Giant Squid - Metridium Fields, Reviewed by Ian

[Flah]

Artist: Giant Squid
Album Title: Metridium Fields
Running Time: 60:26
Style: Progressive/art rock
Label: The End

Around the time that Isis dropped Panopticon in ’04, the “let’s ride Neurosis’s nuts” trend really started to take off, reaching critical mass in the here and now. It seems like the amount of bands that are now lumped together in that still unnamed genre of sludgy post-whatever quadruples each month as they get more and more faceless. That’s why it’s rather unfortunate when people stick Giant Squid’s Metridium Fields in with the rest. For one, this album was originally released in 2002 (now rerecorded and released by The End), well before Neurosis imitation became the genre d’jour. And secondly, Giant Squid is trying to go somewhere else, albeit reaching that destination by now familiar means.

Let it be known that there is a strong Neurosis influence here but don’t let that scare you off. The male vocals sit somewhere between Scott Kelly and the guy from System of a Down. The slower moments, most notably a lot of the crawling riffs, recall Neurosis’ Stones from the Sky/Eye of Every Storm period, even as far as the keyboard arrangements being fairly similar in spots. Lastly, Billy Anderson (Enemy of the Sun, Through Silver in Blood) engineered the disc. And really, that’s kind of it. If you take a quick listen, sure, it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that Giant Squid reveres the longtime Bay Area band, but if you dig deeper they start to separate. Maybe it's the unorthodox production that forgoes the heavy. Maybe it’s the extra instrumentation that pops up. Maybe it’s the more rock like structure. Maybe it’s their willingness to actually craft some catchy hooks. Something is different though.

Megaptera in the Delta is one of those unnecessary intros and Neonate isn’t their best moment, a track that reminds me far more of The Postman Syndrome with an ear for traditional Middle Eastern folk than anything else (and seems almost radio ready in its overall accessibility). The airy Versus the Siren is where Giant Squid begins to break the mold. With well used synths and a horn section, this duet sounds more suited for an upbeat Bee & Flower. For its first four and a half minutes, it’s damn near a dreamy pop song. The shift to rock feels a bit unnatural, but they make up for it with an almost happy sounding chord progression and the kind of old school electronics one would hear on something like Baba O’Riley. The horns pick up, things get a bit thrashy, and we’re then treated to a two and a half minute post-rock section with a well fitting trumpet solo. It shows that Giant Squid can definitely cover some ground, and even though the nine minutes drags, the fact that the band is this brave and this different with their debut points to good things in the future.

And the future is where one can really see Giant Squid growing into something special and shinning. They stumble a bit on Metridium Fields. The songs last a couple of minutes longer than they really need to. The twenty-two minute title track turns into a jam session that would work great in a live setting, but is rather tedious on record. The trumpet with the Harmon mute provides a nice solo and the organ almost sounds like someone threw Jimmy Smith or Booker T in the studio. It’s neat on the first run through, but the underlying riff isn’t propulsive enough to warrant twenty-two minutes. You also get some filler, as the aforementioned Neonate starts off big but doesn’t really go anywhere and Eating Machine might be the only time that Richard Dreyfus has shown up on a rock record. Finally, while the hushed vocals work rather well, the regular male vocals can be a chore to sit through, especially if you’re not a fan of Serj Tankain’s wailing.

Even with the flaws, there’s something different about Metridium Fields and considering the glut of bands that sound like Neurosis by way of Isis or Isis by way of Breach, it’s rather refreshing. Giant Squid’s debut is definitely worth a look if you enjoy what’s now being described as post-metal, but their follow up, Monster in the Creek, is really where the underground press’s eyes should be focused as it shows tremendous growth and gets downright weird (not to mention fully severing ties to any of the comparisons made in this review). Considering that Metridium Fields came out four years back, it’s interesting given the context, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t sound that fresh anymore because of the current metal environment. Worth a look yes, but try and track down the avant-garde influenced Monster in the Creek whatever the cost.

Ratings:
Music: 7/10
Vocals: 5.5/10
Creativity: 8/10
Sound Quality: 6.5/10
Overall: 7/10

[GLHxCKID]

From what i've heard off of this, it's pretty good. Very good review too, man!