Behold…the Arctopus – Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning EP
Troubleman Unlimited – TMU142 – March 8th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Perusing my local, independent music store has yielded a few gems over the years, simply because
ear X-tacy stocks music that isn’t necessarily mainstream. Christ, they even have a “Metal” section. To make a long story short, I never expected to find
Behold…the Arctopus sitting within the confines of said store. But, remembering the hype that surrounds
Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning EP, I had to pick it up. And – wouldn’t you know it – I’m both dismayed and taken with it for a few reasons, and they are as follows:
1. I loathe paying full price for an EP.
2. Instrumental bands are all well and good, but they don’t seem to be able to capture my attention like a band that utilizes a good old growler/singer.
3. While the merits of the musicians can’t be denied,
Behold…the Arctopus border on being almost
too zany. Sometimes, they even put the wankery of
Dream Theater to shame.
Having said that,
Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning EP actually does deliver on a few levels. Some parts of “Exospacial Psionic Aura” are astounding. Like I mentioned in the second paragraph, the band is immensely talented and will continue to prove that time and time again. “Estrogen/Pathogen Exchange Program” is arguably a break, because the tune settles for ambient noise until the 2:45 minute mark. Ultimately, I found the former song to be the most organized of the lot, whereas “Exospacial Psionic Aura” and “Sensory Amusia” tended to be in slight disarray at times. But, it’s only fitting that a member of
Dysrhythmia is in the ranks of
Behold…the Arctopus. Alas, even though I paid out the ass for this EP, I still have to recommend it for its mind-boggling musicianship. I’m sure I’d treasure this group much more if they had some kind of vox, but evidently not everyone needs to follow the pack. Next time, though, I want more music.
8/10
Official Behold…the Arctopus website
Official Troubleman Unlimited website
