| Reviews for Giant Squid's Metridium Fields |
| Cephalopods Make The Best Bassists - 85% |
| Written by OzzyApu
on December 4th, 2009
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| On my journey through the more post-metal sort of genres, I was bound to stumble on the sludgy, ocean-themed bands that have more to them than just looks. Bobbing soundscapes with dueling atmospheres and all sorts of influences from the more extreme genres to the classical ones. I love the way everything blends together to really sound unorthodox in every department, but still essentially metal at the core. I can’t help getting cover arts mixed up between the two full-lengths (those released at the time of this submission), but I should tell them apart when I’m done writing this. What I won’t get over is how bittersweet Giant Squid seem to be; good music I knew I’d come across, but I keep finding myself liking this at one point in time and hating it at other times. A voyage on the high seas and all of its ups and downs can sum up this album pretty well: wretched during storms, reflective during the calm, and sometimes rather boring. The key is the atmosphere, which elapses over the quiet times where everyone is taking a nap or waiting for shit to pop off. These moments, like in the beginning of “Versus The Siren,” feature more brooding segments, high female vocals, and soothing bass that grooves along without ruggedness. The monolithic title track comprises most of these long, poignant moments that utilize a ton of keyboard auras and clean guitars washing at the corners of you head. Bass does bring out the low-end of everything, but these moments are when it’s utilized the best, since it captures that calm serenity that treats you with respect. Opposing these (some within the same calm tracks) are the catchy, thunderous uproars – the split-second that finds everyone panicking as sea beasts ravage your peace. “Neonate,” the middle of “Versus The Siren,” and “Revolution In The Water” (amongst others) pulverize your head with the most craggy guitar tone in the Pacific. It’s so rough and wavy that it grazes but pacifies: between the clean leads in the softer songs, these riffs are diabolically evil and merciless. Every time I hear them they’re massive and take no prisoners – they don’t care that you’re out in the middle of the ocean without any contact with the rest of the world. The way they see it, you’re in its kitchen, so it’s going to make a sandwich out of you. While the production is decently modern, the drums sound like they’re set in a rehearsal room. Toms are extra punchy, the hats are ticks in the wind, and drum bass is nothing more than pillow cases full feathers – someone messed up, and this one is the re-recording! It fits with the music at hand, especially the jazzy moments, but they could have redone the job with them to fit those riffs. Vocally it’s a whole different story – I know many of these post-metal bands are bound to have vocals that I’m not accustomed to, but this one caught me off-guard like hell. Aaron’s voice when I first heard it on “Neonate” sounded very off-key, loud, unmelodious, and rusty. This was just a first peak, but I quickly grew into them and now they’re pretty addicting – you don’t usually hear them like this. I consider them more jarring and sour now, but not without being high and soulful at the same time. His calmer moments bring out a deeper voice that goes great with the relaxed pieces, and other times he’ll let loose some sludgy screams / yells with ton of grit and anger. It took a while for the entire album to really sink in with me; by the end of the first sail I was pleased, but repeated trips made me a bit cranky and tired. Two tracks in particular (the shortest ones) are time-wasters that don’t add anything to the rest of the experience. It’s a long haul, but the adventure is worth it once you begin to settle in and sap everything this has to offer. Get with it and soon enough you’ll be looking for squids to fill the bassist slot in your band (kick out the current one if it’s already taken). |
| Approaching The Summit. - 86% |
| Written by Perplexed_Sjel
on September 28th, 2009
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| As previous reviews will indicate, Giant Squid aren’t the easiest band to pin down. Certainly not to one particular style that overrides all others. This is the main reason I have not reviewed their two successful full-lengths already because as accessible as they are in terms of instrumentation, they’re a reviewing nightmare for me since I’m not overly familiar with concept records, or bands who dabble in jazz. ‘Metridium Fields’, the break through record released through The End Records label, home to many experimental metal and rock acts that I myself listen to, doesn’t lean as heavily towards complex areas like jazz as the sophomore does, but this is a slight indication at what is to follow from the band in the future, or rather, the present. ‘The Ichthyologist’ touches upon subjects I’m not familiar with, making it all the more difficult to review, but as with ‘Metridium Fields’, I feel compelled to finally put down in words what this record, and this band, personally means to me. They’re unlike any other and I know that’s a total cliché - pointing out how unique a band is in comparison to others - but I wholeheartedly mean what I say without any use of hyperbolic statements. The first true indication of this, though he does resemble two famous musicians whom you might have heard of before, is in Aaron Gregory’s vocal portrayal. His voice is one of the most engrossing voices I have heard. He has an unparalleled ability at drawing an audience