Album Rating: 3.5

That is the B section, which is one of the coolest things they have ever written in my opinion. I love the different forms this section appears in throughout the song. I really can't wait to see all of the lyrics so we can see how the words help organize meaning within the music.

Album Rating: 3.0

I've never really said this, but I honestly can't fathom how someone could not see a direction in BTBAM's songs. I'd say their biggest downfall is making songs that are too long and over-blown, but it doesn't take a genius to see a through-line in their songs. Whatever, looks like a good review and all that.

Ya, they definitely draw things out a bit much but there is always a general shape to the songs.

will check out because of that B section

Album Rating: 4.0

One of the best reviews i've read on here. Great job!

Awesome review, though the name of the song is 'Specular Reflection', not 'Spectral Reflection'. Fix those and you're golden

Album Rating: 3.5

Specular Reflection, man, not Spectral Reflection. Awesome review, though.

Album Rating: 3.5

And THANK YOU kingjulian! I could not agree more. I've been wondering that for so long.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

people who say btbam has no structure are fools...they almost always do a little prequel to the best part in their songs...hence the song prequel to the sequel summing up what btbam do...ie autodidact, the breakdown at the end shows up way earlier in the song...just one example of so so many

Album Rating: 4.0

So the originality of this band comes from the way they piece together the songs as opposed to the actual riffs being used?



"Lunar Wilderness is a song that will surly become a fan favorite, as it is reminiscent of Selkies in its more melodic approach. Found in this song is also some cool jazzy xylophone parts." Gonna have to check that song out then, Selkies is my favorite by them.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"So the originality of this band comes from the way they piece together the songs as opposed to the actual riffs being used?"



I would say that is true to some extent. In this day and age, it is near impossible to come up with a riff that isn't somewhat reminiscent of something some other band has done before. I think originality comes in how the feelings and relationships, that a song presents, are created from these riffs. BTBAM is amazing at finding interesting relationships in their songs. The song Veridian becoming the middle part of White Walls is one example. The way they open Swim to the Moon with several riffs that come back later in the song, including the huge breakdown at the end of the song, is another brilliant example. I just love the layers of musical ideas that are to be found in their music.

Album Rating: 2.0

Ok I see where you're going with this, and you actually explain the theory in language that the average reader can understand, which is cool. Seriously, though, are you surprised people aren't familiar with this level of theory, which I assume is university/college level at least. It reminds me of the critical theory I use in my English studies, but I don't expect even a fraction of the average reader base to understand, for example, Freudian/Lacanian psychoanalytic theory, or the inner workings of modernism, which affect my engagement with everything from D. H Lawrence to Psycho. And the truth is, to the average reader/viewer, it doesn't make a bit of difference. If anything, they're the real target of the artist, not some uni bum like me.



A few simple pointers.... do this [1] [/1] around album titles for italics, but replace the ones with i. Makes the review look neater. Putting song titles in ' ' also adds a nice finish.

is two thirds of this review really a breakdown of the structure of one song? describing part by
part exactly what happens in a song is not exactly what i'd describe as a good way to convey an album's
worth. you say these things are great, awesome, amazing, brilliant but rarely seem to convince or
even try to explain to the reader why these things are. describing complexities in a song isn't
necessarily enough. are all classical pieces likeable? must they sound good to others due only to
the fact they were composed with a high level of complexity? plus, what/where is this "BTBAM motif" you
keep referring to?

anyway album is good.

ps: i think you're taking btbam a little too seriously. they're also not that hard to understand or
appreciate which you seem to think they are.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

This review was done as a response to the most common argument I see against BTBAM's style. This is when people argue that they make seemingly unstructured songs, comprised of random riffs. In my review I explicitly state that this isn't the case, and with this new record, that they have added a new level of structure. The following few paragraphs then become the evidence to support my original argument.



My whole problem with the negative criticism to BTBAM lately is that they usually has no evidence to support their claim. My aim with this review was to show some actual evidence for why this music is so good.



You say their music isn't hard to understand, but then fail to hear the motif that I even point out the time and place that it comes in?



