The Contortionist Megathread

[toolsound]

Saw them in Baltimore last week and Mike's screams were very controlled and powerful. Not really sure what people's beef is here.

I'll second this. I pulled out my phone and recorded some of the heavier parts of the show because Mike sounded like a friggin' demon. Very loud/powerful screams.

I understand people hating change, but I got into TC because of their newer material. I went back and listened to the original stuff but didn't care for it as much. I feel like they are really exploring sounds/concepts/ideas with the new stuff, which I like.

 

[ImNotAhab]

Man, these guys continue crush it.

https://metalinjection.net/video/th...w-track-early-grave-announce-new-ep-our-bones

 

[Kaura]

Man, these guys continue crush it.

https://metalinjection.net/video/th...w-track-early-grave-announce-new-ep-our-bones

Man, this day just keeps on giving music-wise. Bought a ticket for Unearth's gig, Kse released a new song and announced a gig near my hometown and now this. Dope song.

 

[Albake21]

Still will never understand the love of their new sound. I guess I'm still sticking with Exoplanet and Intrinsic. I had hopes of this one after talking with Cam but it looks like I was still disappointed.

 

[ImNotAhab]

Still will never understand the love of their new sound. I guess I'm still sticking with Exoplanet and Intrinsic. I had hopes of this one after talking with Cam but it looks like I was still disappointed.

I think I yang your yin @Albake21. Never enjoyed Exoplanet and Intrinsic but really dig the newer albums

 

[vilk]

I think I yang your yin @Albake21. Never enjoyed Exoplanet and Intrinsic but really dig the newer albums

I think they've gotten better with each album. Exoplanet was some basic but good deathcore. Then Intrinsic progs it up a notch. Then Language blows the first two out of the water. Then Clairvoyant is just as good if not better than Language.

I only just saw they've got a new track out, I'll have to listen on my lunch break. Will they continue their pattern of only ever getting better?

 

[BIG ND SWEATY]

Exoplanet will always me my favorite but Language and Clairvoyant are both excellent albums. Intrinsic is a god damn snoozefest though, you couldn't pay me enough to listen to that album again.

New song is pretty good, I was just jamming Clairvoyant last night and wondering when they were gonna put out some new music so this was a nice surprise.

 

[Kaura]

Aww shit, here we go again...

Intrinsic is still their best work. Then Exoplanet. For both Language and Clairvoyant I have mixed feelings. Language Pt. 1 is still my top 3 favorite songs by them but apart from that and Ebb & Flow the rest of the album is pretty boring. Clairvoyant is a bit more balanced but I still can hardly get through the whole album in one sitting.

 

[Pietjepieter]

What a happy surprise to hear a new song from them!

Sounds good! curious for the EP, also I read their will be a smashing pumpkins cover on it... hum we will see

 

[Randy]

Will they continue their pattern of only ever getting better?

Well, 'better' is subjective. The new song does sound evolved from the last album, yes.

No shade. I like that they change their sound, I just thought they kinda 'try something new on' and move onto something else in pretty short order, so each new sound comes across as half hearted.

Last two seem to be the closest to one another, which seems to be kind of a washy poppier sound but probably their most refined.

 

[sakeido]

Language is so much better than everything else these guys have done it's ridiculous. as far as I'm concerned the band existed just to make that album and Language Pt.1 which is one of the best songs of all time

ALL TIME

Clairvoyant was mad boring though and the new song isn't much better in that respect. The new stuff just sounds so.. distant and indirect? I dunno. Mike sounds so sleepy most of the time I just don't find it engaging or interesting. I get what they're going for and they're doing it well, but it's just not for me.

