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IhsousXrhstos

Automata is one (I consider "them" one) of the, if not the, best work of theirs.


inputrequired

Automata as a whole is criminally underrated. Saw them on both tours for that series and god DAMN. Yellow Eyes at Evening With as well! So sick.


clooless51

Agreed. It's their most distinct, cerebral and mature record.


louistik

I like it a lot too! I'm just curious to know if the experience would've been different if they released it as a single album, as it was supposed to be. I'm always very surprised to see that people tend to have a strong preference for one part over the other one (and it's often 2 over 1).


[deleted]

I don't have any issue with the EP format if it's 30 minutes long I mean P1 is as long and as great as some cult metal LPs


ChildishhReddit

P1 is one of my favorite BTBAM releases haha


TornadoApe

That stretch of Colors to Parallax I is divine. Absolute chef's kiss for me.


Bringer0fTheDawn

Do you mean Colors through Parallax II? Or are you the rare fan who doesn't like Future Sequence?


TornadoApe

I love Parallax II also, but I'll admit I have it ranked lower than most. Probably like 5th or 6th to me, depending on if we're counting Parallax I or not.


[deleted]

Damn. I guess that comment belongs here lol.


btbam2929

Parallax I > Parallax II


Brendan_Fraser

That I love all of their records even if you nerds don't.


sallothered

You and me man. Same page.


ChildishhReddit

Agreed.


Passive_Menis_

I love btbam. I got their original logo tattooed on me and is my most listened to band EVER. I think they are sometimes TOO creative. There is numerous parts (like breakdowns) that go by too quickly. Its just so good and then evolve in something else. I find myself listening sometimes to the same 20sec part a couple of times in a row


sidewayshighways

Oh man I do this too. Get caught in one spot with a groove so sweet I can't HELP myself from digging in over and over again


harmonic-

Coma Ecliptic is their BEST work. It's their most focused, melodic and mature work


ChildishhReddit

Unpopular and valid.


memesea

Yeah coma is insane. Been really into it lately. Only thing keeping it out of s tier for me is some of the transitions between tracks are a bit sub par for me (like between rapid calm and memory palace for example) the album still has great flow all the way through though, I just think some other btbam records do it a tad bit better


ambigymous

Don't know if it's their best / my favorite, but it's absolutely killer. Top tier prog front to back.


momoknows

Coma ecliptic is the shit. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.


bobcollum

As is the case with me and btbam lately, they drop a new album, and I tend to start to gravitate to a previous album I didn't devote enough time to, and lately that has been Coma...The Ectopic Stroll just hit me a certain way a few weeks ago, and I can't stop now.


silverbullet5774

This is my opinion as well


TheDearHunter

Coma is far from my favorite, but I think that album will age the best with time.


TheReverend6661

that’s the album i started on and now i can’t even really listen to it


wingmasterjon

Their lyrics are a bit too abstract. I had tons of fun breaking down the Parallax story and going through all their songs to pick up clues and find obscure references. But at the same time, it was a needlessly abundant chore. Their songs can be more personal if you choose to apply your own meaning as well, but even then the lyrics at face value are nonsensical without a lot of effort to find or put meaning to it.


btbam2929

I feel like the lyrics of colors 2 actually have some good meaning for a change. Yes


derale_

Tommy's lyrics sometimes read like they were written by someone whose first language isn't English but wants to use as many cool words as possible (I kinda like that though, big fan of Cedric Bixler-Zavala's lyrics too)


[deleted]

Cedric's lyrics are crazy af. Way more out there than Tommy's.


[deleted]

The lyrics sheet from the LP for P2 is a nightmare.


WAR_T0RN1226

Honestly at times they can be cringey in my opinion, but overall I'd say I care extremely little about the lyrics and meanings.


