Between The Buried And Me - The Coma Machine (REACTION!!!) 

Nice pickup on that Opeth riff similarity. Really shows that you're digesting the stuff you're hearing.

Ok guys, heres the thing about prog: there is no "one thing". Prog is a combination of pretty much every part of music people find hard to listen to. It incorporates odd time signatures, unorthodox song structure, harsh vocals and strange instrumentation. This reason you guys don't "get it" is because no one jumps into prog head first like you guys are doing. Most prog fans started with normal rock, then rock with slightly odd time signatures like "Money" by Pink Floyd. Then they got into harsher and harsher vocals. Then they got into songs that don't follow the conventional structure (this is why some song don't seem to "go" anywhere, sometimes they don't and it's just about the journey.) After you listen to songs with each of these elements in them enough, you just don't notice the weirdness and can appreciate the new world of sounds you can create with these new tools. Prog isn't something you can force yourself into liking because it's just too much weird shit to handle at the same time. If I were you guys I would just continue listening to as many genres as you can and occasionally coming back to extreme prog when you get accustomed to the weird elements of it. Hope this helps, love the videos.

I look at prog like Coffee. When you start drinking coffee, you usually have some coffee but mixed with a lot of milk and chocolate, anything to mask the bitterness. But eventually, you might find the sweetness to be overbearing, so you order your coffee with a little less cream, or half the sugar, and you start to taste the coffee itself, and you start to like the bitterness. maybe you even decide to drink it black, and at first, it'll be crazy bitter. but as you continue to drink it, as well as other blends you start to taste more than bitterness, you can taste the difference between different type of grounds, or notice the how it was brewed, or if it was brewed too long. Eventually, you won't just be able to taste the difference, you'll actively crave and prefer the taste of black coffee to the overly sweetened coffee you used to drink. If that makes any damn sense...

BTBAM Is basically one of the most amazing bands of our time. This was a strange song to introduce on.

I never thought I would see the day that BTBAM would be on this channel.

The way to appreciate prog is not to oppose the changes, just roll with it and see where it takes you. I hope this helps.

Selkies is where you start. Selkies

Should revisit the band with "Selkies: The Endless Obsession", it's a much better starting point and a bit of an easier listen.

I think George is closer to "getting it" when he says he stopped trying to find or catch the groove. That it's like an act in a play. Prog metal albums are generally concept albums and best enjoyed as a whole from beginning to end. Each song is a part of a story. It's my favorite genre and there is no way that I would be able to have an opinion on some of these epic prog metal songs with just one listen though. These songs are so complex in their instrumentation and structure that I typically have to listen to them a dozen times to start to "get it" myself. BTBAM's album Colors in my opinion is one of the greatest concept albums ever. I didn't come to this conclusion by listening to it one time though, it took many listens and seeing them live before I can start deciphering the music in my head. That's my opinion at least, and I'm sure many others feel differently.

Embrace the BTBAM! Honestly, you're probably never gonna love any BTBAM or prog on first listen. I'm a musician and I rarely appreciate this stuff initially. It's after a few that they really start clicking and I fall in love. To your point, there is SO MUCH going on that it's very difficult to take it all in during one listen. On top of all that, BTBAM albums are usually concept albums that tell a "story" start to finish. In summary, musician or not, it's not easy to randomly pick a BTBAM song, listen once, and give it a fair shake. Props to you guys for continuing to try and get into prog. I recommend you toss an album on repeat during a road trip and then get back to us.

Between the buried and me - White Walls

React to Between The Buried And Me - Extremophile Elite Live Version. You will be amazed at how good they are live and you can appreciate/understand them better.