 

[Albake21]

The funny thing is, for the people that love Language to death, I've never been given a reason as to why they love it so much. Exoplanet was fantastic in regards of fun, heavy, very technical riffage. Combine that with the ambient undertone and you have a great spacey deathcore album. Intrinsic had the best contrast out of any prog/death metal I've ever listened to. The mix of floating through space with heavy riffs were just perfect. My only gripe with it is the album as a whole feels rushed (and it was according to the band). It starts very strong but slowly down hills throughout. Language is so boring besides a couple songs. I don't care to hear fucking "ebb and flow" every other god damn song. It's so repetitive and expecting of what's coming next. Unlike Intrinsic when the whole song could change out of nowhere. Maybe the average listener is high as a kite to enjoy the album, but for me I can't get past the slow and boring style. Clairvoyant has an awesome story behind it, so lyrically it's very strong. Besides that, it's a total snooze fest after the first couple months with it.

I want to be clear, everyone can enjoy what they want and this is just my opinion. I'm just very passionate about the topic because these guys were everything to me throughout the years. I've never had a stronger feeling to music and guitar playing in general than I did with Exoplanet and even more so Intrinsic.

 

[GunpointMetal]

Exoplanet was basic deathcore? Please show me the other basic deathcore bands that sound like that. Seriously, I'll take all of it. I like all of their records, but Clairvoyant might as well not even have guitar on it.

 

[vilk]

Exoplanet was basic deathcore? Please show me the other basic deathcore bands that sound like that. Seriously, I'll take all of it. I like all of their records, but Clairvoyant might as well not even have guitar on it.

I meant just """normal""" deathcore, not the way you kids use basic these days. As in contrast to their later much more progressive sound.

 

[GunpointMetal]

I meant just """normal""" deathcore, not the way you kids use basic these days. As in contrast to their later much more progressive sound.

No, I know what you meant, lol, you're probably not much (if at all) older than me. Most "basic" deathcore I hear sounds more like Within Destruction or Angelmaker and I don't think Exoplanet sounds like any of that.

 

[Albake21]

I meant just """normal""" deathcore, not the way you kids use basic these days. As in contrast to their later much more progressive sound.

Exoplanet is pretty damn progressive. I don't know a single band or album that comes as close to how technical and not "normal deathcore" Exoplanet is.

 

[sakeido]

The funny thing is, for the people that love Language to death, I've never been given a reason as to why they love it so much. Exoplanet was fantastic in regards of fun, heavy, very technical riffage. Combine that with the ambient undertone and you have a great spacey deathcore album. Intrinsic had the best contrast out of any prog/death metal I've ever listened to. The mix of floating through space with heavy riffs were just perfect. My only gripe with it is the album as a whole feels rushed (and it was according to the band). It starts very strong but slowly down hills throughout. Language is so boring besides a couple songs. I don't care to hear fucking "ebb and flow" every other god damn song. It's so repetitive and expecting of what's coming next. Unlike Intrinsic when the whole song could change out of nowhere. Maybe the average listener is high as a kite to enjoy the album, but for me I can't get past the slow and boring style. Clairvoyant has an awesome story behind it, so lyrically it's very strong. Besides that, it's a total snooze fest after the first couple months with it.

I want to be clear, everyone can enjoy what they want and this is just my opinion. I'm just very passionate about the topic because these guys were everything to me throughout the years. I've never had a stronger feeling to music and guitar playing in general than I did with Exoplanet and even more so Intrinsic.

Language was cohesive with themes that developed slowly throughout the album. It layers clean guitars with heavy ones without running into hacky djent territory. It was melodic at times and heavy at times and never clunked into either mode as badly as old Contortionist. Harmonious then dissonant, all done well. That they could basically turn the songs acoustic on the Reimagined versions and have it come through 100% intact or even better in some cases shows the strength of the original material.

I'm sorry but the "whole song changing out of nowhere" is just dumb. I never even liked old Contortionist and the whole "lol psyche" aspect of them just crashing from one vibe to another with zero warning, transition, or even recall later was practically the opposite of good songwriting. It's like a guy who has no idea of how a manual transmission even works trying to drive, when he also has only one leg and can't actually work the clutch. What it really is, is the band demanding you pay attention to them through contrast alone. Hacky as fuck. They got so much better from that early stuff - and they seem to think so too, because they are moving far, far away from that style as fast as they can.

