Behold The Arctopus are an instrumental metal trio. This CD is a compilation of some of their earlier EPs and MCDs along with some live tracks. First, the positive. These guys are fantastic musicians. Their technical skill is amazing. One of the guys plays something called a touch guitar, which is a 12 stringed instrument that covers both the bass and guitar range.
But it takes more than technical skill to make for an interesting album. After about the first 5 minutes the thrill is gone. The songs have no hooks, no melodies, and are completely forgettable. The albums starts off with 5 studio songs, and then 4 live tracks which duplicate 4 out of the 5 studio songs, which doesn't make a lot of sense.
Listening to Behold The Arctopus is like listening to a metal version of a jazz trio. Some will dig the musical wizardry and appreciate the subtle nuances of creativity of what they are doing. Others will think it's self-indulgent and pretentious and just don't get it. You can put me in the latter group.