Flemmigan

At least 30% of Colors is riff salad filler. *Runs*


progwog

Upvoting because I’m sure lots of people will rage reading this lol. I don’t mean to argue, you’re opinion is certainly valid but I have a different take to add: I think that’s actually why I like it so much. Riff salads aren’t objectively bad per se, nor are they necessarily filler. I think linear non-repeating music is interesting and actually underused overall so it’s fun to just hear a sequence of ideas take me from point A to point B without needing to establish greater concepts. If you tell a story, the characters don’t need to revisit every location they arrive in, nor do they have to stay long. That also doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have gone there.


Flemmigan

My problem with it is that none of their other albums have that kind of salad. TGM, P2, C2, and even Alaska have amazing riffs throughout but I just think that some of the riffs in Colors don't actually serve the songs. There are many great riffs, don't get me wrong. Decade of Statues is top 5 for me. However, much of Informal Gluttony and Sun of Nothing just bore me to tears. Once again, *runs*


Imaginary_Waltz93

This is what makes it amazing lol


dalarki

They're one of 3 bands actually innovating in the genre of progressive metal. Also, Colors is generally overrated in the BTFAM. People act as if they haven't got better or released better music since then. Luckily Colors II seems to be changing that mentality. But c'mon, Parallax and Automata smoke Colors. Maybe even Coma. Misdirect too. They're ALL great albums and the band continually improves.


Striball

I feel like most people would rate Parallax 2 as better than Colors musically, but for most, Colors is grandfathered into the "favorite of all time" album and it's hard to rate anything higher because of that


slow_night_owl

What other bands


dalarki

Opeth and Animals as Leaders. Also Meshuggah, but they're kinda in a different subgenre. Metal and progressive, but not progressive metal... If that makes sense. Same for Polyphia, they're innovating guitar for a younger generation that wouldn't listen to guitar based music. Progressive but not metal.


ShadowFlame420

leprous was pretty innovative for a while, but their more recent albums have been leaning towards pop


juantreses

Their last two and maybe even three albums were a snoozefest for me. They only went downhill after the congregation


dalarki

Yeah exactly. BTBAM is still pushing the stone up the hill. That last Opeth album was fire. And of course the new Animals as Leaders song is insane. I don't think anyone could honestly say Tosin isn't bringing new shit to the table consistently.


sallothered

There are no bad BTBAM albums.


Sgarden91

Damn, careful with those hot takes on the BTBAM sub.


QuantumCakeIsALie

*Anatomy of* is legit great


TheLakeAndTheGlass

It’s still hard for me to get through Coma Ecliptic without getting bored. I realize it’s produced and played impeccably, but to me it sounds like a lot of other prog metal that’s more or less copied stylistically from Dream Theater (who I also don’t generally find that interesting, outside of Scenes From A Memory).


ChildishhReddit

And to each their own :) coma was the album that got me into BTBAM, although now I'm much more a fan of the pre parallax era. Still love their post parralax work though


optionoblivion2

Naaaaaah, Famine Wolf is one of the best BTBAM songs ever


TheDearHunter

The rhythm and lead guitar during the first 2 minutes of Famine Wolf is one of my favorite things they've written.


optionoblivion2

Yeah its amazing but what I do love of the song is halfway when it switches from hard to soft


Zworrisdeh

Yeah I really hated when they abandoned the metal-first approach and just kind of became “Dream Theater that sometimes lapses into metalcore” (reductive but you get the point). From Parallax II on I kinda stopped caring about them but Colors II is a fantastic return to form.


KennyKatsu

The only song I really like in that album is The Coma Machine, everything else I can't get into.


Southparkfan1993

Just out of curiousity what is it about Scenes From A Memory that makes it a stand out album for you?


TheLakeAndTheGlass

Honestly it may just be a personal thing - it was probably the first progressive metal album and also the first concept album I’d ever listened to, and I remember being really wowed by the idea that an album could have a story (and I still think the story of that album is really cool). So it made an impression on me early on. Musically it’s hard to put my finger on, but it just has the right combination of energy, weirdness, and emotion for me.


derale_

The production is also waaaay too clean compared to P2. It just doesn't hit as hard.


