Riff Analysis 019 - Between the Buried and Me "Sun of Nothing" / "White Walls"

Everything is connected!

[@alecmckay7427]

the only channel whose videos I don't play at 1.25x speed.

[@rushabhnagraj318]

I had noticed similarities between these songs before and now I know I wasn't just hearing things :D Thank you for breaking down the intricacies!

[@bwzarchive708]

just do a whole colors analysis ill geek over it my dude, any day

[@johnangel9116]

I heartily second this

[@bobsmith93]

I know I'm 6 months late, but he could make it 4 hours long and I'd watch the whole thing

[@augustalexander8179]

Same

[@augustalexander8179]

Do the whole album nerd!!!

[@bretttutt7212]

This album was a masterpiece! In my opinion.

[@spacebard7447]

BTBAM is one of my favorite band and i'm happy to see they are one of your favorite too. I've always thought they deserve more popularity. Great video as always, and good job with the transition between SoN and AotS, that sweeping section always got me some trouble :)

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thank you! And it's just too fast! Still pretty messy but I didn't want to spend another two hours trying to nail just that part haha

[@lamniformes]

Never noticed this before, great job. I remember reading an interview where they mentioned that they started writing the album from Ants until the end, and then went back and wrote the first half of the album leading up to Ants. Interesting that they chose this sequence as the on-ramp to both the finale of the whole album and as the end of the album's first half. I'd love to see more videos pointing out little echoes like this across Colors if you're up for it.

[@oceanmachine1906]

The ascending riff has always reminded me of the prechorus in Pull me Under by Dream Theater, I wonder if it was a reference or call back.

[@trowftd]

there's no way it isn't, i've always thought the same

[@dicecard921]

Jesus christ dude, this is a really nice analysis

[@YavorArseniev]

Bloody hell, I finally get a notification from you that isn't at an ungodly hour and it happens to be when I'm at work and can't watch. Looking forward to watching, though, as I'm certain you've done great work again.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Haha tried getting this one out earlier!

[@YavorArseniev]

@@metalmusictheory5401 As long as you upload I shan't be complaining. Great video as always. Yours is one of the best music education channels ever.

[@GaucheEtVeule]

...Colors is my favourite album ever. This is basically the best and truest "review" I've ever seen, and the one I'll start showing everyone to let them know WHY Colors is good. (I know I might be stretching it, but are you ever gonna do a single video on all the other themes and riffs that come back in White Walls? It's one of the most fascinating things ever to me)

[@metalmusictheory5401]

I will eventually! So much to talk about with Colors!

[@leojenkins4232]

colors is my favourite album of all time, super stoked to watch this!

[@kanvolu]

Despite i discovered BTBAM just a couple months ago im in love with their music Also, great video man, you always make my days better :D

[@AlexTechNicol]

Your shirt matches your guitar. 10/10.

[@samuilpetkov497]

Thank you for another exquisite video! Btw have you ever thought of shining light on Vildhjarta's writing style, for example the concepts used in "Dimman".

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thank you! And Vildhjarta video is coming in the very near future!

[@samuilpetkov497]

@@metalmusictheory5401 You are welcomee!!! Thanks again for the great content!

[@sou1daddy503]

Yes! Vildhjarta has definitely been missing in the world of analysis. Glad to hear that you have one in the pipeline.

[@TheReverOcelot]

Vildhjarta are great!

[@joshsanborn9077]

You're awesome man! Really appreciate your approach in explaining all these theories and techniques, it makes alot of sense and has helped me become a better player.

[@coryd531]

My absolute favorite album of all time! This is the first time I watched your video and already knew how to play the riffs. Great job covering the material 🤘🏻

[@dogsander]

This album hit me so hard. Got the tab book like a decade ago and it got soaked but I still have it even though it smells super (tomb) moldy.

[@austinc5813]

You have my sincere thanks for making these dope videos! I don't have much of a background in music theory, but every time I watch one of your breakdowns, it confirms and clarifies the things that I experience while listening to various metals. I look forward to the next one!

[@261290]

Great video. I've Subscribed.

[@fogoverlatria6257]

Great analysis! BTBAM fan since ‘04 and I’m still digging into stuff I haven’t noticed before. Those are some magical guys.

[@joemarta8221]

Awesome video. And all that complexity/motify goodness is just in 2 of the instruments. Add all the cool shit in the drums and bass and no wonder it's such a masterpiece album

[@TheSquareOnes]

Discovered this channel just a couple weeks ago and absolutely loving everything you're doing. One massive issue I'm having though is that there are no longer any new old videos to binge. If you could use your extensive knowledge of time warping to fast-forward us a year or two of content that would really help out a lot, thanks.

[@stweephenf6912]

You're awesome. I dig you picking this band apart. Been obsessed since Alaska myself.

[@CartoonKidOLLY]

I love your shirt

[@trowftd]

this video kicks ass

[@louismotamedi2797]

Love your stuff...would love to see you do a bit on something from Blut Aus Nord ^ ^

[@UnrelentingAssault]

Hell yeah, thanks for all that you're doing. Its been quite a long time since I've picked up an instrument, but this serves as an example of some of the fun I'm missing. Cheers.

[@stevesullivan8405]

Thanks as usual for your brilliant breakdown of this! I'll admit that BTBAM has been completely off my radar, for reasons I can't readily articulate. This definitely opened my eyes.

[@crazydrummer181]

I loved this video. Like you, I’ve been a huge fan since Colors was released. Brings back great memories of high school. I’ve seen them live around 11-12 times and they are tight as fuck every time. I can’t wait for the new album!!!!