in through his voice alone since it shines throughout the record. Some say he sounds like the mainstream maestro from System of a Down, Serj Tankian, a rock band whom introduced me to the mainstream scene myself. As I’m well aware and accustomed to the weird and wonderful ways of Serj, adapting to the quirky voice of Aaron was not difficult in the slightest. His voice, if anything, adds more flavour to the already cultured artistry of Giant Squid. Though he does not provide the only vocal efforts on this, or the sophomore records, his presence is the center piece on an otherwise mesmerising decorated mantle. I’ve never much considered the vocals the epitome of a band, or even a central point of the music, but Giant Squid provide a touch of class by exhibiting the excellence of the intelligible lyrical themes through a powerful voice which transmit’s the most infectious sounds you’re ever likely to hear. As well as resembling this powerhouse, Aaron has a tendency to sound akin to the more emotional voice of Scott Kelly, the vocalist behind the massive sounding Neurosis. Not a bad comparison at all. Given the band like to incorporate jazzy instrumentation into their structures, which includes intoxicating bass lines that double-up well with the double bass of the drums and interesting inclusions of surrealist instruments such as the banjo, theremin and trumpet, it’s quite the feat that Aaron manages to establish himself as one of the most powerful hallucinogenic on the record given the vivid imagery provided by the colourful aforementioned elements. The song writing is particularly strong, as you can imagine, since all elements are packed into tight spaces emitting the most fragrant doses of melody and even some slightly sombre passages on songs like the mellow ‘Versus The Siren’, which also happens to be my favourite Giant Squid song from any of their efforts. I was particularly pleased with the song writing. I didn’t ever expect it live up to my expectations as I had previously come across several uneventful “atmospheric metal” bands just before I initially found this soulful band. The whole “atmospheric” sub-genre tends to be rather lacklustre for the most part, although this cannot be considered a solely atmospheric piece since it indulges the listener with slices of jazz and progressive music. The atmospheric description tends to be lost amongst pretentious musicians who couldn’t generate at atmosphere even if their lives depended on it, so apprehension is usually my main feeling towards bands of this description. However, Giant Squid are a different entity altogether, as you may have already picked up on. They do not, as stated before, stick to one spectrum of metal, or indeed rock music. I imagine there are those who would even call this out and claim that it isn’t strictly a metal record, or even a metal band since they’ve become more mellow as time as gone on when they weren’t particularly fierce to begin with, as ‘Metridium Fields’ signifies. There are “harsh” moments, so to speak where guitar distortion does become a factor, but progressive metal rarely calls upon hefty distortion to depict it’s more downbeat qualities. Usually, progressive bands tend to write upbeat songs, with marred lyrics that drown the heavy heart in sorrow. Of course, there are aggressive progressive bands, but Giant Squid, even when applying distorted patterns to the colourful skylines, do not necessarily adhere to this process. The vocals, even when they reach the formidable screamed endings, are always clean and Aaron has a tendency to double up with the female vocalist, Aurielle Gregory, who I believe is his wife (though don’t quote me on that). Aurielle has a much softer voice than Aaron and this fits comfortably in with the idea of a jazz base for the songs as she swiftly implements her sweetly harmonised voice on songs like the poetic ‘Ampullae of Lorenzini’. The songs are littered with creative marks left by the musicians as the banjo, symbolic percussion sections and slow guitars drift in and out of consciousness, affecting the soundscapes in a vast array of ways. The epic 20 minute plus self-titled song is the best example of how Giant Squid fuse jazz subtly into their songs and is a fitting way to end proceedings. Though I have warmed more to the concept record that is the sophomore, I still enjoy this profusely. Some people are put off by the fact that bands release records independently, but I warn you, you would be making a huge mistake if you overlook any of the Giant Squid records because they’ve been independently released (though this one was eventually picked up by a label). |
| Great album with tons of atmosphere - 89% |
| Written by metaljerks
on February 21st, 2009
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| I’ll be honest: The only reason I picked this album up was due to the band’s name (I love all things cephalopodic). So I was lucky when this album turned out to be awesome. Giant Squid’s Metridium Fields is an excellent effort; although it has its less than metal moments, an open-minded listener should find much to enjoy here. Both more traditional sludgy guitars and keyboards provide incredibly atmospheric drones that permeate the entire album. The keyboards are used exceptionally well, and a variety of types are used; the liner notes credit Aurielle Gregory with performing on a Moog Opus 3, Micromoog, piano, Rhodes, my personal favorite, the Hammond organ*, and several others. My favorite track was the album’s titular song, a 21-minute epic soundscape. It’s repetitive, to be sure, but the band members keep making subtle changes in the riffs that reward close listening. I only have