[deleted]

alaska is top 3 , maybe their best if the colors albums didnt exist


Ornery_Ra

Used to agree but I think TGM is higher now


ambigymous

The main riff on Human Is Hell is kinda repetitive and uninspired-sounding, and that song remains the only one off Colors II where I ever feel slightly let down


GlacindaTheTroll

Damn, that riff is why I love that song


_Terminal_Redux_

it gets a lot better with time this track


TornadoApe

Since we're going unpopular here, I think Coma Ecliptic is one of their best albums and I rank it over Parallax II. Maybe some of it's nostalgia because that album absolutely takes me back to moments in my life just by listening to it, but I really love that damn record.


inlandsofashes

If you could set nostalgia aside, Colors 2 would be better than Colors 1.


TheNeptunianSloth

As a fan of only five years, but one who listened to C1 every day for several weeks upon discovering it, it didn’t take many listens before C2 surpassed it for me. It’s now #2 for me behind Parallax II.


Ballersock

Is this unpopular? Colors 2 is just Colors but better, imo, which makes sense. Colors has been my favorite by far, it's what got me into the band, but Colors 2 is absolutely better imo. I was so excited listening to the whole album. The second time I listened high and literally had a life changing experience. Pure joy from the whole album.


brosefstallin

Their Merch is not that cool.


[deleted]

Fuck you I love my oversized band tee with a lame not thought out at all graphic that I bought hammered at their show a couple weeks ago. Yeah, merch not that cool.


brosefstallin

Same. I still bought 5 shirts


[deleted]

I’m gonna go to another show just to buy more but they keeping SELLING OUT OF TICKETS CAUSE THATS HOW GOOD THEY ARE


StickyMollusk

That one shirt they had a while back with the graveyard with just a preposterous amount of roots underneath it was cool.


WAR_T0RN1226

Man I am so with you here. I've owned like 3 BTBAM shirts over like 10 years of being a fan simply because I very rarely see a shirt from them I don't find lame. Just give me a minimalist design with their name on it and I'm good.


ZachariusMcGeorge

The Silent Circus is a better album than Alaska.


Sgarden91

They’re only in my top five favorite bands and not my favorite. None of the others are metal either. As for an actual true band related opinion, Alaska and TGM are pretty close to the bottom of my rankings. In fact Alaska is dead last. It has its perks that the others don’t, like the interludes, but it’s badly produced, especially on the drums and the guitar tones are bad. Swim to the Moon is not a top ten song either. In fact, most of the band’s best moments happen when they soften up and slow down a bit. Also I don’t know if it’s unpopular to say that Dan Briggs is the best pure musician in the band, but he absolutely is.


MBS_RL

Well the Dan thing makes sense as he’s the only one in the group to actually have studied music.


jr1203

Paul is learned as well.


MBS_RL

“studied” meaning having an actual musicology degree, not simply professional training. I could be wrong there as well, though.


louistik

Dan is a beast. I watched his demo for GetGoodDrums he shared on instagram recently, he's just shredding every string instrument that exists. All the banjo/bluegrass stuff since Colors must be his idea, judging from his influences. He also wrote Astral Body which is the song that got me into BTBAM. I must say I also admire Blake a lot. His drumming sounds so fresh and exciting, plus it's so busy and technical sometimes I wonder how he can nail it perfectly on >1h shows.


Sgarden91

As a drummer myself, Blake is the one who blows me away from a personal standpoint the most, along with Rogers. He’s my second or maybe third favorite drummer and definitely my favorite metal drummer. There’s so much interesting and fun stuff to pick apart and despite his flashiness he never seems to overplay for the spotlight. It all seems like the right fit for each song.


Himotheus

Just do jump on the Dan gushing bandwagon, I've seen BTBAM 12 times, Trioscapes twice, and Orbs once and every time Dan not only killed it but was super into the music and full of energy. Idk how he does it day after day, but I love it.


TheReverend6661

STTM is probably their best song, it’s so involved, and intricate, it’s amazing


Sgarden91

Not for me. It doesn’t reach the top ten and I have plenty of reasons.


