View source for Behold... The Arctopus

{{Short description|American metal band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Behold… The Arctopus
| image           = Loz_arct.png
| caption         = Behold… The Arctopus at [[Death By Audio]]
| landscape       = yes
| alias           =
| origin          = New York City, U.S.
| genre           = [[Avant-garde metal]], [[progressive metal]], [[technical death metal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/beholdskullgrid.htm|title=Behold The Arctopus – Skullgrid|website=Heavymetal.about.com|accessdate=April 4, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051303/http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/beholdskullgrid.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| years_active    = 2001–present
| label           = [[Black Market Activities]]
| associated_acts = [[Dysrhythmia (band)|Dysrhythmia]], [[Gorguts]], Indricothere, [[Byla]], Infidel?/Castro!, [[Krallice]], [[Blotted Science]], Direwolf, [[The Flying Luttenbachers]], Burmese, [[XBXRX]]
| website         =
| current_members = [[Mike Lerner (musician)|Mike Lerner]]<br />[[Colin Marston]]<br />[[Jason Bauers]]
| past_members    = [[Charlie Zeleny]], [[Weasel Walter]]
}}

'''Behold… The Arctopus''' is an American [[avant-garde metal]] band from [[Brooklyn]], New York City, formed in 2001.

==History==
Behold The Arctopus was formed by Colin Marston and Mike Lerner, who had been playing guitar together for over a year-and-a-half by the time they found a drummer. Their demo ''We Need a Drummer'' (on which a drum machine was used) was picked up by drummer [[Charlie Zeleny]]. Zeleny met Lerner and Marston and impressed the duo. He was immediately asked to join the band.<ref name="am">{{cite web|author=Marisa Brown |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/behold-the-arctopus-mn0000637543/biography |title=Behold... The Arctopus &#124; Biography & History |website=[[AllMusic]] |accessdate=April 4, 2020}}</ref>

After releasing two EPs and a split, Behold The Arctopus released their first full-length, entitled ''[[Skullgrid]]'', on October 16, 2007.<ref name="AonMB">{{cite web|title = Behold... The Arctopus on Metal Blade|url=http://www.metalblade.com/english/artists/beholdthearctopus/releases.php|accessdate = October 2, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071015013157/http://www.metalblade.com/english/artists/beholdthearctopus/releases.php| archive-date= October 15, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The band went on tour with [[Genghis Tron]] and [[The Dillinger Escape Plan]] to support the album, but it was cut short by an injury of one of the members of The Dillinger Escape Plan.<ref name="Dinjury">{{cite web|title=Genghis Tron website |url=http://www.genghistron.com/main.shtml |accessdate=October 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707063932/http://www.genghistron.com/main.shtml |archive-date=July 7, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> To help them recoup financial losses from that tour, [[Between the Buried and Me]] took the band on tour, supported by [[August Burns Red]].

On December 30, 2008, drummer [[Charlie Zeleny]] posted a statement on his [[MySpace]] page stating that after five years with Behold The Arctopus, he would be leaving the group to focus on his career as a [[session musician]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.myspace.com/charliezeleny |title=Charlie Z - NYC Session Drummer on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads |access-date=January 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225231249/http://www.myspace.com/charliezeleny |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On November 25, 2009, [[Weasel Walter]] announced that he was moving to New York City to join the band on drums and will be writing "new, more extreme material from scratch."<ref>{{cite news <!--was cite mailing list, that causes a missing URL error--> |title=goodbye california, hello new york ugEXPLODE sale!!! 14 |date=November 25, 2009 |last=Walter |first=Weasel |author-link=Weasel Walter }}</ref>  The band made a brief announcement confirming it on December 16, 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=10284794&blogId=522437668 |title=New drums, new jamz |author=Behold... the Arctopus |date=December 16, 2009 |work=MySpace.com/BeholdTheArctopus |publisher=MySpace |accessdate=January 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207065936/http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view |archive-date=February 7, 2009 }}</ref>

==Musical style==
Behold The Arctopus play instrumental music inspired by both metal and 20th century classical music. This technical and progressive style is executed on a regular electric guitar and drum kit but involves a 12-string [[Warr guitar]], an instrument that covers the range of a bass and guitar and is generally played by [[tapping]] with either one or two hands.<ref name="am" /> Their music often includes [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]], and [[polyrhythms]].

