opinion.
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Not to mention the fucking heavy finale in Life In Velvet. Jesus that's quite the climax.
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2:30 - 4:17 of Turn On the Darkness is one of the most genius parts of the album
HELL YES !! :metal
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Kinda weird that the release date here in the US is listed as July 10th which is a Friday, I don't remember any release happening like that.
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That is particular. I didn't think any band with a well-known label would do anything but a Tuesday release. I wonder what the reasoning behind this was.
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I just checked and according to amazon Lamb Of God's new album is due to release July 24th which again is a Friday. Has there been a change in release schedules that I've been remiss to?
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I am so happy I just read that July 10 thing, I was just about to leave for the record store. Would have been super bummed to go there and not find it.
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I just checked and according to amazon Lamb Of God's new album is due to release July 24th which again is a Friday. Has there been a change in release schedules that I've been remiss to?
Starting later this month all new releases are being changed to Friday's globally, so everything will be out the same day everywhere.
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I just checked and according to amazon Lamb Of God's new album is due to release July 24th which again is a Friday. Has there been a change in release schedules that I've been remiss to?
Starting later this month all new releases are being changed to Friday's globally, so everything will be out the same day everywhere.
How in the fuck did I miss an announcement like this?
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Apparently a lot of people are unaware. I'm studying for a degree in the music industry, so I try and stay on top of stuff like that. But I guess I'm not surprised it's not bigger news, to many people it's just a new day to buy your album
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I knew it had been proposed a few months back, but had no idea it had been confirmed and was happening now. Good stuff!
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I think that Colors just clicked. IT'S HAPPENING.
THE OBSESSION SHALL START
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THE ENDLESS OBSESSION!
...Wait. Different album. Never mind.
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Spoiler for those who havent listened to Coma Ecliptic yet, but
Paul's vocal part in Turn on the Darkness is so fucking great. Best part of the album, best song imo.
Fuck this album is amazing. These riffs are literally jaw dropping. How do they make these sounds with instruments?
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I hate hardcore music and vocals (note that I like death metal), will I like this album?
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I hate hardcore music and vocals (note that I like death metal), will I like this album?
Wait...wut? If you like death metal, what is it about hardcore vocals you don't like? One either likes "cookie monster" or they don't...
But to attempt to answer your question....I don't know. Why don't you check the free stream and find out? :xbones
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Metalcore/hardcore harsh vocals are way way different from typical death metal vocals.
That's like saying someone will like black metal vocals just because they like death metal.
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I see a fairly distinct difference between death and hardcore vocals (at least what I think of when I think of those two genres). Death being the lower cookie monster growl and hardcore having a higher screamier (?) tone.
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The new album is definitely more to the prog side, so you will probably be fine.
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You should give the latest album a try then. The band has gradually moved away from *core towards prog.
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This is my go-to album right now for getting people into BTBAM.
Still, my friends find them horrible. BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE A CHORUS OH DARN EVERYTHING CHANGES
Btw, tonight I dreamt that Coma Ecliptic had arrived. Let's see if it was shipped...
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I hate hardcore music and vocals (note that I like death metal), will I like this album?
This album (and quite frankly, the band) is in no way anything reminscient of "hardcore".
Its quirky progressive death metal.
Think Mr. Bungle meets Genesis meets Opeth.
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Mr.Bungle meets Genesis meets Opeth is a perfect way to describe this band
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The Genesis part is a bit redundand since Opeth already is Death Metal meets Genesis.
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I hate hardcore music and vocals (note that I like death metal), will I like this album?
This album (and quite frankly, the band) is in no way anything reminscient of "hardcore".
Its quirky progressive death metal.
Think Mr. Bungle meets Genesis meets Opeth.
The vocals are incredibly hardcore.
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No they're not. If anything the vocals are metalcore, but the new album has tons of clean singing.
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So does Killswitch Engage.
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No they're not. If anything the vocals are metalcore, but the new album has tons of clean singing.
Oh, I am so there. So with these new release date schedules, it should be at the store if I go tomorrow? Maybe I'll pick up one of Tommy's solo albums too. I haven't listened to either.
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I've never found Opeth and BTBAM to be any kind of comparable though, sure they're both heavy and have the growling vocals and they're both prog too but that's about where the comparison ends
it'd be like comparing Tool to Dream Theater
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It's july 10th people! Coma Ecliptic is officially out now!
(Even though I've already listened to it like 10 times :biggrin:)
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I picked up the album this morning. I won't be able to give it a spin until after work, and greatly look foward to doing so.
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Picked the CD up and listened to the first three tracks in the car and have to say it sounded fantastic, usually in my car the CDs sound just about alright this CD being a big exception.
I can't wait to listen to it at home with my good headphones.
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I finished my first listen of the album. It is not quite at the same level as TGM or Colors, but I currently consider it to be about equal with Parallax II. Of course, BTBAM albums are almost always growers, so I'm interested to see how my impressions change as I listen to it more. The growls sound a bit off, but I am sure that I'll get used to them in time.
My favorite track is King Redeem/Queen Serene. And Life in Velvet is fucking glorious. :hefdaddy
I hate hardcore music and vocals (note that I like death metal), will I like this album?
I was already into bands like Opeth and Death before I discovered BTBAM, and had never harbored any sort of aversion towards harsh vocals. In fact, I have always liked them. Yet when I first listened to Colors, I did not like the vocals. However, the melodic guitar lines and overall instrumentation, especially in the three 10+ minute songs, were so addicting that I ended up listened to the album numerous times. I eventually came to love Tommy's vocals, and BTBAM is now one of my all-time favorite bands.
Essentially, do not let the vocals turn you off. The music itself was so strong that I continued to return to it, and my position on the vocals made a complete 180. And I still hate most vocalists that employ a similar style.
As for this specific album, the quantity of growls is greatly toned down. It is more of a prog record than a death metal one, especially when compared to the band's previous output. Definitely give it a shot.
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Holy fucking shit.....what a BEAST of an album!!! Seriously, these guys are owning the word prog right now, it's not even fair :lol
Every disc that they put out always amazes me how confident they are as writers. Might take a while for rankings to come cuz I gotta digest this one for a while....
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The production on this album is amazing, sounds absolutely amazing using a pair of decent noise cancelling headphones I have.
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Listened to the new album, yeah, that was really good. There are still core vocals but sounds like almost all of the hardcore influence in the actual music is gone. I hope they eventually go the way of Opeth and remove all harsh vocals. That was a progressive metal album, not a progressive metalcore album. I might need to go back and listen to their older stuff.
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I hope they eventually go the way of Opeth and remove all harsh vocals.
I absolutely love Watershed, but I really hope that Coma Ecliptic will not be BTBAM's parallel album. The removal of Opeth's harsh vocals (or more specifically, the dynamic between beauty and brutality) resulted in less engaging music. While I still like its two most recent albums, they pale (no pun intended) in comparison to what the band created during its golden years. I would not want BTBAM to follow a similar path.
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Yeah, Opeth's "clean only" albums are by far their weakest albums. I hope BTBAM doesn't go the same route.
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Yeah the Watershed comparison is pretty good I think. It feels like after this album there is definitely not going back to, say, Colors-esque material. Like others, I just hope BTBAM don't lose their magic the same way Opeth did when they decided to ditch the metal elements of their music.
I have listened to Coma Ecliptic a few times now, and at the moment is feels like a step down from Parallax II. I like this band the best when there are clearly melodic and memorable things going on amidst all the chaos, and at this point I can't seem to find those memorable moments on this album. Have to keep listening though, I didn't like Parallax II at first either. Colors was the only one that immediately gave me the impression like OMG this stuff will be monstrously good after I familiarize myself with this.
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I am going to see them in Norfolk in early August. Unlike the other concerts I've attended in the past year, this one is less than two hours away.
A few questions, since I do not want to spoil the setlist for myself:
-In what order do the bands play?
-What is the approximate length of each band's setlist?
-Does BTBAM play anything from its first three albums (with the exception of Selkies, which is most likely a given)
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I'd be chocked if they play anything from the first three. Not even Selkies. They've talked about how they would focus mainly on newer material since Parallax, and there are several stories about how "fed up" some of the band members are of Selkies. Mordecai could happen, it's slightly shorter and I guess as close to a "fan favorite" as they have from the older stuff, but even that one would surprise me.
I'd say we'll probably get a 60% Coma set with one (or so) song each from Colors, TGM and Parallax.
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Yes it sounded like they had no desire nowadays to want to play anything pre-Colors.
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I've been spinning this today. What an album. I'm still trying to digest it. It is EASILY one of their most dynamic albums. It's as if they now have multiple styles instead of just two styles (harsh and clean). Easily the most mature songwriting they have ever done. I'm just floored.
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As someone who really couldn't get into Parallax II, I'm really digging this one. Needs more spins, but my initial impressions are pretty good.
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I've taken this picture from the booklet/packaging artwork of the Coma Ecliptic CD, and I think it's totally rad and more fitting of the music on the album than the official artwork. I know this is a strange request, but is there any chance someone crafty and good with photoshop on this forum (example: blob) could put the band name and album title font on this image so I can set it as the album artwork on my iPhone? I would do it myself if I had that sort of talent, but I don't. Thx in advance to anyone willing to give it a try.
(https://s2.postimg.org/oh7jxa2zd/image.jpg)
Totally badass art, amiright?
This album seems less musically complex than their previous work (I think Future Sequence is probably their most technical and complex), more "pulled back" in a way and focused on each individual song itself and less on the album as a whole. Each track works fantastically on it's own, each track could have easily been a single. For the first time ever when listening to an album, I can't decide what my #1 favorite song is, it's practically a 3 way tie between King Redeem, Darkness and Ectopic Stroll.
Rapid Calm and Option Oblivion are :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
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My pre-order came yesterday :metal
The T Shirt is rad and the DVD is really interesting, in depth and detailed as far as the recording process was. Also, a few of those classic BTBAM moments (https://www.gfycat.com/ThoseHealthyGonolek)
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Yeah, Opeth's "clean only" albums are by far their weakest albums. I hope BTBAM doesn't go the same route.
Yeah and Mikael's clean voice is considerably better than Tommy's too. Though I don't really like Tommy much at all.
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Ya, in the past I've always viewed Tommy as the weak link of the band. Not because I don't like harsh vocals, but because I usually don't think *his* harsh vocals are that outstanding. (there are exceptions...the end of White Walls is phenomenal)
But I like that he's experimenting with several styles now. It's almost like he's taking a more Mike Patton-esque approach in that he will take on *any* vocal style that will suit that moment in the song. Personally, I think it's a HUGE improvement. Tommy is only getting better and more creative as a vocalist with this album.
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Yeah, Opeth's "clean only" albums are by far their weakest albums. I hope BTBAM doesn't go the same route.
Yeah and Mikael's clean voice is considerably better than Tommy's too. Though I don't really like Tommy much at all.
I disagree.
Mikael's clean vocals are very 'pretty' but they work best as a counterpoint to his growls. I tend to find that when he does just clean singing an entite album of just that gets a bit... boring. Tommy, otoh, has a lot more variety with his clean singing and as he's shown on the latest btbam and his solo stuff, he's far more willing to try different styles.
Mikael's growls > Tommy's growls though
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I've taken this picture from the booklet/packaging artwork of the Coma Ecliptic CD, and I think it's totally rad and more fitting of the music on the album than the official artwork. I know this is a strange request, but is there any chance someone crafty and good with photoshop on this forum (example: blob) could put the band name and album title font on this image so I can set it as the album artwork on my iPhone? I would do it myself if I had that sort of talent, but I don't. Thx in advance to anyone willing to give it a try.
(https://s2.postimg.org/oh7jxa2zd/image.jpg)
Totally badass art, amiright?
Here's my go, not perfect but I hope this works.
(https://i58.tinypic.com/27y34mr.jpg)
EDIT: or this one, switched the colours around. https://i57.tinypic.com/121y4bq.jpg
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I really like that art, but more fitting in terms of music? That cover gives me a very dark/psychedelic vibe, whereas the album is pretty light and even "fun" in some parts, honestly. I think the blue skies of the cover art fit the music pretty well, it seems like a more positive album in terms of music.
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Looks like an Unknown Mortal Orchestra album cover
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I think it looks like an alternate cover for "My Arms, Your Hearse"...
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I think it looks purple.
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Love the album cover. And damn the production of this album is amazing. Wish DT would get their shit together on the production side of things.
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Love the album cover. And damn the production of this album is amazing. Wish DT would get their shit together on the production side of things.
Yup I can't get over how well suited the production is to the composition of the songs. Makes me listen to the album more and more times.
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I've given the new album enough spins to engage in DTF's favorite hobby, listmaking!
Long Songs
1. King Redeem/ Queen Serene
2. Turn on the Darkness
3. Memory Palace
4. The Ectopic Stroll
5. Famine Wolf
6. The Coma Machine
7. Rapid Calm
Short Songs
1. Life in Velvet
2. Option Oblivion
3. Node
4. Dim Ignition
Album Ranking
1. Colors
2. The Great Misdirect
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. The Parallax II: Future Sequence
5. Alaska
6. Between the Buried and Me
7. The Silent Circus
Hypersleep Dialogues would fall between P2 and Alaska, had I included it.
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photoshop wizardry
Thanks dude! Looks sick! ... but I think I decided to leave the cover the way it is after all :lol
I read an article somewhere that said that taking in different visual imagery while listening to music causes you to hear it differently, making certain tones or sounds jump out more than usual. I think the theory is true, but thats a convo for another thread somewhere.
Track ranking:
King Redeem/Queen Serene
Turn on the Darkness
Ectopic Stroll
Rapid Calm
Option Oblivion-Life in Velvet
the rest.
For whatever reason, the singles grab me the least in context with the album. Maybe because theyre not as "fresh" as the others since I played the crap out of them months prior to hearing the others.
I cant possibly rank it in comparison to the other albums yet. The new album feels are still too strong to give an unbiased opinion.
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Listened to this beast a couple of times in the car. It's right now in my top 3 BTBAM.
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I've only given it a few spins so it still has room to grow, but I'm really liking it! :metal This is definitely them moving towards a new direction while remaining so at ease with it at the same time. Maybe it's simply the fact that it's a concept album, but I feel like this is the most cohesive and naturally structured they've put together since Colors. I'm still letting it digest, but it's definitely a top 3 album of theirs for me. My song rankings would go something like:
Long Songs:
1. King Redeem/Queen Serene
2. The Ectopic Stroll
3. Memory Palace
4. Turn on the Darkness
5. Famine Wolf
6. The Coma Machine
7. Rapid Calm
Shorter Songs:
1. Option Oblivion
2. Life in Velvet
3. Dim Ignition
4. Node
Even though some are lower than others, the whole album is incredibly consistent. As far as post-Alaska BTBAM albums go:
1. Colors
2. The Great Misdirect
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. The Parallax II
5. Alaska
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Long Songs:
1. King Redeem/Queen Serene
2. The Ectopic Stroll
3. Memory Palace
4. Turn on the Darkness
5. Famine Wolf
6. The Coma Machine
7. Rapid Calm
Shorter Songs:
1. Option Oblivion
2. Life in Velvet
3. Dim Ignition
4. Node
Even though some are lower than others, the whole album is incredibly consistent. As far as post-Alaska BTBAM albums go:
1. Colors
2. The Great Misdirect
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. The Parallax II
5. Alaska
Wow, our song rankings are almost exactly the same, and our album listings are identical. :tup
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...but...Alaska didn't come out post-Alaska
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most of the songs on Alaska (the album) are after Alaska (the song) on the album so technically
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Everyone grows but me.
:millahhhh
Dim Ignition/Famine Wolf is one of the greatest things the band has ever conjured. The comparison of Giles-sama to Patton-sama is abso-fucking-lutely on point. I love it. Giles is a genius to realize he has more potential than simple growls and gurgles of anger. Elicit emotion in another fashion and something more sincere and brutal is born. I honestly love the none-growling parts of the album more than I do the ones in which he's gurgling (for the most part). In an interview a few weeks (maybe a month or two) before the album came out, he speaks of emotion being realized through different vocal...valleys...(for lack of a better phrase) instead of forcing the emotion through his growls and throwing it in our face. It's god damn perfection and I cannot be happier with the outcome of the album; despite the fact that once I read the interview in which he revealed he was inspired by non-growls, I pretty much thought they'd fizz out with a bittersweet album and I'd slowly fade them away. Coma Ecliptic has reignited my love for the band. I really don't dislike, in any amount, a single fucking song. It's an amazing output by an amazing group of dooders. Really, REALLY awesome stuff.
I think the middle of Famine Wolf at exactly 4:07 when those orgasmic, darkened and distorted keyboards kick in is my favorite part of the album.
"IT HAS ME OUT IN THE COLD."
P.S. I missed all you fuckers while I was on my worldly sabbatical. :heart :heart :heart
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We missed you too, Tio. :)
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:'( :smiley: :smiley:
Thank you, brother! Truly. I was glad to be away from civilization and technology for a while but holy hell it's good to be plugged in again.
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...but...Alaska didn't come out post-Alaska
Noted, but you get the idea :lol Alaska and onward is what I meant.
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I can't really bring myself to put one song over another in some cases, but if I had to categorize it...
5/5 Songs
King Redeem/Queen Serene
Turn On The Darkness
4/5 Songs
Node/The Coma Machine
Dim Ignition/Famine Wolf
The Ectopic Stroll
3/5 Songs
Rapid Calm
Memory Palace
Option Oblivion/Life In Velvet... Finale/5 ;D
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"Whoa! What a great post!" is what I was gonna type before realizing it was by TioJorge and now I'm even more impressed.
I don't get why Dim Ignition & Famine Wolf aren't more regularly combined...If people can get their panties in a knot over how "Viridian/WW should NEVER be separated", I might decide to fight the fight over DI/FW, even if it means I can't untie my undergarments.
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Tio is back! Missed ya, man.
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"Whoa! What a great post!" is what I was gonna type before realizing it was by TioJorge and now I'm even more impressed.
I don't get why Dim Ignition & Famine Wolf aren't more regularly combined...If people can get their panties in a knot over how "Viridian/WW should NEVER be separated", I might decide to fight the fight over DI/FW, even if it means I can't untie my undergarments.
I find that Viridian does not work at all without White Walls, while the latter is perfectly fine on its own. I only ever listen to Viridian in the context of the full album, while WW is one of my most played BTBAM songs. Dim Ignition occupies a similar spot.
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Dim Ignition is more of a transition really, a break. Viridian is like an intro to a beast song, so yeah, I view them kinda differently.
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Tio is back! Missed ya, man.
Thanks brohan!
I love Dim Ignition a lot, it's an interesting transition song and is probably my favorite out of their shorter transitioning songs. I love the layered vocals at the end with Giles saying "in reverse" (or just reverse?) and "dim ignition"; really cool sound with those crazy keyboards.
I think the moment I knew that Giles' different vocal approach was a very good thing is during The Ectopic Stroll, the way he sings is just all kinds of awesome and it totally works and somehow doesn't sound cheesy. Also this very well may have been said already but I got hit with a massive, very clear Opeth vibe in the beginning of Option Oblivion. Like, immediately and completely Opeth, but in a really great way.
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Yooo, welcome back Tio. Glad you've returned!
Dim Ignition is one of my favorites on the album, actually, and I don't understand completely why. It just really pumps me up when I listen to it.
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:heart :heart
I know the exact feeling. :lol It's crazy and groovy and all kinds of neat; sometimes I wish it were longer and other times I think it's perfect being a little on the shorter end, it's like it hits that much harder. DAT BEAT DOE.
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It's like The Black Box, two of the most amazing short songs that ever existed IMO.
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Hell yes. Which also leads into one of their best songs, I think.
I'm really, really frustrated that I literally missed their concert by a few days, if I'd gotten back a little earlier I could have gone. Raaaaaaaaa!!! Next time.
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The US Tour kicks off soon. I'm wondering if they'll play all of Coma Ecliptic or have a more diverse setlist. I'd be fine if they played all of the new album and do White Walls as an encore.
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SRSLY. Setlist that was played (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/between-the-buried-and-me/2015/warehouse-live-houston-tx-3f6f113.html) at a place that's exactly 30 minutes from my place.
On one hand, the two times I've seen them live they've played similar songs (Selkies, Ants, and Prequel have been at both :lol ) but just seeing Coma Machine, Memory Palace and Famine Wolf is enough to go see them. I don't like the venue much though so...overall not too sour over it. Hopefully they'll come back and play the album entirely.
(But mainly for those AAL fans, check out dat setlist doe. :o )
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That is a sweet setlist, though I could do without Prequel to the Sequel. Sub that out for Disease, Injury, and Madness and :metal.
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But they played Disease Injury Madness on their Spring tour. Of course, I wouldn't mind seeing it again. It is my favorite song of theirs.
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I purchased this album and have listened to it twice now. I think it's a lot better than I thought it was going to be. There's more heavy parts then I expected. Looking forward to listening more.
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The Memory Palace/Option Oblivion suite (basically) is really growing on me. Especially with the reprisals and catchy hooks.
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The US Tour kicks off soon. I'm wondering if they'll play all of Coma Ecliptic or have a more diverse setlist. I'd be fine if they played all of the new album and do White Walls as an encore.
Heard an interview with Dan Briggs and he said Coma Ecliptic in its entirety will be happening next year.
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I'm really enjoying this album.
The only thing I really miss with this band is that they are steering away from the whole guitar solo thing. I know there is a couple towards the end of the album and some little sections here and there, but I'd like just a couple more heavier style solos again.
Saying that, the songs don't really need them, just an observation.
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After one week from its release, Coma Ecliptic is 12th on the Billboard chart https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200
I think its their best to date.
Given the genre, this is great? no?
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I think 12 is AMAZING for BTBAM! Well deserved! :metal
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There's something oddly proud and satisfying about seeing a local band achieve such a high position on the charts...
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I think that's a massive achievement given the genre of the band.
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...or a statement how fans of other genres stopped buying albums and only listen to singles on youtube.
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Seein BTBAM along with names such as Ed Sheeran or Meghan Trainor is a real mindfuck. A good mindfuck. They really deserve it :metal
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This album is fantastic.
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on one hand I "like" this album in a sense, but on the other hand I just can't get into it at all and I don't know why
same thing happened with Future Sequence to me, I never really got into that album either :(
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I just can't get enough of it. I just love how BTBAM has evolved.
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This album was definitely a pleasant surprise. My expectations were kind of average, but it might end up beating TGM for my favorite post-Colors album.
Almost all of the long songs are great, especially The Coma Machine, Famine Wolf, Turn On The Darkness and Memory Palace. The Ectopic Stroll is the only long song I'm not all that into, and even that has some sections I really enjoy.
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1. Colors
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. Alaska
4. The Great Misdirect
5. Parallax 2
6. Parallax 1
Haven't heard TSC or the s/t yet.
But yeah, I really really love CE. A lot better than I thought it would be on my first listen. The Ectopic Stroll and Famine Wolf are my favourites at the moment.
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After a couple more listens, my ranking changed:
1. The Ectopic Stroll
2. King Redeem/Queen Serene
3. Famine Wolf
4. Turn On The Darkness
5. Memory Palace/Option Oblivion (can't listen to them apart)
6. Rapid Calm
7. The Coma Machine
---
1. Dim Ignition
2. Life In Velvet
3. Node
Still, it's incredibly freaking consistent, and every song is top notch. Wow. :metal
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Album Rankings:
1. The Parallax ( I & II )
2. Colors
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. The Great Misdirect
5. Alaska
6. The Silent Circus
7. Self Titled
New song rankings for Coma Ecliptic:
1. King Redeem/Queen Serene
2. Dim Ignition/Famine Wolf
3. Turn on the Darkness
4. Memory Palace/Option Oblivion
5. The Coma Machine
6. The Ectopic Stroll
7. Rapid Calm
8. Node
9. Life in Velvet
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I could never really get into Parallax 2. It's just too much, too busy. The songs all range from good to awesome, but the package just leaves me exhausted by the time Telos is over.
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Two days until the concert! Very excited to see the new material live!
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Man, I was just about to say that Famine Wolf will probably be killer live, but then I remembered that you could say that about every fucking track on the album.
So yeah. Enjoy the show.
Stupid people in the states.
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I could never really get into Parallax 2. It's just too much, too busy. The songs all range from good to awesome, but the package just leaves me exhausted by the time Telos is over.
Understandable. It's pretty long and it's all over the place.
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I could never really get into Parallax 2. It's just too much, too busy. The songs all range from good to awesome, but the package just leaves me exhausted by the time Telos is over.
Understandable. It's pretty long and it's all over the place.
I just find that to be a weird reason because that's how I felt about Colors for the longest time. Parallax, while still being insane, is to my ears a lot more cohesive and song-oriented.......at least, when compared to Colors anyway. As much as I have grown to LOVE Colors, I still think it sounds like 1000 awesome riffs in a blender with random track markers thrown into the mix just so you don't have to fast forward to certain spots. I can't find "a song" in the bunch (with the exception of Veridian/White Walls).
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Colors was designed to flow together that way though, Future Sequence kinda does too tbh but I'unno
I just dunno why it never clicked for me, hopefully Coma will :lol
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I haven't given Colors enough spins at all
But it really does just seem like a collection of "neat" and catchy riffs for ~47 minutes, with Viridian/White Walls being the only real prominent "song."
Which is probably why I'm so into CE in comparison, it isn't as crazy or complex (BTBAM does both very well imo) but it's packed with catchiness and strong melodies and real moments of impactful music.
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I'm backwards. Seems people wanna group Memory Palace / Option Oblivion together, but I always wanna combo Option Oblivion and Life In Velvet into one track.
In other news, something's bugging me about Turn On The Darkness. Not the song itself, I can tell it's killer; I just can't figure out why the song doesn't absolutely blow me away. It seems like it should. It's got all the elements. I just don't know what it is.
Here's hoping getting that off my chest jinxes me into creaming myself next spin.
Also, Future Sequence isn't exhausting. Well, maybe for the faint of heart. Shouldn't be any more exhausting than Colors or TGM though, other than being a bit longer (with mentioned Goodbye To Everything through Telos actually being much shorter than those previous albums)
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The Parallax II is my favorite because I just think it has the best mix of heaviness and cleans (70/30?). Lay Your Ghosts to Rest, Extremophile Elite, Telos, and Melting City all on the same album is why I regard it so highly. Plus, the concept is very kick ass.
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I really like Future Sequence but it is by far the most exhausting one to sit through, and overstays its welcome by maybe 10-15 minutes. I won't disagree with the awesomeness of Lay Your Ghosts to Rest, Extremophile Elite or Telos, but the album doesn't hold up to Colors, Coma or even TGM for me.
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The issue with Parallax II is Silent Flight Parliament. Everything leading up to it is really good, but SFP is my least favorite of BTBAM's 10+ minute songs. Up to "fucking weaklings", everything is great. It then starts to drag, bottoms out with the mediocre solo section, and finds its way again in the final few minutes. The song would be much better if it were a few minutes shorter (maybe 11-12 instead of 15), which could easily be accomplished by trimming the repetitive middle sections.
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Wow different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. Silent flight parliament is the perfect ending to that album for me. It's possibly my favorite song on that album as well.
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I was just about to type out how awesome it is that many of the BTBAM fans I meet (and a lot here as well) are very diverse in what they favor and don't favor among the band's songs. I like most of SFP, but as I've stated a few times in here and in other threads recently, I'm beginning (and it started a while back) to have trouble getting through longer songs these days. Most of the time, and as is the case with SFP, I like certain parts or either one half of the song and the rest is kind of a chore to get through. Although Zant, we're almost in the same 'area of boredom' for SFP. Whereas you get bored around the 'fucking weaklings', I start to wane right after that in the (I think these lyrics are right..) "I still know what my mind tells you to do" piece. I love that part, but every single time I either skip to the next song after that point or just kind of daydream.
But with SFP, it's that I get bored here and there, and then I LOVE a section, and then back to daydreaming. These days, it's gotta hit me really hard for me to not lose interest in the slightest if it's longer than 7 or 8 minutes. That's a farcry from when most of my favorites were 'epics', but damn...I'm gettin' older by the second. I find especially with BTBAM, I really love their more...er...I was gonna say 'normal timed songs', but then realized that 8 minutes for most people is like "WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF SONG IS THAT!?" :lol. I digress. I do love SFP in some parts, but it's one of the best songs to use for an example of what I mean when I love some parts and then daydream in others (Right around 10 minutes when the solo starts is when I tend to skip it).
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I remember tommy (claimed he) thought SFP/GTE reprise was better than both Swim To the Moon and (gasp!) White Walls...I'm not certain I'd disagree.
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At one point I could see that completely, but the fact that recently I've begun to even find it a tiny bit difficult (here and there, certain passages or solos) to get through White Walls is telling in that my taste has changed...but knowing the ending is coming is worth it and usually makes the wait easier. I just love their 'build up' songs though, Swim/Moon and White Walls are probably always going to be my favorite 'epics' by the guys just because they're both so great and have their ups and downs but the one thing that unites them both is that the build up and eventual climax are both fucking amazing. I think at this point I like Swim a bit more cause of the chugging background, but White Walls has it as well just in a different way. Swim seems a bit...groovier.
Anywho, it's interesting to notice how one's opinion on music changes so drastically throughout life. Even on Coma, my least favorite song seems to be Memory Palace.
