''The Ichthyologist'' is the third studio album by

post-metal Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal music, heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis (band), Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture (music), te ...

band

Giant Squid The giant squid (''Architeuthis dux'') is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, ...

. It was released on February 3, 2009, independently by the band, limited to 1,000 copies in special packaging. The first 50 pre-orders also include a real

Broadnose sevengill shark The broadnose sevengill shark (''Notorynchus cepedianus'') is the only extant member of the genus ''Notorynchus'', in the family Hexanchidae. It is recognizable because of its seven gill slits, while most shark species have five gill slits, with ...

tooth collected by singer Aaron Gregory from the large tunnel tanks at

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at San Francisco, California, where he worked at the time as a professional SCUBA diver. Fans started receiving pre-orders in late January 2009. The album is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

about a man stripped of humanity and left alone with nothing but the sea in front of him. He adapts in inhuman ways to survive the shock of human loss and total emotional tragedy, becoming something else entirely in the process. It has been greatly implied that these adaptations were in the form of transformation into a marine seastar like mutation, adopting their abilities of regeneration, and strange anatomic features, such as possessing two stomachs, and light sensing eye-like organs on the tips of their appendages. This story line was continued in the follow-up 2011 EP,

Cenotes A cenote ( or ; ) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting when a collapse of limestone bedrock exposes groundwater. The term originated on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where the ancient Maya commonly used cenotes for water supplies, and ...

, and is hinted at in the 2014 release, Minoans.Written by band member and lyricist, Aaron John Gregory The album was re-released on Translation Loss Records featuring four completely re-mixed songs as well as new artwork by

Sam Kieth Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Maxx'' and '' Zero Girl''. Career Comics Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "about ...

Track listing

# Panthalassa ''( Lampetra tridentata)'' – 5:50 # La Brea Tar Pits ''(

Pseudomonas putida ''Pseudomonas putida'' is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, saprophytic soil bacterium. It has a versatile metabolism and is amenable to genetic manipulation, making it a common organism used in research, bioremediation, and synthesis of chemicals and ...

)'' – 7:28 # Sutterville ''(

Vibrio cholerae ''Vibrio cholerae'' is a species of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, Facultative anaerobic organism, facultative anaerobe and Vibrio, comma-shaped bacteria. The bacteria naturally live in Brackish water, brackish or saltwater where they att ...

)'' – 4:08 # Dead Man Slough ''(

Pacifastacus leniusculus The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a species of crayfish indigenous to North America. Introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague ...

)'' – 5:33 # Throwing a Donner Party at Sea ''( Physeter catodon)'' ft. Karyn Crisis – 5:40 # Sevengill ''(

Notorynchus cepedianus The broadnose sevengill shark (''Notorynchus cepedianus'') is the only extant member of the genus ''Notorynchus'', in the family Hexanchidae. It is recognizable because of its seven gill slits, while most shark species have five gill slits, with ...

)'' ft.

Anneke van Giersbergen Anna Maria "Anneke" van Giersbergen (born 8 March 1973) is a Dutch singer, songwriter and guitarist who became known worldwide as the lead singer for the rock band The Gathering between 1994 and 2007. She also has a solo career. The project wa ...

, Lorraine Rath – 7:10 # Mormon Island ''( Alluvial Au)'' ft. Kris Force – 6:39 # Blue Linckia ''(

Linckia laevigata ''Linckia laevigata'' (sometimes called the "blue ''Linckia''" or blue star) is a species of sea star in the shallow waters of tropical Indo-Pacific. Description and characteristics The variation ("polymorphism", in this case, a "color morph" ...

)'' – 7:13 # Emerald Bay ''( Prionace glauca)'' ft. Cat Gratz – 6:11 # Rubicon Wall ''(

Acipenser transmontanus White sturgeon (''Sinosturio transmontanus'') is a species of sturgeon in the family Acipenseridae of the order Acipenseriformes. They are an anadromous (migratory) fish species ranging in the Eastern Pacific; from the Gulf of Alaska to Monterey, ...

)'' – 7:59

Personnel

* Aaron Gregory – vocals, guitar, banjo, keyboards * Jackie Perez Gratz – cello, vocals * Bryan Beeson – bass * Chris Lyman – drums

Guest musicians

* Karyn Crisis – vocals * Anneke Van Giersbergen – vocals * Kris Force – violin * Nate Perkins – trumpet * Cat Gratz – oboe * Lorraine Rath – flute

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichthyologist, The 2009 albums 2000s concept albums Giant Squid (band) albums Albums produced by Matt Bayles