The Apparatus

 Sunday, 09 December 2007 Fearless webmaster Paul first told me about Number Twelve in this way: it's good technical screamo. I then told him that I'd never heard the words "good" and "screamo" and even "technical" in the same sentence. This album needed to be given a shot. What we have here is a strange collage of grind, hardcore, tech and, yes, screamo. Paul wasn't fooling about that part, but he was also right in the facts that it was both technical and good. At first listen, it was like Psyopus kidnapped The Blood Brothers and then they had a kid. It's very fascinating.

This is a very musically diverse album. "Don't Get Blood On My Prada Shoes," my personal favorite track, is extremely noisy and chaotic technical grind. Few bands do this better than Number Twelve on this song. It's a short 1:36 and every second is priceless. It also remains one of the band's biggest crowd hits. The acoustic, serene "Empty Calm" really showcases the lead guitarist's compositional skill. It's extremely well-written and played; it helps with the overall theme of the record. In fact, when I listen to this record, the first couple songs feel more and more out-of-place as the album plays on. "Civeta Dei," the closer, plays like a heavy math rock song rather than the frenzied technical grind of track one. Most of the album has a distinct indie rock feel, only it's technical and noisy. Perhaps the screamo parts help the album more than I can tell.

There is a very important, group-defining aspect of Number 12 that I can't figure out: why the screamo? The screamo parts are usually done so poorly and nearly to the point of self-parody. The part where they first come in is 2:02 through "Jesus & Tori." The vocals are nasal and lack polish, and the layered screaming on top of it just makes it seem more awkward than it already does. They seem to get better as the record gets along, but it's an element of this band's music that can't exist any other way. To the band's credit, the screamo vocals get much better with each progressive album. Another slight downside of the record is "If These Bullets Could Talk," which is extremely generic metalcore.

This EP's re-issue, as the original run went quickly out of print, won't cost you that much money and is highly recommended as an intriguing variation on technical music. Even if you don't like indie or screamo, you would be doing this band and yourself a disservice. If you want to experiment with a different kind of tech music or perhaps bring a hipster indie kid over, get this album. You won't be disappointed.

 Sunday, 09 December 2007 People say that technical music is soulless showing off. What may come across as a mess to unfamiliar listeners is actually a high level of complex composition. Behold's relentless take on music is that of pure structure. I could write a book on the dynamic of Skullgrid's extreme amount of layers, but to put lightly, it's the musical equivalent of an M.C. Escher drawing.

Not only does Warr guitarist Colin Marston push his technique and skill further than before, he flourishes in his own unique and original blend of instrumental beauty. Not to leave out guitarist Mike Lerner in the shadows. The guy holds his own. I've listened numerous times to his solo black metal project Direwolf while waiting for 'Skullgrid,' and you can hear how big of a role Mike plays in Behold... the Arctopus. Drummer Charlie Zeleny continues to rock out his drum kit. He continues to be one of metal's most precise drummers and playing this kind of music is proof of that.

'Skullgrid' starts off super punchy and in-your-face, more so than their last EP 'Nano Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning.' You can tell this time around Behold... the Arctopus has a lot power behind their groove and experimental sound. All around, this album feels punk to me, but with a ton of spice and insight at the same time. This album's brilliance conveys so many themes, messages and ideas without singing a single word. How punk. While Metal Blade keeps sticking to a mostly general metal roster, the few 'risky' ones they do have are really pushing the underground into really creative territory. There are a ton of clean bursts of Grindcore and Power Violence, only it's intricate and precise.

'Skullgrid' operates on a much cleaner level of production than the two previous albums. It's not as distorted and dense, but that just means that you can hear everything better. It sounds much more like a progressive jazz fusion act that an abusive tech metal band. Then again, perhaps the band wanted both entities to exist in their own means. 'Skullgrid' is so perfectly produced and mixed. You can hear every note right down to the fingers sliding down the strings. Drums are extremely clear with cymbals having a satisfying sizzle and bass drums at just the right resonance.

Colin said himself he takes inspiration from acclaimed experimental guitarist Mick Barr's Ocrilim project. Those familiar with both Marston and Barr will note the extreme black metal influence that the style has on both musicians. Barr comes in on the tail end of "You Are Number Six," an absolutely epic track that builds and builds until it's ready to explode. There are similarities between Lerner's guitar style and Barr's style, which is the reason that Barr couldn't be a more complimenting guest on a Behold album. Listen to Lerner's beginning of "Of Cursed Womb" and then skip to 7:10 on "You Are Number Six." The extremely fast arpeggio runs coupled with the repetition of those notes really bring these two virtuosos together. Before I read the liner notes, I had no idea that Barr was on this album. That's how well they fused together.

I feel this album's length is just about right. Seven songs of Behold... the Arctopus is a feat to any listener in itself. Solely Sludge or Doom bands bore me, and even the other spectrum of non-sludge bands occasionally dabble in it. This album's Doom parts couldn't be more effective and attention-holding. They're extremely powerful, epic, and loud. If you've seen Behold in action, then you'll know what I mean."

I am in awe of this band. Each member is their own composer and virtuoso within themselves. This applies outside of Behold with Colin's millions of side projects, all completely different and awesome. Not to mention his attentiveness to detail in all recordings coming out of his studio called Menegroth, The Thousand Caves. While Mike finished his own 7-year Direwolf project, Charlie is currently in the Blotted Science mix with legendary guitarist Ron Jarzombek. Astonishing!