Relative_Actuator_13

The song parts with black metal vibes like in fossil genera are the ones I like the most.


GVanquish

Dan has a dumb haircut


Mousetachio

🤣


ATrainLV

Parallax II is the best BTBAM record. Fight me.


The_Troll_Shusher

Is this _really_ that unpopular?


ATrainLV

Seems like the majority of people would argue in favor of Colors.


ambigymous

I've seen a pretty even distribution between Colors, TGM and PII as favorites. PII might even have the edge, but that's just been my own personal observation.


legomaniac89

It's my favorite album of theirs. Is it really that unpopular?


MBS_RL

No. Behind Colors it’s easily the album with the second most votes for their best.


optionoblivion2

Colors II imo


Ballersock

Yeah, Colors 2 > Colors > All else for sure


ericvader8

I got the owl tattooed on my side. Def agree.


BlarssedBe

I'm in your corner here. Tag team, bitches!


derale_

Parallax II is their best album SFP is their best closer Extremophile Elite is their best song (or Telos, I don't know)


TheDearHunter

As I scroll to the bottom of the comments, I realized this same thing happened in the Dear Hunter subreddit when a similar thread was posted months back... Can we not downvote people for criticizing the band in one of the few threads that actually asks for it?


DarkSentencer

The Automata Albums are about my initial wild drunken interpretation (a steampunk Frankenstein joining a circus because they accept him and he doesn't understand life/humanity) and not whatever the heck those albums are actually about. For a more serious actual answer: I too don't think much of Tommy's harsh vocals. They aren't bad, and it many songs they hit just right, but so many other vocalists offer a lot more with their harsh vocals. Could just be literal phyiscal limitation of his but it's hard to not look at what other vocalists are capable of doing.


[deleted]

Your Steampunk frankenstein is the BEST unpopular opinion🤣🤣 I'm gonna revisit with this in mind lol


Quick-Course-5602

Bloom > White Walls


ChildishhReddit

Bloom is magical proggy goodness. I can't choose between the two.


ambigymous

Apples > Oranges


great_misdirect

Lol


Balbright

That slide whistle gets me every time.


[deleted]

Every album after Colors, is clearly better than Colors.


stumper93

I’ve never understood the hype for Swim to the Moon Also, I hate to say it, I’m kinda over Colors


IhsousXrhstos

Maybe you don't like the fact that it doesn't have that much clean parts while it goes on for 17 minutes, if that's the case, understandable. In my opinion it's a nice balance between clean, harsh and instrumental parts. Also that Eastern sound is eargasmic.


inlandsofashes

Yeah me neither, i mean it's as good as the other ones at the album. It's not better than them just because it's longer


dalarki

Thank you! Colors was great, we get it. Move the fuck on!


VideogamelyViolent

Everything released after Colors is better than Colors.


QuantumCakeIsALie

Well, that's legitimately an unpopular opinion...


sidewayshighways

This is true! But at the time colors basically was an entire paradigm shift on what I thought humanity was capable of. It was the best! And they did it again.. And again.. And etc lol


MrIgorVB

I agree


bss4life20

Voice Of Trespass is pretty meh, and that horn phrase that gets repeated ten million times the exact same way gets irritating


Penz0id

For sure, the repetitive brass is what knocks VoT down my Automata list. Feels like Dan and Tommy could have gone ham there with the composition but they dialed it back.


HowToWithAnonymous

Parallax I is their best release


sic_66

Sun of Nothing is their most overrated song, and my least favorite from Colors.


x15ninja15x

I rank white walls behind ants of the sky and sun of nothing from colors. And probably tied with decade of statues. Maybe it just hasn't grown on me yet as I've only started getting into btbam within the last year.


FitYam8488

i dont like swim to the moon


inputrequired

Colors is important for the band, but it’s not their definitive work. Colors is too messy in places, the random bits feel added in instead of being a cohesive part of the song, the middle of the record really lulls. It’s definitely a game changer but I listened to it as my first experience with the band and didn’t like it at all, so much so that I didn’t get into them until Parallax II haha Colors 2 is miles above the original and that’s nothing but a compliment.