[@Rxbandit421]

As always great video! I’ve loved BTBAM since silent circus so always nice to see the two of you in the same video haha. Hell if you did nothing but BTBAM covers id be okay with it lol. Keep up the great work!

[@TheR00ler]

Requesting some Blotted Science (maybe Synaptic Plasticity?). Ron Jarzombek writes the craziest stuff.

[@Henriktranoy]

This is just awesome man! Not gonna lie, a lot of it goes above my head, but you have made me wiser nonetheless, and it gives your videos higher replay value!

[@undeadmach1ne]

thanks for another great lesson sir

[@Nac0589]

amazing! (as always)

[@diegonovoa39]

YESSSSSSS

[@rhyswatson1]

From memory, Im pretty sure white walls has similar riffs and breakdowns from other parts of the album too

[@metalmusictheory5401]

From every other song, in fact!

[@nanthilrodriguez]

Hell Yes After 14 years, and countless hours of study on my own, and you've managed to show me something even I didn't know about Colors. God tier. I've been working up both of these songs on guitar, and I never drew the parallel between the ascending section. I had drawn parallels to the subsequent section, and also the alternating/open power chord shapes in both tracks. Keen insight. How didn't I notice that? Also, the transition into ants is hard as shit. An accelerando combined with subdivision change, into a sudden tempo change, and its 16-note, string skipping sweeps at 160 BPM, great job on learning that section, you killed it! :D Will you be doing one for all the motific repetitions from the rest of the album? Like the repetition from Informal Gluttony throughout white walls, or the intro to the solo chords actually just being the lingering chords from veridian? And you likely know more of these than me :D

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thanks so much! And your comments with ideas helped push me to find stuff that I didn't think you had found haha! And I also found some new stuff just when making this video after thinking I had it all figured out-once you start looking for it, there are quick fragments of that White Walls opening riff absolutely everywhere. Thanks so much!

[@nanthilrodriguez]

@@metalmusictheory5401 I wish I could have sat in on their writing sessions for colors... and what I wouldn't give for a Great Misdirect tab book :P Killer video's, super inspirational. I need to go play now!

[@metalmusictheory5401]

@@nanthilrodriguez For sure! I don't know if you saw the livestream Colors playthrough they did this summer but they had a Q&A where they went into the ProTools session and answered questions about little specific parts and everything, it was a dream come true!

[@nanthilrodriguez]

@@metalmusictheory5401 I have been trying to find that VOD since a week after it happened because I didn't hear about it until later. But who knows if it exists anywhere T_T

[@BentDoorFrame]

Btbam makes things good!

[@coolty545]

I'm a little late to the party, but I love all your BTBAM content. Any plans to do some analysis on Colors II?

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Yes eventually, though it might be a little bit! Trying to gather a bunch of the motives they reuse from Colors I for a video!

[@sonder152]

Ever notice that the chunging ascending thing is influenced by the second prechorus from "Pull Me Under" by Dream Theater?

[@Ampullae]

Loving your videos dude! Killer analysis. If you could do something on Humanities Last Breath's tempo/metric modulations in the future it would be much appreciated.

[@bwzarchive708]

thats what im talkin about!

[@boarderking133]

Noice! Keep it coming. You should break down the main riff from Steps by Intronaut. I think I have an idea of what's going on with it but idk no enough to be sure.

[@madmax18840]

damn dude you can shred

[@hecksnek6158]

Love these videos! Maybe you could cover something by maudlin of the well or kayo dot?

[@reednelson9886]

It's unfortunate nobody says I'm gonna go listen to self titled or silent circus for the hundred thousandth time 😂

[@ihategooglesomuch2119]

Wtf I just got back into BTBAM this week after not listening for 10 years and wished someone would do a video on their song/riff structures... Crazy shit

[@bensm9032]

I'll never listen BTBAM in the same way after this :0

[@johnangel9116]

I'm v glad to find out you're a BTBAM freak. They've been my fav band since Colors came out and are a huge inspiration to my compositions. I'm quite biased but I feel you should do many more BTBAM videos. Have you produced any more scholarship on them besides the two videos for this channel? I'd love to read/watch And sick playing! I've never even attempted the AotS transition haha

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Thanks! And yeah my whole masters thesis is on Parallax II! There's a link to it in the channel description.

[@johnangel9116]

@@metalmusictheory5401 I found it, thanks! Gonna check it out tonight

[@thamuzino]

BTBAM is one of my all time favourite bands! Great video as always. Maybe an idea for a future video: what do you think about the album Blackjazz by Shining?

[@Samurowow]

The new Humanity's last breaths album has some really interesting passages that would fit your taste 😁

[@JoshOlsen89]

Fantastic work, but please consider de-gunking the fretboard on that RG.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Haha I really should, haven't given it a good cleaning in a really long time. Thanks for watching!

[@bwzarchive708]

0:27 theres like a falling down the stairs riff then another one then the big open chord before the solo

[@bwzarchive708]

HOW DARE U TRICK ME

[@drewbairdummel]

When will we see an Uneven Structure analysis?

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Sooner rather than later I think!

[@stemcellphone]

do you write any original music? just curious.

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Yep! floridekstasis.bandcamp.com, got one album and finishing recording another EP which will be out soon-ish

[@TheReverOcelot]

Any Converge or Dillinger riffs soon?

[@metalmusictheory5401]

Dillinger video within the next 5 videos probably!

[@TheReverOcelot]

@@metalmusictheory5401 thank you! 🙏