Dad plays metal episode 10: Dad plays," White Walls," by Between the Buried and Me.

I love this song. Passionately. When I posted the Bloodmeat video I referenced one other song by which I measure musical creativity. This is that other song.
When my best friends and I went to see to see my favourite band, Protest the Hero in 2010, I had no idea one of the opening bands, Between the Buried and Me, was going to change the foundation of my relationship with music (So dramatic, I know).
These normal looking dudes walk out on stage to little fanfare; no over-the-top audio/visual intro, no big laser shows, no pyrotechnics. Just five guys with instruments.
Tommy, the front man, calmly takes the mic and tells the packed crowd of the Shaw Conference Centre that, “We are Between the Buried and me.”
And that was that.
Off they went to work.
Let the music speak for itself.
And it did.
There is no denying that anyone who listens to BTBAM has a strong reaction to it. It is not easily consumed mass media. This song, in particular, is the antithesis of easily consumed mass media.
It is difficult by design.
If you’ve read this far, then you’ve read the lyrics, and the meaning behind them already, but let me take you on a bit of a journey...
As it is with all great art, this piece is taking aim at something in particular, however, it’s message is universally applicable: life is short, make it meaningful.
This song is BTBAM’s answer to record labels and promoters telling them to write shorter, simpler songs. Songs that pack a punch in four minutes or less, will get a crowd moving, will fill stadiums and get played on the radio.
If you want the stage, “gotta draw ‘em in,” as Tommy points out.
They were faced with a dilemma: write the music they love and stay ‘small,’ or write uninspired -stadium metal and potentially ‘make it’ in the eyes of record executives.
Their response?
An album they called, “Colors.”
In a world full of grey, they wanted to add their own splash of colour, so they did.
The final track on Colors, “White Walls,” is Between the Buried and Me throwing down the gauntlet; it is 14 minutes and 13 seconds of hand waving-finger pointing.
It is a challenge.
It is a testament to the fact that music is art, and art is boundless.
While some are content reshuffling the same four chords and getting paid, Between the Buried and Me are going to take you to task.
When Tommy, in my absolute favourite breakdown of all time, is shouting, “White wall!” He is not talking about his own canvas; he is not stuck in a cycle of self-loathing and pity. He is squarely calling out other ‘artists’ and condemning them for their white wall.
It is accusatory.
He is saying, “*We* will be remembered for *this*,” where as you only have a “white wall.”
These musical cowards who contribute nothing to the grand masterpiece of life, yet assume the universe revolves around them.
This song is meant to be hard. It is meant to be off-putting. It is supposed to be difficult to dance to. It is supposed to make you pay attention to what you are listening to; not merely mindlessly consume it.
This is my Olympus Mons - the greatest peak in the solar system. I have started to learn it only to give up more times than I care to admit, but 2020 has had surprises for us all, and here we are.
If you want to play this song, you need to be serious about it. You need to count the bars, the measures, the beats. You need to build the muscle memory in both of your hands, because there’s no way to count it and think about what your hands are doing at the same time.
You have to want it.
You have to earn it.
If you want to ascend the heights of giants, you’d best start slow and appreciate each twist in the journey, for there will be many.
And that is exactly how Between the Buried and Me wanted it.
If you want to be “a part of this closed-off circle,” then you’re going to have to put in the work. My love for this song has only grown through the process of learning it.
Whether you will love it it not is obviously a subjective question, however, there is no denying that this track is impossibly impressive:
561 bars, 15 unique time signatures (6/4, 5/4, 7/4, 2/4, 5/8, 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 15/8, 12/8, 9/8, 1/8, 1/4, 7/8, 3/8) changed 154 times (which means that for slightly more than 14 minutes, there is a time change at least every four bars) and with 18 tempo changes on top of all that arithmetic.
No matter how to examine it: This is without a doubt a colourful piece of art. ♥️

[@lankeysob]

Right on man! This song is pinnacle prog metal.

[@garyharbridge7155]

First!!!