Still, though, this release is cause for much celebration, particularly for those who enjoy such instrumental Math Rock prowess with some Progressive Metal tendencies smuggled in the quasi-jazz stylings of the band. Comprised of three sick bastards from New York City -- Mike Lerner on guitar, Charlie Zeleny on drums, and Colin Marston (who also plays bass in Dysrhythmia) on Warr guitar (www.warrguitars.com), which is a musical oddity with 12 strings encompassing the range of bass and guitar and played by tapping -- BTA are truly an original force with which to reckon. The 24:09 worth of live material isn't bad, per se, it's just that the studio tracks and their 28:53 playing time are what make this record worth owning. Of note is the first half of the second track's eerie, sci-fi soundscape. It seems to be a bit of a departure for the band until the Math Metal pours in later.

Behold... The Arctopus is another band to watch for, kiddies. Just don't pay any attention to reviews comparing them to the Dillinger Escape Plan as that is a bit of a misnomer, certainly misleading, and perhaps even disingenuous.

written by Tony Belcher

Playing time: 53.02