The Contortionist

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This article is about the band. For the physical discipline, see Contortion.

The Contortionist
The Contortionist performing in 2014
Background information
Also known asAt the Hands of Machines (2007–2008)
OriginIndianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Genres
Years active2007–present
Labels
Members
  • Robby Baca
  • Joey Baca
  • Cameron Maynard
  • Michael Lessard
  • Eric Guenther
  • Jordan Eberhardt
Past members
  • Jake Morris
  • Dave Hoffman
  • Jonathan Carpenter
  • Christopher Tilley
Websitefacebook.com/thecontortionist

The Contortionist is an American progressive metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in 2007, the band consists of guitarists Robby Baca and Cameron Maynard, drummer Joey Baca, vocalist Mike Lessard, bassist Jordan Eberhardt, and keyboardist Eric Guenther. They have released four studio albums and three EPs. The band signed with eOne Music and Good Fight Entertainment in early 2010.[1]

History[edit]

The Contortionist formed in 2007 under the name At the Hands of Machines with vocalist Jake Morris, guitarists Roby Baca and Cameron Maynard, bassist Christopher Tilley, and drummer Joey Baca. The band's first release, the EP Sporadic Movements, was released later that year. At the Hands of Machines changed their name to The Contortionist following the EP's release and the same line-up recorded the EP Shapeshifter, which was released in September 2008. These two EPs featured a deathcore sound in contrast to the band's later works. Following the release of Shapeshifter, vocalist Jake Morris left the band and was replaced by Dave Hoffman, who also provided keyboards. The band entered Voltaic Recording Studio in early 2009 and released their third EP, Apparition, in September of that year. The sound of this EP continued the deathcore sound heard with Morris, but also showed the band incorporating elements of progressive metal into its music.

Hoffman departed the band in early 2010 and was replaced by Jonathan Carpenter. Not too long after Carpenter's arrival, The Contortionist began work on their debut album, Exoplanet. Exoplanet was released on August 31, 2010 through Good Fight Entertainment. The album's sound continued the progressive metal/deathcore sound heard on Apparition, with lyrics exploring themes such as space and interstellar travel. Several of the album's songs are reworked songs from Apparition, featuring new lyrics written by Carpenter with slightly different musical passages. The band's second album, Intrinsic, was released on July 17, 2012. A month before the album's release, the Contortionist released their first music video for the song "Holomovement." The sound of Intrinsic differed from previous releases; the album still contained elements of deathcore, but had a greater focus on melody and atmosphere.[2] Carpenter's lyrics focused on science fiction themes which are reflected in the music videos for "Causality" and "Dreaming Schematics."

In March 2013, Jonathan Carpenter announced his departure from the band. At the time, Carpenter and his longtime girlfriend (now his wife) were expecting their first child. He left on good terms with the band to focus on his personal life and starting his family. Carpenter commented on his departure:

"It's going to be a jarring change of pace for my life, not being on the road most of the year. Making songs with the band and then performing them in front of the best fans has been a once in a lifetime experience. I wouldn't trade the perspective I've found in the past few years for anything. I got to meet so many amazing people and see a good chunk of the world. I absolutely intend to keep creating and playing music in the future, albeit in a more personal pursuit. I will miss seeing everyone in the TC family very much. I wish the best to all of my band buds and everyone who supports live music and all this heavy banger music we've been making. I feel very excited for my future with the love of my life and our pups, and our little one on the way. Music has always been one of my passions and that's what drew me to this band in the first place. The music comes first, and I know that the talent of the band will rise above this member change and they will find a new arrangement that will blow your minds."

Robby Baca also commented on Carpenter leaving:

"We are sad to see John go, but at the same time remain fully supportive of his decision. We look forward to the process of finding a new vocalist and writing a new record."

Mike Lessard of Last Chance to Reason took over vocal duties for upcoming shows until the band found a permanent replacement. Mike Lessard commented on filling in for Carpenter:

"I'm happy to be helping my friends in the Contortionist for the next few months on tour as a temporary vocalist. I'll be returning to my duties in Last Chance to Reason once these dates are finished in May. I look forward to seeing a bunch of new and familiar faces in the months to come." [3]

On June 21, 2013, the Contortionist announced via their Facebook page that Mike Lessard was officially their new vocalist.

The Contortionist in 2012

On April 23, 2014, the Contortionist announced via Facebook the completion of recording their third full-length album. The album was produced by Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me, He Is Legend, the Human Abstract, among many others).[4] On June 26, 2014, the Contortionist announced on their Facebook page that their new album, entitled Language, would be released September 16, 2014 through eOne and Good Fight Music. It was also officially made known that bassist Christopher Tilley had been replaced by former Scale the Summit bassist, Jordan Eberhardt, for unannounced reasons. During an AMA session, which took place on September 12, a question regarding Christopher Tilley's departure was answered, the band's response was: "Touring and all that comes with it just wasn't what Tilley wanted to do anymore. We love Chris and wish him the best!"

The band released their fourth album, entitled Clairvoyant, on September 15, 2017.[5] This album featured a softer sound, with predominantly clean vocals.

