END OF LEVEL BOSS
Inside the Difference Engine
(Exile On Mainstream)

ISOLE
Bliss of Solitude
(Napalm)

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE
& THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O
Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo
(Ace Fu)

O'DEATH
Head Home
(Ernest Jenning)

TRAP THEM
Seance Prime
(Deathwish)

DYSRHYTHMIA/ROTHKO
Fractures 

(Acerbic Noise Development)

THE FIRE THE FLOOD
Truth Seekers

(No Sleep)

MORE REVIEWS

By far the most singular characteristic of this band is their simplicity, which in itself and by itself puts them in a class all of their own.  Those in a hurry might have to revert back to the ‘stoner rock’ tag, but Metridium Fields has at its core a much more fatalistic, epic and independent sense of musicality. It transcends most tags, because is timeless in its grooves and looseness, the melodies transcend space and float in the same vague way that the tracks interlock with each other and function as a permanent continuum. It does not try hard to escape classification, but their main attribute does as little to describe them as it does to place them in the middle of a number of definitions.  Usually heavy and brimming with open chords ands wide melodies, it’s got the heaviness and depth of the ocean or at least some muddy river, hence the name Giant Squid. The moods and the tempos are constant warm heavy lullabies that work wonders with the joyful siren-like voice of guitarist Aurielle Gregory and the eloquent everyday approach of also guitarist Aaron Gregory elevating each track to constant crescendos that are anything but exaggerated. Not content with two vocalist, the band gives way to keyboardist Andy Southard, who generally provides a third shade in the vocal department that’s a bit harsher, but still fitting.

Giant Squid is based in Northern CA and the copy of Metridium Fields I now hold in my hands is the actual re-recording of their first album.  With renowned producer Billy Anderson (Neurosis, High On Fire, Swans, Sleep, etc) once again at the helm, the band must have been very happy with the songs but not so content with the original sound and release (through their own Tyrannosaurus Records) that they opted for re-recording the same thing all over again. I am not familiar with the previous work, so I can’t say much about what the differences between then and now are. All I can say is that as a new release Metridium Fields makes sense and I can understand why a proud band would choose to take a step back and have their past work redone and exposed again, alas this time with better distribution and more resources behind.    Giant Squid’s music stands closer to the patient pace of Mogwai, Isis and Pelican; the keyboardist share of the pie takes the guitar and drums approach to a more sophisticated realm that’s all but opportunistic. Stuff like this could be such trite shit, fortunately for us and them, this band has some fantastic songs to back them up.

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