The Contortionist - Exoplanet
Rating
RIYL
Between the Buried and MeCynic
The Faceless
Release Date
08/31/2010
Label
Good Fight MusicTracklist
1. Primal Directive2. Flourish
3. Expire
4. Contact
5. Advent
6. Vessel
7. Oscillator
8. Axiom
9. Exoplanet I: Egress
10. Exoplanet II: Void
11. Exoplanet III: Light
Users Rating |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Recent Ratings |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chances are this is the first you've heard of Indianapolis, Indiana's The Contortionist. The progressive deathcore quintet has only released one major EP up to the release of Exoplanet and have honestly enjoyed zero success. If there is still any faith in music these days, that is about to change. Taking influences from all over, the band acts as a melting pot in which Between the Buried and Me's early aggression, the other-worldly ethos of The Faceless, and the concern for both melody and heaviness of Periphery all come together. Sprinkle some Cynic and Meshuggah on top, and you've reached The Contortionist. Exoplanet, their first full length and Good Fight Music debut, is easily one of the best albums of 2010.
Exoplanet opens with “Primal Directive,” the introduction to the album's theme of space colonization. Brutal from the get-go, the song takes multiple twists and turns. It opens with a heavy hook riff, proceeds to give the listener the first taste of their spacey vocoder, turns back to groovy, intricate riffing, and so on and so forth. The stand-out moment is one of the many clean sections, featuring an equally percussive and melodic bass effort, as well as an expertly crafted drum performance with delicate ghosted snare hits. “Flourish” elaborates on ideas introduced in the intro, including extending the clean section and providing more attention-grabbing riffs. Though it is one of four songs re-recorded from the Apparition EP, Ken Susi's expert production and the band's updated input keep the song refreshed. “Expire” is notable not only for being yet another solid song, but for some disgusting The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza-esque riffing near the beginning and for more fantastic vocoder use.
Nearing the halfway mark, both “Advent” and “Vessel” make sure to keep the energy up. Both expertly use the group's G# tuning to their advantage, proving to be even more punishing than the previous tracks. “Vessel” opens with a fantastic mix of gorgeous clean guitars and reserved, yet filling, bass. It boasts one of the album's most impressive moments in which murmuring and whispers are used to accentuate the build up into a crushing breakdown. The song resolves itself with some uplifting guitar work and makes for one of the best tracks on the album. “Oscillator” is the next song to take a swing at the band's signature clean bouts, and it does a fine job, ending up being one of the most well-developed songs on the album, and guitarists Robbie Baca and Cam Maynard provide solid, melodic performances as well. “Axiom” continues the relaxed, quiet theme with an acoustic guitar and chord changes that echo the work of Periphery's Misha Mansoor, something that definitely stands out.
The final portion of the album is divided up into three songs, each part of the Exoplanet series. “Exoplanet I: Egress” opens with a gorgeous instrumental section, featuring bassist Chris Tilley and more expert guitar work from Baca and Maynard. The next track, “Exoplanet II: Void,” is crushing from start to finish, with drummer Joey Baca controlling the groove and direction behind every major riff. The album culminates with “Exoplanet III: Light,” a particularly heavy tune that new vocalist Jonathan Carpenter takes by the throat and makes his own.
Exoplanet is easily one of the most surprising albums of the year. A little known band getting an album of this magnitude right on their first try is exceptional, and the future is bright for them. They have already scored a spot alongside The Acacia Strain and The Red Chord on this winter's To Catch a Predatour, so their success is in their own hands. The bottom line is that if you're a fan of any current progressive metal act or just dig musical experimentation at all, you should pick this album up. Exoplanet is one of the most unique and refreshing metal albums of the year, and this band deserves all of the exposure they can get.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
Independence, KY
I think their first EP, Shapeshifter was pretty major...
And I dislike the re-made songs a lot. Maybe if i heard these versions first i would like them more.
Oh, and i hate the way the bass drum sounds.
Other than that, good album.
Edmonton, AB
Just fantastic, this band reminds me of a perfect mix of Intronaut and Between the Buried and me. I love the mix of crushingly low and heavy and beautifully melodic. It was an awesome surprise as I'd never even heard of these guys before.
