END - From The Unforgiving Arms Of God

A lot of metal bands get tarnished with the same brush. Generally, that brush tends to be held by people that don't really indulge in the genre. "It's just noise" is a popular one. "All the lyrics are all negative and stuff". "It's all just angry". People that live and breathe metal know that although all those statements are technically true, a lot of bands prove them wrong. A lot of hardcore music is positive and is about picking yourself up and striving for more. A HUGE portion of the genre writes about genuinely relatable issues such as loss, grief, heartbreak, separation, abandonment and so many more. Some bands even push further than that and follow concepts like space, travel, the ocean and consciousness to name a few. It's probably becoming more and more common to stray away from those "old fashioned" stereotypes. But, every now and again, a band crops up that is noisy. That does write lyrics about negative things and sounds like the pure embodiment of anger. END are one of those bands. A super group of sorts, consisting of musicians that either are a part of or have been a part of Counterparts, Fit For An Autopsy, Misery Signals, Reign Supreme and Structures, they have exploded into the ears of metalheads everywhere. Their debut EP has been creating a lot of buzz, and it's quite clear why. It's loud. And it's good.

Opener "Chewing Glass" throws you in at the deep end. The first riff is a heavy headbang approved belter, chugging along and creeping towards a completely unexpected thrashy hardcore onslaught. The breakdown in this song is intense too, slowing from the break neck speed of the previous section to allow those meaty chugs to resonate in your ears. After less than 3 minutes, it launches into "Usurper", hurtling forwards in an unrelenting rage, the vocals snarling and tearing their way through the riffs to ensure their anger is portrayed. Again, the breakdown in this track stands out, and begins at a pace I wasn't expecting, which for me made headbanging irresistible. Lead single "Love Let Me Die" is the shortest song on the record, but it doesn't need to be long. It says everything it needs to say in 1 minute and 42 seconds. Full of feedback and stabs that reminded me of Converge, the entire song is punishment from beginning to end. No hints of light or colour, the tone overall is completely dark and menacing, leaving you almost gasping for air as the feedback rings out at the tracks close. Halfway through the record, the one thing I can predict about these songs is they will create a lot of carnage when performed live. Without a doubt.

Title track "From The Unforgiving Arms Of God" follows the same formula as the previous 3 tracks, thrusting another concoction of heavy riffage, changes of pace and sheer menace through the speakers. I see this track as being their set closer, as the breakdown at the end is pure evil. The thick slices of tone almost get behind you and push you towards a pit. Unless there isn't a pit. In that case, those arms are pushing you to start one. "Necessary Death" is the slowest song on the record, which made a nice change and gives you a chance to regain your bearings and recover from the preceding aural carnage. It doesn't give you too much chance though. Despite the slowing of the pace, it does not hold back any punches. The slowest track, sure, but probably also the heaviest. An absolute sludge-fest, oozing with meaty chugs and giant drums whilst vocally attacking you and making sure your guard isn't completely down. Finally, EP closer "Survived By Nothing" is the perfect round up. Featuring elements of every track on the record, combining them all together into an ever evolving whirlwind of hatred. This track is the first to feature a clean tone (I know right, literally the last thing I expected to hear), but the section that follows it is an almost black metal tinged dirge, sounding both evil and epic. The final chord bellows out, slowly fades into feedback, and then silence. It's over. The whole thing was over too quickly, but it is only an EP after all. I was amazed to learn that the vocalist was Brendan Murphy of Counterparts, as I'm a huge fan of the band and didn't recognise his vocals at all. He almost sounds possessed. My only real gripe with this record is that some of the guitar work gets lost and is a tad on the muddy side, but I think that's kind of the point. It's meant to be raw, it's meant to be unpolished. It's meant to be that way because it adds to their aesthetic. They aren't clean cut, they aren't perfect, they're aggressive and unrelenting and they don't care what I think about the tone. They want to punish my ears. And they do that very, very well.

The EP clocks in at around the 17 minute mark, but flippin' 'eck, what a hectic 17 minutes. 6 songs of complete aural chaos. An all out sonic assault with a very clear message - They're here, and they aren't going to go away quietly. The Misery Signals and Counterparts influence is very audible, with some of the riffing and phrasing sounding similar. But don't get me wrong, this is a whole other beast entirely. This is one of the nastiest, dirtiest, angriest collection of songs I've heard in a while. It's almost impossible to listen to this record and not want to smash everything within reach. I don't hate my computer, I love it and do a lot of work on it, but when I listen to this record I'm seconds away from putting my fist through it. I mean it wouldn't happen because I'm not very strong, I would 100% just hurt my hand and regret my decision, but I'd try. If anger had a human form and made a record, this would be that record.

D.S

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The Contortionist - Clairvoyant

It isn't uncommon for bands to become popular with a particular sound, and then deviate from that sound. In fact it's quite the opposite, it's incredibly common. Bands and artists from all genres are constantly trying out new things and modifying their approach to writing music, not just to appeal to a new audience, but to continue to challenge themselves and keep things exciting for them, the artist. Bring Me The Horizon began as floppy haired deathcore upstarts, now they sell out stadiums with enormous metal tinged pop bangers and slightly less floppy haircuts. Senses Fail used to be one of the centrepieces at the Emo dinner table, now they're an angry pissed off hardcore band throwing all the food at your nan. Taylor Swift used to be an incredibly popular country artist, now she's an incredibly popular pop artist. Everybody changes. But few do it with the same grace, sophistication and smoothness that The Contortionist have demonstrated. If you listen to their debut album Exoplanet and their brand spanking new release Clairvoyant, you wouldn't be judged for thinking that they've been written by two completely different bands. However, if you listen to their entire back catalogue in order, you arrive at the new release completely understanding and appreciating the transition. It makes sense. Coming off the back of Language, I had very high hopes for this record. Language, in my opinion, was almost a perfect album. It transcended beyond any prog records I'd heard before it, and I would find myself getting completely lost in it, listen after listen. That album cemented The Contortionist not just as one of my favourite bands in the genre, but as one of my favourites of all time. The arrival of Clairvoyant couldn't have come sooner. I've been hungry for more material for a long time. I'm not hungry any more.