one complaint about this release: the vocals are terrible! I know that Giant Squid skirts the edges of being metal, but the vocals here sound like some of those faggy indie bands my sister listens to. I’m not demanding death growls, but I would’ve liked something with a little more punch. I still give Metridium Fields a high grade, though, and am disappointed that they lost their label support. As a result, their upcoming album, “The Ichthyologist,” will be limited to just 1000 self-released copies. *Seriously, I think it’s been scientifically proven that it’s impossible for anything with a Hammond organ in it to suck. I have a record called “Freddy’s Greatest Hits” which was a tie-in to one of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. It’s about as awful as you’d expect, but there’s a cover of Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour” with a Hammond organ on it that I just love. Originally posted at metal-jerks.com |
| An Underwater Journey - 79% |
| Written by jkis
on December 13th, 2006
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| Giant Squid are an American band that specializes in a highly experimental form of doom metal. They seem right at home on their label, The End, which caters to more eccentric heavy music and Giant Squid are pretty eccentric. Their debut album, Metridium Fields, true to the band's name, is themed to the deep sea. The songs give reference to creatures of the depths, such as Megaptera is the scientific name for whales, Ampullae Of Lorenzini which are organs common in sharks, and Metridium Fields themselves which are underwater fields littered with Metridium organisms. However, it is not just the song titles or lyrical references that gives this album its feel for the deep, it is in the mood of the songs. It is reminiscent of space rock, it is apparent that the band was going for something more terrestrial. The album gives off an aura of underwater despair and search, not at all unlike Jules Verne's classic novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The short intro, Megaptera In The Delta, gives the impression of one plummeting to the deep sea and entering a different world. That world is that of Giant Squid. One thing that truly struck me about this album, besides the inherent aquatic theme, are frontman Aaron Gregory's vocals and how similar they sound to those of a certain Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. They are eerily reminiscent to his Waters' on the Wall. I suppose it is these vocals, most apparent on the first true track, Neonate, that gave off an inital impression of the band being space rock. However they take what previous bands dubbed space rock, such as the aforementioned Pink Floyd, and give it an aquatic theme. If you were to describe this album as parts of different bands, you could say it is an almalgamation of Voivoid, Neurosis Pink Floyd, and Black Sabbath. There are also few, very few, parts of screaming that pop in and out through the album. It is similar to say the harsh vocals Isis frontman Aaron Turner dishes out. I mentioned Neonate as being an example of the Roger Waters-esque vocals apparent on the album. Along with that, it also has the title of being one of the strongest tracks on the album. For the majority of the song it has a driving beat and a very spacey chorus with Aaron Gregory's raving voice taking it to subtle depths rarely seen in the world of metal. The band also adds a great deal of ambient parts to the track to separate its movements. Its eight and a half minute successor, Namor Versus Siren, is even stronger than the previous track with a similar driving beat, but with even stroner vocal and guitar parts. At a portion halfway through the track there is an excellent section with subtle background vocals placed with a strong lead guitar part that takes the song places rarely heard in most metal music. The rest of the tracks follow in the same fashion, which is unfortunate, because with more variety the album would be even stronger than it already is. Ampullae of Lorenzini contains a great deal of loud-soft dynamics and more of the Pink Floyd vocals that permeated the previous tracks. This song also has the sludgiest feel to it, especially in the heavier parts. They surely have done their fair share of Neurosis listening like so many bands these days have apparently been doing. Summit and Revolution in the Water both follow in this vein as well, with the latter having a slow dirge feel to it and the former starting with random radio clatter that evolves into a slow post-rock sounding part to a crescendo that sounds straight out of Isis's Oceanic. The only true misstep here is the finale, the 21+ minute closing title track. The band utilizes a single riff throughout the entire song and the only diversions from this is when there are backing instrument parts or vocal parts. While the song manages to stay interesting longer than I would have thought, it does seem to drag on an extreme amount halfway through the song. I commend them for experimenting with this type of minimalism, they went a little too far and the song just drags on. In the end, the album is certainly an interesting listen. I can see all those who are fans of more experimental music, such as Arcturus, Neurosis, or even Agalloch enjoying this album tremendously. Lack of diversity in the songs themselves is something that plagues this album. With a greater variety in dynamics this album could have been a modern day classic. I can tag this band as being one to certainly follow and look forward to future releases as they have potential to being a leading light in the growing family of Neurosis-inspired bands. |