Critics around the world have the praised the brutal originality and wave inducing emotional heft of Giant Squid, and their bombastic second album, The Ichthyologist, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, ISIS, Botch). Within a mere matter of months, fans from all corners of the globe snatched up every last copy of the album's original, extremely limited self released pressing of a thousand copies. Formidable Philadelphia based metal label, Translation Loss, immediately signed the band and re-released the album with fresh new mixes of several songs, and stunning new art work by legendary comic book artist, Sam Kieth (The Maxx, Batman, Sandman).
Now for the first time, you can listen to the critcally acclaimed album for free on myspace, linked from Giant Squid's official page, myspace.com/giantsquid. Anytime a new band surfaces that is this fresh in sound, turning a seemingly known genre upside down and churning it about like a crashing surf, dwellers of underground music can find themselves divided in their feelings about the powerful art presented before them. Some choose the safer, shallower waters of the ever prevalent norm. But, now is your chance to decide for yourself whether the engrossing, abyss crossing journey of The Ichthyologist is something you may wish to embark on. Here are the brave words of some that have:
"While the narrative may take a page from Gregory’s personal life, musically, The Ichthyologist invokes the elemental force of Neurosis, the cinematic scope of God Speed You Black Emperor, and the attitude of punk rock" – Revolver Magazine
"Musically, however you view The Ichthyologist, it's a massive undertaking with layers of instrumentation, voices, sonic moods, waves and textures, presenting a life affirming twist on the light-dark, up-and-down, seesaw post metal style." - Decibel Magazine
"An encompassing and engrossing sensory trip." - Terrorizer Magazine
"The Ichthyologist is, for lack of a better term, a grand fucking slam. Sublimely textured but crushingly heavy, deep as the ocean at its heart and yet instantly approachable, this is more than a great metal album—it is a beautiful work of art, by any standard." – metalreview.com
"This is some of the most honest, sincere, and best executed music out there today, and I think every music fan owes it to themselves to hear Giant Squid at least once. Five Stars!" – progarchives.com
"So, I would say that if you want to discover one of the most original and essential bands of the current era, put away your preconceived notions about what is and isn’t progressive rock and heavy metal and give these guys a listen. The album (like the band) is simply incredible and very unique and inventive. " - musicstreetjournal.com
"The band is a gobbling monster, wrecking any ship who wants to confine it in a sole genre… So early in the year and already we have a strong contestant to prog metal album of the year!" – proggnosis.com
"It is fitting that such a beast would serve as the moniker for San Francisco-/Sacramento-based metal band Giant Squid. Titanic in sound, Giant Squid is difficult to categorize." – Submerge Magazine
"The Ichthyologist is a powerfully emotive, original album that accomplishes the rare feat of having powerful singles that don't disrupt the flow of the album as a whole." - stonnerock.com
"GIANT SQUID reaches out to the world with an array of outstretched arms; some quirky and wandering, some melodious (often in disturbing ways) and others are simply heavy as hell." - blabbermouth.net
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