I wasn't a big fan of Behold The Arctopus' last album, 2006's Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning. I like a fair amount of instrumental metal, but they just didn't grab me at all. Their playing was very skilled and the songs creative, but it just wasn't my taste.
Their latest effort is Skullgrid, and for me it is a definite improvement. The songs are still very technical with great musicianship and complex progressive compositions, but there is much more clarity and focus on this album. Behold The Arctopus doesn't play standard riffs, they combine classical structures with many different types of metal. You'll hear elements of doom, mathcore, death, progressive and jazz throughout the album.
There are a couple of guest appearances on Skullgrid, including Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater and Mick Barr (Orthreim). There are still moments of excess and self-indulgence, but Behold The Arctopus has recorded an album that is both technically proficient and will hold the interest of the listener.