Illinois
1. go illinois for awesome bands
2. i listened to these guys and love it. it reminds me of older btbam (pre-colors). nothing wrong with that though...
last.fm/user/tragedyl0ve
twitter.com/1000cleverlines
1000cleverlines.tumblr.com
Green Brook, NJ
this band has overtaken between the buried and me, especially given the fact that btbam's last album sucked. exoplanet is awesome and gets better with each listen.
Baton Rouge
I haven't listened to this whole thing long enough to make up my mind about it, but the new version of Oscillator has got to be a candidate for song of the year. As far as BTBAM goes, Oscillator is The Contortionist's Selkies.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
"Go Illinois for good bands"
well review author. they're from indianapolis. The majority of the word Indianapolis is Indiana. They're from Indiana. Also where I live.. hahaha
Infinitely Inwards
amazing album....can't wait to see them on november 9th
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
ERRA - Impulse
Aborted - Global Flatline
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Canada
my AOTY, slightly above periphery. I just love the way they twist their sound so frequently. i feel their passion and emotion.. also great lyrics.
Illinois
it says Indianapolis, Illinois in the review, which is by chicago. i just thought that was the Indianapolis they were talking about. but ya i went to the twitter and saw what it said.
last.fm/user/tragedyl0ve
twitter.com/1000cleverlines
1000cleverlines.tumblr.com
London, UK
Wow, on first listen I can understand the praise this is getting. Definitely get a Tony Danza/Periphery/BTBAM vibe from it- track 2 in particular blew me away. It's interesting how much the 'djent' sound seems to be spreading this year and having an influence on so many bands who combine it with various other sub genres.
Currently listening to:
Tetrafusion - Horizons EP
NAMI - Fragile Alignments
Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony
A Hope For Home - In Abstraction
Blindead - Affliction XXIX II MXMVI
Fishers, Indiana
I'm curious. Judging by the band comparisons, I'm probably only going to like this a little bit.
If nothing else, I can djitterbug to some djent.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Raleigh, NC
Hahaha, my bad. I must have read "IN" as "IL".
This year has been great for bands coming out of left field and surprising me, and these guys are definitely one of those. There is some awesome stuff on this album, and I love that they don't over-do it with the djent stuff. They definitely aren't trying to be Periphery or Meshuggah here, which I respect.
Baton Rouge
Okay, this rules. I think this is what we all wanted The Great Misdirect to sound like.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Baton Rouge
Also, that Intronaut reference above is right on.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Illinois
see i still think the great misdirect was good in it's own way. sure it wasn't super heavy or anything. i don't know, i used to hate that cd, but now i listen to it once a week.
last.fm/user/tragedyl0ve
twitter.com/1000cleverlines
1000cleverlines.tumblr.com
Baton Rouge
It grows on multiple listens, but not enough to make me want to listen to it that much. If you cut Swim to the Moon, it would have made for a decent EP.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
Fishers, Indiana
I'm listening to this by playing it in Beat Hazard, which makes it so much more metal than it already is. I'm diggin it wholeheartedly.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Fishers, Indiana
God damn.
DECOY IRON THUMBS CHALLENGE: Download the demo of Beat Hazard and beat Oscillator without dying. I dare you.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Dallas, TX
Good review Cody. Never heard of these guys before now but wow on first couple of listens I am definitely impressed. I am interested to see whether it'll surpass Periphery in my list at the end of the year.
Minnesota
I'm just getting to this now and agree it is a hell of an album. I'll definitely see myself coming back to it again and again in the future, but just not in rapid succession. As good as this is, I felt it dragged in some areas. Not that it got boring or anything, but it felt like maybe songs should have went someplace other than where they went at times. Maybe this is just me being nit-picky (this will probably make my top 20 albums of the year), but I don't think it is quite as flawless as what's been mentioned. It's damn great, though!
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Kansas
This album is incredible. Wasn't sure what to expect coming into this, but its definitely growing on me. I feel like The Great Misdirect and this could be blended together to create one epic album. Both have their moments.
http://rateyourmusic.com/~benny06
Baton Rouge
I still listen to it at least once a week. It is definitely awesome.
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/