The Contortionist - Language

The Contortionist broke into the scene with 2010′s Exoplanet, a 50-minute arrangement that covered a wealth of genres, and showed off a level of musicianship unmatched by their peers. A fluid blend of heavy, atmospheric, and everything in between, the album’s unpredictability and avant-garde approach was praised by critics, and quickly became the standard by which progressive metal was judged.

The band's next record, Intrinsic, was less brazen, further pushing the boundaries set forth by its predecessor with mixed results. Though equally impressive from a musical standpoint, structurally it struggled to find its footing, alternating between various styles with less competence.

This leads us to Language, the band’s third full-length studio album, and the first to feature frontman Michael Lessard, who joined the band after Jonathan Carpenter’s departure in early 2013. With a new front, the outfit has continued to progress their sound into uncharted territories, exchanging the dizzying time-signatures and bone crushing breakdowns of Exoplanet for more calculated soundscapes.

This change is apparent within the first 5 seconds of the opener, “The Source.” Lessard delivers a haunting hymn amidst mounting synth and subtle guitar work, and very quickly, one realizes that "the fans" have taken a backseat to sincere discourse. This is a band making music for themselves. No one else.

A beautifully unexpected introduction, the cascading vocals of this initial offering are soon replaced by the album’s first single, “Language I: Intuition,” A moody dotted 1/4 note delay sets the scene, and is soon joined by a pulsing bass line and more tasteful atmosphere provided by Eric Geunther, keys, another new addition to the group. Following a jazzy break towards the songs midpoint, the stellar guitar work of Robby Baca and Cameron Maynard is finally allowed to take the wheel. Within the track’s closing seconds, the song builds to a towering climax, before diving headlong into “Language II: Conspire,” which, for longtime fans, will undoubtedly satisfy the thirst for heavy. Less restrained and delightfully devastating, this track is also the first real look we get of Lessard’s underutilized screaming, which is unfortunate, its pretty gnarly.

Once past the brooding opening of “Integration,” listeners are whitewashed by drawn-out melodies and repetitious riffs. Similarly, “Ebb & Flow” comes complete with some phenomenal guitar playing reminiscent of Tosin Abasi, but frankly, they are downplayed by forgettable vocal lines, which are, unfortunately, somewhat common across the album’s nine tracks. Not to say that Lessard is a bad vocalist, he can sing, but with the exception of a few standout moments, his delivery isn’t particularly diverse, which in turn devalues this record's shift to a strong reliance on clean vocals. Progression is great when it’s natural, but progression for the sake of progression is less enticing. Plain and simple, I miss the heavy, I want to hear some yelling from time to time.

However, to say that Language is poorly written would be stupid. “Arise” and the previously referenced “Language II: Conspire” finds the group balancing their trademark duality with the same finesse that first put them on the map four years ago. Jaw-dropping shred soars as Lessard shows us what he is truly capable of, while Joey Baca, one of my favorite drummers, somehow manages to keep time with machine-like precision. “Thrive” demands your attention from the second it starts, and manages to maintain that same sense of urgency even during its softer moments, and the last track, “The Parable”, peaks with my absolute favorite moment on the album.

Though Language continues to lack the reckless aggression I missed so much on Intrinsic, as a whole, it still has a lot to offer. From a musical standpoint, it is daunting, and though there are times where they seem to be writing too deliberately, the undeniable quality of the final product makes these excusable. This band is pushing the genre, and in turn has to find out what does and doesn't work. I can't wait to hear the next step in their development! Below is the closer on Language, "The Parable", enjoy.