If you guys want to see these guys play, they made a live studio recording of their song Extremophile Elite, which is amazingly complicated

I’m going to do my best to explain how I love and listen to prog: Great prog songs feature something called recapitulation, which is when a melody or some musical aspect is repeated later in a piece, but it’s changed in some small way. Typically, the pieces will be shown in the beginning of the song, and the pieces will have little commonality with each other. The fun is seeing how those pieces start to fit together in sometimes subtle ways. To me, listening to prog is like solving a musical puzzle. It’s putting the pieces together to see a full picture. Yes, the musicianship is fun to digest, and often that’s what’s being used to grab your attention at first. But a great prog song’s brilliance cannot be discovered on the first several listens. It takes a little work, but as you become more familiar with what’s going on, it starts to make more sense, and the image becomes clearer. You see the musical nuggets that were dropped at the beginning and see how it fits in later. Between the Buried and Me is an incredibly tough band to crack, their structure is still making me work. A band that does this perfectly though is Yes. You should do a reaction of them, you’ll understand how recapitulation works by hearing songs like Roundabout, And You and I, and Heart of the Sunrise. Sorry this comment is super long, but you have to approach prog from a headspace that’s different than looking for hooks and grooves. Hope this helps, love you guys 🤘🏻

Karnivool - New Day, Simple Boy or All I Know. It's a little progressive, but still very palatable. I assure you will both enjoy any of these songs. New Day in particular.

THIS is what the comments thought was a good starter song for BTBAM? Bruhs... Selkies: The Endless Obsession is a better pick.

Watch Between the buried and me's live studio version of Extermophile Elite if you wanna try and appreciate the musicianship a bit more. It might help explain what 'It' is.

Guys really need to hear Dystopia by Tesseract. The groves are rich and transition seamlessly without sharp changes in melody.

Have you guys ever considered reacting to full albums? Because Colors record would be a definite must everybody has to hear!

Haken - Cockroach King

The idea of 'getting it' means that you are able to step back and listen to all of the pieces of the song and see how they come together as a whole. The truth is that bands like Between the Buried and Me deserve more than one listen to truly grasp the ideas and the mind of the artist. If you guys had listened to their album colors, George would have had the same body language he had in this video. Coma Ecliptic is so much more mellowed out and far less scattered musically than Colors. It even has considerably more melodic singing parts than harsh vocals. Also, the album is one story and one song is just one large piece of that story with several other pieces within that one piece. Think of these parts in the songs as layers upon layers of intricate musical story telling. The reason you don't 'get it' is because this is so far from normal and general song structures that it forces your mind to process it instead of immediately being able to slot it as something you already know and understand. That in my opinion is what makes this band special and very unique. I also think that is their aim in creating their art. It is complex, yet it is music that does make sense. The thing about progressive music is that it always brings something new or takes you on a journey into several directions. Eventually every part leads you back to a main theme. The ability to go so far out and come back to a theme is something you guys can appreciate. It is just that progressive metal and rock take longer to get there than your average metal or pop song. Between the Buried and Me are quoted as saying "...we are grateful for the ability to make music that isn't normal." I'm grateful for such unique music. It has it's place and I think with more listens you'll come around just like you have on so many other styles of music you've heard on your channel. I've been rockin with you guys from the beginning! Keep up the great work guys! Peace!

I think the "getting it" thing relates to the way you approach listening to a piece of music. The most common way people listen to music is to try a to relate to the emotion of the song (compare it to watching a romance movie or a feel good movie). People who "get" prog approach it as an experience more akin to watching an mystery film (plot twists and foreshadowing) or and action movie (conflicts and resolutions). In your reactions to a lot of the J.I.D. songs you point out how impressive it is that he can switch up his flow creatively in the middle of a verse and several times in the song. Think of prog music as "switching up the flow" with song structures and time/feel changes. BTBAM fans love when they are completely surprised by something the band decides to do in the context of the song.

I listened to metal for 10 years before BTBAM made sense to me. Everyone is different. But when it did, it was a glorious day. Now Colors is definitely in my top 10 albums of all time. Parallax II is amazing too. Good to see them being thrown into it.

You guys are right that there's an emotional element to the music. This album was a written around a concept and the mood of the music fits each song's part of the story. The best way to get into a concept record is to sit down with the lyric book and go from start to finish. It gives you an appreciation for the whole piece as the band wrote it and of course you get to unravel the awesome story. The songs on concept records are ultimately what you listen to and have to like but the stories give it that emotional attachment that makes us love them

The Mars Volta - Drunkship Of Lanterns

They have a really good blues song called Desert of Song. Its phenomenal and surprisingly random, considering what you just heard. I'd recommend checking that out, truly beautiful piece of music.

