Behold... The Arctopus

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Behold... The Arctopus
Behold... The Arctopus Logo
Background information
Origin	New York City, New York, USA
Genre(s)	Progressive metal Technical metal
Years active	2002–present
Label(s)	Black Market Activities Metal Blade Epicene Sound Systems
Website	Official website
Members
Colin Marston Charlie Zeleny Mike Lerner

Behold... The Arctopus is an American progressive/technical metal band from New York City.

1 Biography
2 Influences
3 Trivia
4 Members
5 Discography
6 External links

[edit] Biography

Behold... The Arctopus is an underground instrumental metal band that originated in New York City during the late months of 2002, with Colin Marston on Warr guitar and Mike Lerner on electric guitar. Without a drummer the pair went searching for one through numerous sources such as advertisements in local newspapers and auditions, looking for a drummer that was capable of mastering the complexities of their unique progressive metal leanings. During this time without a drummer to supply the required acquisition, Colin spent months programming the drums with the demo tracks he and Lerner had already written and recorded. Two songs were spawned during this process, "We Need a Drummer" (which became "Alcoholocaust" on their following debut Arctopocalypse Now... Warmageddon Later EP) and "We Still Need a Drummer" ("You Will Be Reincarnated As An Imperial Attack Spaceturtle", also on their subsequent debut EP). A bootleg titled We Need a Drummer with both of these demos has being circulating the web with no official release of both the original demo tracks currently available. After over a year without a drummer, they stumbled upon a New Jersey local named Charlie Zeleny, who after merely twenty minutes of jamming with the band was accepted as a certified member. Zeleny comprehended the band's conceptual techniques quickly, having perceived the programmed drumming sheet music from the We Need a Drummer demo songs and finally recorded them in 2003 for their debut EP, released by Epicene Sound Systems. The cover sleeve was designed by Daniel Rizer. This was succeeded upon in 2005 with their follow-up EP Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning, consisting of three new songs showing major developments both technically and through musicianship, receiving positive reviews and a new fanbase. The EP was also later released on 12" screen-printed white vinyl. It was by now Behold... The Arctopus were nationally touring with other tech metal orientated acts like Colin's other band Dysrhythmia, Yakuza, Time of Orchids, Kayo Dot, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Orthrelm, with whom they later released a split EP with, Orthrelm / Behold... The Arctopus, contributing one song titled "PAINcave".

In 2006 they were signed to Black Market Activities/Metal Blade and on August 22 the same year they released a full-length album, Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning (reissue), combining their two EPs Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning and Arctopocalypse Now... Warmageddon Later and a full live set.

In a recent radio interview with Garry Way, Colin mentioned that a new Behold... The Arctopus album is in the works with "five songs written and three songs learnt". It's set for release in mid 2007.

[edit] Influences

Due to the band's unparalleled style and approach to metal music, the question "what are your influences?" occurs consistently in interviews; one main influence, especially on Marston's behalf are the varied compositional techniques of 20th century classical music, an example of this being serialism which is used in the concert staple "Estrogen-Pathogen Exchange Program". This classical influence requires procreative skill and is an obvious indication of what sets Behold... The Arctopus apart from most other millennial metal bands. [1]

Another important influence is the historical death metal scene of Florida, which reached its golden age during the early to mid 90's. Bands like Cynic and Atheist were widely known for their jazz influences, which revealed impact in the time signatures, the compositional processes and even the instruments they used, which is now critically regarded as "death fusion" or "jazz-metal". Behold... The Arctopus are often reputed as an evolution upon this influential style, blending in even more mellisonance and musical technicality which has inclined fans and critics to label them math metal. [2]

Behold... The Arctopus has also employed styles that could be considered the "polar-opposites" of math metal and/or jazz metal. Glimpses of ambient music can be heard during some of their latest songs, whilst both doom metal and drone metal, like that of Earth and Sunn O))) have been utilized in songs such as "Sensory Amusia" and also in the previously mentioned "Estrogen-Pathogen Exchange Program", which both appear on the band's second EP Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning. These expansive genres amongst many others can also be heard in some of Colin's other music projects including Byla and Infidel? / Castro!.

Some other bands and artists also cited as influences include Bal-Sagoth, Death, Theory In Practice, Necrophagist, Watchtower, Nocturnus, Martyr, Cryptopsy, Enslaved, Satyricon, Metallica, Hella, Fucking Champs, Orthrelm, Time of Orchids, Friendly Bears, Mutant, Neglected Fields, Canvas Solaris, Terminal Function, Spiral Architect, Psyopus, Dysrhythmia, The Minibosses, DragonForce, The Flying Luttenbachers, Bela Bartok, King Crimson, Ulver, Voivod, Khanate, Morbid Angel and Gorguts. [3]

[edit] Trivia

Colin Marston is also a member of Byla with Kevin Hufnagel, Dysrhythmia, Infidel? / Castro! with George Korein and has his own death metal solo-project Vegan Death, which has yet to release any material.
Behold... The Arctopus are often cited as writing some of the most technical compositions heavy metal has encountered.[4]
According to Marston, the Arctopus is a mythical Cryptid/Amphibian creature that's half man, half Octopus and it lives in the Arctic. But in the true nature of the word's weird mystique, he's also given other answers as to what an Arctopus actually is, as the band has with the tongue-twisting album and song titles, leaving it open for interpretation to the listener him/herself.