Contemplator – Morphose
Release Date: 29th July 2021
Label: Nefarious Industries
Bandcamp
Genre: Instrumental Rock
FFO: Fantomas, Opeth, Dream Theater, Augury.
Review By: Séamus Patrick Burke
How can you say you’re creating without limit and then listeners immediately compare your work to other composers?
That may sound harsh, but it’s a valid question. Christian Pacaud (formerly of Québécois metal band Augury) formed Contemplator in 2011 and has made two things very clear: that he’s the sole creative visionary of the project, and that Contemplator is designed to be music without genre limitation. This continues to remain true with the pre-release press of Contemplator’s second album, Morphose.
Admirable to be sure, but without trying to be pedantic, we literally hear this a lot. You say you’re breaking down genres, and yet the influences are instantly identifiable. We’ve literally heard this before. But harshness aside, it’s all about what you do with it as opposed to where it comes from.
“Heavy” or “complex” are the wrong words one would use to describe Morphose. The more accurate way to describe them is “Cinematic.” Pacaud has a laundry list of progressive acts that influenced his music in his press releases (and Final Fantasy composer Nobou Umematsu), but the first band we’d compare them to is Fantomas. Mike Patton and company took several cues from Italian film scores when writing their music, and Morphose feels like the soundtrack to a horror film that never got made.
The opening track “Rite of Shards” sets the tone quickly, with its lush strings, spare piano, sinister analog synths bubbling under the surface. Comparing Contemplator to Yes or Dream Theater seems pointless; this is pure John Carpenter. It feels less like an intro, more like an overture. It’s also oddly paced, since it takes three minutes for guitars to come in on a seven-minute track. You begin wondering when it’s going to start, or if this is truly what you’re in for. When they finally come roaring in, it feels like a jump scare.
Pacuad provides most of the instrumentation and programming on the album, but perhaps the instrument he’s most distinct on is the bass, which arguably is the lead instrument on most of the songs (not surprising, since this was the role he played with Augury). The bass arguably takes up the rhythm guitar slot on Morphose, as the guitars are mostly there to add texture along with the keyboards. Portions of “Vestigal” are downright jazzy as times before the chaos ramps back up. And tracks like “Ashes Allowed” have more grinding 80s metal flavor than I think even Pacuad is willing to admit.
Despite a lot of ideas and talents, though, it’s hard to recommend Morphose due to its lack of cohesion. Rather than be a conceptual piece, it feels like a collection of sounds that never truly coalesce into a single unit. Pacuad has mentioned this is partly intentional, as he wants the listener to come to their own conclusion rather than impart a structure upon them. All well and good, but as with cinema, abstraction only goes so far. We need more than just stuff thrown at us. We need a story. We need a point to it all. Album closer “Idol Obedience” doesn’t feel like it’s building to a crescendo. It doesn’t so much “end” as much as it “stops.”
Contemplator is undeniably one of the more talented and ambitious instrumental rock groups out there today, and Pacuad has talent and inspiration to spare. But the purposeful lack of cohesion may leave some newcomers to the genre a bit cold. In terms of creating something cinematic, the script could use one more pass. 
(3 / 5)
