Search - Behold the Arctopus :: Nano Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning

What The !!?%$#@^!!?

Joel Israel | Cedar City, UT United States | 09/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(Instrumental Proficiency 6 stars)



Holy.....!? Well, I don't really know how to start this one. This band and album would probably not appeal to about 98% of the music-buying public out there, but it is simply incredible. If the band's name and album title weren't enough to give you the impression that these guys simply aren't interested in commercial success or pop appeal, wait until you get a load of the music. Whew! I am exhausted just thinking about it. Behold the Arctopus play an unbelievably intense brand of experimental/progressive/metal/post-rock/ambient/funk/techno/trance/fusion/whatever that will instantly appeal to any musician by sheer force of it's ballsy, I-can-play-better-than-anyone-youv'e-ever-seen brashness. Insanely convoluted, technical, original, and just plain weird, this album is worth checking out, especially for anyone who likes displays of virtuoso musicianship. Plus, the new Metal Blade reissue version contains live versions as well, proving that they can pull this stuff off live. Progressive jazz-metal on Ritalin. Since these guys are now apparently signed to a relatively big label which releases a lot of super heavy music, it should be interesting to see what they do next. These guys can play."

Crazy technical progressive grind metal.

Matthew P. Monacelli | Roseville, MI USA | 03/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If Frank Zappa and King Crimson birthed a schizophrenic, demonoid love child it would resemble this band. Its dark and chaotic, but unique and grotesquely beautiful. An oxymoron, yes. Does it describe the music aptly, possibly. This cd is noisy but exact. Its a compilation of their two previous cds, which only consisted of 3 or 4 songs each, plus a live set. Yes they can reproduce these songs live, they are not just studio productions. Quite an accomplishment for the old school power trio. It helps having an astonishing bass player, who technically plays a Warr Guitar. For those that don't know, a Warr giutar is a seven to fifteen stringed guitar/bass like instrument with the range of both a guitar and bass that is usually played by touch or tapping the frettboard using both hands but can be played other traditional ways as well. Thus giving this band a unique sound. The drummer is insane and flows through each tempo change naturally and the guitar player (standard guitar) plays counter-point to the warr guitar franticly, like a Larry Lalonde (Primus) on meth. I can't wait for a full length cd of original material from these guys. Until then buy and enjoy this cd. Keep an open mind. This is hardly for the average music fan."

Avant-Garde Music at it's Best

David W. Millar | Philadelphia, Pa | 03/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Progressive mind blowing insanity. A must have for fans of Dysrhythmia, Colon Marston never fails to amaze."