Member:
Just Eric
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Just Eric)
Date:
10/9/2007
Format:
CD (Album)
Surprise is one of my favorite sensations. Not the sissy kind, like running into your boss at the adult book store (“Surprised to see you here?!?”), or getting busted by your wife wolfing down a midnight snack, but rather the awesome once in a lifetime never forget surprises, like the first time you saw the alien burst out of Kane’s gut or, for me, the first time I heard Behold the Arctopus’ EP Nano-nucleonic Cyborg Summoning. Adding to the surprise for me was the nature at which I came across this little disc, purely by chance, well almost purely. I knew of their Time of Orchids connection, Colin Marston recorded ToO’s latest CD, and the cover art blew me away, so I thought, “What the frack,” and plopped down my $15 without a second thought. A couple of weeks later, while sorting my tighty whiteys by holes and remaining elasticity, I threw that puppy on the player and BLAMMO! life changing surprise number two.
A surge of crushing sound slams against the speakers as this trio crunches to a start with a fracas of cacophony. Ten seconds later the guitar starts chugging away, adding shrieks of delight, the drums begin to accent each riff and the Warr guitar, superbly played by Mr. Marston, jumps atop this mass hysteria with the most graceful technical riffs I’ve heard. It’s an aural assault of metal crunch, frenetic drumming and the luscious finger tapping sound of the Warr. So, there I am, briefs in hand, tongue rolled out on the bed, eyes blurred and red, twenty minutes later, I awake, my brain a pile of goo held together by my saviors, the emergency headphones. My first listen to Nano-nucleonic Cyborg Summoning. Thus starteth “Exospacial Psionic Aura” and if you haven’t guessed by now, Behold the Arctopus are a science fiction influenced technical metal outfit heavy into experimentation.
While the results are impressive musically, they are also varied with each of the three tracks showcasing a different style. The second song, “Estrogen/Pathogen Exchange Program”, begins with some of the finest drone I have heard. Lumbering chords, slightly modulated and sustained for effect, darkly laid over a perfect amount of static, lead straight into a fast paced jumble of guitar and drums ala Ruins, if Sasaki Hisashi were a guitarist, but wait, the magic of the Warr provides the bass, and now we have Ruins music plus guitar! The drumming of Charlie Zeleny, whose credentials read like a who’s who of metal, prog and jazz, is pure magic and Mike Lerner’s guitar is downright ferocious. After a tasty drum solo, track three, “Sensory Amusia”, continues the avant-metal style in fine form with crushing drums supporting both guitarists as they riff back and forth through time, jumping from subtle tropical breeze to a scratchy avalanche of sound.
This is a real gem, a taste of the capabilities of Behold the Arctopus and hopefully a glimpse into things to come, their first full-length releases October 17, 2007 in the US. My highest recommendations to anyone willing to explore music along any of these spectrums, RIO, Avant-Garde, Prog-Metal, Experimental, and everything new and exciting.
9 of 10
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