Contrarian is an American

extreme metal Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...

band from

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

, founded in 2012 by guitarist Jim Tasikas. They are influenced by 1990's

progressive death metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

bands such as

Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...

and

Cynic Cynic or Cynicism may refer to: Modes of thought * Cynicism (philosophy), a school of ancient Greek philosophy * Cynicism (contemporary), modern use of the word for distrust of others' motives Books * ''The Cynic'', an 1875 book by James Gordon ...

, combining the style with modern

technical death metal Technical death metal (also known as tech death) is a musical subgenre of death metal with particular focus on instrumental skill and complex songwriting. Technical and progressive experimentation in death metal began in the late 1980s and early ...

. The band has drummer George Kollias for their first three and most recent albums.

History

The band was originally formed in 2012 in

, by Jim Tasikas. Jim then enlisted his friend Ed Paulsen for

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

duties, Brian Mason as lead guitar and George Kollias of Nile for drums. Contrarian came from the progressive and technical metal scene birthed in Rochester in the mid-1990s which also brought to light bands such as

Lethargy Lethargy is a state of tiredness, sleepiness, weariness, fatigue, sluggishness, or lack of energy. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, or apathy. Lethargy can be a normal response to inadequate sleep, overexertion, overw ...

Mastodon A mastodon, from Ancient Greek μαστός (''mastós''), meaning "breast", and ὀδούς (''odoús'') "tooth", is a member of the genus ''Mammut'' (German for 'mammoth'), which was endemic to North America and lived from the late Miocene to ...

Psyopus Psyopus (sometimes written as PsyOpus) was an American mathcore band from Rochester, New York. History Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the unorthodox and extremely technical guitar techniques of Christopher Arp, often referred to as "Arp ...

and Sulaco. Contrarian recorded their first EP "Predestined" in 2014. This EP caught the attention of Jason Tipton at Willowtip Records, and within one year the band released their first full-length album, ''Polemic'', on November 20, 2015. The band's two latest albums, ''Only Time Will Tell'' and ''Sage of Shekhinah'', were also released via Willowtip Records, with mixing by producer

Neil Kernon Neil Kernon is an English record producer, mixer, recording engineer and musician from London. He is a Grammy Award winner and has worked on over 100 Gold and Platinum records. Biography Born to a musical family, Kernon's formal musical train ...

. Contrarian has had guest appearances from

Paul Masvidal Paul Albert Masvidal (born January 20, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive metal band Cynic (band), Cynic. He has remained a continual member in Cynic for nearly three decad ...

and Leon Macey of Mithras UK. As of 2020, guitarists Jim Tasikas and Brian Mason are endorsed by

ESP guitars is a Japanese guitar manufacturer, primarily focused on the production of electric guitars and basses. They are based in both Tokyo and Los Angeles, with distinct product lines for each market. ESP Company manufactures instruments under sever ...

. Contrarian are known for their detailed album art covers and concept albums dealing with themes of

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. Contrarian are also known for reviving an organic approach to recording

technical metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

in studio settings.

Members

Current * Jakob Sin - vocals (2022-present) * Brian Mason – guitars (2014–present) * Jim Tasikas – guitars (2014–present) * Bill Bodily – bass (2019–present) (

Flotsam and Jetsam In maritime law, flotsam'','' jetsam'','' lagan'','' and derelict are terms for various types of property lost or abandoned at sea. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A ...

) * George Kollias – drums (2014–2019, 2023-present) Former * Cody McConnell – vocals (2015, 2019–2021) * Leon Macey – guitars (2014–2016) * Ed Paulsen – bass (2014–2019) * Alex Cohen – drums (2022-2023) * Bryce Butler – drums (2019–2022) (

Shadow of Intent Shadow of Intent is an American deathcore band from Connecticut. They formed in 2013 as a ''Halo (franchise), Halo''-themed Studio band, studio project by Ben Duerr and Chris Wiseman. They are not signed to a label and have released all their al ...

, ex-

Abigail Williams Abigail Williams (born c. 1681, date of death unknown) was an 11- or 12-year-old girl who, along with nine-year-old Betty Parris, was among the first of the children to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692; these accusations eventually ...

, ex-

The Faceless The Faceless are an American technical death metal band from the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. They released their debut album, ''Akeldama'', in November 2006, and a follow-up, '' Planetary Duality'', in November 2008. The band's third ...

)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Predestined'' (2014) * ''Polemic'' (2015) * '' To Perceive Is to Suffer'' (2017) * '' Their Worm Never Dies'' (2019) * ''Only Time Will Tell'' (2020) * '' Sage of Shekhinah'' (2023) * ''Demos & Oddities 1995-1999'' (2023)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official Facebook page
Musical groups established in 2012 Musical quintets from New York (state) 2012 establishments in New York (state)