On August 9, 2019, the band released the EP Our Bones. The EP features two new full-length songs, an ambient interlude, and a cover of "1979", originally by The Smashing Pumpkins.[6]

Musical style and influences[edit]

The Contortionist's musical style has been described as progressive metal[7][8][9] and progressive rock.[10] The band's early work showed one-time experiments in other metal genres outside their primary sound; their second EP Apparition has been described as deathcore.[8][9][11] Robby Baca has stated that his influences include Planet X, Pat Metheny, Meshuggah, Allan Holdsworth, Between the Buried and Me, Dream Theater, The Dear Hunter, Textures, Deftones,[12] Gojira, and Animosity.[13] Former member Jonathan Carpenter also stated that his personal influences include Dream Theater and ambient composer Brian Eno.[14] Other influences include Rush, Isis, and Cynic.[15]

Members[edit]

Timeline[edit]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[19] 		US Indie
[20] 		US Rock
[21] 		US Hard Rock
[22]
Exoplanet — — — —
Intrinsic
  • Released: July 17, 2012
  • Label: eOne, Good Fight
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
 125 23 42 12
Language
  • Released: September 16, 2014
  • Label: eOne, Good Fight
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
 52 13 15 6
Clairvoyant
  • Released: September 15, 2017
  • Label: eOne, Good Fight
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
 135 8 26 7
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums[edit]

List of live albums
Title Album details
Retrospective: Live from Atlanta[23]
  • Released: January 30, 2023
  • Label: MNRK Heavy
  • Format: LP

EPs[edit]

List of extended plays
Title EP details
Sporadic Movements (released under At the Hands of Machines)
Shapeshifter
  • Released: September 1, 2008
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: CD
Apparition
  • Released: September 24, 2009
  • Label: Independent
  • Format: CD
Our Bones

Singles[edit]

Year Song Album
2012 "Holomovement"[24] Intrinsic
"Causality"[25]
2014 "Language I: Intuition"[26] Language
"Primordial Sound"[27]
2017 "Reimagined"[28] Clairvoyant
"Absolve"[29]
"Return to Earth"[30]
2019 "Early Grave"[31] Our Bones

Music videos[edit]

Year Song Director
2012 "Causality"
"Dreaming Schematics"
2014 "Language I: Intuition" Corey Norman
"Primordial Sound"
2015 "The Parable" (Rediscovered) Erez Bader[32]
"Language" (Rediscovered)
"Primordial Sound" (Rediscovered)
"The Source" (Rediscovered)
2017 "Reimagined"
"Return to Earth"
2019 "Early Grave"
2020 "1979" Michael Lessard[33]
2022 "Primal Directive" (live)

Concert tours[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Good Fight Music". Good Fight Music. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  2. ^ Jacob Royal. "The Contortionist: Intrinsic - Sputnikmusic - Staff review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Contortionist Part Ways With Vocalist & Keyboardist Jonathan Carpenter". Heavy Blog Is heavy. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Contortionist Enter The Studio For New Album". March 20, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Calder Hannan (September 13, 2017). "The Contortionist – Clairvoyant". The Progressive Aspect. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Leon T.K. (August 16, 2019). "EP Review: THE CONTORTIONIST Our Bones". Metal Injection. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  7. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "The Contortionist". AllMusic. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Falzon, Denise (July 17, 2012). "The Contortionist". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Colwell, Matthew (July 17, 2012). "The Contortionist - Intrinsic". Alternative Press. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  10. ^ "Progressive Rock Unit THE CONTORTIONIST to Celebrate 10 Years of 'Exoplanet' Album with an Exclusive Livestream Event June 26th". June 8, 2021.
  11. ^ Colwell, Matthew (February 24, 2012). "In The Studio: The Contortionist". Alternative Press. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Interview: The Contortionist". Mind Equals Blown. October 21, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  13. ^ Gomez, Adrian (May 6, 2011). "Indy metal band blazes its own trail". Interview. Albuquerque Journal: 47. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  14. ^ Bell, Robert (July 19, 2012). "Friday To-Do: The Contortionist". Arkansas Times. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  15. ^ "The Contortionist Bio | The Contortionist Career". MTV. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
  16. ^ "Boreworm Add Ex-The Contortionist Vocalist | The Circle Pit". Thecirclepit.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "BOREWORM Unleashes Pulverizing New Single "Vile Husk" Through Metal Injection". Carcosapr.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  18. ^ "NEWS: Jonathan Carpenter (Ex-The Contortionist) Teases New Music - It Djents". www.itdjents.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "The Contortionist Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  20. ^ "The Contortionist Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  21. ^ "The Contortionist Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  22. ^ "The Contortionist Chart History (Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  23. ^ "The Contortionist– Retrospective: Live From Atlanta". Discogs. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: THE CONTORTIONIST'S "HOLOMOVEMENT" SONG + LYRIC VIDEO!". Metal Sucks. June 11, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  25. ^ "THE CONTORTIONIST - 'Causality' Video Released". BraveWords. July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  26. ^ Neilstein, Vince (July 15, 2014). "Drop What You're Doing and Listen to the New Contortionist Single Right Now!". Metal Sucks. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  27. ^ "Exclusive Track Premiere: The Contortionist , "Primordial Sound"". Metal Sucks. September 2, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  28. ^ DiVita, Joe (June 6, 2017). "The Contortionist Detail New Album, Release 'Reimagined' Video". Loudwire. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Listen to the Contortionist's Opeth-Esque New Song". Revolver. July 21, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  30. ^ Kielty, Martin (August 25, 2017). "The Contortionist premiere Return To Earth video". Prog. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  31. ^ DiVita, Joe (June 25, 2019). "The Contortionist Drop New Song 'Early Grave' + Announce EP". Loudwire. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  32. ^ wookubus (December 1, 2015). "The Contortionist 'Rediscover' Four Songs For "Language" Reissue, Debut New Version Of "The Parable"". theprp.com. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  33. ^ Hadusek, Jon (February 20, 2020). "The Contortionist Unveil Video for Cover of Smashing Pumpkins' "1979"". Consequence. Retrieved July 2, 2022.

External links[edit]

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