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Tracklisting:
1. Megaptera In The Delta
2. Neonate
3. Versus The Siren
4. Ampullae Of Lorenzini
5. Summit
6. Eating Machine
7. Revolution Of Water
8. Metridium Field
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Band Name: Giant Squid
Album Name: Metridium Fields
Release Date: 2006-08-22
Label: The End Records
Producer:
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Giant Squid! No it's not the title of a Discovery Channel Special (actually it might be but that's not the point), the point is the Austin, TX band Giant Squid creates a groovy musical chaos that encompasses the senses like it's namesake wraps around a drowning sailor. Giant Squid has just recently gained the support of indie label The End Records, and are releasing a complete remake of their first album 'Metridium Field'. Billy Anderson, who is famous for working with other pioneering crossover acts like Neurosis and Mr. Bungle, produced the album the first and second time. This is a pretty big accomplishment for such a new band, and when you hear the sheer musicianship on 'Metridium Field' it is obvious why they gained the attention of Anderson.
The first track 'Neonate' starts out crunchy, doom laden, and black Sabbath-ish, then careens into almost death metal aggression, with the occasional quiet breakdown. Very reminiscent of crossover giants System of a Down, especially because of the instrumental breakedown (it can't really be called a guitar solo) that has a very Middle Eastern flavor. The track 'Ampullae of Lorenzini' is very slow and groovy, with epic, heavy bursts, very much in the vein of Pink Floyd. The shortest song on the album clocks in at six minutes thirty nine seconds (unless you count the fifty second shorts that consist of weird noises and samples), and the longest song at twenty-one minutes and nine seconds, so this is not an album of short little poppy hits; quite the opposite. It is an album of introspective, trippy music that languidly leads the listener into chaos and bliss at the same time. Although don't let the slowness and length of the songs fool you, this is not some hippy jam band, the songs are very dark and heavy with a definite doom influence.
Fans of the anthemic pop hits on today's radio would probably not enjoy Giant Squid. But fans of stoner rock, jazz-fusion, and classic rock progression will absolutely love their sound. Giant Squid is gaining attention for their live shows as well as recorded music and one listen to 'Metridium Field' will make it clear why. These guys are good players, plain and simple, and not bad songwriters either. They are also not as technical as some modern progressive artists are, so a non-musician can actually listen to it and not feel insane. For kicking back and enjoying a most likely inebriated afternoon, these guys are the perfect listen.
Review by: Colette Claire
Giant Squid may sound like the title of a bad B-rated horror flick or a Gwar-like costumed cacophony instead of a breathtakingly dynamic underground rock sensation, yet there's enough murky undertones and grim in their groove to illicit the bestial moniker. Conjuring up a stoner rock stew of epic proportions, this Northern California unit that now calls Austin, TX home after a few major lineup shakeups get top marks for creating a dazzling display of dizzyingly dramatic atmosphere (and for re-enlisting producer Billy Anderson to engineer the mayhem) on their re-recorded affair METRIDIUM FIELDS. While Giant Squid's doom-laden guitars are mammoth, they don't crush the cranium as much as they chip ever so slowly, almost as if the axes and accompanying instrumental bliss alike was performed with Novocain needles rather than sticks and picks. These songs may play long but never get dull, revealing intriguingly ornate tapestries woven by a twin guitar attack that understands the art of restraint, masterfully moody male-female vocal tradeoffs, and a artisan's rhythm section that can dually jazz it out or rip it up a la Opeth. Chock full of simple yet effective percussion and a never overbearing organ which holds each sprawling beat with the utmost care, tracks like "Metridium Field", "Neonate", and Ampullae of Lorenzini" combine spooky savagery and haunting melodies to eerily engage the darker side of your brain.
Review by: mikesos
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