The Contortionist is an American

progressive 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 ...

band from

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. 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.

History

The Contortionist formed in 2007 under the name At the Hands of Machines with vocalist Jake Morris, guitarists Robby 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 Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock, breakdowns. While there are some precursors ...

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

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 An exoplanet or extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet was in 1992 around a pulsar, and the first detection around a main-sequence star was in 1995. A different planet, first det ...

''. ''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 In science and engineering, an intrinsic property is a property of a specified subject that exists itself or within the subject. An extrinsic property is not essential or inherent to the subject that is being characterized. For example, mass i ...

'', 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. 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: 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."

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

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 (

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, the Human Abstract, among many others). 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 Scale the Summit is an American instrumental progressive metal band formed in Houston, Texas in 2004. The band comprises guitarist Chris Letchford, bassist Kilian Duarte and drummer Charlie Engen. They were signed to Prosthetic Records before t ...

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 Clairvoyance (; ) is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to ...

'', on September 15, 2017. 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 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

", originally by

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Musical style and influences

The Contortionist's musical style has been described as

and

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

. 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

. Robby Baca has stated that his influences include Planet X,

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Meshuggah Meshuggah () is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. Since 2004, the band's lineup consists of founding members Jens Kidman (lead vocals) and Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar), alongside rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, drumm ...

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz and rock music, rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K. (band), U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerl ...

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...

The Dear Hunter The Dear Hunter is an American progressive rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a member of The Receiving End of Sirens, before becoming his main band in 2006. The band's s ...

, Textures,

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...

, Gojira, and Animosity. Former member Jonathan Carpenter also stated that his personal influences include Dream Theater and ambient composer

Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...

. Other influences include Rush,

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

, and Cynic.

Members

Current

* Robby Baca guitars (2007–present); bass (2014); keyboards (2007–2014) * Joey Baca drums (2007–present) * Cameron Maynard guitars (2007–present) * Michael Lessard vocals (2013–present) (of Last Chance to Reason) * Eric Guenther keyboards (2014–present) * Jordan Eberhardt bass (2014–present) (formerly of

)

Former

* Jake Morris vocals (2007–2008) * Dave Hoffman vocals, keyboards (2008–2010) (Ishia, ex-Boreworm, ex-Into the Silence, ex-Wounded Knee) * Jonathan Carpenter vocals, keyboards (2010–2013) (Foreign Waves) * Christopher Tilley bass (2007–2014)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Music videos

Concert tours

*This Is Where It Ends Tour – All Shall Perish, Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Conducting from the Grave, The Contortionist *To Catch a Predatour –

The Acacia Strain The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band that was founded in 2001 and originally based in Chicopee, Massachusetts, but now based in Albany, New York. The group is currently signed to Rise Records and initially consisted of high school f ...

, The Red Chord, Terror, GAZA, The Contortionist *The Summer Slaughter Survivors Tour – Conducting from the Grave, The Contortionist,

Volumes Volume is a measure of regions in three-dimensional space. It is often quantified numerically using SI derived units (such as the cubic metre and litre) or by various imperial or US customary units (such as the gallon, quart, cubic inch). The ...

Structures A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

Rings of Saturn Saturn has the most extensive and complex ring system of any planet in the Solar System. The rings consist of particles in orbit around the planet made almost entirely of water ice, with a trace component of Rock (geology), rocky material. Parti ...

*Intrinsic Tour – The Contortionist,

Jeff Loomis Jeff Loomis (born September 14, 1971) is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore during its existence from 1991 to 2011, as well as brief tenures in its precursor, Sanctuary (band) ...

, Chimp Spanner, 7 Horns 7 Eyes *2012 Co-Headliner –

Born of Osiris Born of Osiris is an American progressive metalcore band formed in 2003 in Palatine, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band currently consists of drummer and sole remaining founding member Cameron Losch, lead vocalist Ronnie Canizaro, and guit ...