I agree that anyone can appreciate complex music. There is plenty of music that is way beyond me, and yet I love it, namely anything from Bach. I don't see why people try and claim that something sucks, when their main argument they use for why it sucks, lack of structure, is completely wrong.

ok i read the review again and you're saying there is a riff that is similar to something found on white walls and swim to the moon then proceed to call it a motif ie a recursion of the same melody heard previously but played differently. i'm not sure a similarity of a riff can be described as THE BTBAM MOTIF i'd be more likely to call it "recycling old riffs" but then again i do not understand the full complexities of the amazing stupendous between the buried and me.

also i thought the main argument people use for why they suck is they're fucking cheesy as hell and sound generic. lots of people aren't a fan of endless sweeping and chuggin riffs regardless of how diverse and complex they make the arrangements. you can call this OBJECTIVELY WRONG all you like but holy shit learn that people have different opinions.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

A few simple pointers.... do this [1] [/1] around album titles for italics, but replace the ones with i. Makes the review

look neater. Putting song titles in ' ' also adds a nice finish.



Thanks for the pointers, I had no idea that you can do that!



I definitely wanted a different approach for this review. I know it is walking a fine line of being an argumentative

piece instead of a review. But, as I said before, I know that not everyone cares about this kind of stuff. I put it up

for those who do, under the assumption that the majority of metal listeners have not studied music theory. BTBAM's

music simply lends itself to this type of analysis better than most metal, because there is so much going on in their

music.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"also i thought the main argument people use for why they suck is they're fucking cheesy as hell and sound generic. lots of people aren't a fan of endless sweeping and chuggin riffs regardless of how diverse and complex they make the arrangements. you can call this OBJECTIVELY WRONG all you like but holy shit learn that people have different opinions."



I know people have different opinions. I can completely understand how people who don't like this style of metal, i.e. your endless sweeping and chuggin riffs, will not like this music. I wrote this as a specific response to the number of comments I kept seeing people write about the lack of structure in their music. That assertion is wrong, plain and simple. I can also see how people can easily miss this structure if they only listen to the music once, so I wrote it out in a argumentative review form, so that people who claim this lack of structure, and didn't take the time to hear it, could see the structure written out.

Album Rating: 4.0

Wasn't this supposed to be 40 minutes?

Regardless, I was very surprised actually. I'd say this is their best work to date. The inability to articulate memorable 'heavy' sections is what bogged down both "Colors" & "TGM". Alaska was near perfect in that regard, and yet they were able to transition into an entirely new 'heavy' sound, one which differs greatly from "Alaska", and yet becomes memorable.



Also, Dan Briggs is fucking ridiculous as per-usual. His Bass-lines in "Lunar Wilderness" are simply brilliant.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"ok i read the review again and you're saying there is a riff that is similar to something found on white walls and

swim to the moon then proceed to call it a motif ie a recursion of the same melody heard previously but played

differently. i'm not sure a similarity of a riff can be described as THE BTBAM MOTIF i'd be more likely to call it

"recycling old riffs" but then again i do not understand the full complexities of the amazing stupendous between the

buried and me."



This motif is one of the coolest things that BTBAM does compositionally. It is much more than "recycling old riffs", it

is a form of self-reference, adding layers and meaning to their music. Its first function was to grab your attention

with its familiarity. Underneath the bass is playing one of the big thematic ideas of the song, that is then developed

through different forms. Its second, and bigger picture function, is to create congruity between their albums.



As I said in a previous post, this sounds similar to what Beatles did with "She loves you" and its reappearance in the

fadeout in "All You Need is Love". This is also something classical composers do all the time, like the opening

Rhythmic motif of Beethoven's symphony number 5, that comes back in various forms throughout the other

movements of the symphony. This is incredibly deliberate and purposeful songwriting.



Motifs are not just a direct resurrection of a melody previously heard. If that were true, than every part of a song

that repeats like verses and choruses would be motifs. A motif is a musical fragment, or idea, that can be

rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic. This idea is one that then can become a theme, later being used in various forms

to create variation in a song while at the same time linking it to what has come before. It was commonly used in

opera to accompany a certain character to draw attention to their presence in the story line.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

"Also, Dan Briggs is fucking ridiculous as per-usual. His Bass-lines in "Lunar Wilderness" are simply brilliant."



I second that. He is one of the most creative bass players I have come across in metal. A breath of fresh air for the potential of bass in the genre. I also have a feeling that he is one of the biggest contributers to the complex arrangements and the relationships they create on their albums.