Influences on their music range from [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]], [[progressive metal]] to [[technical death metal]], amongst other genres. Influential heavy metal bands include [[Ulver]], [[Death (metal band)|Death]], [[Neurosis (band)|Neurosis]], [[Darkthrone]], [[Meshuggah]], [[Atheist (band)|Atheist]], [[Voivod (band)|Voivod]] and [[Gorguts]]. Composers [[Béla Bartók]], [[Luciano Berio]], [[Arnold Schoenberg]], and [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] have all influenced the band.

Marston has explained the band's recording process in an interview: "The songs written by one member were all scored out on paper and learned by the band. The first couple songs only had a few notated parts, the majority being written on the instrument and never written down. The trend has definitely been going more towards writing everything out."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gorexridden.tripod.com/interview/behold_int.html |title=Unknown |website=Gorexridden.tripod.com |accessdate=April 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190907211712/http://gorexridden.tripod.com/interview/behold_int.html |archive-date=September 7, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Discography==
===Studio albums===
*''[[Skullgrid]]'' (2007, CD and vinyl, Black Market Activities)
*''[[Horrorscension]]'' (2012, Black Market Activities)
*''[[Cognitive Emancipation]]'' (2016)
*''Hapeleptic Overtrove ''(2020)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theprp.com/2020/03/20/news/behold-the-arctopus-set-june-release-for-new-album-debut-blessing-in-disgust/|title=Behold… The Arctopus Set June Release For New Album, Debut "Blessing In Disgust"|website=Theprp.com|accessdate=March 20, 2020|date=March 20, 2020}}</ref>
*''Interstellar Overtrove ''(2023)

===EPs===
*''Arctopocalypse Now... Warmageddon Later'' (2003, 3" CD, self-released)
**Re-released by Epicene Sound Systems later in 2003
*''[[Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning]]'' (2005, CD and vinyl, Troubleman Unlimited, Epicene Sound Systems)
**[[Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning (reissue)|Reissued]] in 2006 (CD, [[Black Market Activities]])

===Split releases===
*[[Orthrelm / Behold... The Arctopus|Split]] with [[Orthrelm]]  (2006, CD and vinyl, Crucial Blast Records, EYEOFSOUND)

===Demos===
*''We Need a Drummer'' (2002, digital, [[MP3.com]])

===Videos===
*''Memphis 3-6-06'' (2007, DVD, s.l.a.p.)

==Members==
* [[Colin Marston]] – [[Warr guitar]] <small>(2001–present)</small>
* [[Mike Lerner (musician)|Mike Lerner]] – guitar <small>(2001–present)</small>
* [[Jason Bauers]] – drums <small>(2016–present)</small>

===Former members===
* [[Charlie Zeleny]] – drums <small>(2002–2008)</small>
* [[Weasel Walter]] – drums <small>(2009–2013)</small>

=== Timeline ===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:900  height:auto  barincrement:20
PlotArea   = left:100  bottom:90  top:5  right:10
Alignbars  = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period     = from:01/01/2001 till:10/14/2023
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2001
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2001
Legend     = position:bottom orientation:vertical columns:3

Colors =
  id:Guitar   value:green       legend:Guitar
  id:Bass     value:blue        legend:Warr_guitar
  id:Drums    value:orange      legend:Drums
  id:Lines1   value:black       legend:Album
  id:bars     value:gray(0.95)

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

LineData =
  at:10/16/2007 color:black  layer:back
  at:10/23/2012 color:black  layer:back
  at:11/08/2016 color:black  layer:back
  at:06/12/2020 color:black  layer:back
  at:09/14/2023 color:black  layer:back
BarData =
  bar:Lerner      text:"Mark Lerner"

  bar:Marston     text:"Colin Marston"

  bar:Zeleny      text:"Charlie Zeleny"
  bar:Walter      text:"Weasel Walter"
  bar:Bauers      text:"Jason Bauers"

PlotData=
 width:11 textcolor:black align:left     anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
 bar:Lerner       from:start       till:end         color:Guitar

 bar:Marston      from:start       till:end         color:Bass

 bar:Zeleny       from:06/01/2002  till:12/30/2008  color:Drums
 bar:Walter       from:11/25/2009  till:10/01/2013  color:Drums
 bar:Bauers       from:07/12/2016  till:end         color:Drums
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://myspace.com/beholdthearctopus Behold... The Arctopus] on [[Myspace]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090415215711/http://www.metalblade.com/english/artists/beholdthearctopus/bio.php Behold... The Arctopus] at Metal Blade Records
*[{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p694518|pure_url=yes}} Behold... The Arctopus] on [[AllMusic]]

{{Behold... The Arctopus}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American avant-garde metal musical groups]]
[[Category:American progressive metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 2001]]
[[Category:Black Market Activities artists]]
[[Category:2001 establishments in New York City]]