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. The group consists of lead guitarist Buz McGrath, vocalist Trevor Phipps, bassist Chris O'Toole, drummer Mike Justian and rhythm guitarist Peter Layman. They are cu ...

, The Contortionist, Obey the Brave, Wolves at the Gate *Frak the Gods Tour – Periphery, The Human Abstract, Textures, The Contortionist *MetalSucks Tour – The Contortionist,

Revocation Revocation is the act of wikt:recall, recall or annulment. It is the cancelling of an act, the recalling of a grant or privilege, or the making void (law), void of some deed previously existing. A temporary revocation of a grant or privilege is c ...

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

, Toothgrinder *The Coma Ecliptic Tour –

Animals as Leaders Animals as Leaders is an American instrumental progressive metal band from Washington D.C. Since 2012, the band has consisted of Tosin Abasi (lead guitar), Javier Reyes (rhythm guitar), and Matt Garstka (drums), having originated in 2007 as a ...

, The Contortionist *The Good Fight North American Tour – The Contortionist, Within the Ruins, I Declare War, Reflections, City in the Sea *European Tour – Protest the Hero,

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 ...

, The Contortionist, Destrage *The Divinity of Purpose Tour –

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American metalcore/ hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album ''Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universa ...

, Shadows Fall, Dying Fetus, The Contortionist *Future Sequence Tour – Between the Buried and Me, The Faceless, The Contortionist, The Safety Fire *Escape From the Studio Tour – Periphery, The Contortionist, Intervals, Toothgrinder *Traced in Constellations Tour – Sleepmakeswaves, The Contortionist, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving *Fall 2014 Tour – The Contortionist, Intervals,

Polyphia Polyphia is a primarily instrumental progressive rock band based in Plano, Texas, formed in 2010. The group consists of guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage, bassist Clay Gober, and drummer Clay Aeschliman. Initially rooted in a metal-focused ...

*2015 North America Tour – The Contortionist,

Chon CHNOPS and CHON are mnemonic acronyms for the most common elements in living organisms. "CHON" stands for carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, which together make up more than 95 percent of the mass of biological systems. "CHNOPS" adds ...

, Auras *Polaris North America Tour –

Tesseract In geometry, a tesseract or 4-cube is a four-dimensional hypercube, analogous to a two-dimensional square and a three-dimensional cube. Just as the perimeter of the square consists of four edges and the surface of the cube consists of six ...

, The Contortionist, ERRA, Skyharbor *Polaris United Kingdom Tour – Tesseract, The Contortionist, Nordic Giants *2016 North America Tour – The Contortionist,

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

, Entheos, Sleepmakeswaves *The Mothership Tour –

Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American Rock music, rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. It consists of lead guitarist Will Swan (musician), Will Swan, drummer Matthew Mingus, harsh vocalist Jon Mess, and lead vocalist and rhythm gui ...

, The Contortionist, Hail the Sun, Good Tiger,

The White Noise The White Noise was an American punk rock band from Dallas, Texas, later based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2010 under the name Set the Sun by guitarist and vocalist David Southern and drummer Alex Summers, the band released two EPs an ...

*European Unrest Tour – Periphery, The Contortionist, Destrage *The Sonic Unrest Part II Tour – Periphery, The Contortionist, Norma Jean, Infinity Shred *Colors 10th Anniversary Tour – Between the Buried and Me, The Contortionist, Polyphia, Toothgrinder *The Stories We Tell Ourselves Tour – Nothing More, The Contortionist, Big Story, Kirra *The Clairvoyant Tour – The Contortionist, Silent Planet, Skyharbor, Strawberry Girls, Sikth, AlithiA *The Reimagined Tour – The Contortionist, Intervals *Animals as Leaders 10 Year Anniversary Tour – Animals as Leaders, The Contortionist *Performing Language and Exoplanet in Their Entireties - The Contortionist, Rivers of Nihil

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Contortionist, The American deathcore musical groups American musical quintets American musical sextets American progressive metal musical groups American technical death metal musical groups Djent Heavy metal musical groups from Indiana Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from Indianapolis