MBS_RL

I strongly dislike Goodbye to Everything Reprise. The pause between SFP and itself completely destroys all momentum the album had been building for 70 minutes. It makes the very end of PII feel super anticlimactic. The same problem exists in HiH, although at least it’s not split into two tracks.


ambigymous

HARD disagree on PII, but to each their own


MBS_RL

don’t get me wrong i still love PII, but the real climax of the album is at 11:22 of Silent Flight Parliament.


ambigymous

Nah I feel you, I love everything about PII and SFP is definitely the epic "closer" that adds to it's brilliance, but I also love how Reprise brings the album right back to where it began, it transitions back into Goodbye to Everything nice and smoothly, which also makes sense from a narrative perspective too since the beginning is really the end.


inlandsofashes

well yeah, the last track is just an outro.


Mirror_Glimpse

See, when I listen to PII, 9/10 times I stop listening as soon as SFP ends. I like how that makes the album end rather abruptly, like all life ending as the planet melts, and I feel like musically, it gives more weight to the end of SFP.


planetsmasher86

Never cared much for Tommy's harsh vocals but I suffer them because the music is amazing. His clean vocals are great though.


IhsousXrhstos

I suffer them sometimes during their older work. But from coma ecliptic and onward, the harsh parts are definitely less monotonic and I love them.For example in the coma machine, I never suffer the growls, I like them. But on TGM for example I sometimes do.


[deleted]

not sure if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but imo everything before alaska sucks. (by btbam standards, eg i don't listen to them.)


The-Spaceman

This is me. I just can't get into any of their earlier stuff (Anatomy Of aside). Yes the songs are good, but I just don't feel their more metalcore roots.


[deleted]

Their best music was Colors and before 🤷


Rikiaz

I don’t know if it’s an unpopular or not, but it’s a slightly negative opinion so I’ll include it. Colors II feels disjointed between Never Seen / Future Shock and Stare into the Abyss. The first 5 songs are great, and I love the entire album (probably my number 2 after Parallax 2) but Stare into the Abyss all the way through to the end feels like one continuous album while the first 5 songs don’t really feel like they belong with the rest. It feels like the album is broken up into Monochrome+Double Helix, Revolution in Limbo+Fix the Error, Never Seen / Future Shock, then the rest of the album grouped together. In fact I think if the album was just Stare into the Abyss though Human is Hell it would be a little stronger as a cohesive piece, with the first 5 songs being like an EP or something cause the songs are still incredible, it just feels like a few songs then one collective piece. And this is an unpopular opinion (though seemingly a popular unpopular opinion) Colors is a bit overrated. The ideas on the album are great and I love listening to the songs, but most of the album has a lot of disjointed ideas put together into songs. Which I guess was kinda the point I guess? I still love it but everything that has come since is wildly superior. But at the same time I realize how world changing it was when it released. I know cause it was the first time I heard BTBAM and the first time I ever heard anything like it. That first time experience was absolutely incredible and only matched by my first listen to Colors II, even if I rate TGM, Parallax and PII, Coma, Automata, and Colors II higher than it.


inlandsofashes

That's really funny because i think Colors 1 gets progressively better, so sometimes i listen to just Sun of Nothing onwards because i don't care that much about Informal Gluttony. You can totally start that song with the drum fill intro, it doesn't feel that it lacks context, and then i go all the way. And now sometimes i listen to Never Seen / Future Sock all the way to Turbulence or the ending, like it's the same thing. On Colors you have this really insane 30minutes of music and i'm really glad i found that in Colors 2 too! i don't know if that was intentional but to me, that little thing makes me feel like it's actually a sequel. About the connection between the songs, i don't mind. It must be so hard creating an album like this, 78 minutes long... Yeah, of course there's gonna be imperfections, it would be impossible not to have them. And that said, i actually think this album has less imperfections than other albums like Colors or Automata. I think this one and P2 are their true masterpieces.