Old Contortionist having so many stalwart fans who are still butthurt about them never really following up Exoplanet just confuse me. It's been 10 years and that shit wasn't even good back then. Other bands riffed circles around those guys, had better vocals, did the prog thing better, did basically everything better while being very similar. Time to move on

 

[GunpointMetal]

Language was cohesive with themes that developed slowly throughout the album. It layers clean guitars with heavy ones without running into hacky djent territory. It was melodic at times and heavy at times and never clunked into either mode as badly as old Contortionist. Harmonious then dissonant, all done well. That they could basically turn the songs acoustic on the Reimagined versions and have it come through 100% intact or even better in some cases shows the strength of the original material.

I'm sorry but the "whole song changing out of nowhere" is just dumb. I never even liked old Contortionist and the whole "lol psyche" aspect of them just crashing from one vibe to another with zero warning, transition, or even recall later was practically the opposite of good songwriting. It's like a guy who has no idea of how a manual transmission even works trying to drive, when he also has only one leg and can't actually work the clutch. What it really is, is the band demanding you pay attention to them through contrast alone. Hacky as fuck. They got so much better from that early stuff - and they seem to think so too, because they are moving far, far away from that style as fast as they can.

Old Contortionist having so many stalwart fans who are still butthurt about them never really following up Exoplanet just confuse me. It's been 10 years and that shit wasn't even good back then. Time to move on

Oh boy, that sure was a lot of words to say you like boring-ass songwriting.

 

[sakeido]

Oh boy, that sure was a lot of words to say you like boring-ass songwriting.

oh right I forgot I was dealing with early Contortionist fans.. unmedicated ADHD kiddies who can't even sit through a vine compilation on Youtube. should have been more brief so

tl;dr - bad music really bad. good music really good

 

[Albake21]

Language was cohesive with themes that developed slowly throughout the album. It layers clean guitars with heavy ones without running into hacky djent territory. It was melodic at times and heavy at times and never clunked into either mode as badly as old Contortionist. Harmonious then dissonant, all done well. That they could basically turn the songs acoustic on the Reimagined versions and have it come through 100% intact or even better in some cases shows the strength of the original material.

I'm sorry but the "whole song changing out of nowhere" is just dumb. I never even liked old Contortionist and the whole "lol psyche" aspect of them just crashing from one vibe to another with zero warning, transition, or even recall later was practically the opposite of good songwriting. It's like a guy who has no idea of how a manual transmission even works trying to drive, when he also has only one leg and can't actually work the clutch. What it really is, is the band demanding you pay attention to them through contrast alone. Hacky as fuck. They got so much better from that early stuff - and they seem to think so too, because they are moving far, far away from that style as fast as they can.

Old Contortionist having so many stalwart fans who are still butthurt about them never really following up Exoplanet just confuse me. It's been 10 years and that shit wasn't even good back then. Other bands riffed circles around those guys, had better vocals, did the prog thing better, did basically everything better while being very similar. Time to move on

Definitely a very good write up, thank you. But here's my big problem with this. There is no such thing as "good songwriting" It's completely opinionated. If you want to say "proper" song writing, then maybe. That heavy hitting contrast from Intrinsic is what I love so much. To me Language flows together too much creating this drowning effect where everything is just blending together too much.

I've never been the one who want them to stick to the Exoplanet sound. That would be horrible for the band and get repetitive. Intrinsic was a huge step in a different direction, but with that still keeping their sound. The problem I have with all of this changing is that every record is a different band. Hell they don't even know their own sound. That's my problem with this band as a whole. Every single time this gets brought up I always point towards BTBAM. Their sound had changed so much throughout the years, yet somehow they still have their same sound.