Behold... the Arctopus is one of the most exciting bands ever to come out in metal. The band is unpretentious and really welcomes any fan support. They are musicians that take their art seriously and it shows in their playing style and meticulous attention to detail, right down to the album art. It is highly-recommended that new fans start at this record, as it most clearly represents this band's agenda and delivers a fascinating musical experience at the same time.

 Saturday, 08 December 2007 This is technical metal from New England that retains a good amount of accessibility amidst the constantly changing songs. It's hardcore with a more technical edge. There are usually a few themes this band works with when constructing each track, all of them pretty memorable. We have fretboard-sweeping fills, tempo changes within the basic motif and segues into more chaotic territory coming often and very naturally. Not as sonically intense as Psyopus and other bands of the insanely whacked-out school, The Binding seems more driven to crush and have a pretty good time doing it. Picture a more tech version of Botch or Don Caballero and you'll be in the right direction.

Vocals are screamy and throaty enough to do the job nicely, guitar playing is more than par and the drum kit is abused fitfully. There are five tracks in total with the biggest pleasure for me being the instrumental, serene "Addenda." I find its texture and harmonies very appealing. It brings a post-rock edge to the mathcore found on most of the album. The band manages to incorporate some of these aesthetics found on "Addenda" into their normal playing style found on the other four tracks, which breaks up any monotony that could occur should listeners want something a little different.

The Binding shows a lot of ability to grow and get even better with their more brutalizing approach to extreme, technical music without moving into the too-crowded death metal territory. A rather brief, but rewarding, seventeen minutes, The Binding's first release is a good addition to any metal fan's collection of the growing community of bands that try something a little different with a style of music yet to be fully respected.

 Saturday, 08 December 2007 Having gained significant underground success with their demos, Spawn Of Possession decided to re-record a few tracks, as well as write brand new tracks for their full-length. I must say that I have never heard death metal that is this technical and catchy at the same time. It takes a unique band to put so much swing and groove into death metal but also make it extremely complicated and interesting to listen to.

The strange thing that Spawn does, however, is not make death metal scary and dense. To me, this is the happiest death metal around. There is a kind of sardonic glee present when the band is running through all those parts and solos, delivering everything precision. The band has taken death metal and added a sense of fun as well as purpose.

Said sense of fun comes across in "Church Of Deviance," after an Exorcist movie sample ends in "Would you fuck me?" the song starts. "Dirty Priest" has perhaps the catchiest 'chorus' part, in which drummer/session vocalist Dennis Rondum spits out a ton of syllables in a short amount of time. Lyrics are a hoot as well. Many of them deal with demons or demonic possession.

The title track has some really cool, evil sounding stuff, such as:
The frenzy will got twisted and dim
The muscles stopped obey the force, the mind shutted out the speaking voice,
He felt a change and got a choice
Possession in a wicked way, unholy powers drained the rests of it in pain
A sudden life flash altered the course
He couldn`t stand the pain no more, the shotgun end went down his throat,
One trigger pull would have end the mourn
Possession in a wicked way, unholy powers drain the fucking soul in pain."

It's a wonder that the music sounds as up-beat as it does. Granted, this is far from the Gothenburg In Flames/At The Gates style of death metal. Rather, it's closer to the assault of Polish death with extra catchy guitar parts. Every song on this record is memorable. 'Cabinet' is my personal favorite release in Spawn's discography; 'Noctambulant' is a better record but I prefer the first one. Those tired of listening to "death metal" should give this band a shot. There is a lot going on to please even the most jaded death metal fan. It worked on me.

 Saturday, 08 December 2007 ID's previous album 'Breathing Is Irrelevant,' was a pretty incredible album, but 'Solace' let me down at first. There's a big difference here. Gab's vocals are different... much more one-note and hardcore-y (i.e. not as good). There are also more breakdowns and bass drops. Granted, they're technical and efficient, but they are also plentiful. The songs are more brutal, but less tech and don't have the catchiness or staying power found in every song on 'Breathing...'

The mix sounds pretty shitty, though that was no fault of the band. I heard a rumor that the record company hired a guy that was mixing both 'Solace' and another band at the same time. The other band, an alternative rock act, got way more attention and care from the mixer and ID's record got pushed aside, presumably because the mixer hated the material. There was talk for a while that the band would pay to re-mix the CD out of their own pocket in order to rectify the damage the studio guy did. Talk has since been dropped.

I like the first six tracks a lot. It's a darker album, lyrically and musically, than before and features some inspiring playing. "She's Strychnine," less effective than the demo version, is pretty representative of the new direction the band is going. It's more abrasive, but thanks to the mixing, a lot of nuances present in the demo is absent. The last song "A Prelude..." is basically twelve minutes of noise and filters.

Everyone in the band is top-shelf musically. Nobody is slacking or phoning in a performance. The lyrics are still a riot and are extremely effective. Nearly every song is a mini-epic, as with "Breathing...,' but they are even more demented and colorful. I'd love to read an entire novel by Gab; his diction is rather hilarious and formal, combined with the grotesque imagery. This makes for a very entertaining and unique read, especially along with the music. His patterns are interesting and complicated as hell too.

Gab later had announced that he had left ID for other personal endeavors, such as graphic designing for bands. I can't blame him, but his presence will be missed. Live shows had three times than your average metal show intensity when he was on stage, shirt off, self-mutilation scars visible, face contorted with hate, screaming with so much malice and contempt. ID's future is set. Their new vocalist more than performs well. He's no Gab, but then again, he's something different entirely, as is the rest of the band's music. Pick up 'Solace' for a nice sub-plot to what the first album set up.