CONTORTION: THE COMMON THREAD BETWEEN MAN AND METAL!
If you’re looking for an album that cuts like a knife and is chock full of feature artists, then I’ve got the album for you. The Common Thread by CONTORTION has more feature artists than you could poke a stick at, and I like to poke sticks! With grinding guitars delivering not only chilling ambiance, but also wailing solos and a groove the 70s would be jealous of, The Common Thread is right up your alley. Super tight, skull crushing drumming, bass lines to bang your fucking head to, and sung with ferocious vigour, The Common Thread leaves no stone unturned searching for a sound that reflects today’s societal woes and lets us know, in no uncertain terms, just how fucked we are.
The Common Thread by CONTORTION begins with an intro named The Calling. A ritualistic Indian sitar opens the album with the first of the feature artists Christie Smirl, a woman of many mystical talents. My impression is that this album is meant to bring healing to the listener through the gift of music. And that, it does.
The Calling leads into For Want of a Nail which includes the next feature artist Codi Deaton. Grinding guitars and screams of “SLAVE” ring out like an untamed animalistic bell, a rage set to explode, calling out the slave state we find ourselves in currently and the “Stockholm Syndrome” that the clueless people of the world don’t even know they have. Pulverising drums and wailing guitars are the music to the memorandum.
I Am No One features Travis Neal, former Divine Heresy vocalist and Dan Palmer, guitarist from Zebrahead lending their talents to this banger. This track by CONTORTION hits like a sledgehammer to the face. A crushing opening solo, technicality to boot, a song of rebirth after a life of darkness. A song any one can relate to, including myself.
Next up, Idiot Box, the first of four songs without a guest spot. A poignant song about the complicity of the media, a mouthpiece for the powers that be, feeding us lies that we see and consume on a daily basis. The message, don’t believe the bullshit. A deep ditty from CONTORTION that digs into the psyche of the world as it stands, while it still stands that is.
Antivirus features Brian Sheerin, vocalist of Audio Addiction and Mower and Dallas Coyle, vocalist of God Forbid. It speaks of a light at the end of a tunnel that you can never reach, always kept in the dark while the tunnel keeps getting longer and further away while the greedy, money hungry governments world feed on the weak and powerless, the very people they should be serving, a corruption known world-wide. They are the virus. We are the cure. Fucking great song from CONTORTION.
Guttersnipe, which has just been released as a remixed single by CONTORTION, is a song about biting the hand that feeds you. Not realising the help that was there, or perhaps not wanting it or not feeling deserving of it, destined to die in the gutter. “Suffering becomes a common thread” speaks to us all. We all suffer from one thing or another. That is our common thread.
My favourite song on this album is Failure’s Not an Option. It features a trio of talented musicians. Riley McShane, ex vocalist of Allegaeon (One of my personal favourite bands), Belisario Dimuzio, guitarist extraordinaire of Cattle Decapitation fame and Matt Wannamaker of The Linkin Park Experience all contribute in a massive way to this song by CONTORTION.
Riley McShane shows his entire vocal range throughout the song which, if you know Riley, is a range that most singers would kill for. It’s a song about being your own worst enemy. Constantly struggling to break the cycle that is beating you down. It’s deeply personal, and a choice every metalhead I know has made at least once in their lives. With breakdowns you could chew on for a week, what’s not to like? Bravo gentlemen! This is why I love my work. Chef’s kiss.
Evolve is all CONTORTION. A spooky as fuck atmospheric bass line kicks in, stoking the fear for the lyrics to come. A story of conspiracy facts and the 9-5 grind for fuck all money abound, fed to us, once again, by the ones who make the laws that are meant to protect us, but instead, they slaughter us with their poison, either in a syringe, in the air, or even in our food. “We must evolve” or fear and propaganda will weaken us as a species. Fantastic vocal performance by Brian Stone and another distressing message of what dangers lurk in a clueless society.
Numbers features another bevy of performers including Cristian Machado, Marcelo Barbosa and Henry Sanchez. Cristian, ex-vocalist for Ill Nino and current vocalist for Lions at the Gate, Marcelo, Angra virtuoso and Henry, vocalist of Brujeria. The sound of boots marching reflected by the guitar is genius. Breakdown after breakdown that gets you banging your head so hard that your hair literally falls out! CONTORTION went hard on this one.
No Destination is the penultimate song on The Common Thread. It starts with a cacophony of grinding guitar and thumping drums and ends in a duel guitar send off. In the middle is a story of self-annihilation, a “common thread” between every song on this album. Either someone’s out to get you or you’re out to get yourself. Between the two scenarios, the future doesn’t look too flash. Classic CONTORTION energy.
The final song on the phenomenal album, The Common Thread is Among the Stars featuring Heidi Shepherd from the Butcher Babies. The beginning brings us full circle to the Indian themed layered guitars, entering into an anxiety gripped duet sung by Heidi and Brian with passion and a whole lot of heart. A song of lost life and what remains after the demise. Mental wounds that won’t heal, only made better by a nightly reminder, “As the moon ascends…I know you’ll dance among the stars.” Sung beautifully by Heidi Shepherd with the emotion and passion that this song by CONTORTION deserves.
There’s a verve when you listen intently to The Common Thread. It’s an album that demands your whole-hearted attention from the first song to the last. I was captivated by the musicianship overall and utterly entranced by the plethora of guest appearances and the depth they bought to this album, raising the bar for their peers. The Common Thread brings the trauma of life and purifies it through the music, bringing the healing effect the album hoped to achieve. My advice, buy the album and get out to see CONTORTION play live if you ever get the opportunity. Support the artist so more albums like this one can be made because more albums like this need to be made.
ParMetal Media’s Pick of the Pack: Failure’s Not an Option. Fucking killer! Antivirus – close second.
Rating: 8.75/10…Too good for 8.5!
Brett Parmenter for Metal on Tap and ParMetal Media
