Exoplanet (album)
Exoplanet is the debut studio album by progressive metal band The Contortionist, released through Good Fight Entertainment on August 31, 2010. A remastered edition of the album was released on January 22, 2016.[2]
| Exoplanet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 31, 2010 January 22, 2016 (remastered) | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Studio | System Recordings, Boston, Massachusetts; Vocal and programming production: Voltaic Recording Studio, Indianapolis, IN | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:14 | |||
| Label | Good Fight | |||
| Producer | Ken Susi | |||
| The Contortionist chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The New Review | 4.5/5[1] |
Concept
Guitarist Robby Baca explained,
The three Exoplanet tracks represent the focal point of the album's concept, musically the songs are tied together somehow to show that they are a part of a time line. That’s why — if you listen closely — there are repeated musical ideas throughout. These three tracks are the definitive songs of the album. Part one is a journey outside our solar system. Part two is a journey in between galaxies (interstellar void) and part three is the colonization and failure of human life on another planet. The songs were not originally meant to be consecutive and tied together, but that’s how everything came together, and we rolled with it.
The rest of the tracks have very similar lyrics, focusing on space, interstellar travel, and the journey to reach and colonize another habitable planet (aka: an Exoplanet. This is where the album's title comes from & what it means). Four tracks on the album are musically re-worked and re-named versions of material from their 2009 EP "Apparition", such as the song "Eyes: Closed", which was re-worked and released as "Flourish", a fan favorite to this day. The songs were given fresh recordings and the lyrics were also re-written entirely in order to fit the overall concept of the album. The remaining 7 tracks, including the three title tracks, "Exoplanet I: Egress", "Exoplanet II: Void," and "Exoplanet III: Light," are all new material.
Track listing
All tracks are written by The Contortionist.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Primal Directive" | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Flourish" | 6:22 |
| 3. | "Expire" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Contact" | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Advent" | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Vessel" | 4:57 |
| 7. | "Oscillator" | 5:01 |
| 8. | "Axiom" | 2:25 |
| 9. | "Exoplanet I: Egress" | 4:12 |
| 10. | "Exoplanet II: Void" | 3:33 |
| 11. | "Exoplanet III: Light" | 5:46 |
| Total length: | 48:14 | |
Personnel
- The Contortionist
- Jonathan Carpenter — vocals, keyboards
- Robby Baca — guitar, keyboards, programming
- Cameron Maynard — guitar
- Joey Baca — drums, percussion
- Christopher Tilley — bass
- Production
- Produced, Engineered & mixed by Ken Susi
- Mastered by Alan Douches, @ West West Side Music, New York
- Additional production & keyboard by Jordan King
- Additional piano by Alex Smith
- Management by Ben Lionetti & Jason Rudolph
- Design & layout by Sons Of Nero
References
- Juliff, Kevin (August 23, 2010). "The Contortionist Exoplanet". thenewreview.net. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- "Exoplanet (Redux) by The Contortionist on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-01-16.
- Sciarretto, Amy (August 25, 2010). "The Contortionist, 'Exoplanet I, II, III' — Song Premieres". noisecreep.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.