Oh and...random for the people who watch Hannibal. CONSTRUCT YOUR MEMORY PALACE! :lol FIRST thing I thought of when I heard Hannibal say that was this song. Well...the second time, the first time Coma wasn't announced yet.
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Wow different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. Silent flight parliament is the perfect ending to that album for me. It's possibly my favorite song on that album as well.
Yeah, I don't agree it overstays its welcome at all, and in fact I think a lot of the album's best material is towards the end. I would say its definitely my favourite BTBAM album, though the new one is fantastic too. They're at the top of their game right now!
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It's crazy, I haven't had the urge to listen to an album as often as I have with CE in, like, ever. It's well on the way of overtaking Colors as my favourite of their albums.
Famine Wolf might be my favourite song of the year so far.
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Still loving Coma Ecliptic, amazing disc. Not sure if I like this one or Parallax II best though.
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Wow different strokes for different folks and all that jazz. Silent flight parliament is the perfect ending to that album for me. It's possibly my favorite song on that album as well.
Yuppers.
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Coma Ecliptic is pretty good, but it doesn't even come close to The Great Misdirect for me. :coolio
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This is what's so great about BTBAM, not everyone just agrees on one album being their best. I love the variety of preferences, allows for good discussion.
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Finally having a good listen to this album. KRQR is awesome. Actually, it's pretty good so far.
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It's crazy, I haven't had the urge to listen to an album as often as I have with CE in, like, ever. It's well on the way of overtaking Colors as my favourite of their albums.
Famine Wolf might be my favourite song of the year so far.
I am so glad that finally someone loves this song as much as I do. It's so fucking amazing in so many different ways. FM and Ectopic stroll are tied; that voice that Tommy uses is so absolutely jaw dropping. It's...zany and weird and scarily funny but in a way that isn't ACTUALLY funny, it's more like "Hahaha!...ha...haha....umm...I think this guy might kill me"-funny. Really great work from Mr. Giles on this album. I love his voice, and I completely agree with the man on the whole "you don't have to growl/scream to get emotion through" (massive paraphrase). He really hit the nail on the head with that one, and for the life of me I can't remember what artist he said inspired him to do that but thank the metal gods that he heard whatever album/concert that he did to be inspired by that, cause it worked. The screams/singing is in perfect balance on this album.
This is what's so great about BTBAM, not everyone just agrees on one album being their best. I love the variety of preferences, allows for good discussion.
YES!
P.S. I also have immense love for parts of Rapid Calm. I love the tones of the synths in the background and especially at 2:00 when it gets quiet and just the keyboards and drums are playing...THE BUMPS OF GEESE...THEY ARE ON ME!!! Awesome stuff. The piano and keyboard work has been just fucking out of this world since Colors. TGM did it best, I think, and now Coma has usurped the throne.
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Right my album ranking would be:
1. The Parallax
2. Colors
3. The Great Misdirect
4. Coma Ecliptic
5. Alaska
6. Self Titled
7. The Silent Circus
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Mine would Be
Coma Ecliptic
Colors
Parallax (including the EP)
Still, I need to listen to the rest.
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I love SFP, the "jet propulsion disengage" part is one of my top BTBAM moments. However, as a whole, Telos is the best song on PII for me. Best climax, best structure, everything I want out of a BTBAM song, really.
I'd rank them:
Colors
Coma Ecliptic
The Parallax II
(Parallax I)
The Great Misdirect
The Silent Circus
Alaksa
Between the Buried and Me
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I love SFP, the "jet propulsion disengage" part is one of my top BTBAM moments. However, as a whole, Telos is the best song on PII for me. Best climax, best structure, everything I want out of a BTBAM song, really.
I'd rank them:
Colors
Coma Ecliptic
The Parallax II
(Parallax I)
The Great Misdirect
The Silent Circus
Alaksa
Between the Buried and Me
My ranking would probably be exactly the same for me. Not 100% sure if I'd put Parallax II over TGM, they're pretty close, but I do appreciate Parallax II a lot up until the end. Swim to the Moon is definitely superior to TSP, but tracks like LYGTR, Extremophile and Telos are very strong and maybe stronger than the TGM equivalents.
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Speaking of, someone should run a survivor since the new album just came out. I remember starting a survivor one time but I think I got someone else to finish it.
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Here's my CE ranking, from one listen.
Turn On The Darkness
Dim Ignition/Famine Wolf
Rapid Calm
King Redeem/Queen Serene
Memory Palace/Option Oblivion/Life in Velvet
Node/Coma Machine
Yes, I feel the last three songs, MP/OO/LiV, form a nice closer suite.
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Speaking of, someone should run a survivor since the new album just came out. I remember starting a survivor one time but I think I got someone else to finish it.
Yes! I'm in!
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I enjoy Tommys vocal styles here. It gives the concept more character, unlike some concepts sung by one singer.
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Couldn't agree more. I really was worried when they announced less growls, more 'dynamic' (which usually means jack shit in my experience), etc. But it came together exactly as he said and for once I see the dynamics, the change in vocals, as a good thing and it really shows. Truly, a big step forward Mr. Giles. Everyone else has always been and continues to shine but it was just Tommy's voice that needed something new and different. For the past few BTBAM records, I've kind of been listening to Giles' solo work and thinking that he does so much more on those albums that just aren't present on BTBAM records, and now they've kind of fused and finally he's broken that ceiling. Awesome stuff!
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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
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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)
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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... :lol 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". :lol :metal :metal :tup :tup
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.
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I always listen to them separately, and I don't think I is nearly as good as II (though it's still solid).
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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 :lol
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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.
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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.
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Now beginning my first listen of the new album.
First track is reminiscent of Porcupine Tree so far.
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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!
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Great to see Coma Ecliptic is getting such great reception around here. :tup
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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.
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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.
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So... I didn't think it would ever happen, but Colors is no longer my favourite BTBAM album. CE now holds that spot.
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Dayuuum!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I'm not the only one who sees how DT-esque the new album is, right?
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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 :metal
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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..
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I finally got around to grabbing the first 2 albums and all I can say is WOW lol
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Seeing BTBAM for the first time tonight. Really excited! Also love AAL :metal
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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
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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!
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Spilled the beans on my new band in Buffalo today- Nova Collective featuring myself and Richard Henshall from HAKEN..more info soon!
:omg: :hefdaddy :metal
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Dan is trying to take Portnoy's crown for endless side projects.
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Spilled the beans on my new band in Buffalo today- Nova Collective featuring myself and Richard Henshall from HAKEN..more info soon!
:omg: :hefdaddy :metal
Woot, it's finally public! I've known about this project for a little while now. :biggrin: I won't say anything more about it though, until its been more fully announced.
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Well, THAT is fucking exciting.
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I kind of dislike Colors, and here's why.
The heavy sections are focused on the vocals and not on the riffs. A heavy album like Death's Human (for example) has sections with just guitar riffing over bass and drums. This gives the songs room to breathe, and in good death metal, the guitar riffs are often the most catchy and memorable parts of the album.
I know nothing about metalcore. Colors is possibly the first metalcore album I've ever listened to. My guess is that metalcore is nonstop breakdowns and vocals over riffs, no sections with nothing but instrumentals. Because of this, none of the songs on Colors breathe. I love the melodic parts, but the heavy parts are monotonous and repetitive. I can't think of too many extended sections with just bass/drums/guitars, which is very different from the death meal I'm used to. Is this a characteristic of metalcore? Regardless, I'm not in love with this album (yet). Any insight you can give me would be appreciated.
For the record, all the melodic parts of the album are gorgeous. The opening sections, "informal gluttony, "spaceman" and others. A good album, but GOD DAMN I could use some variety in the heavy sections.
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The funny thing is, I don't disagree with you. And yet it's still one of my favorite albums of all time. On paper Colors should not be as good as it is, I guess the stars must have aligned when they were recording it or something and it just somehow ended up being amazing.
Give it some more time; aside from White Walls I didn't really think it was anything special at first either.
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The funny thing is, I don't disagree with you. And yet it's still one of my favorite albums of all time. On paper Colors should not be as good as it is, I guess the stars must have aligned when they were recording it or something and it just somehow ended up being amazing.
Give it some more time; aside from White Walls I didn't really think it was anything special at first either.
Coincidentally, White Walls is also my initial favorite and (I feel) the only song that features extended sections of heavy riffing.
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We are excited to announce the Coma Ecliptic Tour III featuring Enslaved, Intronaut, and Native Construct!
VIP Bundles are available now at: showstubs.com/btbam
GA tickets on sale this Friday at 10am
"This is a package that we handpicked each band, which doesn't always happen. It shows off the diversity of the progressive music universe and we couldn't be more excited to have a young band like Native Construct, Intronaut who are great friends of ours already, and the legends in Enslaved along with us." - Dan
11/18 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
11/19 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
11/20 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
11/21 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
11/23 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
11/24 - Lincoln, NE - Bourbon Theater
11/25 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
11/27 - Reno, NV - Knitting Factory
11/28 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
11/29 - Los Angeles, CA - Mayan Theatre
12/01 - Scottsdale, AZ - Livewire
12/02 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater
12/03 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
12/04 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Pavilion
12/05 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre
12/06 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
12/08 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage
12/10 - Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall
12/11 - Ottawa, ON - Bronson Centre
12/12 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
12/13 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of Living Arts
12/15 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
12/16 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
12/17 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
Just saw this on Facebook....
Hell yeah, So excited they're coming just two days after Tesseract.
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Good, I'll be able to catch them in Boston this time after they completely skipped over Massachusetts last tour for whatever reason.
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Great, I only gotta travel over 1000 miles (one way) to the nearest show!
...I just might have to do it with Native Construct getting that opportunity...good on BTBAM \m/
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Crap, the last show is the day before my college's winter break begins. >:(
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Is it controversial to like the debut album more than Colors? :)
After one listen to the debut I surprisingly REALLY enjoyed it. I thought it was an incredibly melodic and catchy album, I don't really understand where the hate is coming from.
I think my biggest problem with Colors is that I can't decipher any melodies during the heavy parts. Those sections are so vocal driven and the guitars are just kind of background noise that add to the heaviness. This compounded with the fact that these heavy vocal-driven sections go on for ever and ever and ever with few breaks.
I found BTBAM was waaaayyyyyy more groovy than Colors, and that the album breathed a lot more. There's definitely a visible difference in styles, BTBAM has many more sections focused on the guitar riffs and I can actually detect melody there.
I will say that the vocals on Colors are far better than the vocals on BTBAM. The Color songs are written in a way that the vocals are a little hard to decipher words from, and they do get a little monotone and samey, but they sound GOOD to my ears. BTBAM's vocals sound like a pig dying and I don't enjoy it at all.
Tommy is an incredibly talented singer (as of 2007 at least). His harsh and cleans both sound great. I do wish he had more variety in his harshes and I honestly can't decipher any of his lyrics. :)
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I haven't heard much of BTBAM's debut, but from what I've read, the consensus is that it was good stuff, but not really ground breaking. Starting with Alaska, and then going even further with Colors, BTBAM explored new approaches to "metal core"... (not that familiar with the genre outside of BTBAM, so I might be speaking out of turn here)
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Who in the everloving fuck goes to LUBBOCK, Texas after the garage phase!? These guys are fucking awesome. :lol :P
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Happy that they're hitting the road with Intronaut again.....I fucking love those guys! I'll be at the Chicago show for sure!
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Still spinning the new album regulary, it's fabulous.
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Watching old BTBAM interviews, what are they talking about when they mention how bad the Ozzfest 2006 tour was? Were they not received well by the fans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4HE1nZC6Dg
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Watching old BTBAM interviews, what are they talking about when they mention how bad the Ozzfest 2006 tour was? Were they not received well by the fans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4HE1nZC6Dg
I'm pretty sure they just got the short end of the stick with alot of the shows and lineups when they played Ozzfest, their music didnt go over well with any of the crowds, the got lost in the shadows of other "flashier", more popular bands like Dragonforce and shit. The lyrics of White Walls are reflective of this and kinda represent the negative experience of Ozzfest. That tour supposedly is what made the band go "yeah, fuck this. Who cares about attracting these crowds, lets write 10 minute songs and have animal noises and fucking polka breakdowns".
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In that case, god bless Ozzfest.
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Quick googling found this gem: https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/between-the-buried-and-me-why-they-hated-ozzfest/
ChartAttack: It seems Ozzfest is broken into two categories: The headlining bands that draw large crowds and the lesser-known bands there to showcase themselves to those people.
Dan Briggs: Yeah, it was nice to get it over with.
Dan seems like a bro.
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Saw these guys last Friday, haven't been online to post about it, but they were absolutely amazing. Ants of the Sky into Prequel to the Sequel was the highlight for me, being the Colors fanboy that I am, but the CE songs were really well done and Selkies of course was beautiful. I also wasn't too hyped about Bohemian Rhapsody but in a live setting it works so much better than you'd expect!
Surprisingly nothing from TGM was played-- which was disappointing, I would've liked to have had something from that album represented since it was pretty diverse setlist otherwise.
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ya man, thank gawd for Ozzfest
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I never really got into BTBAM before. I mean, I liked Colors and TDM, but somehow I only listened to those albums for a short period and then never really got back to them. However, I just completed my first full listen of Coma Ecliptic, and holy shit, that was good. This may prove to be the spark for me becoming a fan.
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That is the best news I've heard from receiving this album. That is awesome dude, definitely expand your horizons! But CE is their best effort in a long while. This coming from a guy whose favorite song is from their second record (Mordecai). :lol :metal :metal
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:tup :tup
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Good god, please someone make Tommy explain well the story in CE. My head is spinning from analyizing the lyrics and spitting out theories :lol
With that said, he truly did a great job in keeping everything vague.
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I never really got into BTBAM before. I mean, I liked Colors and TDM, but somehow I only listened to those albums for a short period and then never really got back to them. However, I just completed my first full listen of Coma Ecliptic, and holy shit, that was good. This may prove to be the spark for me becoming a fan.
Dont forget to check out The Parallax!
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The Parallax is the best of them :biggrin:
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Coma Ecliptic has now solidly taken its rightful spot atop my BTBAM rankings, and shows no sign of slipping in the near future.
Album of the year for me so far.
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rank the btabm albums/eps guys
do it
do it for the people
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The Great Misdirect
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
The Silent Circus
Coma Ecliptic
Colors
Alaska
The Parallax I: Hypersleep Dialogues
Between The Buried And Me
And The Anatomy of is also amazing
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The Great Misdirect
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
The Silent Circus
Coma Ecliptic
Colors
Alaska
The Parallax I: Hypersleep Dialogues
Between The Buried And Me
And The Anatomy of is also amazing
I too like Silent Circus a lot, I don't know why the pre-Colours albums get a bad rep. They all have moments of incredibly melodic ear candy.
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1. Coma Ecliptic
2. Colors
3. The Great Misdirect
= Alaska
5. The Silent Circus
6. Parallax II
7. Parallax I
8. Between the Buried and Me
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I thought we did album rankings just a page ago?
1. Colors
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. The Great Misdirect
4. Parallax II
5. The Silent Circus
6. Alaska
7. BTBAM
Parallax I would be somewhere around TSC and Alaska
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Yeah but, you know how it is..
1. The Parallax ( I + II )
2. Colors
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. The Great Misdirect
5. Alaska
6. The Silent Circus
7. BTBAM
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:lol Ohhhh DTF, you sillies.
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1. The Parallax II
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. The Great Misdirect
4. Colors
5. Alaska
6. The Silent Circus
7. S/T
1 and 2 have the potential to swap for sure
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1: Colors
2/3: TGM / Coma Ecliptic (TGM has higher highs but also lower lows, still too soon to say for sure which one I like more)
4: Future Sequence
5: Alaska
6: Hypersleep Dialogues
...and I haven't really enjoyed anything I've heard from the first two albums so I've never listened to either of them in full.
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You teach us what was
You teach us what was out there
Lift our limbs to focus
We'll soon drift through to night
:metal
Damn, such an earworm! I really like the song and the music video.
I was surprised by how much, well, gentler album Coma Ecliptic is than their previous work. Like Tommy sings more clean than harsh vocals. Not necessarily a bad thing though, for I do like Colors, but it might be even too heavy for me. TGM and Future Sequence are more balanced, although I don't know the latter too well.
I'd really like to see them live again, but I'm not sure whether I'll have enough money to travel to Helsinki and back. And I'd want to have some company and my friends don't know BTBAM. :(
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You teach us what was
You teach us what was out there
Lift our limbs to focus
We'll soon drift through to night
When it was first released, I didn't like it. But now, it just pops in my head ALL THE TIME, randomly for no reason.
-
You teach us what was
You teach us what was out there
Lift our limbs to focus
We'll soon drift through to night
When it was first released, I didn't like it. But now, it just pops in my head ALL THE TIME, randomly for no reason.
Quoted for truth... ALL THE TIME. Dim Ignition does it too for me; I find myself wanting to do the "I can't dance" strut when I think of Dim.
I've got to say, as someone who honestly only had an affinity for Selkies before this album, I've worn Coma out! Especially Memory Palace on to Life in Velvet... awesome, awesome album. Album of the year for me easily (with Underworld a semi-distant second).
BTW, nice avatar Wolf. Still listen to Pull almost once a week.
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I can't stop spinning this album.
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So I'm massively late with it due to a very busy and slightly stressful summer, but I've finally got my review of the new album done: https://www.ladyobscure.com/albums/between-the-buried-and-me-coma-ecliptic/
tl;dr version: I love it.
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:metal :tup :tup
Great review!!
Still spinning this everyday. The track I listen to most, not only due to its immense groovyness and badassery, but also time-frame, is Dim Ignition. Shit makes me get DOWN!
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Just saw them live for the second time, and they were great! Happy that I finally got to hear Ants of the Sky live (my favorite song from them) and there were a few nice changes in the set from the last time.
Selkies: The Endless Obsession
The Coma Machine
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Memory Palace
Famine Wolf
Ants of the Sky
--Encore--
White Walls
Overall a really great show. I hope they change things up even more the next time, would love to see Swim to the Moon, though it feels unlikely they'll bring it out.
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That is a superbly sexy setlist. My favourites songs off of their three best albums? Yeah baby.
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God damn, I want to see Famine Wolf live so badly!!!
Other than that, awesome setlist but it's almost exactly the same as the last time I saw them barring the CE songs. Which, granted, given their setlists (at least the couple times I've seen them) aren't huge, it's a pretty big impact changing just a few songs but even so, I'm hoping the next time I see them (which...at this rate might not even be till the next album :'( ) they change it up a bit more. But hell, I'll see Selkies, Ants, Ghosts and White Walls a million times and not get bored.
But motherfucking Famine Wolf is...christ, I'd go see a show just to see them play that one song. :lol By far and away my favorite song off the new album, especially since Dim Ignition is my second favorite and the two intertwine BEAUTIFULLY.
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I only got White Walls duplicate compared to the Parallax II tour setlist. At that concert I got a few nice ones like Mordecai and Sun of Nothing (now "replaced" with Selkies/Ants) and different picks from Parallax II.
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Oh my fuck. I would literally eat a live skunk and become a eunuch whilst participating in a bukakkee session of hairy sumo wrestlers just to see Mordecai live.
I'm not even going to hope for it. But if it ever happened, I could then die happy. The jelly is overflowing within me. That's awesome.
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Any chance they'll do the whole new album on the upcoming USA tour?
I'm just getting into them so I don't know what their setlist tendencies are, but I know they've done all of Colors and Parallax (at least on that DVD) so all of Coma Ecliptic would be pretty cool too.
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Any chance they'll do the whole new album on the upcoming USA tour?
I'm just getting into them so I don't know what their setlist tendencies are, but I know they've done all of Colors and Parallax (at least on that DVD) so all of Coma Ecliptic would be pretty cool too.
They said that they're gonna do CE in its entirety next year so probably another mixed setlist this time again.
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Just saw them live for the second time, and they were great! Happy that I finally got to hear Ants of the Sky live (my favorite song from them) and there were a few nice changes in the set from the last time.
Selkies: The Endless Obsession
The Coma Machine
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Memory Palace
Famine Wolf
Ants of the Sky
--Encore--
White Walls
Overall a really great show. I hope they change things up even more the next time, would love to see Swim to the Moon, though it feels unlikely they'll bring it out.
Very similar to what we got, just we got Prequel to the Sequel instead of White Walls and then had Bohemian Rhapsody as an encore.
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NOICE! That's even better for me since I won't be able to go to any concerts till next year anyway. Woot! The music gods have smiled upon my putrid soul!
-
Just saw them live for the second time, and they were great! Happy that I finally got to hear Ants of the Sky live (my favorite song from them) and there were a few nice changes in the set from the last time.
Selkies: The Endless Obsession
The Coma Machine
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Memory Palace
Famine Wolf
Ants of the Sky
--Encore--
White Walls
Overall a really great show. I hope they change things up even more the next time, would love to see Swim to the Moon, though it feels unlikely they'll bring it out.
Very similar to what we got, just we got Prequel to the Sequel instead of White Walls and then had Bohemian Rhapsody as an encore.
Prequel to the Sequel would have been great (since I haven't heard it live) but we got Bohemian Rhapsody last time, and while it was enjoyable, I think finishing with White Walls is better.
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Yeah White Walls is amazing so I prefer your setlist, but the overall setlist is definitely awesome.
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I was slightly surprised they didn't play anything from TGM and that they did play Selkies, after what they have said about Selkies in various interviews, and not wanting to play older material. The TGM songs feel closer to what they are doing now, so I almost expected something from it. Was nice getting Selkies though, especially if they are getting slightly tired of it, and they might not play it on the next tour. :)
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Yeah, when I saw them they played Prequel and Bohemian Rhapsody. Jealous you got White Walls, but I absolutely adore Prequel, so it was a fair trade I suppose.
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I peeked at their setlist...
In no way am I missing this show. I will say my favorite is being played.
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Anyone else listen to Orbs, the progressive/experimental band Dan plays guitar/bass for? I've been listening to their album Asleep Next To Science pretty much nonstop the past few days. The vocals are an acquired taste, but once you acquire it, damn, it'll blow you away.
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Anyone else listen to Orbs, the progressive/experimental band Dan plays guitar/bass for? I've been listening to their album Asleep Next To Science pretty much nonstop the past few days. The vocals are an acquired taste, but once you acquire it, damn, it'll blow you away.
I listened to it a few times back last year or so, it's definitely a great album!
-
I saw BTBAM again a few weeks back; these guys never fail to put on a great show.
Would anyone be interested in a BTBAM Survivor?
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i mean i'd vote on a few albums but probably only colors through parallax :lol
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I'd vote on all of them
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Would be interested.
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Cool; I'll start it on Monday.
Right now, I'm planning on running it in one of two ways. One is like the ongoing Redemption survivor, where the top 1 or 2 songs from each album make it to a final set of polls. The other is merging the song rankings of each individual album into a ranking of every BTBAM song. The second will take a lot longer. Any preferences?
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The survivor is live!
Main Thread (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=46540.0)
First Poll (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=46539.0)
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Just had to post to say that I LOVE how the beginning of Fossil Genera - A Feed From Cloud Mountain sounds like the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack from the SNES game :lol
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THATS IT! I could never put my finger on what reminded me so much of that intro, but it's totally the donkey kong theme, thanks for that.
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Man I played that game to DEATH!! Those snow levels with all the flying wasps and shooting barrels were a motherfucker. Need to dig it out and replay it
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Definitely, but with Fossil Genera playing instead of the actual soundtrack.
I really dig the intro and outro of Fossil Genera, some of my favorite moments on the entire album, but everything inbetween has become a big blur to me, making it my least favorite song of my favorite BTBAM album.
-
I think it's probably my favourite BTBAM album too, there's something about it
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Colors is my nr2 but The Great Misdirect is still really good. Not sure if that one or Coma Ecliptic would be my nr2, but it's close. Swim to the Moon is one of my favorite BTBAM songs though, probably second favorite after Ants of the Sky.
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From the Devin Townsend thread..
https://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend/posts/1228107440547909
DTP/BTBAM + Fallujah North American Tour confirmed
BTBAM will be playing Coma Machine in it's entirety
Sept. 2 - Kelowna, BC, Level Night Club - Hell Raiser Festival (DTP only)
Sept. 3 - Calgary, AB, SAIT (DTP only)
Sept. 4 - Edmonton, AB, Starlite Roon (DTP only)
Sept. 6 - Winnipeg, MB, Pyramid Cabaret (DTP only)
Sept. 7 - Minneapolis, MN, Mill City Nights (DTP only)
Sept. 9 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
Sept. 10 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm
Sept. 11 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza
Sept. 12 - Charlotte, NC - Amos' Southend
Sept. 13 - Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore Silver Spring
Sept. 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre Of Living Arts
Sept. 16 - New York, NY - Playstation Theater
Sept. 17 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium +Sabaton
Sept. 21 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
Sept. 22 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
Sept. 23 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
Sept. 24 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
Sept. 25 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
Sept. 27 - New Orleans, LA - The Joy Theater
Sept. 29 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
Oct. 5 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
Oct. 6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Novo
Oct. 7 - Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
Oct. 8 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl * no DTP
Oct. 9 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
Oct. 11 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory * no DTP
Oct. 12 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
Oct. 13 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Oct. 14 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
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Kinda bummed we won't have Devin + BTBAM in Europe with the Coma in full, but on the other hand I think I prefer the line-up I'm seeing in July (BTBAM + PtH)
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Definitely, but with Fossil Genera playing instead of the actual soundtrack.
I really dig the intro and outro of Fossil Genera, some of my favorite moments on the entire album, but everything inbetween has become a big blur to me, making it my least favorite song of my favorite BTBAM album.
It's one of the few songs I like of BTBAM, and I think it's the best of that album. The intro and outro made me want to listen to the song many times and I appreciated also the middle part. The Great Misdirect is my favourite too, while I couldn't enjoy much Colors and I'm not so interested in recent albums.
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Crap, they aren't coming to Virginia for this tour. I was able to see them in NC in April 2015, but that was during my Spring break. I'm not so lucky this time around. I only really love about half of CE, but they have yet to play my two favorite songs from it live.
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I've been spinning Coma lately. What a freakin PHENOMENAL album!!
While it took me a very long time to get into Colors, I now absolutely love it....but I do think the trend towards being more balanced between melody and chaos has given the whole sound more dynamics.
No way I'm missing this show!!
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I'm just gonna leave this here.
My creeper face. My dance moves. (https://vine.co/v/i0n5pDDvhHD/embed/simple) Don't forget to turn the sound on in the bottom right so I can ruin this song for all of you.
I really tried to channel my inner David Lynch.
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mesmerizing
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:rollin
This is awesome!!
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This explains a lot:
https://noisey.vice.com/blog/rank-your-records-between-the-buried-and-me
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Hmm. I love Coma but I wouldn't call it my favorite.
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i'm only familiar with the four latest ones and i would rank them in the exact opposite order they are here, so :lol
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A musician in a band put their most recent album as his favorite, I'm beyond shocked
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As a fan, I agree in this case.
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Atleast he got the bottom 2 right :neverusethis: too bad they're in the wrong order.
For me it's:
1. The Great Misdirect
2. Parallax II
3. Coma Ecliptic
4. Alaska
5. Colors
6. The Silent Circus
7. BTBAM (admittedly, only listened to this once)
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Not a bad ranking ToN, honestly, 2-5 are so hard for me to rank. For me, I guess I'll say:
1. The Parallax II
2. Colors
3. The Great Misdirect
4. Alaska
5. Coma Ecliptic
6. The Silent Circus
7. BTBAM
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1. Colors
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. The Great Misdirect
4. Parallax II
--
5. Alaska
6. The Silent Circus
--
7. Between the Buried and Me
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Not a bad ranking ToN, honestly, 2-5 are so hard for me to rank. For me, I guess I'll say:
I think it's terrible to have Colors at 5 because I still really like it, that's how it goes when you have to rank them I guess..
Been on a huge BTBAM binge, I pretty much spin them whenever I have time to put on some music. And I can't fucking get TioJorge (https://vine.co/v/i0n5pDDvhHD/embed/simple) out of my head whenever Dim Ignition comes up :lol
I'm pretty much convinced that Disease, Injury, Madness is my favorite song now though
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Epic bump!!
(https://assets.blabbermouth.net.s3.amazonaws.com/media/betweentheburiedandmecomaeclipticlive_638.jpg)
https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/between-the-buried-and-me-to-release-coma-ecliptic-live-dvdblu-ray-in-april/
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:o :metal :heart
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:metal
In related news, the lead guitarist from my old church band has a niece who is currently dating one of the guitarists from BTBAM (no, I don't know which one). Pretty cool, and they are pretty much a local band.
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That is awesome, and not much of a wait either, April is going to be such an awesome month for me with so much entertainment lined up.. with return of some TV shows and bluray releases I'm excited to get.
Didn't know Tommy had grown out his hair so much.
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BTBAM's live DVD's are some of my favs from any band. I really liked the Future Sequence in studio dvd, that was great. Just such a great band to watch.
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:metal
In related news, the lead guitarist from my old church band has a niece who is currently dating one of the guitarists from BTBAM (no, I don't know which one). Pretty cool, and they are pretty much a local band.
Probably Dustie since I'm pretty sure Paul is married.
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BTBAM is the first and only band that made me an instant fan by seeing them live. I barely knew about them when I went to go see Coheed, but holy hot damn when they came on, my god. From that day forth, I have been a major fan.