You guys need to listen to Rivers of Nihil - The Silent Life That song is fire, good metal groove, some prog and believe it or not a goddamn saxophone solo.

BTBAM has been my favorite band for well over 10 years. Seen them live at least 10 times as well. They play flawlessly live and are definitely a show I recommend going to if you've never seen them before! Cheers, and Happy New Year!

The Contortionist - Intuition or Cynic - The Space For This Very spacy prog metal that doesn’t have as many of the jarring transitions that sometimes put you guys off. Cheers!

*Agalloch - In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion* Make sure to filter by HD and watch in HD. PLEASE and thank you.

If you want to understand the mindset of Between the Buried and Me, you should listen to White Walls off of the Colors album. Before Colors, they were your typical hardcore metal band playing tours like ozzfest at 2 in the afternoon to small crowds. They decided that they wanted to write an album that would guarantee they would never have to do that again and allow them to start headlining their own tours. The product of that mindset was Colors, and the lyrics in White Walls (the album's closing track) completely sum up their opinions about prog and music in general today. Colors is considered a prog metal masterpiece. It's a much heavier but groovier feel than the coma machine. You guys would dig it. But thanks for visiting BTBAM, and I REALLY hope you guys give them another shot.

The whole thing about prog is, that it indeed sounds "appealing" to many music fans. Prog music wants to be innovative, fresh, virtuos, sparkling, inspirational - all the things you " just appreciate" sound indeed "appealing" to a prog fan. It makes us kind of euphoric to listen to that level of musicianship. Also, you can get lost in the complexity of the music. "Exploring" this kind of songs is half the fun for prog fans. Your access to music is a different one, which is totally fine. You two have a hip hop background, where music should sound initially smooth and appealing. Maybe thats what people mean with "you don't get it". But not everyone needs to "get" every style of music. There are also many music styles which prog fans don't get at all. And it's totally fine. ;)

The Dillinger Escape Plan- Symptom of Terminal Illness

Please do your top 10 albums of the year. I want to see what albums you've enjoyed this year.

It's a pleasure to continue watching you guys continue to explore all these different genres. Even when you're way out of your normal comfort zones you still give highly intelligent thoughts and opinions on what you hear. It's helped me have some different thoughts on the music myself. Best wishes to you both for the new year. SALUTE!!!

I was SOOOOOO happy to see BtBaM in here. I have been requesting them since u guys were at 5k subs. Although, I was suggesting "Goodbye to Everything/Astral Body". I still think it would have been a more palatable intro to the band. Coma Ecliptic, like most of the band's albums, is a concept album...tells one story over the course of the album, so George hit that on the head. Out of context, the songs may seem disjointed. This band is best listened to start to finish. Personally, I think kicking back and devoting an hour or two to watching "Future Sequence: Live at the Fidelitorium" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XM4tNCQbInU.html would be a fantastic way to get into these guys. They play an entire album from start to finish (including the songs I've been requesting) live, in an intimate studio setting. A great showcase of their skill and songwriting/composition. Having a lyric sheet handy to follow along with the story can't hurt, either. Because these are STORIES, with logical progression...Context, conflict, climax, closure, conclusion. "Get lost in the musicianship"...Again, you hit that right on the head, Ryan. Prog is MEANT to get lost in, to put aside what you're doing and let it take you away. It's like a sonic movie...It's not the soundtrack to the movie, it IS the movie. "Between the Buried and Me" comes from the lyrics of the Counting Crows song, "Ghost Train", btw.

I enjoy BTBAM when I’m just listening to music, but they’re not an easy band to get into. I’ve seen them live multiple times and it’s always an overload for me. Way too much going on. It’s a lot to take in, and that was written all over your faces. Prog is difficult, yet rewarding. Hoping you guys will get into Leprous soon! They’re more accessible than most prog bands, in my opinion. And no, you can’t catch a groove with most prog. The time signatures are atypical and abrupt. (I’m not a musician, but I’m USED to it. You’ll get there.) For those who say you don’t “get it”, that’s elitist bullshit. I’d prefer to say maybe you weren’t ready. But there’s no way to BE ready for it unless you’re exposed to it.

