EXCLUSIVE: VOCALIST/KEYBOARDIST JONATHAN CARPENTER PROVIDES A TRACK-BY-TRACK GUIDE TO THE CONTORTIONIST’S INTRINSIC
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If you, like us, love The Contortionist’s latest release, Intrinsic (out now on eOne), than do we ever have a treat for you: a track-by-track guide to the album’s lyrical themes, courtesy of vocalist/keyboardist Jonathan Carpenter. After the jump, get all of Jonathan’s thoughts on the trippy, sci-fi messages and meanings behind some of the most intriguing prog-metal songs of the year. And make sure you click to enlarge the above image, which will provide further enlightenment regarding the ideas behind the album. Enjoy!!!
Intrinsic‘s lyrics were aimed to be a science-fiction inspired conceptual storyline. It’s like a handful of puzzle pieces. Instrumentals that have different feels and styles. The Contortionist has always been about contrast, the heaviest and then the most beautiful. This provides a very wide range of emotions to write over. We want the listener to feel the ups and downs and to get engaged in the content.When piecing it all together lyrically… I wanted the concepts to be present without being overbearing. The fans who go looking for the details will find them and the casual listener can listen to any song and enjoy a small piece of the puzzle.
Never leaving the boundaries of the mind, the first five songs range from mind/brain phenomena and reality theories to religion and mind trips. The last five are from the perspective of future patients coping with a shared reality scenario; a narrative on the potential of using technology to achieve a perfect dream you could feel and control with ease. There’s an eerie uncertainty to how a person’s psyche will react to that degree of extended consciousness.
“Holomovement” acts as an overall cosmic introduction to the album as a whole.
“Feedback Loop” and “Causality” pair up musically, as the lyrics describe the journey of an individual during lucid dreaming.
Coming from a subatomic perspective, “Sequential Vision” speaks of the inner workings of the brain.
“Geocentric Confusion” is a discussion on different perspectives on the creation of religion and also more personal suggestions as to what is truly important.
In “Dreaming Schematics,” researchers make advances in creating significant amount of neuroplastic growth within chosen neuron pathways.
“Anatomy Anomalies” is a seemingly promising outlook on the interfacing success, while “Cortical” describes the patient’s immediate experience of having the freedom to create a new world that challenges their desire to stay connected to reality.
A psychologically affected patient is having an existential crisis and delusions as a result of overuse in “Solipsis.”
“Parallel Trance” is made to mimic the freeing, positive experience of a positive uplifting vision.
-Jonathan Carpenter