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It was pretty incredible live. Can't wait for the DVD.
:metal
In related news, the lead guitarist from my old church band has a niece who is currently dating one of the guitarists from BTBAM (no, I don't know which one). Pretty cool, and they are pretty much a local band.
Probably Dustie since I'm pretty sure Paul is married.
Yes, I was right in front of him and he was wearing a ring (for some reason I always notice guitarists wearing rings).
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BTBAM is the first and only band that made me an instant fan by seeing them live. I barely knew about them when I went to go see Coheed, but holy hot damn when they came on, my god. From that day forth, I have been a major fan.
Nice! I had the same experience. Save for my friends showing me bits of Colors before I went to Progressive Nation '08 in New York (I still can't believe I flew from Texas to New York for that, despite it's amazingness), I wasn't blown away by them and was still getting into the growling music at the time. Saw them live and absolutely came. Been smileing to their music since.
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Anyone hear about this? I am there, no hesitation!!
https://www.metalsucks.net/2017/03/09/btbam-are-planning-a-10th-anniversary-colors-tour/
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Anyone hear about this? I am there, no hesitation!!
https://www.metalsucks.net/2017/03/09/btbam-are-planning-a-10th-anniversary-colors-tour/
That's cool. I may try to get to that.
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A different site says the tour will be US only. That'd suck.
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Studio time! (https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/between_the_buried__me_entering_studio_in_august.html)
Hellllllllz yiiissss!!
Absolutely cannot wait to hear what is next. Even though it'll still be a while, I don't mind starting up the hype train a little early for these guys. I've never been disappointed before and I don't expect to be this time. Still feel like Coma is new and spin it quite often.
I also spun the entirety of The Parallax saga the other day. Really love the LP more than I did when it originally released.
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Great News. Probably an early 2018 release then. I enjoyed Coma but not as much as Color-Parallax.
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This band does nothing but deliver. Can't wait for a new album. :metal
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A different site says the tour will be US only. That'd suck.
Just curious where you saw that?
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A different site says the tour will be US only. That'd suck.
Just curious where you saw that?
https://www.theprp.com/2017/03/08/news/buried-confirm-plans-colors-10th-anniversary-tour/
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Turn On The Darkness from Coma Ecliptic Live: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nUprJZMPM0c
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The song sounds so good live. They are so utterly incredible
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Turn On The Darkness from Coma Ecliptic Live: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nUprJZMPM0c
This is fucking excellent. No brainer purchase!
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My preorder didn't even ship until yesterday. I'll have to wait until late next week to get my hands on this :'(
Any one got their Bluray yet? Impressions?
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I only listened to the CD yet and I'm pretty disappointed by the mix. Paul is extremely loud and Dustie is barely audible.
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I just listened to The Great Misdirect for the first time in a while, and man I forgot how great this one is. It probably has my favorite production/mix out of all their albums and Disease, Injury, Madness is one of my top favorite songs from them for sure :metal
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Hell yeah :metal Disease, Injury, Madness and Obfuscation are my favourite songs on the album, and both probably top 5 BTBAM material for me but it's hard to say for sure. I've personally gotten into Parallax I: Hypersleep Dialogues a lot lately, it's definitely their most consistent as all 3 songs are stellar, but I think Augment of Rebirth is my favourite there.
Haven't gotten around to the live Coma release yet, but I checked out Turn on the Darkness on their FB and it was great, gonna give the full thing a spin next week.
P.S. If any of the BTBAM fans here are interested, Tommy featured on the latest Ayreon album which features over 10 different vocalists, and he appears on a lot of the songs. It's pretty much exclusively clean vocals apart from a few layered harshes in one of the songs, but I think his clean vocals fit the music very well.
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Colors 10th Anniversary Tour announced
https://www.facebook.com/BTBAMofficial/photos/a.390206403188.172404.115385878188/10155445006813189/?type=3&theater
9.21 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
9.22 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
9.23 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
9.24 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
9.26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small’s Theatre
9.27 - Cleveland, OH - The Agora Theatre
9.28 - Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
9.29 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
9.30 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10.2 - Lawrence, KS - Granada Theater
10.3 - Denver, CO - Summit Music Hall
10.4 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10.6 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
10.7 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
10.8 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
10.9 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
10.10 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
10.12 - Dallas, TX - Trees
10.14 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10.15 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
10.17 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
10.18 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre
10.19 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live
10.20 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10.21 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theater
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Sadly I won't be able to attend either Denver or Phoenix.
-
I will try to make Denver but I'm bummed at no Vegas date. I might be out there around that time again and was hoping they'd go back, it was a really nice venue. Not surprised though, the place was half empty and they were coheadlining with Devin Townsend.
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I knew about this band since Colors was talked about a lot. Sadly it was too much growl for me and even if I knew there were some cool jazzy parts here and there I never went back listening to them ... until now.
Holy shit! I ended up with Coma Ecliptic which of course was a much better introduction to the band for me. Thanks to that album I went on to The Parallax II: Future Sequence and this is what I now have fallen in love with. Holy shit!
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest is godlike. Never thought I could like a song with that much growl but it just hits perfectly at all time.
They don't sound a lot like DT but somehow they do align with them. I really love songs like The Glass Prison or This Dying Soul and the BTBAM sound somehow feels related to those. They have the same extreme progressive skill blended with damn heavy metal. I love how BTBAM can go into a perfect blast beat section change to a bass section, go jazzy and then full growl with odd time signature and it all aligns.
I somehow have a much easier time loving BTBAM than Haken, which seems to be the more obvious choice for people who love DT.
-
Hmm yeah BTBAM and Haken are pretty similar in that they use a lot of 'random' musical elements to keep songs interesting for a longer period of time, especially on first impression.
Speaking of The Glass Prison, there's one riff on the album "The Great Misdirect" that sounds a lot like the guitar intro of that song in Disease, Injury, Madness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ureUV73mk#t=2m11s)
I too am obsessed with Parallax II, have you checked out Parallax I (the EP)? It consists of 3 roughly 10 minute songs, and to me the first two are both some of their best songs ever, they're extremely underrated. The chorus of Specular Reflection might be their best chorus to date to be honest, and there's just so many amazing riffs spread across those 3 songs, these songs sound like a perfect mix of Parallax II and TGM.
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I'm actually listening to Parallax II right now. I've been pretty sure for a while that TGM was my #1 BTBAM album but recently I'm not so sure. Parallax II is just really great.
One thing I am sure of though is that Coma Ecliptic still does very little for me :|
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I recently warmed up to it a bit more than when it first came out. Stay positive. :tup
-
Coma Ecliptic is by far the most diverse album they have ever recorded....not even close. But if you're only into BTBAM's heavy side, it may feel like when Opeth stopped growling...so I get it.
-
Coma Ecliptic might honestly be my favorite BTBAM album. Seeing it performed live was a magical experience.
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Coma Ecliptic is by far the most diverse album they have ever recorded....not even close.
To me, Parallax sounds way more diverse than Coma Ecliptic, funny how despite not taking into account anything dealing with the quality of the music, we can think so different about the diversity of those albums. When I think about it, Parallax constantly feeds off those weird eclectic moments to stay interesting the entire time, while Coma Ecliptic utilizes them in a more organic way so it sounds more subtle. Maybe this subtle element of the latter makes me understate the diversity, but that's just how I see it.
Though I admit I absolutely love Parallax, so maybe I'm biased.
I'm actually listening to Parallax II right now. I've been pretty sure for a while that TGM was my #1 BTBAM album but recently I'm not so sure. Parallax II is just really great.
I'm in the same boat, TGM was my clear favourite but now I'm not so sure. If I were to combine it with the Parallax I EP I'm 100% sure it would be my #1, if not they're pretty much tied. I guess TGM loses on the album closer, Swim to the Moon, while great, does not live up to the standards of all the preceding songs for me.
How do people feel about the selftitled album and Silent Circus? I love the first for the most part but I don't really like Silent Circus.
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Coma Ecliptic is by far the most diverse album they have ever recorded....not even close.
To me, Parallax sounds way more diverse than Coma Ecliptic, funny how despite not taking into account anything dealing with the quality of the music, we can think so different about the diversity of those albums. When I think about it, Parallax constantly feeds off those weird eclectic moments to stay interesting the entire time, while Coma Ecliptic utilizes them in a more organic way so it sounds more subtle. Maybe this subtle element of the latter makes me understate the diversity, but that's just how I see it.
Though I admit I absolutely love Parallax, so maybe I'm biased.
I just hear a much wider range of influences, and a broader incorporation of different styles. Even though (depending on my mood) I think Parallax is the better album, I hear everything that was on Parallax *and many more new things never tried by them before* on Coma Ecliptic.
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How do people feel about the selftitled album and Silent Circus? I love the first for the most part but I don't really like Silent Circus.
I've not listened to them. Still not listened to anything pre-Colors. I'll try and give them a go sometime this year...
-
I really like them but they're definitely a far cry from what they are now. Very raw and visceral, but still undoubtedly BTBAM. Less range and dynamics but there's still some great ups and downs (in terms of harsh versus light) on them. Not so much on the S/T but TSC for sure (the run from Mordecai to Shevanel Take 2 is still one of my favorites). They'll obviously grown so much since then and I'm mainly speaking in a songwriting, production aspect...oh and definitely Tommy's own singing.
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The debut is OK but Silent Circus is great.
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Even though the band speaks of Colors as being a major turning point, I don't see it being *that* big of a shift from Alaska. (which I've really been getting into lately) I have not heard anything pre-Alaska.
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Yeah I can see what you mean jammindude. There are flashes of what Colors was on Alaska (Selkies for example) but I guess even though Alaska was proggier than the first two albums, Colors threw in more non-metal elements in the music.
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See, and in approaching this album, *everyone* talks about Selkies. But I thought Backwards Marathon was the mind blower on my first few listens. Why don't people ever talk about that one? Then you take the soft instrumental tracks... I just hear A LOT of different things on this album.
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Bump
New two-part album just announced. "Automata"
https://twitter.com/btbamofficial/status/953673282154250240
Excited to announce our two-part album Automata! Part I will be released on March 9th via @SumerianRecords and we’ll be touring this March with @therealTDH & @leprousband.
VIP on sale now: https://www.showstubs.com/btbam
Pre-orders and tickets on sale this Friday.
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BTBAM
Dear Hunter
Leprous
Good god.
-
OMG
I hope the two parts' releases are reasonably close to each other. Does this mean The Dear Hunter will finally come to Europe or is this just for US again? Been waiting for years to see them!
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So is this yet another concept album? That's four in a row if you count both parts separately!
Also that's a sick lineup. First time I'll be seeing Leprous live!
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I just saw this! I am completely stoked! They just keep getting more and more diverse with every album. I still spin Coma Ecliptic all the time.
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Sweeeet. Can’t wait for the first taste!
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Sweeeet. Can’t wait for the first taste!
Won't be long! I don't have access to it right now, but if you go to the Sumerian twitter page you'll find that the first single + video will be released in no more than 2 days from now! :metal :metal :corn
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Wow, this is a surprise. I would love to see this tour but they are avoiding Omaha/KC area again.
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Oh hell yeah. I'm glad they're stopping here. That lineup is too good not to miss.
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Oh hell yeah. I'm glad they're stopping here. That lineup is too good not to miss.
No doubt! If only they could all play a headline set :lol
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So pumped for a new album. This band just doesn't disappoint.
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So pumped for a new album. This band just doesn't disappoint.
Well I'd argue that Coma Ecliptic was a disappointment. That might just be me though.
I'll definitely be giving the new one a spin though, bring it.
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I dont really spin Coma Ecplitic. But I enjoy it a lot when I do. So I consider it good.
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So pumped for a new album. This band just doesn't disappoint.
Well I'd argue that Coma Ecliptic was a disappointment. That might just be me though.
I'll definitely be giving the new one a spin though, bring it.
I was lukewarm with it at first, but it's grown into one of my favs.
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Well I'd argue that Coma Ecliptic was a disappointment. That might just be me though.
I'll definitely be giving the new one a spin though, bring it.
I was lukewarm with it at first, but it's grown into one of my favs.
Same here. Nowadays I listen to it more often than Great Misdirect and Parallax.
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EDIT: Old news.
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Well I'd argue that Coma Ecliptic was a disappointment. That might just be me though.
I'll definitely be giving the new one a spin though, bring it.
I was lukewarm with it at first, but it's grown into one of my favs.
Same here. Nowadays I listen to it more often than Great Misdirect and Parallax.
Colors, Parallax 2 and Coma are the three I rotate a lot more than the rest.
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Of the 4 latest albums, TGM is by far the most underrated.
That being said, Parallax II is my favorite album (if only it had TGM’s production)
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short clip
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/953725385862144000/pu/vid/1280x720/IozqXStsrFyAiJed.mp4
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short clip
https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/953725385862144000/pu/vid/1280x720/IozqXStsrFyAiJed.mp4
Awesome, can't wait for the new album. I personally loved Coma Ecliptic. Will definitely have to try and catch them in Orlando this year.
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So I have to say I don't love the idea of splitting the album into two releases. Seems like a cash grab to me.
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So I have to say I don't love the idea of splitting the album into two releases. Seems like a cash grab to me.
Agreed. They’re also catering to people with short attention span
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The snippet from the upcoming single makes it sound like a blend between The Great Misdirect and Alaska kind of, if that were the case I would be reaally excited.
Same sentiments about that double album idea. Looking at the track lengths, the first part totals about 35 minutes (https://loudwire.com/between-the-buried-and-me-automata-double-album-u-s-tour/)(don't know if the tracklist for the 2nd album has already been revealed?).
Cause it hasn't been posted I figured I'd link to the tracklist of Automata I
1. Condemned to the Gallows (6:35)
2. House Organ (3:41)
3. Yellow Eyes (8:45)
4. Millions (4:43)
5. Gold Distance (1:02)
6. Blot (10:27)
Condemned to Gallows seems to be the single they're releasing tomorrow.
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If the first part is only 35 minutes, assuming the other one is equal in length.. just put it out as a normal album? Their other albums are ~60-70 minutes anyways.
When a band like BTBAM says they're putting out two twin albums, you expect both to be at least 45-50 minutes.
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35 minutes is a little short but honestly I find most modern album lengths to be exhausting so I'm fairly happy with it. It would be nice if it was a little cheaper though.
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So I have to say I don't love the idea of splitting the album into two releases. Seems like a cash grab to me.
Can't please everyone right.
Anyways I'm excites for the albums. It all depends on how it sounds.
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You'd expect part 2 to be longer, ala Parallax 1 and 2, hopefully.
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Of the 4 latest albums, TGM is by far the most underrated.
That being said, Parallax II is my favorite album (if only it had TGM’s production)
Is it really though? I feel like Coma Ecliptic gets the least love out of the last 4 by a wide margin and most of the fans on board with prog-BTBAM (there's still the purist fanboys who only like up to Alaska) seem to like TGM a lot.
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I find like 75% or more of the music they've written/released since The Great Misdirect has had far too much extended/long-winded sections that don't go anywhere for me.
Whereas Silent Circus-Colors really has very little to none of that.
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I haven't even heard the first two albums because it has been my understanding that Alaska was a dramatic shift in a more progressive direction and that SC was a bit more straight forward death metal. I used to be big into death metal, but I actually find it fairly one-dimensional (in most cases...not all). I only got into BTBAM because they were so dramatically different. In fact, while I do *LOVE* Alaska and Colors, I find myself liking them more with each album because they've grown to where they have 10 different styles in a blender instead of just 4 or 5. I heard someone describe Coma Ecliptic as "Between the Buried and Queen Theater" and I think that's pretty accurate. I feel they are becoming even more diverse than they ever have been, and it's amazing.
So....is SC a pretty much straight forward hard core album? Or does it have the same "chaos with melody in a blender" qualities that Alaska does?
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If you like Alaska you'll like SC.
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New song: Condemned to the Gallows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=Tq8u0uDK61E
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If you like Alaska you'll like SC.
Incorrect. Alaska is one of my favorites and Silent Circus is bottom of the heap, I think it's garbage. I do like the debut though
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my opinion on the new song:
yeah, it's ok
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After the first listen, I dig it a lot! Kinda continues the style of CE, only a bit heavier.
I also like how they broke the tradition of the last 3 albums of opening the album with a short, soft track.
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The new track has everything I love about BtBaM in one track. If the rest of the album is like this, I'm pretty sure it will be another album of the year contender. Perhaps I'm just incapable of disliking anything they have done since Alaska...
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Not much to say about the new song, but yeah, it's BTBAM. But I fucking love this band so much everything they do IMO is insane.
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Just downloaded the new song. Will give it a listen soon.
Has anyone else surprised by BTBAM's fan base? Every concert of theirs I've been too the people there are mostly comprised of hipsters. Never seen more plaid shirted, long bearded men, drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon than I have at a BTBAM show.
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Just downloaded the new song. Will give it a listen soon.
Has anyone else surprised by BTBAM's fan base? Every concert of theirs I've been too the people there are mostly comprised of hipsters. Never seen more plaid shirted, long bearded men, drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon than I have at a BTBAM show.
That doesn't surprise me in the slightest, actually. I've never even been to one of their concerts, and I already guessed that it would be half-'n-half metalheads and hipsters. For the most part, that's pretty much the demographics of the people I know irl who like BTBAM.
Honestly, that song is kind of boring imo. It feels a little bit like vanilla prog a lot of the time and doesn't really feel like it's saying anything new. The lead guitar parts are really cool tho, probably the highlight of the song for me.
Also, don't know if it's been mentioned in either thread, but The Dear Hunter and Between the Buried and Me are apparently doing an exclusive split 7" vinyl EP where TDH covers "Rapid Calm" and Between the Buried and Me covers "The Tank". It'll be available exlusively to those who purchase The Tour Upgrade Bundle at the merch table before the show. Said bundle includes Act V, Automata 1, and a poster signed by both bands. You'll then get the EP mailed to you and a digital copy e-mailed to you. Then, to actually listen to the EP, you have to travel across Hyrule to reunite the Three Pieces of Triforce, rescue Princess Peach from her castle, defeat The Elite Four, Mark Ishtar, and Sephiroth, and then catch all 807 Pokemon. Weird way of doing things, but who am I to judge?
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I liked the song, but with out hearing the rest of the album to put it in context it's hard to judge. Honestly, BTBAM is one of the few bands that I find I have to listen to the whole album, not just a song here and there to really enjoy. This is one reason why I don't love the idea of splitting the album.
The idea of two touring bands covering each other is pretty cool. I'd say BTBAM and TDH are two of my top 10 bands now and to seem them at the same show would be amazing. Not sure I'm going to be able to pull it off though.
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New song is solid.
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New song is solid.
Solid indeed. Didn't blow me away, but I dig it.
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Sounds awesome but different :metal
Last album didn't really cut the mustard (perhaps how it followed up one of the greatest prog concept albums ever written?)
The song name is REALLY cliche though :-\ :millahhhh
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The song name is REALLY cliche though :-\ :millahhhh
Probably because it's also the name of a Voivod song.
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I'm going to attempt something difficult with these releases. I really don't like this model of releasing two 30 minute chunks VS a full album experience, so I'm going to try to wait until the full thing is released and listen to it in sequence, Automata 1+2.
New song is okay. It seem's like theyre intentionally trying to write short songs these days. I like their music better when they just didnt give a damn and did whatever they wanted for 10 minutes at a time. It seems so forced now, imo. But I'm sure they got tired of having a 60 minute set and only getting to play 5 songs for their live show.
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Love it. Hits all the points that I like to hear in a BTBAM song. It won't be my favorite but it did get my excited to hear what they have to offer for the album itself and definitely for Part II.
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35 minutes is a little short but honestly I find most modern album lengths to be exhausting so I'm fairly happy with it. It would be nice if it was a little cheaper though.
I guess you mean prog albums, because in the rest of the styles the average length it's no much longer than 35 minutes..
Can't please everyone right.
Anyways I'm excites for the albums. It all depends on how it sounds.
Agreed and agreed..
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So I got Alaska a while ago and listened through it but didn't think too much of it. It's funny how BTBAM albums always take me so long to really appreciate, because I'm listening to it again now and it's fucking awesome. The soft section of Backwards Marathon is fantastic.
Also reminds me I need to listen to Coma Ecliptic again so I can start liking it too.
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I actually find the way BTBAM mesh various genres like polka with deathcore metal and growled vocals and cheesy organs quite distasteful. But I like it anyway.
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So, I may have been lucky enough to hear the whole of Automata.
Not really in a position to give away details, but I will say that it's really good, and that, for me at least, Condemned to the Gallows is one of the the least interesting tracks.
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Do you mean "the whole of Automata" or "the whole of Automata Part 1"?
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I mean what I said. :P
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Condemned to the Gallows is an instant classic for me, so that's nice to hear.
Also wanna mention that clip they posted of the BTBAM/TDH covers (BTBAM - The Tank, TDH - Rapid Calm), they both outdid themselves, the snippets sound amazing and both covers totally sound like the bands made it very much their own version
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So will they be playing those covers live. Thatd be aaesome.
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So jealous I don't get to see that tour >:(
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Fuckin' a, Ariich. The teases. You mofo.
I really can't wait to hear this. Been spinning the single on and off. Also really need to look up that TDH crossover.
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Haven't heard the single or preview clips cuz, well, its BTBAM and one's spose'd to wait for the full album (though the argument can be made one could slip into an eternal coma between now and the release date, forever missing out on some unconsumed BTBAM tuenage)
I'm going to attempt something difficult with these releases. I really don't like this model of releasing two 30 minute chunks VS a full album experience, so I'm going to try to wait until the full thing is released and listen to it in sequence, Automata 1+2.
I've been pondering this in recent days, but I'm skeptical I'd have the strength, patience and intestinal fortitude to do it (plus the hypothetical argument laid out above bears more weight).
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Not really in a position to give away details, but I will say that it's really good, and that, for me at least, Condemned to the Gallows is one of the the least interesting tracks.
Now that's relieving, didn't really care for that song :P
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BTBAM has most often released their least interesting track as singles (or just the initial track release, if not an official single) in regards to my own tastes. It's worked out for me considering that it's a good expectation leveler. :lol
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Saw the opening night of the tour tonight and it was one of the best btbam shows I’ve ever seen, out of 7. They played 3 new songs (not gonna say which ones to avoid spoilers), and they went down live so well! It was incredible.
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Very intrigued to see what the setlist is like, but nobody has updated setlist.fm just yet
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up there now.
I'm going tonight to Minneapolis (and missing a special movie screening with the wife unfortunately), but don't mind looking at the set list ahead of time.
The Dear Hunter set list from last night is also up.
I guess regardless of that, I am just hoping the sound/MIX is better for TDH than it was at First Avenue last year with Coheed.
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Not only is the release day less than a week away now, the US tour seems to have started AND the album seems to have leaked, which means my social media is flooded with opinions on the new album and I'm trying so hard to resist the urge.
Set list for last night looks amazing! Love the fact they played Silent Flight as the epic closer instead of White Walls for a change. Wondering what part exactly they left out of Obfuscation since it says they only played part of it.
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Not only is the release day less than a week away now, the US tour seems to have started AND the album seems to have leaked, which means my social media is flooded with opinions on the new album and I'm trying so hard to resist the urge.
Set list for last night looks amazing! Love the fact they played Silent Flight as the epic closer instead of White Walls for a change. Wondering what part exactly they left out of Obfuscation since it says they only played part of it.
Beginning with the drum/bass groove in the bridge when the guitar solo starts
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They’re also selling the Part 1 at the shows and my buddy grabbed a copy. It’s really good!
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Are they selling the LP?
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Are they selling the LP?
I saw people carrying vinyls, but I don't think it was Automata, coulda been from one of the other bands. I only saw the cd at the merch stand.
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relatively short interview Tommy did with That Drummer Guy (aka JRundquist here on the dtf)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocO5FOLF5YE&t=120s
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Can I stay up past midnight to listen to this as soon as it releases..? Only a few hours to go to find out!
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Trust me on this.... stay up!
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I haven't posted here in quite some time due to the hectic schedule of graduate school and real-life events, but damn if this album isn't making me just yearn to discuss enthralling music once again. It's easily one of the best 35-ish minute stretches of music that BTBAM have created thus far in their career. What an engaging, captivating ride. Condemned to the Gallows was already a piece that I thought showcased some of the best of BTBAM in a short span, but the entire album just feels so enthusiastic and refreshing. If this continues into part two, consider me awestruck.
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Just completed the first listen. Some thoughts:
- Condemned to the Gallows is the most consistent song of the bunch, but this could also be because I have heard it so many times and had so much time already to get to love it so much.
- The similarities to Tommy's solo albums brought both the good and bad along with it. There's some solid simpler songwriting on this, but it also has some of the most awkward melodies I've heard from the band in Millions and House Organ and, oh my god, yelloooow, yelloooow, yelloooooooooooow
- Yellow Eyes, beside that one moment, is amazing! Doesn't work as well as one cohesive piece like Condemned to the Gallows does, but there's tons of amazing ideas in that song, including sounds I've never heard from the band.
- Heavy dirty keyboard riff in House Organ is very tasty.
- Blot is not up there with songs lke White Walls and Silent Flight like some have claimed, that whole "computer, simulate" section is waaay overrated, seriously don't get what's so special about that?? The song is really good nonetheless, especially the ending which is kind of like a weaker version of the Silent Flight finale.
- Millions is definitely the worst song on the album for me right now, not sure if that just means I prefer their heavier sound, but probably just because it's the least interesting song.
I'm pretty neutral about this. Based on the single I expected this to blow all other 2018 releases out of the water, but Automata II is of the same quality I'm not even sure if it would be my AOTY right now (meaning it'd have to beat Orphaned Land).
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I'm a big fan. Just finished my second listen and starting the third right away, haha. I actually really like Millions, but Yellow Eyes is probably the highlight for me just now.
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Video for the song 'Millions'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fye2KREpeJQ
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Okay, just finished my first (and probably only) listen and I have to say I'm a bit underwhelmed. Most of the album just passed me by, and nothing really gripped me. It's not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination, but I wouldn't really call it a good or great album either. It's just...okay. It didn't make me want to listen to it again, it didn't make me want to claw out my ears, it didn't impact me in anyway. The only thing I can saw about this album is that it exists. I'm not the biggest fan of BtBaM in general, but this doesn't have the same kind of quality that their past releases have had. Yellow Eyes is probably the closest thing to a highlight on the album for me.
Meh. Maybe Automata II will be better.
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Just finished my first listen and will need some more listens to let it soak in. I'm still wondering if it makes sense to dedicate a lot of time to it now or wait until the second half is released.
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Anyone have any idea what this album is about?
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Anyone have any idea what this album is about?
The protagonist’s dreams are broadcast for entertainment by a corporation called the voice of trespass. The emotions involved are his turmoil and depression. That’s all I know.
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Anyone have any idea what this album is about?
Tommy screams vague sentence fragments, and awkwardly sings other sentence fragments that don't really fit the music.
The usual. It's nonsense.
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Awesome first batch of listens. Just opened up the lyric book and am gonna read along while listening now. For anyone interested, the lyric book lists the songs as such:
Condemned - "Night One"
House - "Day Two"
Yellow - "Night Four" (Midway through the lyrics of Yellow it breaks up another section) "Morning Five"
Millions - "Before"
Gold - "INST"
Blot - "Rehearsal"
I think my favorite so far is House Organ/Yellow Eyes but it's a tough one. The album feels really concise and tightly woven but I think having Part II will flesh it out a bit more as it flew by (in a good way). I kind of like that they're releasing each part separately now, because just this small section of the album is a lot to take in, let alone if they did both parts together. I also think the next album will fill in the holes of the story and do the usual back and forth (as this album already does with "before" and jumping certain nights) and time skips. Really, really excited to see the story as a whole, this one seems pretty interesting from the small bits I could gather.
The story stuff usually takes a heavy back seat for me with any concept album though, and the music here is fantastic. But it says something that with BTBAM, I usually want to discuss it as well as the story and tend to research the story itself just to find out more. Eagerly awaiting part deuce.
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It certainly leaves you wanting more, which is good for building hype, I suppose, and to get fans excited about two releases in one year, but one begs the question, why not just release a true double album? Perhaps it is my greediness longing for more, though.
I definitely feel as though "Blot" is my favorite thus far, though House Organ is absolutely thrilling as well.
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I actually just now found out it's releasing in just a few months. I thought it was going to be like another year or so. :lol Knowing that now, I'm definitely wondering what the idea was behind releasing two separate albums. I'm totally okay with it but I can see why some might not be.
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Might be a textbook Sumerian Records strategy or something? Also happened with Juggernaut, though those were spaced out even more. Their statement on social media said they did it because the music industry is moving away from people being able to digest full albums, but they probably know that's bullshit themselves too considering the core of their fanbase consists of prog fans. Besides, it is still a double-concept-album, so in a way it should still be intended to listen to in full right?
It's weird, but I don't really care because not once listening to Automata I have I thought that it's too short, maybe the end of Blot was a bit sudden, but the length of the whole thing never bothered me.
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Automata I is definitely long enough for me. Their music is quite dense so I actually prefer to digest it in smaller pieces. I also really liked the Hypersleep EP.
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I've been liking this album since it dropped. Doesn't feel too short to me. Standout tracks are Yellow Eyes and Millions.