Between the burrried and me -extremophile elite. It's the first song I hear from them and make me instant fan

First song I heard from them was live when on tour with DT and Opeth about 10 years ago. Ants of the Sky was the first song they played, and I've been a huge fan ever since. I would definitely recommend that song too. First time I heard Opeth too, so it was a great night!

Hell yes. I’m so glad you guys did a reaction to these guys. Such talented musicians.

This IS a concept album and the lyrics are very confusing outside of the context of the concept. I can see why they may have struggled with the lyrics.

At the Gates - Slaughter of the Soul

Nice, finally starting to see more Mars Volta requests in here, of course "Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus" is still the way to go. I don't play any instruments fwiw, unless you count Rock Band drums, which I think I will. Happy new Year.

FYI, this album is technically a 'rock opera/concept album. So it is very much like a 'soundtrack' or one act of a play, so to speak. But the idea of progressive music is to progress past the standard pattern of popular music. Tell a deeper story, use unfamiliar patterns or time signatures, and - sure - show off a bit of technique or prowess/talent. There's definitely a groove at certain parts of prog songs. There's just a lot of transitions and patterns you need to "map" out after listening before you settle into that groove. Whether there is odd time signature patterns that aren't the normal 4/4 beat, or sections that don't have a groove but are just moving the story of the song along, you can nod your head once you know what's happening.

Extermophile Elite (live) will definitely allow you to appreciate the musicianship, and blow you away. I think watching them play it live is a great idea to understand more of what's going on

Tame impala - Let it happen. You won't be disappointed.

Huge prog fan here and BTBAM is probably my favorite band. I've been eagerly awaiting the day you guys react to this group, but I have to be honest, I was super disappointed you chose this song. It's a boring song. Plain and simple. I don't like listening to it either, and I agree with George that it's an exhausting listen. People thought it would be a good introduction for you two because it's relatively calm, with easy to digest transitions and they kept the growling at a minimum. To me, it's a boring song. Now I'm convinced we won't see another BTBAM song on this channel and that's really a shame. I'm sure this comment will get buried and I don't know if either of you will read it, but please try not to place your decision on a song based upon it being a "good introduction" to the band going forward. BTBAM fans don't even like this song. So why the hell would we want you to listen to it? It's the opposite of a good introduction. It's a bad first impression. If it were up to me, I'd have thrown you guys to the wolves and had you react to All Bodies, which really encapsulates what this band is about. You might not have liked that song either, but at least you'd be getting pure, peak BTBAM. I just don't understand this philosophy of providing baby steps for first time listens of a band. You guys have been listening and grown used to metal for a while now. I think you both get it. We have to stop with this introductory crap and give you guys the prime work of these artists to react to. Hope you guys give BTBAM another shot.

This is a concept album. All the songs connect and flow into each other to tell the story of a character who is in a coma. They played this album in its entirety live & released it as a Blu-ray/DVD & audio cd all for 20 bux.

Pleaaaase do some Protest the Hero. Literally any song

Devin Townsend Project - Grace

Thanks dudes been requesting this for a while!!!

They're already comparing things to Opeth tracks by name. Their power level is rising exponentially folks.

Thanks for getting to btbam, they do have a great live video of them performing a song called Extremeophile Elite

You NEED to do Zeal & Ardor. Mix between black metal and slave chants. Blood in the river is a good starting song

The reason that I love prog is that, to me, good prog is like a good film. For me, good prog is unpredictable and feels like a journey, or just creates an amazing atmosphere you get lost in, like music from Steven Wilson and Opeth. That's what gives it the replay value for me, their album Colors is probably their best example of this as they trailed a bit with this album. Prog is written in albums more than it is in individual songs

Every prog band that becomes a favorite of mine takes almost a year of listening to off and on to become something I really enjoy. For lack of better terms I enjoy music I can't memorize listening to daily for a few weeks. I love finding that little part of the song that I dont remember ever hearing before. Prog fills this role really well for me.

Nevermind, listening through with you guys I think this is a much better starting point for BTBAM than Selkies or something off Colors would've been. I do hope you guys revisit them and review some of their most celebrated material later on. Props for bringing them onto the channel in the first place though!

