Band:	Giant Squid
Album:	Metridium Fields
Style:	Doom metal, Post-metal
Release date:	August 2006

01. Megaptera In The Delta
02. Neonate
03. Versus The Siren
04. Ampullae Of Lorenzini
05. Summit
06. Eating Machine
07. Revolution In The Water
08. Metridium Field

Giant Squid is a band that has been emerging in the metal scene as of late, and after a generally well received EP in 2011 and the success of The Ichthyologist, I figured a review for their first work, Metridium Fields (a re-release anyways) was in order. In a nutshell, this album is varied, unique, and surprisingly good.

You could slap a few genre labels on Giant Squid (doom, sludge, progressive, post-metal) but when I gave this one its first listen none of that seemed to matter. It really took me away. Some songs will use monolithic, consistent beating chords, some will have slower, dreamier passages, but what surprises me about it is it all works towards a common goal. Some songs contain aspects unique to only that song, but as a whole, this album really had an interesting and captivating feel to it, and differences in song style had no negative effect on the impact of the album as a whole. It was trance-like at times, and the atmosphere was cool (cold cool, not Will Smith's flat top in the 90's cool) and at times even oceanic would describe it.

Two tracks in particular stand out for me on this one. "Ampullae of Lorenzini" being the first. The way tension is built up and released on this song is remarkable. The distorted riffs take their time, slowly building up pressure, and releasing it with force, and a crisp and sweet melody topped with dreamy female vocals creates a contrasting and effective bridge between the deep and heavy riffs. Another great thing about this song is the use of repetition in the second half, the methodical and trudging riff builds up... Then hits home once the tension is high. And the repetition just helps it sink in.

The other great track for me was the 20-minute closer. For many of the same reasons "Ampullae of Lorenzini" stood out. The repetition and pace of the riffs set up the ideal circumstances to just let that atmosphere sink in and take you away. It probably drags on a bit too long though, but nevertheless is a great song.

So what do I think is wrong with this album? Well, the best tracks are so good at times I almost wish the whole album was composed of songs like them. The variety keeps things interesting but I have to wonder what a whole album of "Ampullae of "Lorenzinis would be like. My guess is it would be awesome. And as I stated above when I was talking about the length of the title track, the songwriting can be a little off sometimes. These aren't major problems, though.

The final word on this one is a strong recommendation from me. It can be hard to describe what is going on here, but it's highly original, well produced, and if you give it the chance to let some of the music sink in, it can really evoke some fascinating feelings and the atmosphere can be quite captivating.