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It definitely feels "short" for a BTBAM album, but that's only because it's BTBAM. For the everyday album, it's just fine, if a little short in the song-per-song categorization. Then again stuff like that doesn't really matter to me anymore. I love Blot, but my standout section of the album is nearly the shortest song, House Organ. I'm totally okay with it being split up.
I can see it being a label thing for sure. But I can also see it being a band related thing in relation to the story and digestion of it, or more likely the breaking up of the timeline of the albums as they tend to do.
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Automata I is definitely long enough for me. Their music is quite dense so I actually prefer to digest it in smaller pieces. I also really liked the Hypersleep EP.
I feel this way aswell, I love BTBAM but I have a hard time digesting many songs at once. I'm liking this album/EP so far, my favorite so far is Goodbye to the Gallows.
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So, this album worth listening to?
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So, this album worth listening to?
It's great but I feel slightly biased since I love most of their albums.
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I love Colors, which is a top 25 album of all-time for me, but even that one I find difficult to sit through occasionally. As for their other albums, I have mixed feelings on most of them. For instance, I didn't really like Coma Ecliptic and thought there was too much filler on that one
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Might be a textbook Sumerian Records strategy or something? Also happened with Juggernaut, though those were spaced out even more.
Huh? Juggernaut Alpha and Omega were released on the same day.
Re: the new album - not bad, but kinda BTBAM by the numbers. It's interesting that this is probably their first album ever that isn't proggier than the previous one, but I don't think it really evolves their sound at all.
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I don't think it does, either, but do think it refines it, which is a lot to be said for a band that has as much musical ambition as this one does. It also says something that it leaves me mostly satisfied but still wanting more, and we'll get more, which is pretty awesome.
(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_5810_1416868493.jpg)Elite:
If you go into it expecting musical evolution and a huge journey, you'll come out a bit disappointed probably. But keep the usual bliss-killing-bullshit called hype in check and if you're in the mood for some BTBAM, you'll more than likely dig it. Like a couple people have said, this didn't break any boundaries or go places they haven't been before as CE tried to do (and succeeded wonderfully, in my opinion, but I digress). If you're skeptical, I'd recommend waiting for the whole album to come out. (Well, the next side...double albums are always so odd in that it's tough to consider the whole thing on one side since it's clearly meant to be heard through both. It's very much a "whole" album, but with BTBAM standards, it's definitely thinner than most.
This is the classic BTBAM sound brought back a bit, with a refinement of what they brought in musically over the last few albums. It's the most screaming that Giles has done since Parallax but he's also taking the growling and screaming in a slightly different direction than the usual higher-pitched screaming (though that's still there). He's definitely in top form here, to my ears anyway, which is the biggest and most welcome change after a very different approach on CE (again, not a bad thing to me, but certainly a different side from the band but especially from Giles).
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Re: the new album - not bad, but kinda BTBAM by the numbers. It's interesting that this is probably their first album ever that isn't proggier than the previous one, but I don't think it really evolves their sound at all.
You may be interested to hear that Automata II is where we hear some new sounds and styles.
And I'm not sure the reason for the split into two releases. I've heard the whole thing a few times and it works really well as a whole IMO. My only guess is that the first part is more traditional BTBAM territory and the second is a bit quirkier and they wanted to highlight the distinction.
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OoOoO interesting! Damn it, now I have to control my hype.
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Re: the new album - not bad, but kinda BTBAM by the numbers. It's interesting that this is probably their first album ever that isn't proggier than the previous one, but I don't think it really evolves their sound at all.
You may be interested to hear that Automata II is where we hear some new sounds and styles.
And I'm not sure the reason for the split into two releases. I've heard the whole thing a few times and it works really well as a whole IMO. My only guess is that the first part is more traditional BTBAM territory and the second is a bit quirkier and they wanted to highlight the distinction.
How have you heard Part II already?
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Re: the new album - not bad, but kinda BTBAM by the numbers. It's interesting that this is probably their first album ever that isn't proggier than the previous one, but I don't think it really evolves their sound at all.
You may be interested to hear that Automata II is where we hear some new sounds and styles.
And I'm not sure the reason for the split into two releases. I've heard the whole thing a few times and it works really well as a whole IMO. My only guess is that the first part is more traditional BTBAM territory and the second is a bit quirkier and they wanted to highlight the distinction.
How have you heard Part II already?
He's got those family connections ;)
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I heard ariich's newborn is actually really good friends with Blake Richardson, that's probably how
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Between the BabyDaddy and Me
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Re: the new album - not bad, but kinda BTBAM by the numbers. It's interesting that this is probably their first album ever that isn't proggier than the previous one, but I don't think it really evolves their sound at all.
You may be interested to hear that Automata II is where we hear some new sounds and styles.
And I'm not sure the reason for the split into two releases. I've heard the whole thing a few times and it works really well as a whole IMO. My only guess is that the first part is more traditional BTBAM territory and the second is a bit quirkier and they wanted to highlight the distinction.
How have you heard Part II already?
He's got those family connections ;)
:tup
I heard ariich's newborn is actually really good friends with Blake Richardson, that's probably how
:tup
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How long is part 2?
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How long is part 2?
Similar sort of length, as one would expect.
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What are those family connections again?
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What are those family connections again?
My brother plays in Nova Collective with Dan Briggs.
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What are those family connections again?
My brother plays in Nova Collective with Dan Briggs.
Does he play The Devil's Flute?
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Show was fucking awesome
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Austin show was badass-- the crowd energy was actually almost insufferable. Setlist spoilers:
Very safe setlist. 95% Coma, Automata, and Parallax II. Blot was sick, as was the 2nd half of Obfuscation-- encore of Silent Flight Parliament was a good choice. Disappointing that they didn't touch Colors, Alaska, or the rest of TGM, especially since the last 2 tours I've seen them on were playing Coma and Parallax in full, so would love to see more old material next time.
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A friend mentioned they were playing here tonight, so I might check it out. I've been listening to a few songs from the setlist on YT, though, and so far I'm not real crazy about it. Eh, we'll see.
I'll be listening to TDH later, and maybe that's what'll get me down there.
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Millions is awesome, just a very good 'song' for the band.
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Looks like they are FINALLY gonna be doing an ‘evening with’ tour next year....or at least they’re talking about it. I’m super stoked!!
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I think an evening with tour might kill Blake
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Looks like they are FINALLY gonna be doing an ‘evening with’ tour next year....or at least they’re talking about it. I’m super stoked!!
what makes you say this? some interview where it was addressed?
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Paul and Dan were asked about it in some facebook live thing, but they were just spitballing really. I wouldn't read too much into it just yet
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This release completely slipped my mind and I'm even more angry that I missed a chance to see them in Orlando. Work has just sucked me dry. Listening to the album now and on song 2. What a treat so far.
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Millions is awesome, just a very good 'song' for the band.
Super into this song recently. So many awesome harmonies and melodies in this track.
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Finished my first listen, amazing stuff. Can't wait to listen to all these tracks again.
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Yeah, great album. I'm actually very glad with the length, doesn't sound too short to me. It's not as good as TGM or Parallax I (and probably not part II either), but it's still awesome all the way through. House Organ is one of their best short tracks AFAIC (but the second half is weaker), loove the organ part with Tommy going "SMASH, IGNITE", holy shit :metal
The only thing I'm not completely into (and according to the reddit and FB groups I posted in this is very controversial) is Blot, especially the computer simulate part. Definitely my least fave on the album.
Buuut now that Rivers of Nihil, Greyhaven and Rolo Tomassi all released stellar new albums, I think the chances of Automata being my AOTY are very slim, part II would have to be reeally damn good.
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Been listening to this on repeat for the past days. I love every second on this album. In typical BTBAM fashion, the album comes together after a few listens. Right now I cannot stop listening to Blot. Absolutely love that opening section. I get Pain of Salvation's 'Fandango' vibes from the opening bit. So bummed that I missed them on tour.
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In typical BTBAM fashion, the album comes together after a few listens.
I'm the exact opposite with BTBAM. Every album since Silent Circus I loved from the first listen. This one I didn't. And it's not getting better with repeated listens..... I hope part 2 is better. It makes me sad that they have released an album that I don't immediately love. :(
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for those who didn't hear the split with The Dear Hunter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_p06LEnSfg&feature=youtu.be
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Yeah I saw it today in the All Things BTBAM FB group. The Tank cover is very interesting, but I don't think Tommy's vocals are good enough to reach the same emotional level that Casey does on that song. The Rapid Calm cover though, loving it! TDH completely made it their own. I would have loved it even more if the 'one last search' line would have come back with a bit more intensity though, instead of leaving it on the background the entire outro, but this also works.
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Both of those covers are super good :hefdaddy
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BTBAM's is good, but Rapid Calm legitimately sounds like it could've been a TDH song, they truly did a fantastic job.
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Last time they toured Europe they were a support act for Devin Townsend. This year they support Tesseract.
Are BTBAM really that unpopular over here? In my mind, Devin and Tesseract to be "more niche" than BTBAM.
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Awesome covers by both. BTBAM tends to stay fairly close to the originals with their covers for some reason but just slightly twist it with their own sound. TDH's cover made me kind of want to hear more covers by them, weirdly enough. It's not often I'm like "Oh I want this awesomely innovative and original band to do something entirely unoriginal like covering another band!" but they're the exception I guess. :lol Really crazy cool stuff from that track.
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I saw some teaser posted on reddit, I think it was just some random noise clips with no music and looked like a dream sequence that ended with the date 05/23/18. I think it was called 'voice of trespass' or something. Cant seem to find it now.
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Yeah, the concept is about selling people's dreams for entertainment, and the teaser represents fragments of those dreams I believe, and the song is supposedly being released on the 23rd of May. https://vimeo.com/269967711
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Yeah, the concept is about selling people's dreams for entertainment, and the teaser represents fragments of those dreams I believe, and the song is supposedly being released on the 23rd of May. https://vimeo.com/269967711
I'm lucky enough to have the whole of Automata, and Voice of Trespass is probably my favourite song on the album. Won't be to everyone's taste, admittedly.
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Ariich, what’s The Grid like? I’m interested in that one
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Ohhh that was for BTBAM!?
I was so fucking confused when I got that. I mean it's obviously not what it's trying to be, because the whole "viral" thing as this point is hopelessly overdone and dramatic, but I still couldn't find any information on it at the time and knew it was obviously from either the label itself or a band I listen to, but it was so damn vague that I ended up forgetting about it till seeing this.
Super awesome that it's about the new album though, I am so excited to hear this and listen to them back to back!
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The wait feels really long with July 13th as the slated date for Automata II. I'm really loving the first part right now and is in constant rotation.
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Ariich, what’s The Grid like? I’m interested in that one
It's solid, but not one of the standouts for me. Proverbial Bellow (very proggy) and Voice of Trespass (dark and a bit theatrical) are where it's at IMO.
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I still wish they didn't split this out. I enjoy Part 1 but have not put a lot of effort into it since I'm waiting for Part II.
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It has happened guys, BTBAM goes big band jazz :metal :metal
https://twitter.com/SumerianRecords/status/999342652502896640
Curious to see how the vocals are going to blend into this, if any. Sounds like Diablo Swing Orchestra if you ask me!
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It has happened guys, BTBAM goes big band jazz :metal :metal
https://twitter.com/SumerianRecords/status/999342652502896640
Curious to see how the vocals are going to blend into this, if any. Sounds like Diablo Swing Orchestra if you ask me!
Dear Lord, me rikey!! Bring that shit on!!
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Oh wow, 4 tracks. I'm definitely going to have to combine these albums when I listen to them.
But yeah that snippet sounds awesome. I'll be buying the ultimate bundle for this one; I want dem t-shirts and dat wall flag.
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Going by ariich's statements, I'm guessing that clip is from Voice of Trespass? Color me excited. I love when BTBAM experiments.
And Tio-- yeah, definitely going to have to pair the albums together for a full listening experience.
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Correct Heretic. Interestingly it's one of the heaviest tracks vocally (in the chorus at least, and the second half of the song).
And yeah I've always listened to both parts together as a single album, and it's awesome. Personally, I'm not entirely sold on the idea of splitting it.
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Gotta say it's pretty underwhelming to hear talks about a double album split in two only for it to be essentially 2 glorified EPs in the 30 min range. Quality of the music aside ofc.
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Wow! That sounds awesome, it reminded me of Diablo Swing Orchestra aswell. Can't wait to hear it, I really liked pt I.
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It has happened guys, BTBAM goes big band jazz :metal :metal
https://twitter.com/SumerianRecords/status/999342652502896640
Curious to see how the vocals are going to blend into this, if any. Sounds like Diablo Swing Orchestra if you ask me!
Haha, I really like that. Sounds killer :metal
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I've never heard of Diablo Swing, but the clip reminded me of The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
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Gotta say it's pretty underwhelming to hear talks about a double album split in two only for it to be essentially 2 glorified EPs in the 30 min range. Quality of the music aside ofc.
Yeah it's a little disappointing. Not entirely but I suppose hype strikes once again; always a killer of joy and helps with nothing.
Still really excited to play these back to back and the whole "album" is still a good length and if it's got enough hooks to keep me coming back, I'm happy. It does seem though that the older I get, the less I'm interested in super long tracks, so that might wane on me a bit. Though if anyone can make me like a ridiculously long track, it's these guys.
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I started noticing that I'm very fond of short albums. BTBAM (though technically maybe not), TesseracT and Greyhaven all released fantastic albums this year and I feel that might not have been the case if they went on for 20 more minutes.
If any of those 3 can prove me wrong, it would be BTBAM though. I doubt it'll feel overlong when playing Automata in full, I've never felt that any of their albums overstays its welcome.
Also on the topic of Automata I, few months down the road what is everyone's favourite? I still see a lot of Blot votes around other websites but that's still my least fave probably. For me its either Gallows or Yellow Eyes. House Organ wouldve been #1 but the second half isnt as good as the first
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I started noticing that I'm very fond of short albums. BTBAM (though technically maybe not), TesseracT and Greyhaven all released fantastic albums this year and I feel that might not have been the case if they went on for 20 more minutes.
the 45-50 minute album is absolutely my ideal tbh but 40ish minutes can work too (white ward is the immediate example i think of every time)
looking forward to the new BTBAM regardless, i'm basically treating them as separate albums but i'll probably do the full album listen at some point
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I warmed up a lot to Blot and the second half grew on me immensely. I love the instrumental and electronic-based aspect of it; really emphasizes the whole vibe of the album.
House Organ/Yellow Eyes is my favorite though.
I don't get the hate for Gold Distance too; it's obvious just an interlude but for me at least it sets up Blot so damn nice and really gives a pretty epic anticipation for it. It's a really pretty interlude, and that's all it's meant to be (along with the build up).
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This album just hit me.
CttG might be my new favorite album opener.
Can’t wait for part 2.
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Regarding the short length.... I think the days of trying to cram as much onto one CD as possible are gone.
What I personally think is kind of cool is that, to me, this makes sense from both a business angle and an artistic angle. Even back when CDs were first coming out and people were trying to fill them up completely with 80 minutes worth of music, it really was too much to digest all in one sitting. By doing it this way you’re doing two things. You’re selling more CDs obviously. But you’re also putting out something that can be fully digested in one sitting. Then saving the rest for later.
I get that some people might feel like it was a “cash grab” to release them separately.....but honesty....how many units are a band like BTBAM moving, and how much extra do they really stand to gain from that. Everyone knows that the money nowadays is from touring....not from album sales. It might be slightly driven by money (the more costs you can recoup from recording expenses the better)...but with CD sales being as low as they are, I don’t think they are exactly getting rich off of this move. But again, on an artistic level, I think it makes sense. If you have 70 minutes worth of music that is supposed to tie in as a singular concept....that’s a lot to digest in a single release. Putting out half of it on one album, and then releasing the other half a few months later (I think) is a smart move. I’m all about throwing my money at the starving artist anyway, so I don’t mind if they are trying to milk it into a couple of releases. If the product is good, then they deserve it.
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Double post
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i definitely agree with the above, parallax II and coma ecliptic are both too much for me to sit through in all honesty which is probably why i don't like them as much, though at least in coma's case i also just think a lot of the music is particular uninspired but what do i know it's not like automata I is that fresh either but i still enjoy it a fair bit
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Pfft Parallax II is their best.
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Pfft Parallax II is their best.
Agreed
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that's a weird way to spell the great misdirect
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Parallax I, II and The Great Misdirect are all the best BTBAM album
and Colors as well on a good day, and possibly Automata if part II is as good/better than I
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TGM is easily the worst BTBAM album.
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TGM is easily the worst BTBAM album.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I’d have to say the first 2 albums are their weakest.
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TGM is easily the worst BTBAM album.
Actually it's good you didn't play in my roulette in hindsight
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Regarding the short length.... I think the days of trying to cram as much onto one CD as possible are gone.
What I personally think is kind of cool is that, to me, this makes sense from both a business angle and an artistic angle. Even back when CDs were first coming out and people were trying to fill them up completely with 80 minutes worth of music, it really was too much to digest all in one sitting. By doing it this way you’re doing two things. You’re selling more CDs obviously. But you’re also putting out something that can be fully digested in one sitting. Then saving the rest for later.
I get that some people might feel like it was a “cash grab” to release them separately.....but honesty....how many units are a band like BTBAM moving, and how much extra do they really stand to gain from that. Everyone knows that the money nowadays is from touring....not from album sales. It might be slightly driven by money (the more costs you can recoup from recording expenses the better)...but with CD sales being as low as they are, I don’t think they are exactly getting rich off of this move. But again, on an artistic level, I think it makes sense. If you have 70 minutes worth of music that is supposed to tie in as a singular concept....that’s a lot to digest in a single release. Putting out half of it on one album, and then releasing the other half a few months later (I think) is a smart move. I’m all about throwing my money at the starving artist anyway, so I don’t mind if they are trying to milk it into a couple of releases. If the product is good, then they deserve it.
I don't like that Automata was split in two parts. Not because the halves are too short (plenty of good short albums) and not because of cash grab (I don't mind paying premium for music I I love) but because it hurts the flow of the album. Automata I starts heavy, explores a mellower direction with House Organ/Yellow Eyes/Millions, them Blot comes as a palette cleanser - and then it just ends.
If the three lighter songs were distilled into something snappier and Blot would be followed by a payoff (like some of the weird stuff teased for part 2), we could have a great 35 minutes album. What we got instead feels gimped.
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TGM is easily the worst BTBAM album.
Actually it's good you didn't play in my roulette in hindsight
I should have just sent the worst albums from great bands. :P
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We ranking the albums again here? Very well. It goes:
Colors
The Great Misdirect
Parallax 1
Parallax 2
Alaska
Coma Ecliptic
(not spent much time with the others)
About splitting the album, I've made my peace with it. Like Jammindude, I'm happy to send these guys twice the cash for an album, if it helps them keep their heads above water. Plus, as much as I love them, they are an exhausting listen, and half an hour at a time of their brand of mad everything-but-the-kitchen-sink music is fine for me. This probably reflects badly on me as a listener, but I don't think I'd have spent so much time and attention on those 6 Automata I songs if they hadn't been released like that. I'd probably have missed all kinds of nuances and details if this were all on 1 disc (as I'm sure I still do when I listen to Parallax 2, because there's so much going on in it. I still can't make head nor tail of tracks like Extremophile Elite and Melting City).
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I also have no problem giving the band twice the money, cuz I’m loyal to my favorite bands and support them 100%. But I hate the fact they split it, cuz like others have mentioned, it disrupts the continuity. The long running albums are no problem to me, I always like the challenge of digesting them!
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that's a weird way to spell the great misdirect
Agreed. The Great Misdirect is where it's at.
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When Automata 2 comes out I'll probably just make a playlist of the two together and then only ever listen to them together because very rarely do I want the 30 min album and I reach for a full length. With that said I've never listened to Parallax 1 and 2 back to back, probably because of how long 2 is already. But might be worth a try. :eek
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Automata I & II song rankings (because that’s what we do):
The Proverbial Bellow
The Grid
Yellow Eyes
Voice of Trespass
Blot
Condemned to the Gallows
Glide
House Organ
Millions
Gold Distance
Very good album. The Proverbial Bellow has one of the most memorable BTBAM intros.
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Early ranking for me:
1. Voice of Trespass
2. Yellow Eyes
3. Condemned to the Gallows
4. The Proverbial Bellow
5. House Organ
6. Blot
7. Glide
8. The Grid
9. Millions
10. Gold Distance
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My ranking of the albums that I've heard would probably go
Parallax 2
Colors
Automata I
Coma Ecliptic
Parallax 1
The Great Misdirect
All 9 or 10 out of 10 rating albums for me. I love all of them for different reasons.
I've heard some songs from the first three albums. I'll have to give them a full listen sometime.
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I've only gone back to Alaska, and I love that one. I used to like death metal in my 20s, but I really don't like it anymore because of how "one dimensional" it tends to be. It wasn't until bands started mixing clean and death vocals, and incorporating different styles that I regained a passing interest in the genre. Based on what I've heard, I'm not sure I would care for BTBAM's first two albums because people tend to say that they are more "straight forward" aggressive death metal style albums.
EDIT - That's also why I tend to like Coma Ecliptic more than most. It's not their *best* album, but I personally think it is the most stylistically varied album in their entire catalog.
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It really hard to rank the songs on Automata, so I’ll rank the albums:
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
Colors
Automata
The Great Misdirect
Coma Ecliptic
Alaska
The Silent Circus
Between The Buried And Me
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Very difficult. I've actually been spinning them all (well....from Alaska forward) for the last week or so and I really do love them all. But I'll try...
Parallax II
Automata I
Colors
Alaska
Coma Ecliptic
Parallax I
The Great Misdirect
I really hate seeing CE and TGM on near the bottom. Because I know there are people that don't care for them, and I don't feel that way. I just think the other ones are better.
EDIT - I changed my mind and reversed Parallax I and Coma Ecliptic so that CE was slightly higher.
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One more thing to add. I had bought the live version of Parallax II at the BTBAM show, but it was on a whim and I had heard people say that it really wasn't much different than the studio version, so I put it on the shelf when I got home and then forgot I even had it.
But then when I went to load my music player for work, I decided to load it with my ENTIRE BTBAM file (among other things). When the album started playing, I didn't even know what it was (because, like I said, I forgot I even owned it) but I was surprised that it sounded quite a bit different than the studio version, and I may in fact like it even more.
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Automata II is out today!!
Playing The Proverbial Bellow for the first time, already sounds much better (and progressive) than Automata I. :metal
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I can't stress how much of a Train of Naught song Voice of Trespass is, it's like it was designed to include every single thing I love about the band.
Album rankings with first impression Automata included:
The Great Misdirect
Parallax (I/II)
Colors
Automata
Alaska
Coma Ecliptic
Between the Buried and Me
The Silent Circus (still waiting for this one to grow on me, only one by them I don't love I'd say)
so the metalcore albums are in the bottom of my rankings, but the self-titled is pretty great tbh.
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Colors is my favourite, easily. Still haven’t listened to the Automatas
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Had one listen to Automata II, very good impression of first listen. Can't wait to really get into it.
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Automata II is already sooo much better than Automata I. It's giving me some strong "heavier Dear Hunter" vibes. I'm thinking this could be up there with Coma Ecliptic as one of my favorite BtBaM albums.
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Yep. Automata II is better but I do think being able to listen to the album as a whole now will help me appreciate part I more. Favorite moment of the album might be the “Beautiful eruption” section of TPB.
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Well.... Voice Of Trespass is KILLER :metal
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Pretty nice part 2. Swing metal is always great, they better play it on Summer Slaughter.
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First show is tonight....we will soon find out!
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I like part 2 a lot but this all should have been 1 album, and then it would have been one of their finest records. Their stated rationale for splitting it (to give me time to digest it all) now rings hollow to me, because listening to part 2, it's not clear what exactly the band felt I needed a breather from. This is nowhere near the dense, draining experience that Parallax 2 or Colors were. And Blot (last track on part 1) and The Proverbial Bellow (first track on part 2) would have made a great 1-2 epic punch in the middle of the album, like that cluster of epics in the middle of Colors. Altogether this comes to less than 70 minutes, and it is not an especially complex record, and neither is it very heavy. I could very easily have taken this in one sitting.
I'm very happy with both 'albums', and I'm also happy to give this band extra cash for the 2 releases if it helps them keep going. But speaking only about the art of the thing, this would have been a truly great album were it all on one disc (easy for me to splice them together, I know, but that's not my point). As it is, both parts when separated leave me wanting more; neither feels like its own fully realised thing. Splitting it feels random.
I give the whole thing an 8/10, and if I imagine it all as one album (as the 'Special Edition With Exclusive Artwork!' will surely release it as about 6 months from now), I rank it 3rd in their discography, behind The Great Misdirect and Colors.
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Pretty nice part 2. Swing metal is always great, they better play it on Summer Slaughter.
Check Dan's instagram, they were rehearsing VoT, so pretty sure they will play it :metal
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Oh my god. It's only four songs. It's only four songs. They even had the audacity to label them tracks 7-10 on the back of the package. I'm pretty sure all ten of these could have been on a single disc, looking at the tracklist. Hoping it's good, because I'm feeling a tad ripped off (no one's forcing me to buy the thing, but I already owned part 1 so, heeeeey).
I'll gladly give up "needing time to digest it all" if it saves me $9. ::)
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Between the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Me :metal
Nice.
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Between the Diablo Swing Orchestra and Me :metal
Nice.
Yup that was my first thought when I heard Voice of Trespass begin.
Hopefully I can win tickets to Summer Slaughter. That's a pretty good (but short) setlist.
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Oh my god. It's only four songs. It's only four songs. They even had the audacity to label them tracks 7-10 on the back of the package. I'm pretty sure all ten of these could have been on a single disc, looking at the tracklist. Hoping it's good, because I'm feeling a tad ripped off (no one's forcing me to buy the thing, but I already owned part 1 so, heeeeey).
I'll gladly give up "needing time to digest it all" if it saves me $9. ::)
Yeah the split thing seems like a shameless cash grab. I'm just gonna hope it was a label forced thing.
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Regarding the short length.... I think the days of trying to cram as much onto one CD as possible are gone.
What I personally think is kind of cool is that, to me, this makes sense from both a business angle and an artistic angle. Even back when CDs were first coming out and people were trying to fill them up completely with 80 minutes worth of music, it really was too much to digest all in one sitting. By doing it this way you’re doing two things. You’re selling more CDs obviously. But you’re also putting out something that can be fully digested in one sitting. Then saving the rest for later.
I get that some people might feel like it was a “cash grab” to release them separately.....but honesty....how many units are a band like BTBAM moving, and how much extra do they really stand to gain from that. Everyone knows that the money nowadays is from touring....not from album sales. It might be slightly driven by money (the more costs you can recoup from recording expenses the better)...but with CD sales being as low as they are, I don’t think they are exactly getting rich off of this move. But again, on an artistic level, I think it makes sense. If you have 70 minutes worth of music that is supposed to tie in as a singular concept....that’s a lot to digest in a single release. Putting out half of it on one album, and then releasing the other half a few months later (I think) is a smart move. I’m all about throwing my money at the starving artist anyway, so I don’t mind if they are trying to milk it into a couple of releases. If the product is good, then they deserve it.
In case some glanced over it, I feel like my earlier post on this subject bears repeating.
EDIT - Actually, I hope we see more releases this way. I personally really enjoyed the way that splitting it up built the anticipation for the 2nd half. The "slow build to a grand climax" approach. Seriously....SCREW INSTANT GRATIFICATION.
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I think both parts are alright on their own but because they're split into essentially 2 EPs instead of a full length album I think that's massively gonna impact how much I go back to these, unless I just make a playlist and merge the two back to back of course. But then I go against what the band actually intended, which for me is mostly just annoying. Kinda reminds me a bit (though a very different beast) to what Protest the Hero did when they decided to drop 1 song a month over a certain period of time and I ended up not checking any of it out because it's too little at the time for me to get invested in. I mean I get BTBAM and 2x 30 minutes is different, I just generally prefer albums to EPs.
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I'm still not seeing the artistic merit in splitting it (the financial merit is obvious, and is the reason they've done it). If this were some wildly complex and dense album with a cliff-hanger of a story, then ok, but this basically feels like exactly what it is: a good prog-metal album cut right in half and released separately as a marketing gimmick. To what artistic purpose? None that I can see. Obviously this strategy is going to "build the anticipation for the 2nd half", simply because everyone wants to hear what the rest of it sounds like. What's next with this strategy? Release a CD every month with one song from the album on it, in order to "build anticipation" for what the finished thing sounds like?
And I say again, it is a cast-iron certainty that around 6 months from now, just in time for the Christmas market, a new "Special Edition" of this album will be released, with both parts put together, to milk it one last time.
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Yea, I know what you mean. I will probably listen to both back to back later. I'm sure I'll dig it more as one full album so I agree I'd prefer if it were released as such. I'm pretty sure when I rank my albums this year I'll count it as one album.
After a few listens I'd say I prefer part 2 by a fair bit. I know there's only 4 songs but I like each of them quite a bit. Maybe I've just given it it's first listens whilst in a musically receptive mindset. It'll likely make my top 10 of the year easily.
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It's the vinyl feel they were going for. Both these would actually equal two Vinyl records. Which I don't mind if bands are deciding to relive this option. It works, makes me feel like I'm back in the '70's era.
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And I say again, it is a cast-iron certainty that around 6 months from now, just in time for the Christmas market, a new "Special Edition" of this album will be released, with both parts put together, to milk it one last time.
