CONVERTING Metalhead to Bad Religion Fan - The Defense (REACTION) 

Process of Belief is my favorite Bad Religion album! Brett Gurewitz comes back after an extended hiatus and you can tell there is just this reinvigorated creative energy in the band. ~Liam

As of this moment, Process is my third favorite album of theirs (#1 The Gray Race, #2 Against the Grain) and I think "Sorrow," and "Broken," are tied for my second least favorite with, "The Lie," which is the only skippable one, for me, being my least favorite. I absolutely love every song on the rest of the album. My two favorite albums don't have any songs that I'd skip.

Thank you so much for the lovely comment 😊 Glad you like the format! ~Mika

I mentioned this in the video, though I am not a big chess player so some of the references were lost on me. Maybe someone else could fill in the gaps! ~Liam

To explain some of the chess metaphor: A defense is an opening sequence for Black that responds to White's first moves. A defense is considered "sound" if it doesn't allow White to maintain an advantage. Positional play ("when conditions are positional") is a part of the game where, in the absence of immediate tactical opportunities, the players are shuffling their pieces around the board, looking for better positions. It's somewhat infamous for being a difficult part of the game to really grasp because it requires a lot of long-term thinking; and usually if you screwed up positionally, you don't know until you've lost. The last verse seems to be where the metaphor becomes a lot clearer, at least for me. A defensive sacrifice can be an effective way of slowing an attack, but usually you wouldn't want to sacrifice a piece unless the alternative was losing. Trapping your opponent by allowing moves that look good, but lose, is a huge part of the game; especially below expert level, where most people are aware of the majority of common traps. Setting a trap in a losing position is commonly known as a "swindle" and is considered a sign of desperation. Traps are often "combinational", which means that the threat isn't necessarily the move on its own, but a whole sequence of moves that are now available. Pressure is a very important concept, where well-coordinated pieces can make it very difficult for the opponent to maneuver. If a piece is in two other pieces' line of sight, but it's being defended by two pieces as well, then those defenders can't move without leaving it vulnerable. Adding more pieces to the attack can cause a whole defense to collapse, because more defenders have to be tied down, slowly eliminating the player's options, and making it hard for them to take initiative. Seizing the initiative is a really important part of what's called "counterplay", because if you're losing, you obviously need to take aggressive action to change that. Overall, the terms being used play into the overarching themes pretty well. The positional conditions suggest an unclear path forward, the pressure putting you on the back foot and making you act out of desperation, just hoping that your moves aren't putting you at more of a disadvantage. Being in that kind of situation in chess can feel like drowning, or like waiting for the inevitable, a lot like the modern world can. Loving the reactions!

Wow, this might be the most thorough response we have received on the channel so far. Chess is a pretty deep game, and I am super impressed by your analysis and understanding here, thanks so much for sharing that with us!! ~Liam

Currently we are doing single song reactions but that could change in the future. What is your favorite song from this album? ~Liam

Good point! He also played for Suicidal Tendencies, which Mika is a huge fan of! ~Liam

I am! Good suggestion! ~Liam

Thanks so much! That's so cool that your son loves them at such a young age! The Empire Strikes First, 21st Century Digital Boy, and Sorrow reactions are all coming! ~Liam

Stay tuned. ;)

I wouldn't forget the classics! All of those are coming! ~Liam