Well! For those who raise their standards exceptionally high for bands with the word progressive as part of their descriptor, out comes Contrarian with yet another example of how to expertly fuse traditional heavy metal, old school progressive metal, modern progressive metal, and modern death metal! The band’s fourth full-length studio album, Only Time Will Tell is a beautifully written opus, complete with a wonderful, nerd-friendly science-fiction concept story as a backdrop. The band’s mascot, the cloaked contrarian, returns again to take the listener on a journey through time – where love and redemption are of the highest priorities. In addition to the band’s already solidified signature sound, Contrarian offer a few shorter “segue tracks” to bridge the gap between metal and sci-fi. The electronic arrangements on “Beat the Clock” and “Only Time Will Tell” cast instant shades of the Blade Runner soundtrack for fans of the original film. While at the same time, the catchy chord progressions and intricately implemented drum filling accompanying these electronic bits, perfectly combine elements of ’80s heavy metal nostalgia and modern progressive metal with subtle avant-garde-esque twists and turns.
In the realm of guitarwork, Jim Tasikas (founder and main songwriter) is back to unleashing barrages of melodious riffing, darker driving riffs, ambient clean passages, searing lead melodies and solos, and of course, oddly timed progressions and transitions designed to make listeners put their thinking caps on. Jim’s usual diverse song-formulating perfectly compliments the equal riff-writing and soloing ability of guitarist, Brian Mason. And when these two players are side-by-side on the live stage, faces are melted in spades. Back in early September 2020, Jim and Brian were added to the ESP Guitars artist roster. Below is a playthrough video of the dudes rocking their ESP M Series axes for the song, “In a Blink of an Eye”:
Bill Bodilly, performing bass duties on Only Time Will Tell is just unbelievable. With an extremely melodious and filled-out sound, in the same vein as what is typically heard on Beyond Creation and Obscura albums, Contrarian’s bass is presented on their fourth album in the same way it usually is: at the forefront of the mix with everything else and with a mind of its own. Too often are metal bassists neglected in mixes, and by fans as well due to the stigma that metal bass players simply “hug the root notes” and follow the guitar. As a tightknit unit with drummer, Bryce Butler, Contrarian’s rhythm section is a bombastic, intricately layered, tangent-filled backdrop to an already busy, busy sound throughout this album. However, Contrarian, as a band, have always had the ability to rein in their tangents for the good of the song and produce a true group effort to make the songs the best they can be. This album and this lineup of the band are NOT exceptions to Contrarian’s great reputation for hook laden, yet technically savvy and thought-provoking metal.
Vocally, the consistency and power of Cody McConnell has improved immeasurably in a short time. It’s also nice to hear vocal levels that don’t completely overpower the mix of an album. Cody fits perfectly in the sonic pocket with all other aspects of the band. His tones and patterns all expertly compliment the music, and his knack for classic death metal gutturals further adds to Contrarian’s hearkening back to the sounds that death metal and progressive metal were both founded upon.
My top three tracks on Only Time Will Tell are “Scarlet Babylon” for its catchy riffing combined with erratic transitioning, “Your Days are Numbered” for its ever-evolving nature across seven-and-a-half minutes of music, and “Case Closed” for its unique bounce compared to the rest of the album. “Case Closed” has a vibe all its own that stands out in the pack.
Preorder Only Time Will Tell here: https://contrarianmetal.bandcamp.com/album/only-time-will-tell
The full album releases on November 20, 2020 on Willowtip Records. Fans of Necrophagist, Fates Warning, and others of the like NEED listen!
Contrarian are:
Jim Tasikas – Guitars
Brian Mason – Guitars
Bill Bodilly – Bass
Bryce Butler – Drums
Cody McConnell – Vocals
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