No distortion. No amplifier. No drums. No synthesizers. These are the symbols displayed by the New York instrumental trio on this album’s Bandcamp page, a credo that’s pretty much representative of Behold the Arctopus’ music. Clearly, this progressive metal UFO hasn’t run out of ways to surprise. Indeed, percussionist Jason Bauers and his cohorts have swapped drums for electronic kits, none of which seem to emulate acoustic instruments. Distorted guitars have been replaced by guitar synthesizers (not to be confused with keytar!) and a Warr guitar, a kind of chapman stick with a very wide range invented by co-founder Colin Marston. All this means that, while we recognize the language of technical metal, we don’t recognize its sounds. In fact, one wonders whether we’re dealing with an album of musique concrète rather than an unbridled form of progressive rock.
In terms of articulation, there is continuity with the band’s discography. The short pieces are densely packed, swollen with ultra-complex passages woven together in a confusing, angular fashion. Extreme tapping games compete for spectral space, and the transitions are never-ending. Yet none of this sounds disjointed. Behold the Arctopus pushes its cuisine so far that we can only applaud the refinement of a unique and fully assumed sound. The experience is psychedelic in itself, contributing to the cosmic aura that emanates from the rather ironic cover and titles. A must-have for all fans of innovative music!
