THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: the contortionist

THE CONTORTIONIST – Intrinsic

September 8, 2023 /

The Contortionist are one of my favourite bands and I have followed them from the beginning as they have transitioned and evolved along the way. This is album number two for the band and was the last to feature vocalist Jonathan Carpenter, who would be replaced by the amazing Michael Lessard. The progressive metal genre is very packed and overcrowded and you have to be something special to get noticed. They can play the most crushingly heavy riffs and grooves and in a blink of an eye, the most serene and beautiful takes over.

Holomovement opens up the album and is just that, a superb beautiful noise that grooves, chugs, and chills all at the same time. Definitely my favourite song. Feedback Loop crushes instantly before a beautiful harmonic progression takes over. That riff towards the end is epic! Causality closes out the first side with lots of D-tuned goodness and some seriously low end grooves.

The time and groove changes on Sequential Vision are insane, and man is this one heavy! Geocentric Confusion starts like a death metal band on substance abuse then the progisms interject at select intervals. Totally insane! Killer intro to Dreaming Schematics which at times feels as though everything is on a different time signature. Superb tune!

Side 3 opens up with Anatomy Anomalies and for a brief moment we have a normal groove and riff, but then we are off to the great unknown. The bass sound and groove to the start of Cortical is soooo good and the mix for this vinyl release is superb. Solipsis is the shortest piece on the album and yet in such a short space they just crush your ears.

Side 4 is given up to Parallel Trance both with and without vocals. I feel as though this would have been great in Blade Runner because its ambient sounds would fit perfectly.

A great band who are a one off, and while at times it can be tough to keep your brain trained to all that is happening, they are ultimately a sonically rewarding band.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

THE CONTORTIONIST – Clairvoyant

January 26, 2022 /

This is the 2017 follow up to their amazing album, Language. I love this band. They are pushing the boundaries of Prog metal as well as pushing themselves creatively. It wasn’t until the arrival of vocalist, Mike Lessard from Last Chance To Reason, that things really started to explode creatively for the band. He added a whole new dimension, both live and in the studio, as his movements and energy are compelling to watch, and he has an angelic quality to his vocals.

This albums feels like a continuation from Language, with beautiful instrumental pieces like the awesomeness that is Monochrome (Passive), that opens the album, and killer songs like Reimagined, where Lessard’s vocals are just beautiful. Of course they can groove with the best of them, and the title track, Clairvoyant, has some killer off-time grooves and deep D-tuned epic-ness that I really love. If I’m pushed for a favourite track then I will go for Return To Earth, as it has everything and fills the Prog metal spectrum to the max.

Prog metal has moved on in huge strides over the last ten years. Dream Theater used to be seen as a benchmark of the genre and they have been overtaken somewhat by bands like The Contortionist, who are progressing musically (as the term suggests) and not standing still. The Contortionist are just a killer band with everyone playing at the top of their game, and I look forward to what comes next.

10/10 from The Grooveman.

THE CONTORTIONIST – Language (Rediscovered Edition)

March 20, 2021 /

The Contortionist are a very chameleon like band. They started out as At The Hands Of Machines in 2007, and were a lot more hardcore in their sound. This is their third full album, and with the arrival of Mike Lessard on vocals, they have changed their direction to a more progressive metal band. There are still hardcore moments, but Lessard’s ethereal/breathy style of vocal lends itself to a more melodic style. They are a very complex band song structure wise as there is a lot asgoing on to engage the listener. No straight four-to-the-floor here as there are lots of odd time signatures, key changes, and groovey passages. This is the rediscovered edition with an extra four tracks that were reworked from the original album.

The Source opens things up in atmospheric ambient style and showing the really soft vocal style that Lessard has. The Language follows in two parts and takes the listener on a ride with a multitude of parts and changes. Epic stuff! Integration is the last track on Side 1 and is a tech metaller’s wet dream. Clean and growl vocals abound and the riffs and off time grooves a plenty. Awesome track.

Over to Side 2 we go with Thrive. The contrast between the heavy music and the clean style of Lessard’s vocals is striking and it works really well – another fantastic track. Primordial Sound follows and starts off with a totally non-metal approach with lots of picked guitars, some vocal and ambient keys, and off into fusion territory we go. Arise is the end of this side and is possibly the heaviest track on the whole album, lots of down tuned goodness.

Ebb & Flow starts Side 3 in an Depeche Mode style before sanity prevails and odd time signature heaven returns. This is my favourite track that they do. Lots of nods to prog bands of old, and lots of invention from the now – its also supremely heavy in places. Something for everyone all in one track. The last track on the album is The Parable, and it starts with what I will call a metal ambient soundscape before lots of tech/prog metal goodness kicks in.

So over to Side 4 and the rediscovered tracks. What they have done here is that after being on the road and touring the tracks, each song had evolved, and in turn, had been rediscovered. It’s like listening to four new tracks and is interesting to hear how the band have evolved. I love this, and would be great if more bands did it.

In case you haven’t guessed, I really love this album and it is a 10/10 from The Grooveman. I am not a snob and won’t hold back from giving an album a 10 if it deserves it.

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