Contrarian is an American extreme metal band from

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

, founded in 2012 by guitarist Jim Tasikas. The band is known for its progressive and catchy songwriting alongside a technical playing style. They are known as one of the front runners at introducing an authentic yet modern approach to the progressive style of the 1990s progressive death metal bands such as Atheist,

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

, and Cynic. The band featured famed Nile drummer George Kollias for their first three albums.

History

The band was originally formed in 2012 in

, by Jim Tasikas. Jim then enlisted his friend Ed Paulsen for bass duties, Brian Mason as lead guitar and George Kollias of Nile for drums. Contrarian roots came from the progressive and technical metal scene birthed in Rochester, NY 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, overwo ...

Mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

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 latest album ''Only Time Will Tell'' was also released via Willowtip Records in 2020, mixed by famed record producer

Neil Kernon Neil Kernon is an English musician, record producer, mixer and recording engineer 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. He has remained a continual member in Cynic for nearly three decades and has ...

of Cynic and Leon Macey of Mithras UK and 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 severa ...

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

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Contrarian are also known for reviving an organic approach to recording technical metal 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 specific kinds of shipwreck. The words have specific nautical meanings, with legal consequences in the law of admiralty and marine salvage. A shipwreck is defined as the r ...

) * Alex Cohen – drums (2022–present) (ex- Pyrrhon, ex-

Imperial Triumphant Imperial Triumphant is an American experimental metal band formed in 2005 in New York City. History Imperial Triumphant was formed in 2005 by Zachary Ilya Ezrin in New York City. Their first album, ''Abominamentvm'', was released in 2012. Imp ...

) Former * Cody McConnell – vocals (2015, 2019–2021) * Leon Macey – guitars (2014–2016) * Ed Paulsen – bass (2014–2019) * George Kollias – drums (2014–2019), vocals (2015–2019) (

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...

) * Bryce Butler – drums (2019–2022) ( Shadow of Intent,

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 falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692; these accusations eve ...

, 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 a ...

)

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)