A very obscure, confusing, and sometimes abrasive band from the States, Behold... The Arctopus presents a fully instrumental progressive style of mentally challenging math metal. Pretty much anywhere you look on the internet you'll find a large amount of resent for these guys, which is understandable considering that this is hardly even music. Core (haha...'core') members Colin Marston and Mike Lerner are the minds behind the material, with Lerner on lead guitar and Marston on a Warr Guitar. For those who don't know what that is, the Warr Guitar is a freakishly disproportionate looking instrument featuring ten or more strings arranged in two scales which meet with the lower strings at the middle of the fretboard, and is usually played upright with both hands on tapping duty. Those who are familiar with Warr Guitars are probably familiar with the sort of chaotic layers and unique vibe that it can provide.

Anyway....They've come out with a whole slew of demo's, splits, compilations and such, notably 'Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning' (alliteration, YES!), but their first full length came out in 2007 titled 'Skullgrid'. Like I said earlier, it's a chaotic torrential mess of sound which initially comes off as a sloppy shredding mess of wankery...but I think these guys seem to know what they're doing, and once you get accustomed to their sound there are a variety of oddities in song structures and time signatures to enjoy. I really think these guys are unique and have something curious to offer, even though they look pretty goofy and seem to dress like metalcore kids. Argh...Maybe this is nothing but shitty mathcore, lol, I could be wrong. Either way, those who haven't heard them should listen to either 'Alcoholocaust' from Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning, or if you're too lazy just listen to their first song on myspace, 'You Are Number Six' and enjoy the slow development of mathematical chaos.

Good Links:
On Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/beholdthearctopus
On Metalstorm:
http://metalstorm.ee/bands/band.php?band_id=3590
and just because I think they're kind of fun:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warr_Guitars

I like these guys. Fucked up, and totally badass.

They are excellent, some of their material is very original and well performed. In my opinion it requires a certain state of mind in order to fully appreciate.. indeed I cannot listen to them everyday..

I listened to these guys a few years ago, before I was really into metal, but I had forgotten about them untill now. I just gave them another listen and I really like their sound. It's almost a shame that they are entirely instrumental, but I guess that only solidifies their niche appeal.

Listening to these guys is typically an excruciating exercise in patience and tolerance. But every so often a window opens in my mind and I "get it", if only for a few moments. Very strange stuff.

I've been waiting for a combination of metal and free jazz, and i finally found one. Wicked stuff.

Haha awesome I'm not the only BTA fan. Well I'm a huge fan of all Colins projects.
I think these guys are awesome and even though you just think its a mess, it has a certain flow and pattern to it.
I guess people could try Orthrelm if they like BTA.
Car bomb is pretty cool as well

Haven't listened to these guys for ages. They're certainly an entertaining listen and some crazy shit but most of the time it's more for novelty value and the like.