Review Summary: The Contortionist tread new ground on a planet they haven’t quite left yet.
7 of 10 thought this review was well writtenThe Contortionist tread new ground on a planet they haven’t quite left yet. While exuding the nature of a floating ambiance similar to the aesthetics of
Cynic’s
Traced In Air, the band rely on a damaging clench to their BTBAM-esque senses. The band, however, are simply at their best when they worry less about mechanics and more about atmospheres. Incorporating copious amounts of post-rock tendencies helps
Exoplanet reach the heights it so often desires; albeit as cliché as it is to offer in a now unoriginal genre the band create several instances where the genre could find life again. The only thing holding them back is their pace, if they could just get past their chug-a-lug mentality maybe they’d finder faster footing.
Thankfully, The Contortionist know how to move once they get into their rhythm; stifling riffs headway a majority of the affair bringing the journey some sanity and grounded sense of appeal. Catchy leads find their weaving in between the hip-hoppity breakdowns with a sick flash of techno appeal. This stems from the excellent work of synthesizers assisted by vocoder antics displayed by a worthy vocalist might I add - all praise be to him, aspects the band employ. Of course they have their other uses beyond giving the band a hint of nu-metal flavorings. Typically they’re busy eschewing symphonic –like transitions propelling the band with progressive aspirations; another bonus for the worthwhile journey.
This brews both wane and pleasure for the triage outro
Exoplanet hosts. Between the three songs lay all the high points of the previous thirty-four minutes. Odd time signatures, which suggest a finer working underneath its technicality, reprise abound dark overtones with heavy handed riffs and commanding drums. It elevates the belief that The Contortionist are at this point supposed to be exiting and finding new life, it’s just too bad their bringing such unoriginal ideas with them. Though they make a lot of their deja vu gratifyings welcomed it hinders the feel of a breath from another atmosphere. Until they learn to cut ties with some dispelling appearances they’ll never be flagged as something more than another deathcore band, which is sad because with this release they couldn’t be floating further from that.