Exactly. It's like they want us to pirate music these days.
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i mean, i prefer two short albums to one overly long one, personally
i feel coma and parallax 2 are both too long & i never revisit them, technically automata is about the same length as coma but 1. automata I imo makes for a fine standalone record on its own and 2. a 35 min album is way easier to digest than a 70 min one, absolutely
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I don’t get the claim of it feeling like half an album at all. Yes, Blot does and rather suddenly, but that just makes it feel even more “cliffhanger” to me. Not story wise maybe (I haven’t investigated the story enough to be sure) but the song itself absolutely does NOT feel like a “middle of the album” track to my ears AT ALL. It feels like an epic album closer with a sudden ending that leaves you with a feeling of wanting to know what’s next.
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The Grid is a closer. Option Oblivion/Life on Velvet is an epic two-part closer, as is Silent Flight Parliament/Goodbye to Everything Reprise.
Blot just pales compared to these examples. To feel like a cliffhanger, it would need to up the stakes musically before it cuts off. Teasing the insanity of Voice of Trespass before it stops abruptly would be a good cliffhanger. Blot was not written to finish a disc.
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I really don't care about the cash part of it at all. The whole "time to digest" thing is a bit much, yes, but I'd have been in agreement if they had said "Part II really doesn't sound anything like Part I", which is true.
I love the hell out of it though, really different from what they've done while sounding familiar in some regards. They basically took their cooky, zany few-second freak out moments they've had in previous albums and took it to a whole album (while restraining and consolidating the weirdness).
The whole Dear Hunter collaboration really makes sense now.
I'll definitely be putting these two albums on one playlist though, for sure. I can't see myself ever listening to just one or the other barring listening to singles.
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And I say again, it is a cast-iron certainty that around 6 months from now, just in time for the Christmas market, a new "Special Edition" of this album will be released, with both parts put together, to milk it one last time.
Exactly. It's like they want us to pirate music these days.
But again....how much money do you think they are *actually* making? I don't view it as a "cash grab" as much as it is just trying to stay afloat as a business. It's almost gotten to the point where the cost of making an album can't be recouped by releasing it. At a certain point, you have to change the business model just to break even. And that is the FAULT of people who pirate.
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I feel now I should state that I had previously purchased every BTBAM album from Colors on.
It feels insulting to my intelligence to pay double for anything.
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Both these parts feel like just typical BTBAM but less interesting than usual :-\
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Both these parts feel like just typical BTBAM but less interesting than usual :-\
That's how I felt about the first one but my opinion may change when I have both.
I do feel it's a real piss take releasing the album in two parts. Im not too worried about paying for two, IMO it just kills the vibe and epicness having having two short parts.
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It feels insulting to my intelligence to pay double for anything.
Who's paying double? On Amazon mp3 here, both together cost only £1-2 more than most of their albums, and actually less than TGM.
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It feels insulting to my intelligence to pay double for anything.
Who's paying double? On Amazon mp3 here, both together cost only £1-2 more than most of their albums, and actually less than TGM.
I know for physical copies I'm paying $18-$20 each cd.
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Yeah, the physical copies I pre-ordered on Amazon UK were £7.99 and £6.99 respectvely, which comes to around 50% more than the price of a single disc would have been.
And again, it's not the money issue that 'bothers' me (to the extent any of this really bothers me, which it doesn't, I'm just offering my opinion on it). If they've done this for commercial reasons, then fine (though I would point out that this is the same band that publicly told their fans not to buy their 'greatest hits' CD because they felt it was a shameless cash grab by their former label). Although (per Jammin's point about the changing market) if this is now to be the way bands make ends meet in a changing industry, I'm not in favour of it. Tour more. Release new music more often, like Steven Wilson does. Be more creative with merchandise. There are ways to make good money in this industry. Releasing an album in 2 separate parts? Nope. Because I ask again, why not go further next time and release a quarter of the album every 3 months over the course of a year?
The 2nd and less cynical explanation is that it's been done for artistic reasons, and while every listener will have their own opinion on how wise a decision that was, my own is that this would have been a better listening/artistic experience for me (only for me; I say again it's obviously subjective) as 1 disc. Even when spliced together, it still only comes to 68 minutes, which by today's standards is a short album, with the new craze being to release double albums, or else packing a CD to its full 80 minutes. I like the musical journey of the whole thing, especially the central part of Blot and The Proverbial Bellow.
Anyway, all that aside - they've made an excellent, excellent album, one of the best in the genre I've heard in many years. It is safely in my top 3 BTBAM releases.
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Finally gave both parts a listen on a long drive today. Solid stuff throughout, with some definite shiners, especially Voice of Trespass, fuck what an insanely good track that is.
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I really don’t see a problem with this release model. Their music is always very dense, so this way I was encouraged to explore the first half and later the second half. I’m sure it’ll feel like one complete album after it has all sunken in.
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Holy crap this album is freakin AWESOME!!!
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It feels insulting to my intelligence to pay double for anything.
Who's paying double? On Amazon mp3 here, both together cost only £1-2 more than most of their albums, and actually less than TGM.
I know for physical copies I'm paying $18-$20 each cd.
yeah but is AUD real money anyways :neverusethis:
automata I was I think $7 when i got it and automata II is $9 atm? for two whole CDs that's pretty fine actually, i've paid more for shorter CDs before
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Holy crap this album is freakin AWESOME!!!
Yeah...they really fucking kill it on this one. I'm neck deep in it and totally at peace.
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The more I listen to Automata II, the more it sounds like The Dear Dunter. Wonder if Casey was part of writing process in their tour.. Glide and Voice of Trespass has a lot of influences.
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The Dear Dunter
:rollin
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The Dear Dunter
:rollin
Yeah, of course like metal version of TDH
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The more I listen to Automata II, the more it sounds like The Dear Dunter. Wonder if Casey was part of writing process in their tour.. Glide and Voice of Trespass has a lot of influences.
Voice of Trespass sounds more Diablo Swing Orchestra than Dear Hunter.
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If I’m walking through the store singing More Than a Feeling, no one bats an eye....but walking through Costco growling Blot gets me all kinds of weird looks.
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@ jammindude 😂👍
Automata I got quite a lot of spins from me; good stuff. Finally got around to my first full spin of Automata II; at first sight it seems to be even more adventurous and at least as good as part I.
My liking of Autumata comes as a pleasant surprise after Coma Ecliptic. On that record, their Queen influences got a bit overwhelming for my tastes. And without the personality a Freddie Mercury.. well I suppose you get the point. Automata returns to the band’s heavy side while keeping their adventurous side intact, albeit without the heavy Queen/opera influence. I dig it. Also: to my ears Automata has their most pleasant production yet. Drums sound nice and full, chunky guitars and the vocals have enough space in the mix.
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You know when you like a band but you don't LOVE them. Then an album comes out that makes you appreciate the band more and want to dive back into their music with this new found appreciation. That's where I am currently with BtBaM.
I definitely rank Automata II higher than I at the moment. Also, rankings:
The Proverbial Bellow
Voice of Trespass
Blot
Condemned to the Gallows
The Grid
Millions
Yellow Eyes
The House Organ
Glide
Gold distance
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Secondly, album rankings (for the ones I own):
The Parallax II: Future Sequence
The Great Misdirect
Automata II
Automata I
Colors
The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
Coma Ecliptic
I'm going to get around to listening to all the others I don't own, over the coming weeks. Quite looking forward to the love versions of albums, which these guys seem to love to do.
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Completely agree with your top 3 Automata songs, and your top album. :tup
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Completely agree with your top 3 Automata songs, and your top album. :tup
Edit: What I meant to say was "If only there was some way that our tastes lining up could benefit you"
:neverusethis:
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Just got back from the show, Summer Slaughter tour with BtBaM headlining. Missed the first three bands due to work, unfortunately one of them being Allegeaon, the only other band I really wanted to see. Erra was solid, second time seeing them. Veil of Maya was pretty intense, and Born of Osiris didn't click too much with me, but they were entertaining. Watched all these bands from a seated position in the back, then wormed my way to front row, center for BtBaM.
Holy fucking shit. :omg: :omg: :omg:
Such a killer performance, both energy wise and technicality wise. I took a pretty good beating being an old man with a pit of about 300 younglings losing their shit behind me, but I held my own I must say. Highlights for me were Blot and Voice of Trespass and whatever they closed with (not being familiar with half their discography, I didn't recognize a good deal of the set, but there were zero flaws in it).
A few pics from my shitty seat...
(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/38856422_660047561028286_7530777420375261184_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=83cd01de5a88f2dfe3703847fb480a8e&oe=5C03985D)
(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/39040403_825729267816238_1127763093720399872_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=77aa03150923ceee84aba2f912f69adc&oe=5C019695)
Bedtime now for the old man... :metal
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Sweet dude! The closer was Selkies: The Endless Obsession from the Alaska album :tup
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Thanks, I gotta dig more I to their back albums. Just a phenomenal experience overall.
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Alaska was my introduction to BtBaM back when it was first released. At the time I had never heard anything like them. I thought it was amazing. I had no idea they would go on to make masterpieces like Colors, The Great Misdirect, Parallax 1 & 2, etc.
Anyway Alaska is definitely worth looking in to. It is more of a transition album from their more metal core beginnings, but songs like Selkies, Backwards Marathon, Roboturner, and All Bodies make it worth it.
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Croakies & Boatshoes make that album very much NOT worth it :lol luckily it's very short though
Alaska and Backwards Marathon are among their better songs imo, oh and Roboturner also
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Croakies & Boatshoes make that album very much NOT worth it :lol luckily it's very short though
Alaska and Backwards Marathon are among their better songs imo, oh and Roboturner also
To be honest, the lyrics to Croakies & Boatshoes make me giggle. It seems very tongue in cheek. I also enjoy the song too.
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Oh it definitely is, I am sure everyone here knows the infamous Slumber Party by the lead singer aka the stupidest yet most funny BTBAM related song ever? If not: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaMiFAXk1gY
It just breaks up the flow for me personally, whether other 'funny' songs by them flow very well in both the album and the concept (Voice of Trespass, Bloom, Ectopic Stroll)
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Wait. WAIT. How have I never seen that!? :lol :metal That is amazing. First thought I had was of Tim and Eric and like the seventh post down in the video someone says something about Tim and Eric...and they apparently played this on Adult Swim? The hell? That's amazing. I wish I had been introduced to this man and the band through this video on Adult Swim, that would've been mind blowing.
What a goof.
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:rollin
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i still haven't actually listened to automata II yet because my copy is in the mail atm, should be here next week though, looking forward to hating it after enjoying automata I :corn
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Song rankings as of now...
Gold Distance/Blot
Glide/Voice of Trespass
Condemned to the Gallows
The Grid
Yellow Eyes
The Proverbial Bellow
Millions
House Organ
But seriously....hard to put anything at the bottom of this list. Just a phenomenal project.
New album ranking
Automata (really is just one album, but I don't mind that they split it up)
Parallax (Kinda put these two together as well
Colors
Coma Ecliptic
Alaska
The Great Misdirect
Another hard list. Not a bad album in the bunch
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I got a lot of catching up to do, I'm only intimate with Coma and the new one, and have a passing familiarity with Colors. Blew through the Great Misdirect today on my commute, solid as fuck. Think I'll hit Parralax tomorrow.
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I made it to the Summer Slaughter show.
From posting the other bands were good,
Alleageon kicked ass.
BTBAM were amazing as always. Ended up getting a drumstick too.
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I don't get how this band is not in MetalArchives.
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Looking for to seeing them in about week!
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Saw them in Athens, first show of the tour. Fucking excellent as always. This is my 3rd time seeing them and I think this was the best they've ever sounded. Not to mention, it was an awesome setlist. Perhaps seeing them on the first show of the tour has its benefits (freshness)?
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Well BTBAM are supposed to play in Omaha Saturday night and there is a potential blizzard in the forecast. Looks like I may have to miss the show. :'(
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I just received Automata I and II, they are both excellent. Fantastic musicianship and on top of that both CDs are really sonically superb, which is perfect for me, since I'm a sucker for a good stereo ;) ...the idea of splitting the recordings on 2 CDs is really stupid though. So I burned my own CD which contains all, 68:33 total. And no, I don't do rankings, it's one of the stupidest things I've seen in my life. Music is not ment to be ranked, it's a sick idea. Besides that, the written word carries strength - once you have expressed your opinion about, say the worst song on a CD, what happens is that every time that song starts, a concrete curtain will fall down, since you already have decided to hate it. Now I said it.
PS. I also don't rearrange the order of the songs, which is NEARLY as stupid as rankings. Now I said that too.
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https://www.loudersound.com/news/between-the-buried-and-me-announce-european-tour
Finally what I’ve been waiting for....now they just gotta do it in America 🤘
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:metal
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https://www.loudersound.com/news/between-the-buried-and-me-announce-european-tour
Finally what I’ve been waiting for....now they just gotta do it in America 🤘
I just wet ‘em....
This had better come to the states!
:metal
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https://www.loudersound.com/news/between-the-buried-and-me-announce-european-tour
Finally what I’ve been waiting for....now they just gotta do it in America 🤘
This had better come to the states!
:metal
I was just thinking the same thing. I caught them when they toured with The Dear Hunter. What a great show. I'm always down to see BtBaM! :2metal:
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Antwerpen or Haarlem,
BTBAM here we come :hefdaddy
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(https://66.media.tumblr.com/28a8ef39271c58da8fd2ef0e01f625aa/edcad0c8a9e412b1-71/s500x750/ee1ee6e6b8b2c33f7b72510f5daa37c53fa793e0.jpg)
Higher res image: https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/image/190237133921
Come celebrate 20 of years of BTBAM with us!
Set one: Career spanning set
Set two: The Great Misdirect in it’s entirety
You’ve asked for it, and we listened! Don’t sleep on this one.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am your local time.
Tag your friends, get pumped, and see you soon!
Well shit, after this I will have seen every album between Colors and Coma Ecliptic played live in its entirety. :lol
Not thrilled at the prospect of sitting through Fossil Genera yet again, but Disease Injury Madness and Swim To The Moon should make up for it :metal
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Come celebrate 20 of years of BTBAM with us!
Set one: Career spanning set
Set two: The Great Misdirect in it’s entirety
You’ve asked for it, and we listened! Don’t sleep on this one.
Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am your local time.
Tag your friends, get pumped, and see you soon!
OOOOH, that's tempting. I don't want to go to concerts where the crowds are wild and aggressive, and I've heard some people will boo BTBAM for playing certain songs, which would kill my mood. But this is a very exciting prospect indeed... Perhaps I'll bite.
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I've heard some people will boo BTBAM for playing certain songs
Like what? I've seen BTBAM live at least four or five times and I've never experienced that.
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Oh hell yes I gotta make this one
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Yes. YES. That’s what I’m talking about.
......and they said they’d never play all of Swim to the Moon 😏
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I'll be going to the Sacramento show. :metal
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In EU they did a double set spanning the career, but this sounds even better! :omg: Seeing TGM in its entirety would be a dream come true for me, better enjoy the fuck out of it ‘murricans
This career spanning set was easily one of the best concerts I’ve ever attended, by the way. I wonder if they will stick to mostly the same songs or change it up (don’t worry not gonna spoil)
I don't want to go to concerts where the crowds are wild and aggressive, and I've heard some people will boo BTBAM for playing certain songs, which would kill my mood. But this is a very exciting prospect indeed... Perhaps I'll bite.
Okay.. not sure if the US crowds are THAT different but judging from Buddyhunter they aren’t. The BTBAM crowds are seriously super reversed and for the most part wouldn’t hurt a fly. The crowd is much like a lot of prog bands’ and not so much like the metalcore crowds, which I also kind of expected the first time I saw them so I see where you’re coming from.
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Yeah, the thing I remember most about when I saw them during their Future Sequence in its entirety tour was that it felt like the entire crowd was singing along to every melodic chorus on the album. It was pretty awesome! There was some moshing too, sure, but that's normal.
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Yeah, the thing I remember most about when I saw them during their Future Sequence in its entirety tour was that it felt like the entire crowd was singing along to every melodic chorus on the album. It was pretty awesome! There was some moshing too, sure, but that's normal.
Word! I vividly remember the chorus to LYGTR sung by the entire building. Was crazy loud!
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Anyone listen to the new Colors remix / remaster?
I'm always in a weird spot when it comes to remixes of albums I'm already super familiar with. On one hand, I think the new remix does sound better - everything's more punchy and clear and it sounds like the compression has been dialed back quite a bit. But since I'm so familiar with the original some parts just sound "wrong" to me, like when they bring up the volume of a guitar or keyboard line that was barely audible in the original mix and it's now super distracting because I'm not used to it being so loud!
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Anyone listen to the new Colors remix / remaster?
I'm always in a weird spot when it comes to remixes of albums I'm already super familiar with. On one hand, I think the new remix does sound better - everything's more punchy and clear and it sounds like the compression has been dialed back quite a bit. But since I'm so familiar with the original some parts just sound "wrong" to me, like when they bring up the volume of a guitar or keyboard line that was barely audible in the original mix and it's now super distracting because I'm not used to it being so loud!
I had no idea this was a thing. I personally never had an issue with the way the original sounded personally.
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They've remixed/remastered quite a few albums of their catalog. Shame they're not available to buy on CD only limited Vinyl and digital streaming.
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They've remixed/remastered quite a few albums of their catalog. Shame they're not available to buy on CD only limited Vinyl and digital streaming.
Probably why I haven't been following then.
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Looks like the new album is tracked!!
https://twitter.com/btbamofficial/status/1342139262825730054
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(https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/205117437_340820364079271_4243551962335361620_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=3RKGC1-eLqYAX8EhMB0&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&oh=e23ddb969f35198f30583357100e4116&oe=60D6B48E)
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New music? :metal
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There are rumors all over the band’s Facebook that the new album is called Colors II
Also, that new song is pure madness!!
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It was confirmed to be Colors II by the Liquid Metal host right before the song premiered, I'm sure there'll be a full announcement tomorrow :metal :metal
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It was confirmed to be Colors II by the Liquid Metal host right before the song premiered, I'm sure there'll be a full announcement tomorrow :metal :metal
That’s crazy, I was not expecting that!
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Colors II: This Time It's Probably Not As Good Because Nothing Else The Band Has Released Is As Good As Colors
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As someone who holds Colors in very high regard (their best album by a margin, and I still really like the other ones) I feel this might be a bit gimmicky. I doubt it will reach the levels of the first one but I'll be intrigued to see what they do.
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I love Colors, but I admit to liking some of the new stuff even more. Even two years later I think the Automata albums are the best thing they’ve ever done. Parallax is probably next, then Colors.
So it depends. Automata was so good that they didn’t really *need* to do this, so I hope it’s just because they were truly “feeling it” creatively and for no other reason.
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It probably won't live up to Colors, but it can still be very good! Color me intrigued :D I love everything this band has done since Alaska (the first 2 albums aren't bad), and as they have progressed along the way. The Great Misdirect is still my favorite album though, so I can't wait for the upcoming tour too!
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Colors II: This Time It's Probably Not As Good Because Nothing Else The Band Has Released Is As Good As Colors
Honestly, I prefer every album after Colors (except Coma Ecliptic) to Colors itself. Making a sequel to Colors seems weird to me, but I imagine a new BTBAM album will still be really good no matter what it is.
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The Parallax II is still my favorite to this day. But Colors is my second and I’m really intrigued to see why they chose to make this a sequel. Hopefully there’s a real good reason and not just for shits and giggles.
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Haven't heard the new track but here's the tracklisting and preorders are up.
https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/ (https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/)
Colors II
1. Monochrome
2. The Double Helix of Extinction
3. Revolution in Limbo
4. Fix the Error
5. Never Seen / Future Shock
6. Stare into the Abyss
7. Prehistory
8. Bad Habits
9. The Future is Behind Us
10. Turbulent
11. Sfumato
12. Human is Hell (Another One with Love)
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New single just popped up on Tidal. Holy crap! Blake has been studying up on his Gavin Harrison-isms. I'm getting lots of King Crimson vibes from this. At the same time is sounds super fresh and unique. I think we might be in for one hell of a ride with this album.
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COLORS 2!? What in the actual fuck, I hope this will live up to the original :caffeine:
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Interesting new track. Looking forward to this.
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That new single is really good. I'm starting to think the whole "Colors II" name is only because of a similar structure of the album; judging from how this song starts and ends, it sounds like the whole album will flow together seamlessly like the original. That, and this doesn't really sound like anything from Colors, which I think is great; they're not trying to re-do Colors, but instead they're continuing to innovate and try new things. Really excited for how this one's gonna turn out!
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The track 'Fix The Error' is officially on youtube now, got drumming cameos from Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis, and Ken Schalk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKSl0qE_DSQ
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Love the new song! Can't wait for this!
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That new single is really good. I'm starting to think the whole "Colors II" name is only because of a similar structure of the album; judging from how this song starts and ends, it sounds like the whole album will flow together seamlessly like the original. That, and this doesn't really sound like anything from Colors, which I think is great; they're not trying to re-do Colors, but instead they're continuing to innovate and try new things. Really excited for how this one's gonna turn out!
I was going to ask about how can Colors have a part two.
And then I started thinking and thought the same as you. The structure could be what's similar in how every song flowed into the next song.
That's actually what I liked about Colors. Except for the flow from Sun of Nothing into Ants In The Sky, as the track cut was an interesting choice to cut off at.
Haven't heard the new song yet.
Also, isn't this the first album since The Great Misdirect to not be a concept album?
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That new single is really good. I'm starting to think the whole "Colors II" name is only because of a similar structure of the album; judging from how this song starts and ends, it sounds like the whole album will flow together seamlessly like the original. That, and this doesn't really sound like anything from Colors, which I think is great; they're not trying to re-do Colors, but instead they're continuing to innovate and try new things. Really excited for how this one's gonna turn out!
Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. And honestly I'm really excited for this- the single sounds incredible! :metal
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Are you guys sure that is a song? I thought it was a drum solo with somebody screaming :)
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Someone needs to get Tommy a new organ sound.
That lead guitar break two thirds in was very nice.
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From Paul Waggoner himself: "The songs are meant to flow in and out of each other like one big chunk of music, creating a seamless and chaotic musical journey".
They're going back to the intricate and heavy sound of Colors/The Great Misdirect/Parallax. The album will be their longest (78 minutes, with a 15 minutes closing song). Naming it Colors 2 might be a bad decision, because some people will expect it to sound exactly like Colors, which it won't, but there definitively will be throwbacks to Colors.
I think Colors is great, but overated. They showed more maturity in their harmonic and formal writing in their subsequent records. Their masterpiece is Parallax 2, so I'm perfectly fine with the new album not sounding like Colors.
If the single and the small piece of another song that has leaked (which is better than the single) and are any indication, it seems the new album is going to be a recapitulation of their whole career in a beautiful chaotic mess.
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From Paul Waggoner himself: "The songs are meant to flow in and out of each other like one big chunk of music, creating a seamless and chaotic musical journey".
They're going back to the intricate and heavy sound of Colors/The Great Misdirect/Parallax. The album will be their longest (78 minutes, with a 15 minutes closing song). Naming it Colors 2 might be a bad decision, because some people will expect it to sound exactly like Colors, which it won't, but there definitively will be throwbacks to Colors.
I think Colors is great, but overated. They showed more maturity in their harmonic and formal writing in their subsequent records. Their masterpiece is Parallax 2, so I'm perfectly fine with the new album not sounding like Colors.
If the single and the small piece of another song that has leaked (which is better than the single) and are any indication, it seems the new album is going to be a recapitulation of their whole career in a beautiful chaotic mess.
Yeah, I'm thinking naming it Colors 2 is part of the marketing. Because it's what sells and they noticed and saw the amount of people that were watching the Colors live stream. And then enjoying playing these Colors songs, and they felt, why not make an album that flows like one song, again.
Kind of funny if you ask me. As people will buy it for thinking it's the same as Colors. And we will buy it to see if it is like Colors and others will buy it because it's BTBAM.
I am interested to see if they do take all the new stuff they learned and incorporate it into the old style of Colors and blend them into new shades of Colors. Hence Colors 2. :lol
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I forgot: on a DT forum, there is no one to say that Mike Portnoy plays on the single?
The drum solo is actually four solos, by Blake Richardson, Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis and Ken Schalk.
Portnoy's solo is quite tasty.
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"Celebrate!....Celebrate!....Celebrate!"
That just makes me wanna kick my legs in dance. :biggrin:
And also "If you see a rainbow, there is no tomorrow" sounds cool with those effects
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The track 'Fix The Error' is officially on youtube now, got drumming cameos from Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis, and Ken Schalk.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKSl0qE_DSQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKSl0qE_DSQ)
I forgot: on a DT forum, there is no one to say that Mike Portnoy plays on the single?
The drum solo is actually four solos, by Blake Richardson, Mike Portnoy, Navene Koperweis and Ken Schalk.
Portnoy's solo is quite tasty.
Just a few posts above yours.
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Haha this is awesome! I don't care if they call every album Colors or whatever if it's as fun as this.
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That new single is really good. I'm starting to think the whole "Colors II" name is only because of a similar structure of the album; judging from how this song starts and ends, it sounds like the whole album will flow together seamlessly like the original. That, and this doesn't really sound like anything from Colors, which I think is great; they're not trying to re-do Colors, but instead they're continuing to innovate and try new things. Really excited for how this one's gonna turn out!
While it doesn't really sound like Colors, there was a riff in that song after the solo I think that's a dead ringer of a White Walls riff.
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OMG…they are playing TGM all the way through on the new tour!!
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Is it me or there are some Ants of the Sky riffs thrown in the new single?
I am totally sure that the melody played on 0:23, 1:06 & 2:20, is the same one played at the beginning of AOTS("... more jagged than normal" at 0:10).
After all it is Colors II and I think we will find revisits throughout the album.
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This is going to be awesome.
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HAH. So they released a new single today and they did the usual Spotify thing where they added a new "EP" with the new single first and then the previous single right afterwards. I think that's usually just done to squeeze out some extra plays or whatever. I was thinking to myself, "what if that's actually the sequence on the album..." and sure enough the ending of Revolution In Limbo directly segues into Fix The Error just like something from Colors would. Well fucking played.
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Glad to see Dear Hunter rubbed off on them a bit.
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New song is awesome. Really looking forward to this album.
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Damn, missed Revolution In Limbo on Spotify until now. Fix The Error was really cool but def wanted a just hard hitting blast of my face song. I got it! :metal
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Damn, missed Revolution In Limbo on Spotify until now. Fix The Error was really cool but def wanted a just hard hitting blast of my face song. I got it! :metal
Yeah, what a great track. Really pumped for this album.
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Strange that there a no reviews yet.
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Revolution In Limbo has been on repeat! What a beast of a song! The trade of vocals are heavy as hell :hefdaddy
It does remind me a lot of Parallax 2 and Lay Your Ghosts To Rest actually but in a Colors way. Not that this is a bad thing. Parallax 2 is amazing. Anyway hope that the rest of the songs sounds like this and this will be some of the best material BTBAM has put out!
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BTBAM broke my concert dry spell since March 2020 last night. It was pretty great - I've seen them a bunch of times, but this might have been the best.
Every album had one song played from it (except for TGM obviously, and 2 from Automata if you consider both parts to be the same album) - they even played More Of Myself To Kill from the debut which I had never heard before, and it sounded pretty awesome.
The one-two punch of Swim To The Moon / White Walls at the end was insane... can't think of a better way to end the show!
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BTBAM broke my concert dry spell since March 2020 last night. It was pretty great - I've seen them a bunch of times, but this might have been the best.
Every album had one song played from it (except for TGM obviously, and 2 from Automata if you consider both parts to be the same album) - they even played More Of Myself To Kill from the debut which I had never heard before, and it sounded pretty awesome.
The one-two punch of Swim To The Moon / White Walls at the end was insane... can't think of a better way to end the show!
It’ll be the same for me next Friday in Chicago. The Colors II release show.
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I forgot Colors II was coming out so soon. :metal
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Saw them in Richmond last Wednesday. Also my first concert since March of last year, and damn it was awesome. The Great Misdirect is the album that got me into the band so it was great getting to see that live in full.
Looking forward to Colors II, which comes out the day after my birthday :metal
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Colors II is out on 8/20 on all formats right? Cuz I preordered the CD on Amazon and it says ‘released on October 8th’. Was wondering what’s up with that….
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Colors II is out on 8/20 on all formats right? Cuz I preordered the CD on Amazon and it says ‘released on October 8th’. Was wondering what’s up with that….
Oh, I think they announced the physical versions were getting delayed due to manufacturing difficulties. The album is still getting released digitally next week though.
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Colors II is out on 8/20 on all formats right? Cuz I preordered the CD on Amazon and it says ‘released on October 8th’. Was wondering what’s up with that….
Oh, I think they announced the physical versions were getting delayed due to manufacturing difficulties. The album is still getting released digitally next week though.
Well that sucks. I had no clue and was wondering why I hadn't gotten a 'shipped' email yet.
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I saw BTBAM on August 15 and it was fucking amazing and basically breathed a second wind of life into my lungs. Already bought tickets to see them again in North Carolina on the last night of the tour because the setlist is that damn good on this tour. This is basically a once in a lifetime kinda setlist for them.
Before Colors II comes out tonight, I decided to rank my Top 25 BTBAM tracks. Just because I guess.