Great I love BTBAM, is not their best song but it's a good one to start. I hope you react to Native Construct - Mute or The Dear Hunter - The Tank someday. Love you guys.

After this vid I just listened 2 entire album on a long car ride and,,,,,,,,, wow u really have 2 listen 2 whole album, it is amazing!!

“Maybe we should just start playing instruments”. You guys just had a breakthrough! Do it!

YES!! BTBAM! Let’s get some more. I think you guys would like Polyphia, they have the grooves you seek.

At The Gates "Slaughter of the Soul" In Flames "Food For the Gods" Hatebreed "Doomsayer"

'almost at the point of death, purgatory' man it took me tears to realise this! you got it in 10mins.

Yesssss been asking for this for years 👍👍👍👍

You said that with music, you either like a song, or you don't. And I can not disagree more. For example with prog songs, I have been listening to prog religiously for more than 7 years, yet till this day, rarely have I ever "liked" a song from the first listen. Because liking a prog song is a learning process. The complexity of the music and how detailed it is dictates that 1 listen is simply not enough to appreciate the song. Especially these guys. Btbam.. They are very complex and they have so many ideas in their songs that sometimes it's very difficult to appreciate the musicianship. Every thing they do is just so tight, so perfect. And from 1 listen, are these details and feelings will fly right over the casual listener's head. With me.. I typically remember a riff, or a chorus that I like from a prog song, and it sticks in my head, so then I come back to the song and listen to it again.. Then I pick up another feeling, a riff, a drum filling, a bass slide that I enjoyed so much so that I repeat the song again.. Then I picked up another detail.. And it just goes on and on.. And you keep finding things you never paid attention to at the first list. So liking a prog song at the first listen is almost impossible.. You have to give the song more listens and maybe then you'll "get it". Prog teaches you to not judge the book by it's cover. Prog teaches you to look for the genius in life. Love from Iraq!

TESSERACT - Of Matter (Live at Sphere Studios). Awesome stuff! Keep it going!

Holy crap.. didnt think this would come up in a search for this song.. what a treat.

I always love the way Ryan has his takes on whatever the band name or song name could mean. I honestly never gave it any thought and I think he unintentionally nailed what BTBAM could be as a whole. Nice reaction.

Awesome review boys, you've learned so much since 1+ years ago! Give Caligula's Horse a try. They are a very listenable progressive metal band with a virtuoso guitarist and lead singer with the voice of a God! Also mudvayne would be funny to see your review (Dig/Nothing to gein)

Power Trip - Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe) !!!

GOAT by Polyphia Try this one out

Picking up on that riff's similarity to Opeth and the recognition of the total album aspect is representative of what this channel is about. You guys are great.

Cockroach King by Haken

Mr. Bungle - Goodbye Sober Day

seeing it live really is the main thing -you nailed that its just for musicians -metalheads dont want to ever admit it but you nailed it

I think "Millions" would've been a WAY better first listen choice. I used to "not get" these guys, but gave them a few listens and now I really appreciate just how amazingly talented this group is.... everything. The lyrics, singing, guitars, bass, drums, literally everything. Give them another shot!

You guys will love "Don't Stop - Nothing More" give those guys a shot, they're one of the best modern bands

Thorns of Crimson Death - Dissection

Thanks for the straight up reaction, I appreciate how straight up and honest you guys are. I'm not sure how to describe what "IT" is that you're not getting, but I'll give my opinion...I feel that most modern popular music tends to stick to common key signatures and time signatures, because they are very familiar. I'll use the example of time signatures. Most pop songs are in a 4/4 time signature which is very easy for most people to follow and "groove" to, however a lot of prog songs tend to change up the time signatures on the fly causing the average listener to loose the groove (even hardcore prog fans will lose the groove upon first listen, but will appreciate it upon further listens when they can predict the transition). I think the key is to learn to find the groove in different time signatures. For example: Find a song that's in an odd time signature and listen to it a few times until you can groove to it. A great one for you guys to try is "Seal : Dreaming In Metaphors" as it's in a 7/8 time signature for the entire song, but has a solid groove I think you could easily follow. Do this again for as many different time signatures as you can find, and soon you'll begin to be able to groove to even the most complex prog songs...or not, maybe I'm just full of it... Anyway, I would love to see you guys react to Epica - Design Your Universe