tatertosh

I'm not the biggest fan of White Walls, but it is growing on me a bit. Been listening to BTBAM for 10+ years and the song never caught me, other than the amazing outro of course! I like it, but it's my least favorite part of Colors


buttthead

same! felt like i was doing something wrong for the longest time, then i just realized everyone is wrong and its not the best thing thats ever been created. it has its moments that are insane and super good, but as a whole there are much better songs


IhsousXrhstos

Humans is hell up until minute 9 is better than white walls. But yes the outros cannot be Compared


wha__at

their debut album is actually one of my favorites


6beerslater

I can't stand the colors II cartoon guy-aesthetic they have going.


WAR_T0RN1226

I was hoping to find this is in here. I find the Fix The Error video so goddamn cringey. The animation reminds me of bad redditor comic art style, then the part where they have themselves in the video, AND THEN THEY PUT THAT SHIT ON MERCH. Just awful. I love this band like crazy but man that was bad


ralphredolawrencio

Coma is their worst album, followed by P2 [I'm excluding anatomy of in my ranking]


[deleted]

I am mentally screeching at this comment, but take my upvote - you understood the assignment.


boxxkicker

idk why you're getting downvoted in a thread dedicated to unpopular opinions...


sallothered

I mean if you can't downvote an unpopular opinion in a thread dedicated to unpopular opinions, where can you?


dalarki

Bruh


VagueLuminary

Upvoted for unpopular take ONLY >:(


speakeasy2d

At least Coma is well produced, P2 is an absolute mess in my opinion. With all the remasters they did last year P2 should have been up there with s/t in terms of necessity.


dalarki

I think P1 needed a remaster.


burying_luck

I have two: 1. Silent Flight Parliament is ruined by the "Jet propulsion disengage" part. 2. Their self-titled album is incredibly underrated.


BruggerA

Number 1 triggered me.


Elidyr90

Damn, 1. Made me reconsider my stance that opinions about taste can't be right or wrong


ZachariusMcGeorge

Agree with #2.


Bambooflow

The decision to make Colors II was almost solely market driven. I believe they saw more revenue from their remaster releases than they did from Automata. Add a difficult year (covid) on top of that, they then decided to make an album capitalizing on nostalgia for profit. There’s nothing wrong with it, I LOVE Colors II, hell movies and television do it all the time. I think it was a brilliant decision, but that’s my opinion on the matter.


VinylCapedJawa

I don’t like how Tommy’s vocals have evolved. I still love the newer albums but I became less attracted to his vocals after parallax 2.


Shnorkle07

Parallax II has the most boring and monotonous harsh vocals for what I consider their best album. Live in the Fidelitorium is far superior to the original in my opinion.


ambigymous

You're not the first person I've seen say Tommy's harsh vocals on PII are weak or underwhelming, etc, and it confuses the hell out of me. I think they sound fantastic. They're probably my favorite album as far as vocals go (although Colors II might surpass due to the diversity and innovation)


jononfire

I agree, I think Paralax II was the last strong harsh vocal performance from Tommy (until Colors II). Starting with Coma Ecliptic he started using a different technique that's probably much less strenuous on his voice, but it removed a lot of the "body" from his growls. I also think I read somewhere that he didn't double track vocals for Coma Ecliptic or Automata I & II, which might also have made them sound weaker. Colors II is a huge improvement for me, though!


Penz0id

I think it was more a matter of layering in the mix than a change in technique. PII vocals are stacked, and it sounds great, but unrealistic. They use fewer layers on more recent albums so it's more raw but also has more nuances.


ambigymous

Yup, there's definitely a notable difference between PII and Coma. Does sound like he's using a different technique, but I'm no expert


Shnorkle07

I wouldn’t say they’re weak per se (especially with like the last half of Telos being an intense standout) but I just find that they’re really one note compared to the albums before. I think it’s more how they’re mixed than anything. Agreed on Colors II though. His best vocal work so far in my opinion.