25. Aspirations
24. Mordecai
23. Shevanel Cut A Flip
22. Alaska
21. Disease, Injury, Madness
20. Turn On The Darkness
19. All Bodies
18. Blot
17. Lay Your Ghosts To Rest
16. Autodidact
15. Condemned To The Gallows
14. Lunar Wilderness
13. Prequel To Sequel
12. Memory Palace
11. Voice of Trespass
10. Augment of Rebirth
9. Extremophile Elite
8. Mirrors/Obfuscation
7. Melting City
6. Yellow Eyes
5. Ants of The Sky
4. Telos
3. Swim To The Moon
2. White Walls
1. Fossil Genera (A Feed From Cloud Mountain)
I’d be curious to see anyone’s at least Top 10. For some reason I’m insanely excited for this new album :). I think seeing them perform so many of my favorite songs live the other night put me in a really good mood.
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It's tricky to think of a Top 25, but here's what my Top 10 would look like. 1-7 is solid, the rest could be interchangeable with a few other songs.
1. Silent Flight Parliament
2. Prequel to the Sequel
3. The Proverbial Bellow
4. Melting City
5. Voice of Trespass
6. Telos
7. Bloom
8. Fossil Genera (A Feed From Cloud Mountain)
9. Augment of Rebirth
10. Shevanel Take 2
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1: White Walls
2: All Bodies
3: Swim To The Moon
4: Ants Of The Sky
5: Selkies
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1: White Walls
2: All Bodies
3: Swim To The Moon
4: Ants Of The Sky
5: Selkies
Cool to see All Bodies ranked that high! That was my introduction to the band. It was a complete WTF moment in my life. I'd never heard anything remotely like it. This was shortly after Alaska came out, I want to say early 2006 maybe. Changed my musical life!
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Colors II just popped up on Tidal! Listening now!!!!! Let's GO! :corn
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OK, Revolution in Limbo is amazing, but is Tommy saying "my nuts on this trout" at the end? :rollin
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Oh ho ho ho, the riffing at the beginning of Never Seen / Future Shock is soooooo good!!
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Only 5 tracks in, this is album of the year! Doesn't matter what Dream Theater has cooked up, they won't even come close.
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Shit this is out already? Damn time flies.
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Shit this is out already? Damn time flies.
Yeah, just released about 2 hours ago. I'm almost through the whole thing once.
I gotta say the whole band is on point here, but I really think Tommy steals the show, in more ways than one.
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this is kicking my ass
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Ahh the suspense is killing me! Great to hear this early praise. My vinyl copy won't get here until October :'(
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Ahh the suspense is killing me! Great to hear this early praise. My vinyl copy won't get here until October :'(
It will be worth the wait!
I'm listening to the master recording on Tidal. Sounds really good. Production is on point.
Human is Hell (Another One with Love) is just jaw droppingly amazing! It's like they took White Walls and Swim to the Moon and turned everything up to 11 and beyond. What a way to end the album.
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Ahh the suspense is killing me! Great to hear this early praise. My vinyl copy won't get here until October :'(
Seems like the CD won't be available in Australia until October too. Bah!
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OK, just started listening. Is it weird to say that only 1.30sec in Monochrome I can already tell this album is going to be awesome.
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Oh wow. Just finished my first liten. Since I am working (it's playing in the background) and I have a 1½ year old daughter I don't have the luxury to sit down and focus on albums in the way I did before. For that reason I can't fully connect every piece of music to a specific song or piece yet. But let's say that this is the best album they released since Parallax II. I can't imagine that changing over time. And yes, Parallax II is a masterpiece in my book.
This album feels like one of the most creative and inspired albums from BTBAM yet, which is saying a lot. It's consistent yet using tons of colors (pun intended) to paint the music and staying consistent to the BTBAM vibe. A bit amazed how mature this band is in their writing and production and how they are able to actually made a sequel to Colors I and seemingly getting away with it. It's like DT doing a Scenes From a Memory 3. Well relatively at least ;D
Edit: When I hear all these super cool transitions and quirky sounds from BTBAM I tend to wish DT would do the same to a degree. DT has been kind of stuck into a specific sound and plays it quite safe. It's something I often like but damn I wish they would do more crazy stuff.
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fantastic record!
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i liked it but it's not better than the original, which is not better than tgm
will need some time to sit with it
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Colors II is a pretty good album! I think there's a lot more variety here than the original, though whether I prefer the prequel or the sequel better will have to be determined with future listens of this one.
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I’m not feeling it straight out of the gate, which probably means this has replay value and will end up being a favorite. It’s sounding very chaotic which is definitely a quality Colors had too. This will need a proper moment for me to sit down with it and blast it out loud.
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This band never ceases to amaze! I just love what they do, and Colors II is great. I will spend some quality time digesting this album, but after a listen, it is solid.
Also, Hopefully they will film one of the shows from this tour for release. It is such a great set.
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1: White Walls
2: All Bodies
3: Swim To The Moon
4: Ants Of The Sky
5: Selkies
Cool to see All Bodies ranked that high! That was my introduction to the band. It was a complete WTF moment in my life. I'd never heard anything remotely like it. This was shortly after Alaska came out, I want to say early 2006 maybe. Changed my musical life!
All Bodies kicks serious ass. Usually their more metalcore-focused tracks don't go over too well for me but the heavy sections are just done so well on that song. I also quite like Roboturner for similar reasons, though that's not one of my favorites or anything.
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Absolutely amazing so far. I'm loving the musical parallels between Monochrome/Double Helix and Foam Born A/B. Tasteful, classy, and most of all fun as fuck. Can't wait to listen to the rest of the album beyond the 2 tracks they've pre-released.
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So, I tried marijuana for the first time in my life last night, and listened to Colors II a few hours into the trance. Laying on the couch, covered my whole body and face under a blanket, all the lights off. Total sensory deprivation other than my airpods and the album.
I started at Never Seen/Future Shock and let the entire rest of the album to the end play without opening my eyes, pausing, or looking at the track names, so I don’t even know where songs start and end, I was totally lost in the vastness of the black void, onslaughted by rainbow worlds in a vortex.
I can’t describe how unique the experience was. I haven’t felt that elevated by music since i listened to Scenes From A Memory for the first time. Absolutely best thing theyve done since Parallax II.
What I heard went beyond music. I could feel the music. I honestly felt like I was being launched into space in the final moments. I was surrounded by a color spectrum I cant describe.
Really trying not to sound like a stereotypical stoner moron but I think now I understand how people in the 70s felt smoking up while listening to Dark Side of The Moon and such.
I feel like this is one of the greatest albums of all time. Prog, metal, or otherwise.
I don’t want to listen to it again until I can replicate the atmosphere again.
I dont remember all of it, but all morning I’ve been getting flashbacks of snippets. I remember the album being very keyboard centric and catchy as fuck. This is BTBAM at their poppiest but it works amazingly well. So fresh. No other BTBAM album sounds like this one, post Fix The Error at least (the singles are very standard fair for the band but i feel like every thing from Never Seen onwards is just a completely new experience).
I’m going to digest this album verrrrry slowly. Its still so fresh and I’m not gonna play it to death. Never felt this way about an album before....
Just wow.
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That’s awesome dude. I can relate, I’ve had many amazing experiences with music and the mary J. The first thing that gets bypassed is my critical ear, comparing to other music and having certain expectations. I can let it be and experience the music with my total undivided attention.
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I've not gotten around to this album quite yet, but it seems everywhere I've been reading about it today, it's been nothing but positive!
I'm far from a huge BTBAM fan. I only really love Parallax II, and I find Colors really overrated. That being said, I am looking forward to giving this new one a spin, I just don't think BTBAM do it for me like they do for so many others.
Going into this new album, I'd rank their albums as follows:
Parallax II
Automata I&II
The Great Misdirect
Coma Ecliptic
Colors
The Silent Circus
Alaska
I guess we'll see where Colors II stacks up in a few hours. You guys are really selling it so here's hoping.
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I'm on my second listen of Colors II and my first impression is that is indeed amazing. Musically I'm sure references are buried to Colors all overall. Some are quite obvious, others will require some deep listening.
Amazing for sure. YouTube Music at least sounds really good too. It should suffice until the CD arrives.
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First spin of Colors II and while it's not up there with the first one, I would say it feels like a worthy sequel and possibly better than anything they have made since. (And I still really like those albums)
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I love the reviewers that call this album metalcore and immediately lump it in with other generic metalcore bands and dismiss it, therefore giving it a 1 star rating. :lol
Between the Buried and Me has never been generic metalcore, nor have they employed any "metalcore-isms" since Alaska. :facepalm:
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Finished listening to the entire album all the way through in one sitting.
I think they succeeded in making a fantastic follow-up to Colors. I like this way better. It's like everything they learned put into one massive album, while also keeping true to what forms the original Colors. There are call backs, and there are moments where they appear not in the notes themselves but in the structures of the songs. This album has it's own identity to it and flows just as good as the original Colors, the transitions feel more smoother and more well thought-out as well. I have this on in the background and never noticed a drastic change, or break, in the transitions and flow the album has. Although, it does have the same issue I had with Colors, and that is that track break begins on the final word of The Future Is Behind Us, so the previous song just suddenly ends, it's a small issue and does not hinder how great the music and album is.
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My best friend and I took the day off work yesterday and dedicated the whole day to BTBAM. We listened to Colors II together and then went off to the show in Chicago. LOVE the album, it’s some of the most creative work they’ve done so far. Needs repeated listens to peel back the layers though.
As for the show, it was my 10th BTBAM show and first show back from the pandemic. It was easily the best show from them cuz we’ve been waiting literally years for them to do the ‘Evening with’. The band was tight, heavy and crystal clear, and the energy from the crowd was electrifying! It made me feel the most alive I’ve felt since the pandemic. Since it was the release day show, they made 75 hand print posters that say ‘Colors II release show, Chicago IL’ and we were lucky enough to get one. So that was cool. It was an epic day for sure!
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After 3 spins, the only track that doesn't click with me is Double Helix of Extinction. The rest is top notch, could become my favourite BTBAM album.
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This entire album really slays! It has such a strong 2nd half, I never skip after Never Seen/Future Shock. With every listen, it gets so much better too, what a fun album.
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OK, Revolution in Limbo is amazing, but is Tommy saying "my nuts on this trout" at the end? :rollin
It's "monotonous drought" but I'll never be able to unhear it as that. :lol I think that dethrones "we will throw puppies everywhere" from Alaska.
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"we will throw puppies everywhere" from Alaska.
:rollin
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Well, this album exceeded expectations in some ways, and confronts me with the same issues I always have with a BTBAM album, in others.
There is no denying this album is an AOTY contender. It is a dense, sprawling piece of art, that demands multiple listens. I'd already checked out the singles a few times, on the run up to the release, but didn't think they were anything special. I'm loving Revolution in Limbo now though, after a few listens to the album.
For such a long record I feel the pacing is really good and it has not yet felt like a chore to get through. My main issue, and the thing that has always been a barrier to BTBAM becoming one of my favourite bands, as opposed to one I just like, is the vocals. I don't really know any of the names of the band members, but the vocalist just feels like the weak link (and this is just my personal opinion). Both his harsh and cleans leave me cold. There are moments where they aren't too bad, but when the music is as good as it is on this record they kinda stand out even more.
I'm on my third listen right now and it I feel pretty certain this will make my top 10 of the year, but I know it could never be my #1. I also went back and spun Colors a few times, and I feel like I appreciate it slightly more than I had. In short, a record I am currently eager to keep spinning, so I will roll with it while it lasts.
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OK, Revolution in Limbo is amazing, but is Tommy saying "my nuts on this trout" at the end? :rollin
It's "monotonous drought" but I'll never be able to unhear it as that. :lol I think that dethrones "we will throw puppies everywhere" from Alaska.
You're welcome! :biggrin:
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As long as were talking about misheard lyrics:
I always thought in Alaska he was screaming “GRAPE APE GRAPE APE GRAPE APE!!!” For some reason.
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Not that I need validation for loving this new album, but you gotta love the reviewers on RYM that first proclaim they don't like Prog or Metal/Metalcore and then proceed to give the album half a star out of 5. Why did you listen to this then??
Truth is, they probably didn't and are purposely review bombing it.
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Not that I need validation for loving this new album, but you gotta love the reviewers on RYM that first proclaim they don't like Prog or Metal/Metalcore and then proceed to give the album half a star out of 5. Why did you listen to this then??
Truth is, they probably didn't and are purposely review bombing it.
Yeah, that's just absurd. I can understand listening to something from a genre you don't like to give it a chance, but the couple of negative reviews on RYM for Colors II make it seem like they didn't bother listening to it more than once. That "random songwriting" will probably sound a lot less random when you actually absorb the album across multiple listens and get used to it...
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Not that I need validation for loving this new album, but you gotta love the reviewers on RYM that first proclaim they don't like Prog or Metal/Metalcore and then proceed to give the album half a star out of 5. Why did you listen to this then??
Truth is, they probably didn't and are purposely review bombing it.
Yeah, that's just absurd. I can understand listening to something from a genre you don't like to give it a chance, but the couple of negative reviews on RYM for Colors II make it seem like they didn't bother listening to it more than once. That "random songwriting" will probably sound a lot less random when you actually absorb the album across multiple listens and get used to it...
They are probably expecting the same shallow songwriting as the majority of top 40 pop. It's like comparing Kraft Mac n Cheese to a Wagyu Steak dinner made by a 5 star chef.
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“YES! GRAPE APE!!”
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Didn't even know what RYM is but saw Parallax II got 3.61 overall 🤮 Someone said that the main idea with reviews is to find someone or some place that you feel share your own opinions so you can get great suggestions. Maybe this is crystal clear and doesn't need to be said but a good reminder at least. So RYM is a def a place I won't be going to haha. Progarchives might have some issues with the audience as well but at least that's a place where you can find good progressive metal music by looking at the scores. There's usually a reason why some album get > 4.
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3.61 is a good average rating at RYM. It's like IMDB or whatever, people with all sorts of different tastes and interests rate albums and it produces averages. So because albums get heard by lots of different people, naturally the averages aren't usually that high - the absolute most popular albums on the site the ones with both wide appeal and beloved by genre fans, and even those are only a little over 4 stars on average. The vast majority of albums widely considered to be good (in general or within genre) come around the 3.4-3.9 mark.
And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
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Yeah I quickly realized as well that it seemed to have similar relative ratings that I would expect between albums :smiley: Maybe it's a fun service actually. If there's albums with > 4 or even 4.5 that should indicate it's an album that no matter what genre you like it's pretty damn good! I guess finding each sites strength and how to use them is important ;D
Actually interesting to see that Pink Floyd does indeed have a high score on the legendary albums here as well. OK Computer by Radiohead is supposedly something I must listen to 😁
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If there's albums with > 4 or even 4.5 that should indicate it's an album that no matter what genre you like it's pretty damn good!
I wouldn't go that far. :lol Most of the highest-rated albums on the site (that I've heard anyway) I'm not especially interested in.
Personally I find it useful for two main purposes:
- Tracking my own ratings of every album I listen to.
- Getting a sense of relative ratings for a specific artist. I often don't agree, but it's useful to understand what other people think about an artist's catalogue, and especially if I'm checking out a new artist, it's useful to get a sense of which albums to try out first.
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Haha yepp, I listened to OK Computer and quickly realized my logic didn't hold up that well 😁
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And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
Yeah, that's too high of a RYM score for this album. :lol
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I don't really care much what others think because opinions are subjective but something like RYM you definitely gotta take with a pinch of salt.
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I've listened to Colors II three times now. Still digesting it. It's a lot to take in, even by BTBAM standards. In some ways it's their most chaotic album ever.
I can definitely say it's better than the Automatas, though that's a pretty low bar for me. Seems about on-par with Parallax II and Coma Ecliptic. Not as good as TGM and nowhere near as good as Colors.
It makes sense that they'd call this Colors II; all the tracks flow together in the same way, and with how famous (relatively-speaking, anyways) Colors is, it's one hell of a marketing gimmick. That said, I'm not sure if calling it Colors II was the best decision in terms of what that means for the expectations and critique for it.
I think most people would agree that constantly comparing a band's new albums to a hallmark album of theirs they released years and years ago isn't very productive. Time has passed, the band isn't in the same place as they were back then, and while the new album may be special in its own way, nine times out of ten it won't compare to the best album the band ever made. It's best to judge it as its own artistic statement, rather than to compare it to an existing statement from over a decade ago. With this album that's basically impossible.
It's not just the name or the songs flowing together. The music here clearly wants to remind you of the first Colors pretty frequently. There's lyrical callbacks sprinkled throughout, but the structural parallels for certain songs are what I want to focus on. Right from the first few seconds of the album, it's already started in the exact same way as the first Colors. Granted, piano and soft clean vocals isn't too strong of a connection, but any doubt that this wasn't intentional is shattered as soon as the second track comes in. The beginning of this song and The Decade Of Statues are practically identical, with the combination of the initial fast riff with squealing, dissonant harmonics transitioning directly into a slower, chugging riff with Tommy screaming over both. Clearly this song is being presented as The Decade Of Statues II. So... does that matter?
I'll tell you why this matters to me: White Walls. If you ask me, it's the best song the band has ever made, by a pretty wide margin. It's one of my favorite songs ever, and that's largely due to the amazing extended finale. It's hard to think of a better way to end an album. So, you can imagine what's going through my head when Human Is Hell starts in exactly the same way. 16th note odd time signature riff over toms and a steady kick. Snare comes in after a couple bars. Transition into the lead melody with the snare on every downbeat. Exact same drum switchup halfway through. Unsurprisingly, I'm loving it. I had very little expectations for the song going into it (as I always try not to), but now I can't help but hope it at least comes close to White Walls. How could I not when that's clearly what the band is trying to make me think.
So, this song's going to have an amazing finale, right?
Nope. It's pretty lackluster. It's just the intro of the song again. They didn't even try to reproduce the finale of White Walls. And of course they didn't have to. If they tried, there's no way it would have lived up to it. But now everyone who listens to this song who's familiar with White Walls is going to be expecting it. And I can't imagine I'm the only one disappointed as a result. Human Is Hell ain't a bad closer, and it's probably one of the best songs on the album. But presenting it as White Walls II is almost embarrassing, and my opinion of the song is somewhat soured because of that.
As for the album as a whole, I think the aspect of Colors this new album most clearly fails to reproduce is the sense of energy and momentum it had. Colors has a somewhat slow start, but things start ramping up throughout Sun Of Nothing, and the exact moment that the album goes from good to one of the best albums of all time is the transition into Ants Of The Sky. From that point onward, it's a fucking rollercoaster of an album that never drags or reaches a lull. Ants Of The Sky is a sprawling, wonderful journey, Prequel To The Sequel picks up right where it leaves off and perfectly sets up the final leg of the album, then Viridian and White Walls bring it home. Smooth as a river of butter.
By comparison, the first half of this album is pretty solid. The sequence from Revolution In Limbo to Never Seen / Future Shock replicates that flowing energy of the first record quite well. But I find that the second half of the album really drags... the whole run from Stare Into The Abyss to Turbulent just feels very directionless and low-energy. I can't think of many memorable moments in that stretch and it doesn't feel like it's moving the record towards a goal in any meaningful way. Bad Habits might grow on me a little, but the rest feels pretty throwaway.
...well that was a rant and a half. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised I have that much to say about a sequel to one of my favorite albums. God help you all if Dream Theater ever makes Octavarium II. :lol
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And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
Yeah, that's too high of a RYM score for this album. :lol
the RYM cycle:
metal album gets upvoted to the 3.8-4.0 range by metalheads
metal album charts on the yearly charts, hipsters who don't understand metal listen to it and downvote spam it with 0.5 star ratings
album score plummets to like 3.3-3.4 because of the filibustering by people who should never be rating the album to begin with
rinse, repeat, etc.
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I enjoyed that post Buddy. I haven't listened to the album yet and haven't really given much thought of what I'm expecting in relation to Colors 1. To be honest though, I'll take the album for a new entity. Even just by looking at the tracklist and times in relation to Colors 1, that alone makes it feel like a newer BTBAM album, not a throwback to Colors. That's just an early observation though.
I don't think anything will ever compare with White Walls though, no matter how hard they try.
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And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
Oh, those reviews don't matter to me at all. I just find them amusing. Like I said, I don't need validation for anything that I like. Nor do I care if what I listen to is loved by other people. It's nice to have people to talk to about shared love of different music, but not necessary. Hence why roulettes are so fun.......SOMEONE START A DAMN ROULETTE ALREADY!!!!
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And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
Oh, those reviews don't matter to me at all. I just find them amusing. Like I said, I don't need validation for anything that I like. Nor do I care if what I listen to is loved by other people. It's nice to have people to talk to about shared love of different music, but not necessary. Hence why roulettes are so fun.......SOMEONE START A DAMN ROULETTE ALREADY!!!!
You start another one and don't make it Rush-themed this time! :lol
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Don't make me start one, cuz it will finish once Covid is over :neverusethis:
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Don't make me start one, cuz it will finish once Covid is over :neverusethis:
So, never! :corn
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And to Puppies point, I'm not sure why a handful of silly reviews matters at all, Colors II currently has easily BTBAM's highest rating at 3.89 (although I'm sure it'll come down and settle lower after a few weeks).
Oh, those reviews don't matter to me at all. I just find them amusing. Like I said, I don't need validation for anything that I like. Nor do I care if what I listen to is loved by other people. It's nice to have people to talk to about shared love of different music, but not necessary. Hence why roulettes are so fun.......SOMEONE START A DAMN ROULETTE ALREADY!!!!
You start another one and don't make it Rush-themed this time! :lol
I'm thinking of doing an EP only roulette. 4 or 5 rounds, with super relaxed rules.
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I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm defending those people not being into metal, listening to BTBAM and rating it low, but I can kinda see both sides of it. For my own music exploration, I often turn to the RYM charts to see what's new and what has people talking. An album with a high rating in a genre I'm not familiar with is interesting and might have me check it out - but there's obviously times when it doesn't work for me and I end up feeling underwhelmed. Simply because you can't like everything and some things won't 'work' for you.
But for me the key difference is you don't need to give something a 0.5 or 1 star rating just because it's not your thing.
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I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm defending those people not being into metal, listening to BTBAM and rating it low, but I can kinda see both sides of it. For my own music exploration, I often turn to the RYM charts to see what's new and what has people talking. An album with a high rating in a genre I'm not familiar with is interesting and might have me check it out - but there's obviously times when it doesn't work for me and I end up feeling underwhelmed. Simply because you can't like everything and some things won't 'work' for you.
But for me the key difference is you don't need to give something a 0.5 or 1 star rating just because it's not your thing.
Agreed. I've rated over 4,000 albums on RYM and only once ever given something 0.5 stars.
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I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm defending those people not being into metal, listening to BTBAM and rating it low, but I can kinda see both sides of it. For my own music exploration, I often turn to the RYM charts to see what's new and what has people talking. An album with a high rating in a genre I'm not familiar with is interesting and might have me check it out - but there's obviously times when it doesn't work for me and I end up feeling underwhelmed. Simply because you can't like everything and some things won't 'work' for you.
But for me the key difference is you don't need to give something a 0.5 or 1 star rating just because it's not your thing.
Agreed. I've rated over 4,000 albums on RYM and only once ever given something 0.5 stars.
Intrigued to know what that album is.
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I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm defending those people not being into metal, listening to BTBAM and rating it low, but I can kinda see both sides of it. For my own music exploration, I often turn to the RYM charts to see what's new and what has people talking. An album with a high rating in a genre I'm not familiar with is interesting and might have me check it out - but there's obviously times when it doesn't work for me and I end up feeling underwhelmed. Simply because you can't like everything and some things won't 'work' for you.
But for me the key difference is you don't need to give something a 0.5 or 1 star rating just because it's not your thing.
Agreed. I've rated over 4,000 albums on RYM and only once ever given something 0.5 stars.
Intrigued to know what that album is.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/true_symphonic_rockestra/concerto_in_true_minor/
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:lol
I liked your short, to the point, cutting review.
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:lol
I liked your short, to the point, cutting review.
:lol
I've written very few reviews on RYM, but that was one I felt compelled to do. :P
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Reviews such as this make me curious about albums...
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https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/true_symphonic_rockestra/concerto_in_true_minor/
The other review on there is pretty great too. :lol
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I can't stop listening to the new album. Human is Hell is crushing it as the closer, the melody is now stuck in my head.
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I don't mean to come off sounding like I'm defending those people not being into metal, listening to BTBAM and rating it low, but I can kinda see both sides of it. For my own music exploration, I often turn to the RYM charts to see what's new and what has people talking. An album with a high rating in a genre I'm not familiar with is interesting and might have me check it out - but there's obviously times when it doesn't work for me and I end up feeling underwhelmed. Simply because you can't like everything and some things won't 'work' for you.
But for me the key difference is you don't need to give something a 0.5 or 1 star rating just because it's not your thing.
Agreed. I've rated over 4,000 albums on RYM and only once ever given something 0.5 stars.
Now you are making me feel bad about handing out 8 0.5 star ratings :lol
Although I feel they all deserve it. Out of the over 2000 ratings I have on RYM, I guess it's not that bad. :corn
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.
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If something is just not my thing, I tend to try and take a more objective approach about it if I want to rate it. But more often than not, there's a huge difference between "this isn't for me" and "I actively dislike this". There are a lot of people who just don't envisage a difference between the two. I guess it's maybe more convenient and less time-consuming to default to hyperbolic stances like that, but I could never get behind the mindset. There is loads of stuff that I know isn't for me. Doesn't mean I'll throw it in the bin and call it a day.
Completely agree. Or rather, I wouldn't say I take a more "objective" approach as it's all subjective, but I can recognise and appreciate the elements I like even if the thing isn't really my cup of tea. That's partly why the vast majority of my ratings are 3 stars (decent) or higher.
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Yeah, this new album is fantastic thus far (in the midst of my first listen). As expected.
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Anyone have any clue why the CD isn't out until October? I always love listening to my fav bands new albums when buying the CD but there's no way I'm waiting til then.
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I believe they were having issues with printing CDs and Vinyl editions hence the delay.
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I believe they were having issues with printing CDs and Vinyl editions hence the delay.
Thanks mate.
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Been spinning this beast for days now.
Favorite moments:
Intro of Monochrome
Great start of the album. Classic BTBAM to start this way but it's great!
2:13 in Double Helix
That damn break hits like a bulldozer!
4:45 in Revolution in Limbo
Holy god those growls are heavy :metal
5:50 in Revolution in Limbo
I mean ofc it is. How can you not love that wonderful French restaurant drinking wine vibe?!
1:30 in Fix the Error
Cow bells and drums solos including Mike Portnoy. Yes please!
2:09 in Never Seen / Future Shock
Such a cool little medieval thing transcend into that "We multiply" part that's just wonderful.
2:00 in Stare Into The Abyss
Well I guess it's the whole song really. But the build up really hits here.
1:20 in Prehistory
Such a wakky crazy thing! Reminds me of Bloom from Parallax.
There's tons of more stuff in the songs after but my mind still doesn't fully grasp the last pieces.
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I love the "in order to connect and forget..." section at the end of Bad Habits. The rest of the song is pretty unmemorable but that's one of the most whimsical moments of the album. Tommy's clean vocals are surprisingly good there, too.
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The whole album is fantastic but in a funny way, one of my favorite parts of the album is the 'Sleep On, Fly On' reprise and the climax of Bad Habits which kinda mirrors my favorite clean moment of the original colors which is the 'Sleep On, Fly On' moment of Ants to the Sky. :P
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I find it easier to list the parts that are not awesome:
- Double Helix of Extinction is a bit too one sided for my taste
- the folky hook in Bad Habits is repeated too often without variation
That's it. The rest is amazing.
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Don't make me start one, cuz it will finish once Covid is over :neverusethis:
So, never! :corn
Yeah, and I'm kinda busy at the moment with work and trying to keep up with college. Maybe in a few months I'll give it a try with something simple and short :corn :corn :corn
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I listened to this album for the first time just now and I thought it was a rather strange ride, for lack of a better word. It wasn’t an exhausting listen at all, like I think Coma Ecliptic and the Parallax II is, but the main thing I was thinking while listening to this record was .. why? Why would they want to make a Colors II? And why is this it? Apart from the (very few on first listen) callbacks to the first Colors, this could have been any other BTBAM album and that would have been fine as well. I didn’t take note of all the track names, but I think I enjoyed The Future is Behind Us and Bad Habits most. The final track was a strange (there’s that word again) closer, if I may say so. Will definitely listen again, because there was a lot to take in!
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I listened to this album for the first time just now and I thought it was a rather strange ride, for lack of a better word. It wasn’t an exhausting listen at all, like I think Coma Ecliptic and the Parallax II is, but the main thing I was thinking while listening to this record was .. why? Why would they want to make a Colors II? And why is this it? Apart from the (very few on first listen) callbacks to the first Colors, this could have been any other BTBAM album and that would have been fine as well. I didn’t take note of all the track names, but I think I enjoyed The Future is Behind Us and Bad Habits most. The final track was a strange (there’s that word again) closer, if I may say so. Will definitely listen again, because there was a lot to take in!
It's the best albums since Colors so I think it's worthy of the name! :tup
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Well, on some given days I prefer The Great Misdirect to Colors, but I can see why you say that (I think).