As soon as the eerie tones of "Monochrome (Passive)" begin to creep in, I could tell something big was about to happen. And it did. Almost out of nowhere I was greeted by a wall of tone, enormous chord strums left to ring out while the drums pound out in the background. Slowly but surely, it moved towards a much lighter place with gently plucked guitar notes, an almost choir like synth, piano, adding more and more layers, forever progressing. Their command of dynamics and use of rises and falls in their music has never been more precise, and it kept me on the edge of me seat the entire listen. This first track is instrumental, meaning we still haven't heard anything from Michael Lessard (vocals), but boy did that wet my appetite. Without warning, it bursts into "Godspeed", kicking things off with a high tempo drum beat thundering behind distorted yet clear guitar and a huge bass tone. Head already banging, I'm prepared for what's to follow. And then, the verse. Enter Lessard. His voice is unlike anyone elses in prog today. The tone of his voice is warm, slightly gravelly, soft, yet powerful. The control he has over his voice and his range are second to none. His note choices are intelligent, unpredictable, haunting, and yet remain catchy and memorable. His voice flutters over the top of the verses and choruses and acts like it's own instrument, putting another melodic brush to the canvas. The end section of this song explodes into an enormous soundscape, boasting a tremolo solo, synth, syncopated guitar and bass stabs, before coming to an abrupt stop. Right at the beginning of the album, 2 songs in, and this is already becoming something special. Both songs are completely different, yet so fitting together, flowing perfectly into each other, and grabbing my attention. Demanding I listen on. A couple of tracks later is title track "Clairvoyant", and this is my favourite on the album without doubt. For one reason. I am going to refer to that reason as THAT RIFF. I mean don't get me wrong, the entire song as whole is incredible, which adds to the effect. Musically it weaves in and out of the dark and into serene soaring melodies, but when it hits THAT RIFF you can't ignore it or dispute it's brilliance. It is so simple yet so full of impact. A headbang riff if I ever heard one. Don't me wrong, the whole song is a rollercoaster ride of feelings, atmospheric soundscapes and dynamics, but the fact that it all revolves around THAT RIFF makes this track completely stand out from the rest.

The two singles off this album, "Reimagined' and "Return To The Earth" boast what are arguably the biggest vocal and musical hooks on the album. The chorus of the former is immediately memorable, with Lessard's voice helping you sink into the flow of the song. You could even say it helps you to sink in the EBB AND FLOW. No? Oh. Erm. Go and listen to Language and then read that again, it'll make more sense. Anyway, back to "Reimagined". It's probably the most commercial song on the album, and follows the most traditional song structure, but this isn't a bad thing in any way. The song proves their songwriting prowess. It shows that prog bands CAN write catchy songs. Who'd have thought? "Return To The Earth" is far more prog, but still follows that verse chorus formula akin to more mainstream music. It just doesn't deviate from their style of delivery. It drifts through mellow tones and relaxed atmospheric sounds. It hammers through a barrage of gigantic chords and pummelling drums. It sports mesmerising melodies and vocal lines, all the while maintaining a haunting feel and an underlying sense of unease. If you heard both of these singles and weren't excited for the album, you must have heard something completely different to me. Perfectly executed, both of them. They also released the track "Absolve" on the run up to the release, displaying a more laid back approach to their song writing than they'd previously shown. The beginning of the song sounds completely different to anything they've done before, but it grows into something that you recognise. Musically clever, introducing instruments, stripping them from the mix, reintroducing them, changing the feel. It's constantly evolving, yet remains familiar. Speaking of musically clever, though, album closer "Monochrome (Pensive)" is a highlight of the entire album and a real masterpiece. It is a perfect close to the album. Featuring musical elements from the tracks that have preceded it, yet managing to create its own feel and atmosphere. It's essentially a recap of the album that slowly moulds into something that stands alone, soaring into a vast musical landscape full of tasteful guitar licks, epic synth parts and an ever developing rhythm section before the sun sets on the exact same eerie tones of the albums first track. It's almost perfect. Maybe it is perfect.

Clairvoyant is quite possibly The Contortionist's best album. They are treading a far softer path than the one they began to tread 10 years ago, as this album contains no aggressive vocals whatsoever, but it is by no means a bad path. In fact, it might just be the path they were meant to head down. The right path. The way it weaves in and out of each track is beyond impressive. Start to finish, the story that this album tells is one that you want to hear over, and over, and over. It's almost poetic, especially in regards to the vocals and their delivery, portraying elements of pain and heartbreak via some simply stunning melody lines. The tracks do stand alone, but I highly recommend listening in it's entirety to properly get the feel for what they're created. Very few bands can weave songs together like this. This is quite simply a masterclass in how to write a prog album.

The album was released on September 15th. It's available everywhere. Don't ignore this album. If you love prog, you can't ignore this album. If you've never listened to much prog, this album may well be your gateway to more. The Contortionist are at the very top of their game right now, and they've firmly set the bar very high for the albums that follow. An incredibly strong contender for album of the year. 

D.S

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