The iconoclast remains entranced by perceived miracles, alternate visions and heretical thoughts that’d reveal immanence beyond the unsightly veil of the mundane. — Rochester, New York-based progressive death metal quartet Contrarian have yet to be phased by frequent change in thier ranks, less an observation of adaptation than it is me championing the consistency of their admirable classic-yet-modern vision which continues to pull exceptional talent in for spellbinding prog-death feature on the regular. ‘Sage of Shekhinah‘ is cumulative yet not exaggerative of what they’ve learned over the course of nearly a decade, finding a strongest-yet point of finesse which still speaks to the heavy, very human element of otherwise unreal virtuosic feats. There is a purposing of turn-on-a-dime quick changes and infectious guitar progressions here which speaks in a very classic transcendental voice rarely available to the sub-genre today, making for a record which is not only steeped in fascinating meaning but delivered via an approachable yet well above-average medium.

Contrarian formed in 2014 with a well-stated goal of reprising the organic virtuosic traits and expression available to classic progression death metal of the 90’s. It wasn’t so much a whim or a side-project but an idyll in the mind of guitarist and main songwriter Jim Tasikas (Delirium Endeavour) since the mid-90’s at least. At the time of release their first EP (‘Predestined‘, 2014) the big hype around the band focused on drummer George Kollias (Nile) and lead guitarist Leon Macey (Mithras) each bringing their signatures into the fold for an ‘Independent Thought Patterns‘-edged blade which quickly gave way to ‘Polemic‘ (2015), a brilliant debut full-length which offered a sublime, unexpected standard for a prog-death debut LP. Their efforts began aiming for a somewhat raw classics-minded production value and an occasionally referential sound but quickly developed its own personality. Though I wouldn’t suggest the band’s discography is inconsistent they’ve no qualms with recording with whomever is either right for the job or most familiar/readied for the material in a live setting as well. Since I’d already discussed the band’s discography as a whole on when ‘Their Worm Never Dies‘ (2019) released, that somewhat tortured review generally holds up, the only caveat being that I’ve come around on enjoying Kollias‘ vocals on ‘To Perceive is to Suffer‘ (2017) since then.

If we could suggest that album number three brought a strongest yet melodic voice that’d given Contrarian a more readable, focused experiential quality to their dodge-crafted prog metallic rhythmic play and that this setting the stage for the more decidedly chill ‘Only Time Will Tell‘ (2020), their most airy and progressive record to date, then ‘Sage of Shekhinah‘ nudges the needle back into their more aggressive side while still internalizing each lesson learned. This record again makes great use of the atmospheric and somewhat laid back side of the band but doesn’t forget to shred a bit of 90’s Sadus style venom into the mix, too. The addition of new vocalist Jakob Sin helps to emphasize this biting edge as key juxtaposition to the beauteous, virtuosic bloom of the rhythm section’s performances otherwise and the return of bassist Ed Paulsen fits well into this mode with frequent strokes of brilliancy applied throughout. The gist of my point is that there is yet a shade of ‘A Vision of Misery‘ in their work even if they’ve built upon the modernized Cynic-spawned school of thought just as well these last several years. Otherwise expect another bright mids-conscious production value which allows for interplay between several guitar tracks and the equally virtuosic rhythm section.

Though the caught in a rant phrasing of the band’s knotted and temporally quixotic dual guitar work is still intimidating up front on title track “Sage of Shekhinah” this piece makes a dramatic first impression with both intro and outro appearances from bouzouki virtuoso Michael Paouris, an immediately engaged strike into the action which soon makes good on this sense of deeper developed melodic phrasing within the stair-climbing progressions of the first several verses. From that point I’d found Tasikas‘ compositions now shoot less for naturally-jammed wrangling up to a classic prog-tech death standard and now indicative of shaping which intends a contiguous mood or statement. “In Gehenna” recalls the most cleverly set pieces on ‘Their Worm Never Dies‘ infused with what I’d consider properly restrained technique coloring every moment, a surreal crossing of the willful finesse of Alex Cohen‘s (ex-Pyrrhon) drumming with the scaling fortitudes of the bass and directive lead guitar voice otherwise. This sort of mode is akin to the more contemplative disruptions of StarGazer in their greater juggling of rhythms but also the ebullient, shredding run-focused expression of newer Augury with both bands coming from a similar place in terms of technique but with entirely different results.

From that point Contrarian benefit from once again selecting a set of songs which resolve in under 40 minutes, a tight amount of space which gives just enough time to fully entertain and immerse within their knack for overflowing detail. The atmosphere of ‘Sage of Shekhinah‘ seems to intend to illustrate steeping oneself into spiritual-philosophical thought by way of Islamic, Hebrew and Greek philosophers some of which were best known in exile or secession. The push and pull of doubt, miracles, and the eternal search lines up well with the general tension of the release, a contemplative mood which reads as serious but figuring its way through playfully composed pieces, all of them achieving a ridiculously high standard of performance. The back-to-back duo of “Ibn al Rawandi” and “Guide For the Perplexed” most heartily suggested not only theme but all that these folks are capable of putting into a three and a half minute song, those two specifically excelling at presenting rhythmic confluences alongside eventual breaks into the thrashed-at rhythm guitar sync they’d brought most often on ‘To Perceive is to Suffer‘. The peak of this aggressive thread for my own taste was “Apollonius of Tyana”, not only because it is an exciting progressive death metal piece but for the sake of the subject matter which tipped the scales of interest and acted as the “Alright, this is great” breaking point where I’d felt comfortable celebrating this record as more than a show of skill but a work which earnestly seeks knowledge and meaning throughout.

Immersive thinking man’s death metal was a given at this juncture, I’d definitely know what I was getting into with this fifth Contrarian record but this level of consistency wasn’t necessarily guaranteed. As they continue to develop their own unique voice as a point of steady maturation ‘Sage of Shekhinah‘ delivers a familiar value without feeling like iteration, record that never felt held back by their focus on classic progressive death metal but instead bolstered by their mastery of those already above-average standards of musicianship and their own creative, rhythmically focused songcraft. This time around I’d felt like they’d gotten the ratio of organische rhythmic movement and expressive virtuosic touch exactly right to the point that it almost feels like a riff record, at least nearly half of the time, and this’d meant a highly repeatable experience on my part. I’ve found myself returning to this record more than any of their other work beyond ‘Polemic‘ up front and that generally bodes well. A high recommendation, though that may skew higher once I’ve had a chance to sit with the lyrics.

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