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Bad Habits might grow on me a little
Yeah I think Bad Habits is actually my favorite song on the album now. It took a handful of listens for me to accommodate to the structure, but I really like the proggy, whimsical vibe it has. Doesn't quite feel like anything the band's done before.
Also can't complain about another groovy cowbell breakdown (that's four in the discography now, five if you include the drum solos from Fix The Error? :lol)
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Listening to Colors II after reading some raving reviews. What can I say, the music is stunningly amazing, but man do I have a hard time adjusting to those harsh vocals. I like some death metal so it's not that I don't like harsh vocals at all, but these vocals sound more like screaming, it's really exhausting to listen to.
Annoyingly, the clean vocals are brilliant as well! Why couldn't they have used that throughout!
Huh. I'll give it a few more listens and hope I can get used to it, because as I said, I really dig the music!
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Listening to Colors II after reading some raving reviews. What can I say, the music is stunningly amazing, but man do I have a hard time adjusting to those harsh vocals. I like some death metal so it's not that I don't like harsh vocals at all, but these vocals sound more like screaming, it's really exhausting to listen to.
Annoyingly, the clean vocals are brilliant as well! Why couldn't they have used that throughout!
Huh. I'll give it a few more listens and hope I can get used to it, because as I said, I really dig the music!
Haha you sound like me when I first heard Color I. Over time I have come to love the harsh vocals and the best vocal moment on Colors II for me is now the guttural in Revolution In Limbo. The idea of doing clean vocals for the less aggressive parts and then going full demon on the "blast your head of" parts are just perfect imo. Playing Lay Your Ghosts to Rest without a demon yelling at me wouldn't work 😅
BTW after several listens to Colors II I am ready to conclude that it will be my second favourite album from BTAM. I currently pick it above Colors I but below Parallax II.
Also thinking about their discography I found a strange comparison to DT that most likely isn't very good but still fun to do:
Colors I is I&W == The album that changed everything.
Parallax II is SFAM == The overall best album (and concept) the band can make with the sound they helped create.
Colors II is ADTOE == A reinterpretation of the initial album but with the modern sound.
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I feel similar, but I'm not sure that I prefer Future Sequence over Colors II. Still too early for bold claims, but Colors II could end up my favourite.
The band had some missteps in recent years and this is a return to form, but they did not step back, quite the opposite. All the new ground covered since Future Sequence is still here, just executed a lot better.
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I feel similar, but I'm not sure that I prefer Future Sequence over Colors II. Still too early for bold claims, but Colors II could end up my favourite.
The band had some missteps in recent years and this is a return to form, but they did not step back, quite the opposite. All the new ground covered since Future Sequence is still here, just executed a lot better.
If you’re referring to Coma and Automata as the missteps, I think those are solid albums and still play them regularly. It’s good that they stepped outside the box with those ones, especially Coma.
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Yeah I don't really get the "missteps" part either. While I think Colors II is fantastic and maybe their best since Colors (which is my favorite), I don't consider the last couple of albums to be that different to each other. Musically this isn't really any different than Automata or Coma to me (more harsh vocals than Coma I suppose) but I consider it slightly better because of the songs and the riffs. But it's not like comparing lemon cake to chocolate cake.
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What I meant was that Coma Ecliptic was a bit too predictable. I like it and listened to it a lot, but it often "achieves prog" by doing the opposite of the obvious. Transitions that you see coming when you know the genre instead of left-field surprises.
Automata is too long in my opinion. There is a great 50min album in there, but certain songs could be edited or reworked into sections instead of separate tracks. Millions is a perfect example of what I dislike about the album. The two part structure doesn't click for me either, I dislike Blot as a stopgag, it's anticlimactic and too long.
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Will be checking out BTBAM
They are incredible.
Start with Voice of Trespass
That's not one of their albums listed on wiki. I thought I'd start at the beginning.
Don't do that. Colors, or Parallax 1 and 2. Starting from the start won't go well.
Why? I feel like I should go chronologically.
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Why? I feel like I should go chronologically.
Do you like metalcore? :P The first three albums are mostly metalcore. The proggy stuff doesn't really take center stage until Colors.
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Why? I feel like I should go chronologically.
Do you like metalcore? :P The first three albums are mostly metalcore. The proggy stuff doesn't really take center stage until Colors.
What's metalcore? :lol
I'll drop the needle on the first few albums for the hell of it. If they blow that much, I'll just race right through them.
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I'm a huge fan, but even I never really took to the first 3 albums bar a selection of tracks. These guys exploded with Colors.
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Cool. I'll update the thread as I go then.
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I unironically love the debut. The fact that they recorded it live makes it really raw in a way that I find very appealing, and I wish Tommy still had as much variety in his harsh vocals as he did on the early albums.
That said I can't imagine TAC will like it. :lol
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Colors II still rules :metal
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I unironically love the debut. The fact that they recorded it live makes it really raw in a way that I find very appealing, and I wish Tommy still had as much variety in his harsh vocals as he did on the early albums.
That said I can't imagine TAC will like it. :lol
You're back! :heart
I did listen to a bit of the debut for the first time after they played More Of Myself To Kill live last month. It didn't particularly resonate with me but it was more melodic than I was expecting.
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If you're coming into BTBAM as mainly a prog metal fan and maybe you have a hard time with harsh vocals, I don't think you'll find much to love before maybe The Great Misdirect. Even Colors which is my favorite is very heavy on harsh vocals even if it's a progressive metal classic IMO. If Opeth fans recommend Damnation for the anti-harsh vocals crowd, I'd probably say Coma Ecliptic is the closest BTBAM has to that. It's not 100% free from them, but it has a lot more clean vocals compared to their other albums.
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As I mentioned in another thread, I listened to Colors a couple of times years ago and didn't like it. And I like Opeth (yes, all eras). My feeling with BTBAM is that it was an ultra technical extreme metal band....and this. I was never curious to listen to another record.
But it's been so long....
I will follow up on what TAC has to say. Suddenly I am also encouraged to venture into the band's work.
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I will follow up on what TAC has to say. Suddenly I am also encouraged to venture into the band's work.
Alright! Let's do this!!
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/BjwiD.gif)
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I unironically love the debut. The fact that they recorded it live makes it really raw in a way that I find very appealing, and I wish Tommy still had as much variety in his harsh vocals as he did on the early albums.
That said I can't imagine TAC will like it. :lol
Really glad to see you man, I've been missing you.
And yeah I can't believe TAC is going to start from the beginning despite everyone's warnings. :lol
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I don't know guys, this first track, More Of Myself To Kill is AWESOME!!!! I mean the harsh vocals are ....harsh.
But besides that, the music is great. Don't forget my favorite Metallica album is Kill 'Em All.
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I don't know guys, this first track, More Of Myself To Kill is AWESOME!!!! I mean the harsh vocals are ....harsh.
But besides that, the music is great. Don't forget my favorite Metallica album is Kill 'Em All.
I haven't listened to their self-titled album much, but I agree that More of Myself to Kill is an awesome song and I return to that one quite a bit.
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Honestly, I don't remember much from the debut at all.
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Yeah I’m with everyone that despite these guys being one of my top favorite bands, the first 3 records don’t mean much to me, although I respect them. They just became something else with Colors.
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The last minute of Aspiriations is incredible.
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The last minute of Aspiriations is incredible.
You aren't wrong. Note, I didn't say the first 3 albums aren't good, because I love them. But I just figured a good jumping off point for you would be Colors. At any rate, I'm happy you are finding stuff to like in the first album so far.
BtBaM is one of those bands that got exponentially better with every album up to and including The Great Misdirect. They kind of plateaued with the Parallax EP and Parallax II, then dipped a bit in quality (although still good) with Coma Ecliptic and Automata. Then there's Colors II which I feel is another massive jump in quality.
So in retrospect, I think you starting at the beginning is the best thing you can do to get a real appreciation for what the band has done and how they progressed. :metal :metal
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So in retrospect, I think you starting at the beginning is the best thing you can do to get a real appreciation for what the band has done and how they progressed. :metal :metal
Well, that's the idea! :metal
The guitars at :59 of Fire For A Dry Mouth are very cool.
Speaking of FFADM, 4:52 on is incredible.
Also, the solo at 5:31 reminds me of JR's & JP's solo at 3:38 of The Gift Of Music.
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I'll have to revisit it.
Knowing Tim, he'll probably love the first 3 albums and hate everything afterwards! :lol
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I'll have to revisit it.
Knowing Tim, he'll probably love the first 3 albums and hate everything afterwards! :lol
:metal :metal :lol :lol
Naked by a computer is pretty nice. Oh, and the song is pretty good too.
2:31 of Use Of A Weapon...so Iron Maiden. At 4:17 too.
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Alright, I just found my copy of the debut and its getting a run on the way to work today. Shit, that reminds me I'm running late!!
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Have a good day!
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Have a good day!
Thanks bud. Things starting to ramp up, getting busier. Not cool haha.
I'll post later my thoughts on this album.
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I took the long way to work cause I was late anyway and got through the album. I thought it was fantastic. Not sure why I never revisited it. It's not that much of a stretch from their later stuff and I love what Tommy is doing with his vocals in places here, lots of variety.
Aspirations probably my fav on that listen, that song is class.
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A bit disappointed with the 9 minute closer, Shevanel Cut A Flip. The first 3:21 fucking blows, but after that it's quite nice.
OK, finished the first album. Those vocals are horrendous I must say. But musically, it's all kinds of awesome. Love the energy and the rawness of it. The production is nice. The instruments sound real organic.
On to The Silent Circus. Nice that there's only a year between releases.
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Lost Perfection A. Coulrophobia- Goddamn, the vocals are awful Why??? The groove at 3:21 is :metal.
B. Anablephobia- Love the drum intro. Nice snare sound here. This is three minutes of fucking metal.
Camilla Rhodes-These vocals are going to be a hurdle going forward I think. They really overpower the music and smother the intricacies of the playing. I like it at 1:55, but it's false hope because what I thought was a nice part incoming devolved into more blastscreamobeats.
Mordecai-WTF kind of opening is this? The rest of the song is really good, but that's only if you can survive the first 1:40 of it. Really nice solo at 4:12 to take the song out. Beautiful.
Reaction- The should've called this Ear Cleansing.
Shevanel Take 2. WTF happened to the album I was listening too??
Ad A Dglgmut- Um..Found it! This shit is punky as hell. I can't believe I'm wishing for Billy Milano.
I love the guitars under the vocals at 2:38. Really cool groove. 3:11 damn fine. 4:29 No, it doesn't make sense, but I'll take it. 5:52 OK here we go.
Destructo Spin- 3:30-4:02 that's all this song has. Everything else feels redundant and forgettable.
Aesthetic-Some freaking awesome playing in this one. Should've been an instrumental.
The Sound Of Repetition-I'm liking this so far. It's not overpowering me with the vocals. The riff at 2:37 (I think they played it earlier in the song) reminds my of Rush's Time And Motion.
OK, who turned out the lights?
Interesting ending. You're all what? We're all what?
Ugh..that was disappointing.
OK, I'm easily taking the first album. It just felt like there was a little more variety. Too many spots on The Silent Circus felt repetitive.
The final epic, The Sound Of Repetition was really doing quite well. I was loving it over the first album's epic, Svevanel Cut A Flip. But then the song disappears and returns after a few minutes of silence into something fucking useless.
I cannot put my ears through the third album tonight.
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So interesting tidbit. The song All Bodies, from the album Alaska, was my introduction to BtBaM and my introduction to harsh vocals that I listened to willingly. This was back when the album first came out. At first I hated the vocals and struggled with them. However, once that little barbershop quartet moment came in towards the end of the song I was hooked.
These days the vocals I feel add to the music more than detract. That's just me though. I think Tommy's vocals were the best on Alaska and Colors.
Found a picture of Tim listening to Between the Buried and Me
(http://i.imgur.com/Xh0SIOe.jpg)
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:rollin :rollin :rollin
I’ve never even heard the first two because most people have said that they were pretty much straight forward metalcore, and I kinda feel like I was done with that whole scene in the 90s. I listed to a lot of that kind of stuff, and it didn’t have a lot of variety to it. After glutting on the whole genre for several years, I decided I hated it. It made me rage too much and it felt very “stuck in a rut”
I only got into Colors because of how very different it is. I think most people agree that it was a big game changer for the entire scene and I can see why. I also think Alaska has a lot going on for it as well, but most people have said that if I only like those because of how different they are, I probably wouldn’t like the first two, so I never bothered.
EDIT - and full disclosure, while I love Alaska and Colors, I feel the band has only improved as they’ve matured and become more structured. Parallax 1/2 and Automata 1/2 are my favorites. I haven’t heard Colors 2 yet…I’m waiting for my physical copy. Hopefully it will arrive next week.
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I listened to the first album. The vocals are extraordinarily horrible. I have the impression that if you removed the vocalist 100% improvement.
At times the songs change their direction so suddenly that it's funny. It seems they wrote about five songs, chopped and pasted the snippets.
First song, not good.
Arsonist is better, reminds me of black metal... a little bit.
TAC is right, the end of Aspirations is cool.
FFADM - the beginning also looks like Black Metal. The vocal reminds me of Cannibal Corpse (where's Alex Webster?). This is the worst of all... Suddenly the horrible song was even interesting at the end :lol
NBTC - It start calmly and then a great riff :metal. All the transitions in this song are abrupt and forced, but that seems to be what they were looking for. An absolutely horrendous clean vocal at the end.
Despite everything the bass is great (on all songs).
I arrived to the Iron Maiden part that TAC mentioned in Use of a Weapon. This song has some cool parts (in the middle of the sound mess), eg the last riff.
The 9-minute epic. There's a party going on, it seems. The bass is excellent, again! A hell of a riff around 2:40 :metal. A clean vocal again. Really bad.
The part with the clean guitar isn't bad, but it's not wonderful either.
It's over, phew.
They are great musicians and for what they were trying to do I think they did the best they could.
But it's really bad. I remember not liking Colors mainly because of the vocals, but I don't remember finding the music as bad as here. There's maybe a good 20 minutes buried in this mess.
It was the worst thing I heard in 2021, easily.
I don't know if I'll listen to the others albums... :lol :mehlin
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Instead of forcing yourself through albums you know you wont like, why not just cut to the chase and sample the ones that others think there's a higher chance you would like? Aka the proggier albums.
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Instead of forcing yourself through albums you know you wont like, why not just cut to the chase and sample the ones that others think there's a higher chance you would like? Aka the proggier albums.
It hadn't even crossed my mind to listen to the band. I ended up going in the wake of TAC's excitement. :rollin
But it's good advice.
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Instead of forcing yourself through albums you know you wont like, why not just cut to the chase and sample the ones that others think there's a higher chance you would like? Aka the proggier albums.
It hadn't even crossed my mind to listen to the band. I ended up going in the wake of TAC's excitement. :rollin
But it's good advice.
From your remarks, you should listen to Coma Ecliptic first.
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Thanks to TAC I listened to the debut for the first time in ages in the car this morning. I thought it was enjoyable, and better than I remembered. The first and last tracks are the highlights, I think.
Next up: The Silent Circus. 'Mordecai' is one of the songs that originally got me into harsh vocals, believe it or not. I remember watching the videoclip and thinking I shouldn't like it, because it was noise. Opeth's 'The Drapery Falls' later pulled me in.
I actually know Alaska very well, because that's a record I occasionally listen to still. Some really good stuff on that one!
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I absolutely love that first minute and a half of Mordecai. The contrast also in the second half is tremendous.
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The ending of Mordecai is great but I've always thought of that song as a less-good version of Selkies. I don't really get the hype behind it.
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Instead of forcing yourself through albums you know you wont like, why not just cut to the chase and sample the ones that others think there's a higher chance you would like? Aka the proggier albums.
It hadn't even crossed my mind to listen to the band. I ended up going in the wake of TAC's excitement. :rollin
But it's good advice.
From your remarks, you should listen to Coma Ecliptic first.
Thanks.
I'm going to take the advice and go straight to this album.
:tup
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I love Coma Ecliptic. Sometimes I think it's my favorite BTBAM album.
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I started listening to Coma Ecliptic. It probably shouldn't because I can't go on now. :lol
Anyway, it doesn't even look like the same band. :omg:
It's much better, really. Felt influences from Mars Volta perhaps?
I listened to Node, The Coma Machine and Dim Ignition. All are nice, but the third is the best. I liked the keyboards. :metal
And the vocals improved 1000000000000000000000000000000%. I checked out on the wiki and it's the same guy! Wow!
I will continue later.
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I remember when CE was released, someone said it sounded like Between the Buried and Queen Theater and I always thought that was funny.
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I know BTBAM covered Bohemian Rhapsody when I saw them tour for.. Parallax (?) and I honestly felt a lot of those Queen influences on Coma Ecliptic. Coma Ecliptic feels like them trying to do a big grandiose rock opera album and even though I know a lot of fans were mixed on it, for me personally I highly enjoyed it. In terms of Dream Theater comparisons I think The Great Misdirect for me personally probably hits the closest. It has more harsh vocals than Coma Ecliptic but something about the sound/production as well as the guitars on that album feel very DT influenced.
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The Great Misdirect is awesome and Swim to the Moon is my favourite BTBAM track. Epic closer to a fantastic album.
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Funnily enough I remember this forum being pretty divided on TGM back when I first joined around 2010/2011 and now it's pretty widely considered to be one of their best. :lol
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swim to the moon might be my least favorite on TGM, which is just a fantastic record front-to-back and unquestionably their best
i've only spun colors II once bcuz i'm waiting on the CD, which isn't releasing until october so i'mma be waiting a bit longer :lol
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Funnily enough I remember this forum being pretty divided on TGM back when I first joined around 2010/2011 and now it's pretty widely considered to be one of their best. :lol
Was it divided cause of the music or the vocals though? I remember back when I joined this forum there were similar discussions about Opeth. Some people will never warm up to harsh vocals, others grow to appreciate them.
@Elite I agree, Swim to the Moon is the best on the album and for me it's one of their best longest songs (say 10 mins over)
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Funnily enough I remember this forum being pretty divided on TGM back when I first joined around 2010/2011 and now it's pretty widely considered to be one of their best. :lol
Was it divided cause of the music or the vocals though? I remember back when I joined this forum there were similar discussions about Opeth. Some people will never warm up to harsh vocals, others grow to appreciate them.
@Elite I agree, Swim to the Moon is the best on the album and for me it's one of their best longest songs (say 10 mins over)
Not the vocals; the divisiveness seemed to come from people already a fan of the band so that wasn't really a factor. I just seem to remember a lot of people complaining about the song structures being too meandering / disjointed / all over the place. Swim To The Moon got a lot of flak for that in particular. Which like, yeah, the songs don't have much structure, but it's fucking BTBAM. Lack of song structure is one of their most defining elements. :lol And compared to Colors I think most songs on TGM actually have more structure.
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I still think The Great Misdirect is one of their weakest. Mirrors and Desert of Song are great, and the others have great parts, but as a whole they're kind of sloggy and there's not much to grab onto. Colors and the Parallaxes (and Coma) are way better.
I do still enjoy it overall, but I wouldn't consider it anywhere near being their best.
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I listened to Coma Ecliptic. It's really much better.
The main "problems" are "controlled". Harsh vocals are used in a better and more balanced way. And the crazy moments of the songs too. It doesn't feel like an endless artificial collage of pieces of music (which is my perception about the debut).
It doesn't mean that the experiments and unusual mixtures of styles and structures sometimes don't go a bit over the edge (The Ectopic Stroll, the middle part of Memory Place), but that seems to be the band's style and overall it was done with more care and intelligence here. The record doesn't drown the listener in it.
In addition, there are several interesting and captivating moments. Lots of cool melodies, nice keyboards etc.
And it's curious, because in the same song there are extremely exaggerated things (where is the producer to cut? ;D) and beautiful things (Memory Place is a good example, the final part is great).
I hear echoes of Mars Volta, Steven Wilson (vocals in Nodes remind me of SW), Haken ....
I think the favorites were Dim Ignition, Famine Wolf, Turn of the Darkness and Life in Velvet.
I won't say I like it 100% and I felt like I was a little tired at the end of the audition (maybe because it was the first contact with the album), but in the end it's a pretty good record :).
So, are there more palatable things in discography? :biggrin:
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automata is pretty much in line with coma except maybe sliiightly heavier idk
i liked it way more than coma
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automata is pretty much in line with coma except maybe sliiightly heavier idk
i liked it way more than coma
This except I liked it way less. :lol
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And the vocals improved 1000000000000000000000000000000%. I checked out on the wiki and it's the same guy! Wow!
And this is exactly why I said it would be a good idea to start at the beginning to really get an appreciation for how the band improved and progressed in almost every conceivable way. But I get not wanted to slog through music you know you won't enjoy. Or maybe you will, who's to say....
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Found a picture of Tim listening to Between the Buried and Me
(http://i.imgur.com/Xh0SIOe.jpg)
I believe I was yelling at some kids to get off my lawn when that pic was taken. ;D
Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to hit the third album tonight. Working on Ariich's roulette.
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automata is pretty much in line with coma except maybe sliiightly heavier idk
i liked it way more than coma
This except I liked it way less. :lol
Automata 1/2 are literally my favorite albums from them.
I personally think those should be the next albums you listen to.
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I too really like the Automata's. I also think The Great Misdirect is a top 3 album of theirs but think Come Ecliptic is my least favourite of all their albums!
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So, are there more palatable things in discography? :biggrin:
I'd recommend Colors II next. Coma Ecliptic is the easiest to get into for prog fans. Colors II is IMO their best executed album in years. What you enjoyed about Coma Ecliptic is still there, but their crazy side is more present again. However, the usage of harsh vocals and the quality of the heavy riffs are top notch.
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My rankings of every BTBAM album (except Colors II, I've only heard it once so far):
1. Automata II
2. The Great Misdirect
3. The Parallax II: Future Sequence
4. Colors
5. Automata I
6. Alaska
7. Coma Ecliptic
8. Between the Buried and Me
9. The Silent Circus
My Top 3 are all interchangeable, I absolutely love all three of those albums.
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Updated one for me:
Parallax II
Colors
The Great Misdirect
Colors II
Automata
Coma Ecliptic
Alaska
The Silent Circus
BTBAM
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Automata 1/2
Parallax 1/2
Colors
Alaska
Misdirect
Coma
Don’t own the first two and haven’t heard Colors 2 yet.
It should be noted that all these albums are so great that it’s difficult to put anything on the bottom. There is no “worst”, only “least best”
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Onto Alaska tonight...
All Bodies-This is already making me feel better than The Silent Circus. Lots to digest here. Pretty frantic tune.
Alaska-What a great intro! Then WTF happened? This kind of blows.
Croakies And Boatshoes-Some cool riffing going in in this song. Every now and then, they hit on a nice part and then they blow it all to hell.
Selkies:The Endless Obsession-Another great opening. Nice tune. Once you get past the growlie part, it's quite melodic.
Breathe In Breathe Out- Ear cleansing time.
Roboturner-More mid to late 80's hardcore. The song chills a bit halfway through, but there's not much there.
Backwards Marathon-The first minute of so is fucking useless. Love the groove underneath at 2:00. Then the song rules basically from that point on. Excellent...except for the first minute or so.
The Primer-Not bad. 3:36 is fantastic. Nice closeout.
Autodirect-Love the opening thrash riff. Ugh the rest.
Laser Speed-I don't get it. Why is it here? Is this a B-side?
Ok..The only decent song is Selkies, oh, and Backwards Marathon, and even then, I'd like to chop off the first minute.
The vocals fucking blow. I can't say that enough. Similar to The Silent Circus, the vocals over the frantic jarring musical bits equates to nothing but noise, honestly. My ears hurt.
The first album has an innocence about it that I found endearing. Alaska is the best sounding album so far.
1. BTBAM
2. Alaska
3. The Silent Circus
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I listened to the Automatas; Automata I yesterday before bed and II today.
My perception is that they are the natural continuation of the CE.
Automata I: I don't know if I was a little tired and if it affected the audition, but I don't have any specific points to comment. To be honest, nothing caught my attention. In general I found it inferior to CE.
Automata II: This one I found very interesting and possibly the best of all. All four tracks have beautifully crafted and captivating moments. I still think some of the heavier and more extreme moments appear kind of gratuitously, as if they needed to fulfill a goal. But overall it's a lot of fun. Special highlight for Voice of Trespass, even more being preceded by the climatic Glide.
1. Automata II
2. Coma Ecliptic
3. Automata I
4. BTBAM
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idk if coma would ever be my least favorite because i just don't know the first two albums at all/don't really care to either :lol
but it's my least fave of their alaska-onwards output
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Alaska-What a great intro! Then WTF happened? This kind of blows.
GRAPE APE GRAPE APE!!!!
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Alaska-What a great intro! Then WTF happened? This kind of blows.
GRAPE APE GRAPE APE!!!!
I hate you... :rollin
I can't unhear it now.
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Loving your writeups Tim.
Never really got into this one myself either, bar Selkies of course.
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All Bodies kicks immense amounts of ass. They've never done their metalcore sound better than on that song.
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Alaska-What a great intro! Then WTF happened? This kind of blows.
GRAPE APE GRAPE APE!!!!
I hate you... :rollin
I can't unhear it now.
YES GRAPE APE!!!!!
:rollin :rollin :rollin
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So tonight I listened to Colors. Overall, this is an excellent album. The vocals still stand in the way a bit, but this album is way more mature..more musical.
Track by track..
Foam Born A. The Backtrack- Interesting opening. I like the flowing keys on this. The song builds quite quickly, but feeling natural at the same time.
B. Decade Of Statues-Not a fan of this opening. I like when the clean vocals come in. There's a cool bit about 2:05 right before the second verse. The little part at 3:37 right before the short mellow bit is really cool.
The second half of this tune is much better than the first half. The first half is too in your face for my liking.
Informal Gluttony- Very cool opening. When are they going to ruin it?? Sounds a lot like Home. Really badass grove before the vocals start. That first verse is tough. If you could clip 1:50-2:10, this song would be amazing. So many great bits and spots throughout the rest of the song, I couldn't possibly timestamp them. Great tune, save for those 20 seconds.
Sun Of Nothing-OK, can I just pretend those first two minutes never happened, despite some awesome bass playing? Yay, more circus music.. Love what's being played under the vocals at 4:17.
Enjoying the mellow part for sure. Love the change of pace at 8:53. Real driving.. Love the Dream Theaterish outro for sure.
Ants Of The Sky-What an opening lick! Pressing pause at the 1:10 mark-WOW, fantastic so far. OK..
Really cool keyboards staring around 2:05 behind this next part. Really Dream Theaterish through the 3 minute mark. Groovy part under the vocals follows. At 3:45, this reminds me of..Beyond This Life, is it? Transitions to Carry On Wayward Son for a bit at 4:16.
This is all great as it goes along. The change at 5:39 is really cool. Wow some clean vocals even.
The ending starting at 12:20 is glorious.
WOW! Best song in the catalog so far.
Prequel To The Sequel-Wow, the first minute and a half is amazing. These vocals are not good. But at least they're not all accompanied by blastbeats. That's a great musical line at 4:57 leading into the circus music. Don't mind this at all. GREAT riff at 6:50 right before the song gets completely fucking hijacked. Finally, an outro from heaven at 7:40. Nice clear bass here. Really good track except for the vocals.
Viridian-This album's ear cleansing is brought to you by some badass bass.
White Walls-Another frantic opening. Musically it's fantastic. Interesting change of pace at 2 minutes. the song meanders here a bit in its heaviness. Musically starting at 4:40 is absolutely incredible.
The harsh vocals come back around the 10 minute mark but briefly, as the band shows their chops. This is nothing but fucking goodness from here on out.
Coincidentally, I had two of these songs submitted in The TAC Anonymous Roulette v.3 Opposites Attract
In the Sun/Moon Round I got Sun Of Nothing.
Here is my writeup and my First Impression in italics..
5. Cyril...Between The Buried And Me - Sun Of Nothing
"I'm glad someone sent this band. I liked it the more it went on. "
This song as a whole is a bit much to digest. I could honestly skip the first 5 minutes of this. Kind of like Kardashev in the last group. Love the mellow part around 8:00 mins in, and the outro is great. I would've loved to have heard a lot more of that kind of instrumentation rather than the onslaught of vocals.
In the Black/White round I got White Walls..
8. Wolfking-Between The Buried And Me - White Walls
"Musically, this is so fantastic. Musically"
I'm honestly not in love with the growls, but this is musically this is technically amazing. But this song is really missing a hook to keep me engaged. The last four minutes of this are beyond words, but it feels like such a long and arduous journey to get there. Still, this stood out in a rather weak field.
I was Stack Ranking 12-1 so Sun Or Nothing came in 8th place and Whitewalls came in 5th in their respective rounds.
Rankings so far..
Colors
BTBAM
Alaska
The Silent Circus
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Ants Of The Sky and White Walls are so fucking good. If it weren't for Octavarium, White Walls would have a death grip on my "best outro of all time" award.
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Ants Of The Sky and White Walls are so fucking good. If it weren't for Octavarium, White Walls would have a death grip on my "best outro of all time" award.
Indeed. It's fucking gold.
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That's a detailed and fair assessment of Colors. The quality jump from Silent Circus--->Alaska--->Colors is indeed massive.
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Nice writeup Tim. Completely forgot I sent you WW, but sounds like you may be appreciating it more now which is a win.