OMG this was a beautiful New Years gift thank y’all!! I’ve been dying to hear yalls thoughts on btbam! They’re my favorite contemporary band but your review and reaction was very fair and I enjoyed it! This is a very tame song compared to what they can do so I can see why it’s a good start up song. I would highly recommend Voice of Trespass next because that song really shows what kind of band they are and what they’re capable of ! Would love to see a video on that song! Thank you!

Definitely not the first song I would’ve reacted to. 1. Selkies or mordecai

Dance Gavin Dance! "Inspire the Liars" is a good starter song for their current member lineup.

To answer your question, the whole album is a concept about a guy in a coma and what he experiences. Now, you should listen to "Millions" because I think you will find it a much easier listen and you'll enjoy it.

I love this band!! love you guy's for this thank you.

Black Sabbath - N.I.B

Keen for this vid. Architects - Gone with the Wind August Burns Red - Hero of Half Truth Protest the Hero - Dunsel

To be honest, you guys had literally the same reaction I had to BTBAM when I first listened to them. Even today, I still have that sit there and go "hmm" reaction to their new stuff.

Just found this band. I heard this from some spotify recommendation and liked the piano mixed with the groovy riff and the melody. It was really cool. Like these guys it lost me a little ways in and I skipped it but added it to my playlist to give it another listen later. It popped up again a few weeks later and drew me right in and the past few days I've listened to it probably 20 times lol. Definitely need to look into this band some more.

BTBAM - VOICE OF TRESPASS PLEASE

Yes!!!!! I think all BTBAM fans would recco Selkies: The Endless Obsession first, with Mordecai being a somewhat close second. But thank you for this one!!

You guys don't give yourselves enough credit! I have never met anybody in my later life that has embraced a new genre the way you have here. I watch these videos because they play out a fantasy in some ways of myself growing up listening to prog and wishing I could get people to listen and understand! Prog requires active listening and a bit of conditioning. You are not far off describing it as chapters or an entire act in one song. That is some of the appeal of it for some of us! I can't say how to easily get into prog because I entered the world listening to it (thanks, Dad!) but I can say it is not an easy genre. However, it is a rewarding one. Prog shows and fans are few and far between but always feel like home.

They should have started with the song Selkies: The endless obsession... You had one job...

Id really love to see you react to Between the Buried and Me- Extremophile Elite (live) its from a dvd they put out and they played an entire album start to finish live. It would let you see just how amazing the instrumental work really is.

What people mean by getting it is when you can enjoy the music without needing a groove. You guys don't need to learn an instrument to like this type of music. The weird and odd parts that you guys don't like, other people do. When you guys are listening you are forcing yourself to find the groove and find the rythm but sometimes with prog you just need to let go of that part of the way you listen to music. I would recommend Polyphia for some prog metal that I think anyone could enjoy, especially their new album.

Someone may have mentioned it already. I didn't feel like perusing nearly 2000 comments, but...their name is actually a lyric from the Counting Crows song "Ghost Train". Great one, fellas. I suggested these guys a few times. Glad to see this one! Keep up the good work!

Disease, Injury, Madness - Between The Buried And Me !!!! a piece of art...

Between the Buried and Me - Extremophile Elite Live would be a great video to watch for the live aspect of prog and BTBAM!!

If commercial music is driving down the interstate, straightforward with easy ins and outs, progressive music is the scenic route that explores all nooks, curves, and stops. It's an immersive sound that's supposed to take you as far off the beaten path as you can go, but it still gets you to the destination.

You can really tell how you guys have really improved as not reviewers but uh....opinioners? You're both so much more adept at expressing what you like or don't in a way that the viewer can understand and relate to even if your opinions and theirs differ. It's so cool to you guys change not just in terms of taste but in your techniques as content creators.

i love youre reaction, because you had it all right, its about the music, and the lyrics tell a story, about being in a coma, and goin through everything that entails