The Apparatus - Behold... the Arctopus/Orthrelm

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Behold... the Arctopus/Orthrelm

Thursday, 06 December 2007

Editor's rating

7.8

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chad Coup
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Sunday, 09 December 2007
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Paincave [Behold... The Arctopus]
02. Pithot 1 [Orthrelm]

Multiple Artists: Behold... the Arctopus • Orthrelm
Title: Behold... the Arctopus/Orthrelm
Genre: Progressive Metal • Instrumental
Release Date: 24 April 2006
Record Label: Crucial Blast
Format: Split
Country: United States of America
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Editor review

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Overall rating (weighted)		7.8
Musicianship		8.0
Composition		8.0
Experimentation		8.0
Production		7.0
Value		7.0

I couldn't imagine two more suiting bands to be put on a split. These two bands personify instrumental technical music perfectly. Behold... the Arctopus is heavy, doom-influenced progressive metal. Orthrelm is angular, repetitive and dissonant black metal-esque experimentation. Both bands are fully rooted in their own sound and each contributes one track to this too-short release.

Behold's song, "Paincave," is a decidedly different approach. This is the band's most experimental track, by far. The song has a lot of space, and doesn't overwhelm and destroy like their previously-released EP called 'Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning.' There are lots of sour chords and melodies, often many seconds apart from each other. At over five minutes, this song is over before it really began. There are hints of typical B... TA virtuosity, but "Paincave" is more about space and atmosphere. This song does sound like the band, but in a different way. They seem to be trying out doom and sludge even more and use this tiny album to do so. Unfortunately, this is one of my least favorite B... TA songs, but that doesn't mean that it's a bad song on its own. An interesting note is the fact that this song seems to have been re-arranged, to much greater success, for the track "Transient Exuberance" on their album 'Skullgrid.' Listen and compare.

Orthrelm has given perhaps their best track in recent memory with "Pithot1." This 3:34-minute masterpiece is so incredibly obscure and fascinating. There are so many changes and parts, and the guitar and drums are constantly swirling around each other. The guitars are on a very high register and Mick Barr hits an insane amount of notes and the drumming by Josh Blair is precise and schizophrenic. A jazz fusion lesson gone horribly wrong, if you will. Picture early Hella on an extreme amount of acid. It's hard to really put a finger on what makes Orthrelm work. You either like it or you don't. It's not for everyone, as it is extremely dissonant, but people that enjoy music that sounds different may end up very much enjoying this. Personally, I have grown to appreciate Mick Barr's style, and he works best in smaller doses.

This split does have a down side besides its length: The artwork is rather weak. I enjoy the colors, but the style doesn't have the depth of any release of Orthrelm or Behold. I would recommend purchasing this on vinyl, as the CD version is very much overpriced. Enthusiasts of either band should be encouraged to pick this up, because it advertises each band's talents in a pretty positive way.

Music Information

Vinyl

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