I wasn't sure on these guys at the start, but they grow and become very addictive and you end up feeling the need to put on an album like Colors and just embrace it from start to finish.
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Nice writeup Tim. Completely forgot I sent you WW, but sounds like you may be appreciating it more now which is a win.
I wasn't sure on these guys at the start, but they grow and become very addictive and you end up feeling the need to put on an album like Colors and just embrace it from start to finish.
I did just that today. It was glorious! :metal
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I don't usually listen to Colors since it's such an intense experience but when I put on White Walls I'm always like :2metal: :2metal: :2metal:
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The Great Misdirect..
Mirrors-Interesting opening. Starts off pretty mellow, and it literally has my eyes hiding behind the couch waiting for the impending onslaught, but at 1:42, it gets The Love Boat theme instead.
Obfuscation-Nice opening lick, and here come the vocals..Love where this goes at 1:01. You can just hear the amazing musicianship underneath. These are not good vocals. Interesting change of pace at 2:31. I wish they explored this longer than they do. Oh, it does come back though a minute and a half later. And there it goes... This song goes up and down. Love the bass at 5:05. Sounds like Rush here for a bit, or maybe New Millenium. 7:33..such goodness!
I like this song a lot. I would love it if it weren't for the vocals.
Disease, Injury, Madness-I hate this opening. The music is fucking incredible but geez. Wow a mellow part. I didn't need it to get this mellow, I just wanted the "singing" to stop. Some clean vocals. Like Opeth, why do the cleans have to be so bland? The female? singing in between the vocal lines is a nice touch. OK, the cleans do improve the second time through. I'm trying to place the acoustic at 4:28. Rush again? DT? From 6:35 until the harsh vocals near the end is fucking class!
Again, great tune except for the harsh vocals. I know I keep saying that, but it's true.
Fossil Genera-OK, these first two minutes. Not sure how I really feel about it. Feels like it's going to set up the inevitable suckfest of heavy harsh vocals. That little bit from 2:01-2:05 is really cool. Other than the cool bit from 4:10 -4:25, the next few minutes are largely skippable.
I love the groove under the vocals at 7:20. Another mellow section and very nice outro on this.
Desert Of A Song-Other than the very nice solo at 4:03, I really don't have anything to say about this. It's just kind of there and pretty bland.
Swim To The Moon- The intro after the percussion reminds me a bit of ITPOE for a little. Really DTish, and I love it! The entire two and a half minute intro is excellent.
Typical harsh vocal section to start the main part of the song. At 4:40, I wish they could've incorporated more melodic clean vocals like this part in other parts of the album.
Ooh drum solo!
The whole musical part from 10:00 to about 14:30 is excellent. Tough part that follows it though. Another excellent outro.
So..I can see how Colors and The Great Misdirect really set themselves apart from the first three albums. They just sound cleaner, and by that I mean that there's a smoothness to it, even in some of the heavier parts. These guys are great musicians, and they make it sound like it's easy for them. They can do pretty much anything, and often do, in a single track.
But..they seem to start off each song with an almost unlistenable vocal part, and then offset it by a nice melodic mellow part. and then back and forth again. Not calling it a formula, but it does seem a bit predictable. Still, the music and the playing while executing these parts is top notch.
Not sure if I prefer Colors or TGM, but without listening to both again, I'll stick with Colors, but it's very close.
Colors
The Great Misdirect
BTBAM
Alaska
The Silent Circus
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I can't tell whether this is TAC's redemption arc, or his villain one. Either way it's awesome :lol :metal
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Nice writeup again. I'm a bit surprised you are so against Tommys vocals Tim, but I guess I can kind of see why due to his style.
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Man, I think Desert of Song is easily the best song on the album. And how can you not love the funky ragtime bit at the start of Fossil Genera? Madness.
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Nice writeup again. I'm a bit surprised you are so against Tommys vocals Tim, but I guess I can kind of see why due to his style.
I don't like them.
I can deal with some harsh vocals, but not all. Same when it come to clean vocalists. There's really no rhyme or reason to it.
I'm really enjoying my deep dive here. Looking forward to see if and how the vocals progress.
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Man, I think Desert of Song is easily the best song on the album. And how can you not love the funky ragtime bit at the start of Fossil Genera? Madness.
Yeah, all of Fossil Genera is just a tour de force! Love that song!
I actually did a complete BtBaM album run through over the last week, thanks to Tim's current run through. I will say starting with Coma Ecliptic up to now (Colors II) I think Tommy has figured out the perfect balance of harsh and clean vocals. I also think his clean vocals have gotten better with every album. They weren't great in the beginning, that's for sure!
I predict Tim won't like Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues and Parallax 2 as much as Colors or The Great Misdirect. I also think Coma Ecliptic will be his favorite or possibly Colors II.
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I predict Tim won't like Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues and Parallax 2 as much as Colors or The Great Misdirect. I also think Coma Ecliptic will be his favorite or possibly Colors II.
Looking forward to finding out.
I've accepted harsh vocals over the last few years, but that doesn't mean I like all of them, and I am really struggling with these.
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I predict Tim won't like Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues and Parallax 2 as much as Colors or The Great Misdirect. I also think Coma Ecliptic will be his favorite or possibly Colors II.
Looking forward to finding out.
I've accepted harsh vocals over the last few years, but that doesn't mean I like all of them, and I am really struggling with these.
Fair enough mate.
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Managed to pick up the CD version of the new album today! :metal
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I just got my CD in the mail today. The similarities between one and two are pretty striking as the album begins. But then it sort of becomes it’s own entity after that. I really enjoyed my first spin!
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I am 100% sure that I have heard this riff/melody before!
At 4:41 mark in "The Double Helix of Extinction":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBJKmksLgo
Any help?
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Based on a few listens so far:
Colors II >>>>>>>>> Colors.
Hot take, I know, but while I respect what Colors did for the band, every album that has come after it has been better, IMHO.
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I am 100% sure that I have heard this riff/melody before!
At 4:41 mark in "The Double Helix of Extinction":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tBJKmksLgo
Any help?
Has a bit of a Behemoth vibe this section.
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So I'm new to this band. I had heard of them, but never gave them a try. Thanks to reading this thread, I decided to buy their new album (along with a few others) when I got my copy of the new DT. It took a while to digest and I don't think I fully did yet, but I really dig it. It's a great album!
Also, took me a while to realize that the singer was doing both clean and harsh vocals. They don't sound like the same guy at all :lol
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Usually when a big band drops a new album, people here discuss whether they like it and what their favourite tracks are. With Colors II, everyone just agrees that it slays start to finish.
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Usually when a big band drops a new album, people here discuss whether they like it and what their favourite tracks are. With Colors II, everyone just agrees that it slays start to finish.
I think time will tell if this is a good thing or not. I really like Colors II as a cohesive chunk but unlike some of their other albums, there's not those songs I can say stand out from the pack like Ants of the Sky or Lay Your Ghosts to Rest or Swim to the Moon for example. That's not necessarily a slant on Colors II though, I highly enjoy the ride all the way through but I think either with time those favorites will emerge or the album does risk dropping a place or two in the overall ranking because of it.
But it's nice to see people really take to the new album. I guess I'm in the minority where I haven't disliked Coma Ecliptic or the Automata albums (though they should have been 1 album IMO) so I kinda went into Colors II hoping for another great album and that's what we got. But it's also nice to hear people who weren't excited about the band anymore get some of that back.
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Usually when a big band drops a new album, people here discuss whether they like it and what their favourite tracks are. With Colors II, everyone just agrees that it slays start to finish.
It’s my album of the year. Which is saying something cuz DT and Mastodon both put out excellent albums too.
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Usually when a big band drops a new album, people here discuss whether they like it and what their favourite tracks are. With Colors II, everyone just agrees that it slays start to finish.
It’s my album of the year. Which is saying something cuz DT and Mastodon both put out excellent albums too.
I agree with this and I add to DT & Mastodon: LTE, Transatlantic and NMB
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I have the new Mastodon edging out Colors II for my album of the year, but both are just incredible! The new Cynic comes out next week, so we'll see where that falls too.
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I'm listening to Parallax II again because of TAC's roulette and it's actually a bit better than I remember it. I think it's my clear favorite of the post-TGM albums now.
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RANKING
Parallax I
Colors
Parallax II
Coma
Alaska
BTBAM/TGM
Silent Circus
Colors II has lots I like but I'm not familiar with it enough to say where it goes, and I've only heard a few songs from the Automatas that I didn't care for.
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RANKING
Parallax I
Colors
Parallax II
Coma
Alaska
BTBAM/TGM
Silent Circus
wat
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RANKING
Parallax I
Colors
Parallax II
Coma
Alaska
BTBAM/TGM
Silent Circus
wat
Nothing wrong with Parallax I being on top, but The Great Misdirect being so low is concerning...
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Parallax I is legitimately the strongest thing they've ever released. No weak points, no subpar sections, just pure fucking quality all the way through.
TGM's kinda boring for the most part, with occasional breaks for interesting music.
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Parallax I is legitimately the strongest thing they've ever released. No weak points, no subpar sections, just pure fucking quality all the way through.
Specular Reflection is great, I'll give you that.
Augment Of Rebirth is... okay
Lunar Wilderness gets a lot of praise but I've never gotten the appeal, personally.
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I heard in a couple interviews that the band considers Parallax I to be their weakest work by far. They say that things were ‘weird’ at the time and that they tried to cram too much music into an EP because they’re so used to doing full lengths. They don’t consider themselves an EP band. I mostly agree - SR is one of their best songs but the other 2 don’t do anything for me 🤷♂️
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That’s a shame because I think P1 is incredibly strong as well. In fact, after “not getting“ Colors for the longest time, curiosity got me to check out P1 at a hot topic listening station ironically enough… based on that listen, I bought the CD right away and after that their whole sound just started to click with me.
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Parallax I is legitimately the strongest thing they've ever released. No weak points, no subpar sections, just pure fucking quality all the way through.
TGM's kinda boring for the most part, with occasional breaks for interesting music.
I kind of agree. Colours is my favourite but P1 is half an hour of brilliance.
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Augment Of Rebirth is... okay
Lunar Wilderness gets a lot of praise but I've never gotten the appeal, personally.
Augment of Rebirth is my favorite song on P1, it's just 10 minutes of awesomeness.
Lunar Wilderness as a whole is good, but the last two minutes is one of the greatest moments in BTBAM's discography and elevates the song from good to great.
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I really wish they had played 1&2 back to back when they toured for it.
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I really wish they had played 1&2 back to back when they toured for it.
Best idea in the world :metal :metal
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I really wish they had played 1&2 back to back when they toured for it.
I was disappointed when they didn't.
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Boom...
And they finally are playing a weekend show!!!
(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/268095481_452020582959248_3020233507443967064_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=yZLJD60QCm8AX_-4ftU&tn=cxjak-TuIA9EEkCq&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=00_AT_1nNgloLJcWr8zvhZeQlcTTA1ACLDcmAdvREqbZHrTlw&oe=61BD2B79)
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aaaaaaaaaand no Pacific Northwest dates. :censored
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Major bump!!
The band just announced that they are releasing The Great Misdirect Live on their Facebook page!!
When they first announced parallax 2 I wasn’t that excited about it. But now I think I like it better than the studio version so I’m pretty psyched for this release.
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BUMMER! Just discovered it’s vinyl only for now.
I mean, I have vinyl and I love vinyl, but vinyl only releases are kinda bogus.
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I was at that show!
They should have included more than just TGM too... the first set was great and the way Swim To The Moon flowed right into White Walls was amazing.
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Hello BTBAM fans, I just wanted to let you know that I think I am becoming a fan of this band RIGHT NOW.
I know nothing about them but I listened to Coma Ecliptic and Parallax II last summer and already liked them. But then I went on a camping trip with my friends and I can't put on that stuff all day while playing beer pong with them, so I kinda lost track and didn't start listening to those albums again since then. But for no specific reason I put on Coma again about a week ago and continued with Automata (which I consider one album) and I fucking love it. Coma has a great retro-prog/DT style to it, but Automata is even better. The Proverbial Bellow is like a Haken song that Haken never wrote.
I feel like now that I know every single album by Neal Morse, Yes, Genesis, DT, Crimso, ELP, Marillion, SW & PT, Tool, IQ, BBT and many, many more, it's hard to really get to know a new artist that really blows me away. And I feel like for a few years now, weirdly, this happens roughly once every year. Last year, it was TesseracT. 2020, it was Leprous. I am absolutely in love with those bands and though have known their names for years before, I had never checked them out. BTBAM is another example for a band I have known about for years but never really checked them out - until now. It might be very early, but maybe, these guys are this year's "discovery of the year" for me :tup
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Enjoy the ride my friend! I’d say with the exception of the first 2 albums, all of their work is incredible! Also, I recommend you see them live (headlining) ASAP, they’re such an amazing live band.
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Report back after you have digested Colors II. It's the tightest 80-minute album I've heard in recent years.
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Enjoy the ride my friend! I’d say with the exception of the first 2 albums, all of their work is incredible! Also, I recommend you see them live (headlining) ASAP, they’re such an amazing live band.
And those first two albums, while not as incredible as the rest, still have some great songs and lots of glimmers of future awesomeness. :metal
Alaska was my introduction to the band back in 2006 and it blew me away. I had never heard anything like that before. Then when Colors came out, I was even more blown away!
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Report back after you have digested Colors II. It's the tightest 80-minute album I've heard in recent years.
I will! Coincidentally, I found this album on "colored vinyl" on Amazon yesterday; I know there are plenty of colored version of the album but the page didn't say which one it is... I'm excited to see which one I got ;) But of course, I'm even more excited for that apparent 80 minute beast that is waiting to roll over me.
Enjoy the ride my friend! I’d say with the exception of the first 2 albums, all of their work is incredible! Also, I recommend you see them live (headlining) ASAP, they’re such an amazing live band.
And those first two albums, while not as incredible as the rest, still have some great songs and lots of glimmers of future awesomeness. :metal
Alaska was my introduction to the band back in 2006 and it blew me away. I had never heard anything like that before. Then when Colors came out, I was even more blown away!
Same here, I will ;) Unfortunately, they are not touring currently, but I will try to see them ASAP.
I Colors II a good album to continue though? Does it make sense to listen to Colors I first? Based on the two albums I already know (Coma & Automata), are there other albums by the band I should continue with? Or should I stop what I'm doing and go through their discography chronologically?
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Maybe start with Alaska and continue chronologically from there?
Also make sure you are aware of the recent remixes. If you're a prog nerd, you'll appreciate how much more details are audible on them. But if you want to experience the albums with their original production, hunt down the originals. I vastly pefer the remixes over the original releases.
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I think Colors and Colors II can be taken in any order, there’s some callbacks and similar structure that works just as well in reverse too. They work great together and are worth experiencing as a pair at some point.
Colors is probably my favorite of theirs while II is arguably just as good/more consistent.
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Colors was the bands breakthrough album that defined them. Afterwards, they experimented a bit and tried to lean in directions with each album (you noticed the retro prog in Coma Ecliptic). Colors II is named the way it is, because it is focused around the band's core WITH everything they learned since Colors attached on the sides BUT WITHOUT disrupting the balance. I think they reached a new plateau with it and would recommend sceptics to start with Colors II. Harsh vocals are an aquired taste and Colors II has the potential to turn many sceptical prog fans onto them.
Since you are already sold on the band, going chronologically from Alaska should be the best experience.
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I started to listen to this band last year with my very first exposure being Colors II. It took me a while to have digest it and I'm still not sure if I fully did yet, but on the first listen I knew it was something amazing. Seeing as you're already familiar with them, perhaps you'll understand it faster than i did. And maybe the experience is enhanced if you heard the original Colors before it, but for me, as someone who knew nearly nothing about them when i listend to Colors II, I think that it's an excellent album that stands very well on it's own.
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I honestly think it might be better to hear Colors II first and then Colors. I made a big post shortly after the album came out about how I thought the callbacks were disappointing because the moments they’re referencing from the first album were superior. But if you listen to them backwards, the opposite is true! You’ll hear stuff from Colors that you’ll recognize from Colors II, except better. :lol
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Yes I think they’re really well balanced, either album order works 100%
For me peak moments are White Walls and Revolution, but may be different for others
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Thanks for all the answers! I think I will try continuing with Alaska and going on chronically.
What is the overall development of their style over the albums? Has their music been progmetal all the time? I read something about metal core, which I don't really know much about. I am much more of a prog guy than a metal guy (I actually only listen to metal when it is connected to prog) and their proggier albums are the more interesting and probably more accessible ones for me ;) I going on with Alaska still a good idea?
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You must hear Selkies in one form or another. Just give Alaska a spin.
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Their first 2 albums have prog elements in them but they're not that prominent yet and that's usually why they're never labeled as prog metal but rather metalcore. I think the debut is good, The Silent Circus is better and then Alaska is really their first prog metal album IMO. However Colors forward is really where they channel that style and they get more prog with each release it feels like. I would say if you end up liking Alaska and you like the non-prog aspects of it, you could always work your way back and check out Silent Circus and the debut. However I'd probably say save those 2 for last because you're more likely to enjoy their other albums.
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Guess I'm listening to Colors II tonight then :lol according to my last.fm I've only spun it once this year.
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Alrighty then, Alaska it is :coolio Thanks for the recommendations, I will report back with thoughts about each album :tup
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Colors II has some of the best songs in the band’s whole discography.
I would place tracks like Human is Hell and Never Seen/Future Shock in the Top 10 BTBAM songs list.
Prehistory out-Blooms Bloom.
Double Helix of Extinction out-Foam Borns Foam Born.
Stare Into The Abyss is beautiful.
Human Is Hell is pretty much the most intense song they’ve ever written. Just literally awesome.
The Future Is Behind Us is a brilliant 80s themed homage to Owner of a Lonely Heart/Weird Science in the typical BTBAM stylings. It’s also funny as a fan of Dan, the bassist, knowing how into Oingo Boingo he is, I can see most of this composition coming from Dan.
I would die for another two-set tour: the first set being a 10th Anniversary performance of Parallax II and then set two just being Colors II. One can dream.
I would say for newbies, the 5 essential BTBAM songs to start with would be:
Ants of The Sky
Selkies: The Endless Obsession
Mirrors+Obfuscation
Fossil Genera: A Feed From Cloud Mountain
Human Is Hell
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https://twitter.com/btbamofficial/status/1626587709929308161
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FpLM5VPaEAE_M8C?format=jpg&name=900x900)
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https://twitter.com/btbamofficial/status/1626587709929308161
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FpLM5VPaEAE_M8C?format=jpg&name=900x900)
What does Dusty play, and WTF does "I prerecorded my parts for the setlist so, you won't see me, but you'll hear me" mean?
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He plays second/rhythm guitar.
Means he's recorded his parts for the set and it will be played through playback while the band is playing live.
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So they're gonna pipe in his parts? WTF??
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So they're gonna pipe in his parts? WTF??
Seems that way and just have Paul as sole guitarist on stage. Interesting.
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Wow. Anyone know what he's going through? I had no idea he had an ongoing medical issue. Hope he gets it resolved, regardless. :metal
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Wow. Anyone know what he's going through? I had no idea he had an ongoing medical issue. Hope he gets it resolved, regardless. :metal
I saw them back in 2021, and Dustie had hurt his back right before the tour started so he played the whole show sitting in a chair. I guess the injury has gotten worse so he's taking some time to recuperate.
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Can’t fault someone for focusing on health. Wish him well and hopefully he’ll be back soon
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Whatever it takes.
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The guys are hitting the road in June playing Parallax II in its entirety. Got my VIP tickets for Chicago already!
https://blabbermouth.net/news/between-the-buried-and-me-announces-parallax-ii-tour-blabbermouth-net-presale-available
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I'm admittedly not too excited about Parallax II in its entirety, as I already saw them do that ten years ago, when the album was new! Time sure does fly...
That said, that lineup is excellent. Thank You Scientist is awesome and Rivers Of Nihil makes perfect sense as an opener.
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I'm admittedly not too excited about Parallax II in its entirety, as I already saw them do that ten years ago, when the album was new! Time sure does fly...
That said, that lineup is excellent. Thank You Scientist is awesome and Rivers Of Nihil makes perfect sense as an opener.
Parallax II is probably my favourite album of theirs, I've never seen them live and I love both support acts. I really hope they bring something similar to Europe.
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That's a great lineup! I'm gonna try to hit the hometown show in Winston-Salem!
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I will be at the opening date in Charleston! This will be my 3rd time seeing them at the Music Farm, 5th overall.
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I'm admittedly not too excited about Parallax II in its entirety, as I already saw them do that ten years ago, when the album was new! Time sure does fly...
That said, that lineup is excellent. Thank You Scientist is awesome and Rivers Of Nihil makes perfect sense as an opener.
My thoughts exactly. Still going to go though and have a great time.
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The first tour of Parallax II in full is still one of my favorite sets from BTBAM, so I'm thrilled to get the chance to see this incredible album performed live again, and the addition of Rivers of Nihil + Thank You Scientist might be my favorite BTBAM tour lineup to date. :hefdaddy
Already got my tickets for Anaheim, luckily it's a saturday since i'd be coming from LA, but also thinking about flying out to Philly to see the show there too, since that's where I saw the first tour and it'd be a great time to catch up with some Philly friends :metal
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I think my wife and I are going to take a trip to San Antonio to check this concert out. She hates this style of music, but she'll tolerate it to have a chance to travel lol
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Wow this one sucks
https://www.metalsucks.net/2023/05/02/between-the-buried-and-me-guitarist-dustie-waring-accused-of-raping-impregnating-fan/
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Jesus, not good if true. Reading through it all though, seems sketchy. The conversation between both of them just seems.......weird and off.
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Jesus, not good if true. Reading through it all though, seems sketchy. The conversation between both of them just seems.......weird and off.
I feel bad for the victim (if true) I like BTBAM a lot, and I hope the band release their statement pretty soon, but it's not looking good for Dustie.
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(https://i.ibb.co/mXQPBPB/Captura-de-pantalla-2023-05-02-a-la-s-21-06-24.png) (https://ibb.co/7R70z0z)
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Weren't they having just four of them playing with his parts pre-recorded? Or has that been and gone? lol.
That statement certainly doesn't bode well. Surely he can't be that stupid to rape a drunken girl and then have a text message conversation like that the next day?! WTF?!
I love this band and feel the other four guys. Luckily, out of all four, Dustie is by far the easiest to replace. They might be wise to cut ties sooner than later for the good of their own brand. Finish touring and whatever and maybe focus on the next studio recording as a four piece. I know innocent until proven guilty, but where there's smoke there's fire, and they should just rip the band aid off quickly and move on.
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and Dustie’s response…
(https://i.ibb.co/Sc3kp8R/EF4-AAE46-A70-F-4906-A4-DF-508-A6-F807-E5-C.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KDrtHkF)
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I will therefore be taking some time to spend with my family to focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety
What a strange comment given the situation.
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The response seems very oddly worded. Is it just me or does it seem like he’s not explicitly denying the allegations?
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I will therefore be taking some time to spend with my family to focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety
What a strange comment given the situation.
Yeah like what? Implying that if he did go on tour he'd be at risk of doing something like this again?
I'm glad he's sitting out the tour, makes things less awkward for everyone, especially for his bandmates and the members of Thank You Scientist and Rivers Of Nihil who I'm sure weren't thrilled to hear that someone in the band they're about to tour with was accused of rape. Makes things easier for me too, since I already bought my ticket a while back.
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I really have issues with these types of statements when Alcohol is involved and I'll just leave it at that.
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I will therefore be taking some time to spend with my family to focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety
What a strange comment given the situation.
It's not a strange comment at all. He is recovering Alcoholic, and these types of things can make one go down that dark path again. It's hard to recollect what you have done when you are in a bad bout of Alcoholism, and there are things you are unware of when in this inebriated state. Feelings and emotions can take over and you have no control over how you react to these feelings because of being under the influence of a substance.
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I really have issues with these types of statements when Alcohol is involved and I'll just leave it at that.
I agree. But in the text messages, he openly admits to remembering a lot of things that she did not. But in his defense, he sounds rather shocked that she didn’t remember and does make it sound like she initiated much of the contact.
Yes, I know. “Never have sex with someone who is drunk.” It’s just not always that easy when they’re throwing themselves at you and you know they’re not gonna remember later and you’re not completely sober yourself.
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I will therefore be taking some time to spend with my family to focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety
What a strange comment given the situation.
It's not a strange comment at all. He is recovering Alcoholic, and these types of things can make one go down that dark path again. It's hard to recollect what you have done when you are in a bad bout of Alcoholism, and there are things you are unware of when in this inebriated state. Feelings and emotions can take over and you have no control over how you react to these feelings because of being under the influence of a substance.
I understand why he said it, but to throw it in there is odd IMO. Almost like he's throwing a bone out for people to feel sorry for him and cut him some slack because he's a recovering alcoholic? He obviously remembers the events of that night so what does one thing have to do with another?
Almost seems like a Hail Mary deflection tactic.
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I really have issues with these types of statements when Alcohol is involved and I'll just leave it at that.
I agree. But in the text messages, he openly admits to remembering a lot of things that she did not. But in his defense, he sounds rather shocked that she didn’t remember and does make it sound like she initiated much of the contact.
Yes, I know. “Never have sex with someone who is drunk.” It’s just not always that easy when they’re throwing themselves at you and you know they’re not gonna remember later and you’re not completely sober yourself.
I guess I'll just speak out on it...
That's my point. You don't have control over these sexual emotions and feelings when under the influence of alcohol. I used to be completely trashed, but I also presented myself well enough that if you didn't know me, you wouldn't even know I was drunk off my ass, this was how I was able to buy so many shots of liquor within an hour timespan. I will also admit that my sexual feelings were enhanced when I was drunk, I would actively do things I wouldn't normally do sober just to get fulfillment of my desire, such as going to some video stores and using dating apps. I know how I was when I was drinking and I do not want to go down that dark path again. I admit to my mistakes and the stupid decisions I made when I was drunk. Stupid decisions that could have gotten me killed.
My issue with regards to these situations and Alcohol is taking that accountability for being drunk, stupid, and admitting to that mistake. If I were to have gotten raped, left for dead, I would also take into account it was also my choice to drink and drink and drink to the point of not being aware of my surroundings, and having friends that contribute to it more and don't bother taking me out of these situations.
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Wow so crazy.
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So who are they going to get to fill in for Dustie?
John Petrucci is looking for work right? :biggrin:
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I was pretty bummed to heat these news and seriously hope that these claims are not true.
I hope this is not insensitive, but I would really like to talk some music again in this thread, as I am currently checking out Parallax I and II. I wasn't very impressed with Alaska, and Colors I didn't have the maturity of the later albums I already knew by BTBAM. Colors II is better in every way in my opinion. I have yet to check out The Great Misdirect. But since the band is touring and performing the complete Parallax II I thought I'd give both I and II another listen. I have heard both before, but just 2 or 3 times.
Good lord, what is going on here :lol This is seriously a 100 minute long maelstrom of crazy ideas, awesome performances and some great hooks. I put on Parallax I on iTunes and my laptop put on Parallax II immediately after, I didn't even realize the transition. So I tend to treat it as one big thing. I think the production is perfect as well, might be the best sounding BTBAM album(s) I have heard. Thought I am still more of a clear vocal guy, I can listen to this album just fine. I still have to digest all the stuff happening on this double decker, but I am absolutely loving it :metal
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Incredible album. I think Part 1 is easily one of the greatest things they have done.
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Incredible album. I think Part 1 is easily one of the greatest things they have done.
Indeed! I think it's just a slight step down from The Great Misdirect.
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I honestly never rated TGM all that highly.
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Another update regarding the Dustie situation
https://metalinjection.net/news/dustie-warings-lawyer-issues-lengthy-statement-regarding-recent-allegations
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Another update regarding the Dustie situation
https://metalinjection.net/news/dustie-warings-lawyer-issues-lengthy-statement-regarding-recent-allegations
Wow!
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The Mrs surprised me with tickets to their show in Kansas City tonight. My first time going to a non-Dream Theater or Neal Morse concert that doesn't have seats lol. Pretty excited.
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Another update regarding the Dustie situation
https://metalinjection.net/news/dustie-warings-lawyer-issues-lengthy-statement-regarding-recent-allegations
Wow!
Gosh yeah, that was my reaction too. A very strong rebuttal, seemingly with a lot of confidence about the evidence.
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If they indeed have the evidence to prove what the lawyer is saying here then it looks more positive for Dustie.
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There was a tour poster that leaked out, revealing that BTBAM is doing a tour in March called ‘The Colors Experience’. 2 nights in each city, with Colors in full night 1, and Colors II on night 2 🤘😛🤘
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There was a tour poster that leaked out, revealing that BTBAM is doing a tour in March called ‘The Colors Experience’. 2 nights in each city, with Colors in full night 1, and Colors II on night 2 🤘😛🤘
Thanks for the heads up I knew to look out for this… presale started today (code I used I got on the BTBAM reddit, could be different per venue not sure.) Chicago dates are back to back nights which is nice, saw a couple that had a day off between the two shows.
https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/tour-dates/ (https://www.betweentheburiedandme.com/tour-dates/)
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I hope I can make the Sacramento show.
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I might have to try to catch the Chicago show. I think the last time I saw BTBAM was when they were here with Leprous and Devin Townsend. Now that was a great show!
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Got my tickets for both Chicago shows. So excited, I never miss these guys!