To someone who is not a musician, this record has a good
chance of sounding like a mouthful of soulless terror. From beginning to end,
the listener’s ears are stuffed with guttural screams, heavily distorted
guitars, and rhythms that are almost impossible to dance to. However, such
intensity is something that any worthwhile band (especially one delving into
genres such as mathcore or death metal) must provide, and with Exoplanet, The Contortionist certainly
delivers.
Listening to Exoplanet
is similar to listening to the rants of a mad scientist. The record is equal
parts creativity and obsession, yet that creativity reflects both beauty and
insanity, the obsession both harmony and cold savagery. For the most part, the
sound can only be described as brutal, as the band shreds and chugs its way
through low-tuned atrocities without relent. But counteracting this darkness is
a catalog of fusion-jazz guitar riffs, clean vocal melodies, and beautifully
structured sections of song, reflecting the wide
range of musical influences cited by the band, a list including Porcupine Tree
and Between the Buried & Me[i].
Such interposition of heavy and light allow for the songs to be very engaging
without sacrificing any of the hard edges demanded by the style.
One such example can be seen in the second song on the
album. “Flourish” opens with exactly that, sweeping guitars and a 9/8
time-signature, before descending into an increasingly intense section of
music. The song convinces you that it is another back-breakingly heavy artifice
of pure metal, and then breaks off into an incredibly melodic and gentle bridge
section. The music moves from cold to compassionate, carrying the listener on a
lilting guitar melody, before inviting them back into the pit with a rephrasing
of the song’s opening riffs. The seamless alternation of dynamics and energies
in “Flourish” showcases this band’s ability to deftly switch between musical
styles, making for a composition that is both aesthetically and intellectually
pleasing.
Exoplanet
appears to be a thematic record, a chronicle divulged through music. This idea
is expressed both lyrically and musically. Melodies and chord progressions are
presented and then revisited repeatedly throughout the record. This is done no
more beautifully than in the songs “Contact” and “Axiom.” In “Contact,” we are
presented with an endearing moment of music in which soaring guitars playing in
a 5/4 time signature are placed flush against a 4/4 drum beat. This same riff
is then re-imagined through acoustic guitars and piano in “Axiom,” the pounding
drums replaced by a tambourine, expressing a malleability of music that many
artists find hard to explore.
Musically,
this record is as detailed as a Renaissance sculpture. Every single note seems
to have been meticulously placed in flawless (although often dissonant) harmony
with every other note, and the sheer amount of time-signature changes alone
suggests that this band has put an immense amount of time into authoring their
music. The Contortionist leaves absolutely no room for error in any of their
compositions, showing that they are a band whose intention and execution are
perfectly on par, and giving the listener a truly deep musical experience.
However, it is also important to note that such musical technicality is a
factor much more easily appreciated by musicians than non-musicians—the
intensity of structure and atonality in songs like “Advent” and “Exoplanet II:
Void” can just as much serve to alienate listeners as to draw them in.
While
this record is full of true and unique musical experiences, it also regrettably
ends up encountering some the predictable pitfalls inherent in the genre. The
level of technicality and precision in the writing on the record is of such
magnitude that it can seem robotic: all intellect and no soul, and so
fabricated that there is no room for the band’s humanity to shine through.
Furthermore, much of the beauty of the writing is buried by the demands of the
genre. For instance, the lyrics of the record are as well-crafted as the music,
a narrative communicated through poetry, infused with existential and exotic
themes ( “Contact” acts as a transcript of transmissions between two parties[ii]).
However, because the style of music compels the screaming of most of these
lyrics, invariably these words and all their meaning are completely overlooked.
Such heavy vocals, while making a superb match to the brutal energy of the
instrumentation, delete the emotion that might otherwise be imparted by
intelligible lyrics or a sung melody.
Ultimately,
Exoplanet is a record built of
relentless and exhaustive effort, and no one can say that The Contortionist has
given anything less. It is an example of a group knowing exactly how it wants
to sound, and relentlessly pursuing that idea. It bleeds power and cunning,
standing as a monument to controlled chaos. The members of The Contortionist
presents us with the simple and brutal truth of themselves, and if you can dig
that, you risk nothing in giving them a listen.
Tunes to Check Out:
1) Flourish
2) Exoplanet I: Light
3) Contact
Tunes to Check Out:
1) Flourish
2) Exoplanet I: Light
3) Contact
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