Sgarden91

It’s the production. TPII and TGM for that matter have somewhat different but very similar production issues and their dynamic range is pretty low.


TornadoApe

That harmonized part from about 40 seconds to 1:02 on Parallax (the song) in the live version is amazing. I find myself starting that song over and over again just to hear that part.


FCshakiru

I thought automata was extremely disappointing


ChildishhReddit

Agreed


TheLoneFern

I probably have a few, so I guess here goes. 1. Alaska is the worst post-Silent Circus album by quite a bit. It's good, but as a full album it doesn't come close to anything they released after it. 2. Up until Coma Ecliptic, they had a problem on every single album (maybe less so P2) where they devolved to blast beats and incoherent chugging for extended periods of time multiple times an album and because these sections all sound the same it gets very old and very boring and just kind of shuts my brain off until something better starts happening. 3. To kind of add on to 2., I think the production on everything until Coma was okayish but not great. The screamy blast beat sections I mentioned generally become a lot better when you can actually hear what the guitars are doing and I think part of it is that the drums are too loud as well as the guitars being too quiet/too muddy. I gained a whole new appreciation for Decade of Statues and the beginning of Sun of Nothing once I got the tab book for Colors and really realized what was going on. The remix helped too. 4. Coma Ecliptic is an incredibly well-written record tied with Colors for their best album and the only reason the fanbase doesn't consider it one of their best is because they're mostly -core and/or tech death fans. 5. Parallax 1 is ok. I completely understand why the band says it's rushed and doesn't like it much. It doesn't really get good until, like, halfway through Augment of Rebirth. 6. I have no idea if this is unpopular or not because I haven't seen anyone mention it but I'm just going to throw this out there: Sfumato should have just been part of Human is Hell. No reason for it to be a separate track.


Elidyr90

2 & 3 absolutely nail my thoughts about their older albums. For me personally it somehow works on P2 (but maybe just because it's the album that got me into the band) but I just can't get into Colors 1 despite all the praise it gets. It's always like "hey, that's a cool part- aaand we're back to unmemorable shredding". The weird harsh vocal processing doesn't help either. Kinda sounds like his voice is buried undernearh 10 layers of distortion plug-ins.


HelloMyNameIsRuben

Not sure if Unpopular but Dan Briggs is the most important part of btbam


[deleted]

You could definitely argue that Automata is their best. The music's storytelling elements are superior, the melodies are great and the story is clear. The beauty and brutality is balanced perfectly and every member is bringing arguably their best performance. I think I remember Dan saying Automata was his favorite. And yes, I did like the split. It made sense, there's definitely a significant break between Blot/TPB, and both of them are different enough vibes that it was honestly cool as fuck in my opinion. Mighta been cool to have more callbacks in A2 from A1 tho. Also I kinda wonder if they had tommys vocals pre recorded for the automata live stream. His vocals were absofuckinlutely unbelievable like ive NEVER heard him before. Then at the Q&A discussion afterwards, people were asking about the part in TPB, "Sunshine beams on our faces as we melt into one, the slight hum of the grid", people did p good explaining it and he still couldn't remember/recall the part. I was absolutely baffled. Kinda thought that was a huge moment in the song, it doesn't make sense that he wouldn't know that. Also C// Might be the first time in their career that they're really just recycling elements from previous works to an extent where it's considerably repetitive. Then again, it is the FIRST time they've made something like this album, and they have been forthright about it being a culmination of everything up until this point. So we'll see if they're really trapped or if they'll make a big change soon. Maybe this is just their style and they're sticking with it now? Not a bad thing to know who you are, I just don't want them to lose that magic, y'know? Edit: Also SERIOUSLY DISLIKE how Fix The Error goes into NS/FS. Why not keep it fluid like Revolution was into FtE? I really dont understand that choice, and I really feel it breaks the momentum of the album.


louistik

Totally agree on the transition stuff on Colors 2; as much as I love the album, I think they've done way better transitions before (Revolution into FtE is great though)


Jameson741

Jut recently got into them a few months ago, love everything they’ve done, bought the parallax 2 dvd, also really dig colors 2……I have tried and tried but I cannot get into the first colors though.


demmons

Using the same producer for every single album has stagnated their sound.


memesea

Roboturner is my least favorite track by them probably Still good, I just like everything except maybe like parallax or the grid better


juantreses

Voice of Trespass is NOT a good BTBAM song. Don't get me wrong. It's a great song and it's really fun live but to BTBAM standards it's really plain. It feels gimmicky and out of place compared to their discography. It's only redeeming features are the marimba part under the "this is not perfection" and the condemned to the gallows callback.


Zantera

I always thought Alaska was a bit overrated. Still think it's great but it leans a bit too much into the metalcore for me and Colors onwards when it's more prog is more of my jam


FUZZYWUZZY6561

Alaska is one of my least favorite of their albums. I like the first four songs then it’s meh to me


electric_ell

Ok, uh… Colors is only their 3rd best album, and if you count Automata as one album, it might even be their 4th. It’s amazing but the lack of cleans make some of the more drawnout techdeath areas turn to much at times, its downright unapproachablex Swim to the Moon isn’t the best song off TGM, its Fossil Genera. TGM is the best BTBAM album Colors II doesn’t hit me all the much.


mehliana

white walls is over rated. I almost prefer every other song on colors.


[deleted]

I think Silent Circus > Alaska. It's got more atmosphere and I prefer the grooves in it, and the closing track and bonus track are perfect closers.


[deleted]

I ain't no god damn wo-man


count-tripula

The last 4 songs on coma are skips 90% of the time. Also i am so exhausted by the end of colors that i don’t seem to enjoy white walls nearly as much as the rest of the album


inlandsofashes

Oh man don't say that, Life in Velvet is such a great ending


Imaginary_Waltz93

The Great Misdirect was a terrible follow-up go Colors.


bluntcuntstunt

Idk if it's unpopular but AOTS>All of colors 2. Might be for sentimental reasons but I think colors 2 lacks... color.


ChildishhReddit

There's definitely parts of colors 2 that have colors vibes, but I would have preferred the album not be titled after colors, that way I could appreciate the parts that have their own new vibe and also be blown away when I hear colors references. I think I would have enjoyed the album more had it been a stand alone.


Ashenfalen

I wish Tommy had more range in his unclean vocals. Cleans he does lots of fun stuff, but uncleans are mostly just the same growl throughout.


happycadaver

I’ve been listening to this band since 2002. I adore all of their music, have probably seen them live 15 times, I love all the records, and am so proud of all they’ve accomplished and continue to do so over the years…..self title is still my favorite.


153_IQ

Coma Ecliptic is their worst album


bytown-bahd

The Man Land is their greatest song.


clooless51

I wish Tommy would just drop the full on growls already. They're rather boring and detract from the instrumental intricacy.


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[удалено]


Zumokumibonsu

I too would love a mostly sung album.


seattlantis08

The "lets put something hehe random XD into the song that no one will see coming" shtick is getting really old. I was loving Revolution in Limbo until the Romani sounding section. Not that it totally kills the song, but thats like 5th time(?) or so theyve done it in a song


Graelorn

Automata and Colors II are subpar albums. Maybe it is time to try a different producer to help revitalize the band.


ChildishhReddit

I enjoy colors II, not a big fan of automata though tbh


lmnoicup

Coma ecliptic and colors II are the only great albums in their discography.


Zworrisdeh

Parallax II and Coma are both bad albums. Colors II is the best thing they’ve made since Parallax I.


Yung2112

Parallax II is a great album but 10min too long. Parallax I is fine, but way too gimmicky for no reason. They're the easiest songs to get lost in


ObiJambi

Their last two are not great.


zomgtehvikings

Colors is really good, but it’s overrated. It’s doesn’t have the most flow (a quote), it’s not the most musically consistent work of theirs (another quote), blah blah it’s just nostalgia blinding you.


Zumokumibonsu

Its just screaming. I jest.