Interview By Chris Hazel March 5th, 2024
Published March 18th, 2024
Photos By: Chris Hazel
Contortion Socials
Know as SoCal best kept secret, Contortion is a heavy metal that just got back from a three tour in California as they supported Crypta on their first ever USA headlining tour.
Contortion’s most recent record “The Common Thread,” was independently self-released February 16th of this year, and is quickly gaining traction for it’s diverse metal genre styles. Featuring twelve amazing guest vocalists and guitarists, this album is boldly challenges the conventions of the current metal scene.
With a mission to raise awareness about global corruption and contribute to the long-awaited awakening of the masses, Contortion defies heavy metal stereotypes by projecting lyrical ideas that evoke a prophetic sensation. They hold the belief that humans are not mere sheep but rather striking, intelligent, capable individuals who possess the ability to govern themselves, free from the influence of the greedy sycophants currently in positions of leadership around the world.
(Interview & Live Photos By Chris Hazel at Brick By Brick)
Chris Hazel: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today.
Brian Stone: You got it man.
Chris: Awesome. Well Contortion just got off a three-day stint in California with two sold out shows in San Diego and Hollywood, and then the Sacramento show with Crypta. How did all that go?
Brian: It went well. In fact, the Sacramento show was also out, but oversold, so we had to upgrade to their bigger room.
Chris: Oh, Hell yeah. Way to go!
Brian: Yeah, so it was amazing. Contortion was more than honored to have shared the stage with Crypto for as many dates as we had. We had tried viciously to get us on more dates, but just kind of kept meeting a lot of resistance at every angle. We've toured the west coast quite a bit, so we had pretty high hopes that we would land places like Arizona, Las Vegas, Portland, but it didn't work out. Maybe those promoters will give a second chance next time with these sold out shows?
Chris: Hopefully those promoters notice the 3 sold out shows. Contortion has pretty close relationship with Crypta, did the girls treat you nice around this time?
Brian: Oh, of course they did. I’ve personally toured with Crypta for a number of months through South America, and so they're personal friends of mine, super sweethearts. They're just amazing human beings and insanely talented, so it's always a pleasure to spend time with them in any capacity. When they came through with Morbid Angel last year, I got the backstage treatment, got to hang with them while they were in town and go out to dinner and chill. So, it's always a blessing when they come through.
Chris: Awesome! How does touring overseas differ from touring the USA?
Brian: It depends on location, really. Europe is similar to the states insofar as you can more or less, drive from location to location and hit certain spots.
Chris: What about Brazil, South America, & Central America?
Brian: They don't really have the same infrastructure as we do in the North America or Europe, so there's a lot of flying involved. There is a lot of in and out of airports on airplanes, and just loads of long-distance travel to be able to cover that type of mileage. You're usually flying from location to location, and it adds an entire new level of, I guess, like a hurdle to jump over when touring and it's because the schedules are usually very tight. It's not like you get to play the show and go sleep at that hotel and then wake up refreshed.
Chris: I guess with that type of tight schedule, you don’t really have the time to enjoy the sights, taste, and sounds?
Brian: Not particularly. We had a day off in Buenos Aires in Argentina which was nice. So, I got to hang out for a day, and then at the end of that particular run, we had a day off in Bogotá, which was amazing. That city is gorgeous. It is so interesting and so lively. And then in Central America I seem to recall we had a day off in El Salvador, which was nice, very peaceful, & very relaxing. Then we ended up in Costa Rica for three days because of Visa issues. But normally that kind of touring is rough man and very difficult. Sometimes we're sleeping for like 2 hours, and then immediately at the airport, back at it again on a flight. So, you're just trying to sleep whenever you can.
Chris: You guys are from San Bernardino, right?
Brian: Originally, we kind of were based out in the San Bernardino area. Two of the members are currently living there. One of them is living in Pasadena and I currently live in Orange county.
Chris: So, we're a little bit all over the SoCal map?
Brian: (Laughing) ha ha yeah, I move pretty often, to be honest; I don't think I've ever been in a house for more than like five years.
(Photos by Chris Hazel at Brick By Brick. Click here to see full photo gallery of Contortion)
Chris: Tell me a little bit about yourself and the dudes in Contortion?
Brian: Our bass player Drew Petropoulos is a phenomenal artist, great musician, and all-around energetic fellow. Jason Engols is the drummer and he is kind of the quiet one of the team. Very soft spoken, but extremely mentally articulate when it comes to his style of writing and what he brings to the table. And then Andy Serrato, our guitarist, he's the big gearhead in the band. He’s all about, like, this particular thing is going to make us better, and we should tweak with this thing also so that we can get this type of sound. It's all Japanese to me, man. (Laughing) But I'm like, sure, you just tell me what gear you want me to buy, and I'll get it. And I'm the business guy of the band. I'm the one who books the shows, who deals with the media and the PR and all that.
Chris: When Contortion is playing all these shows up and down the west coast and in SoCal, it’s kind of feels like a homecoming for everybody?
Brian: Yeah, it does because in the past couple of years, we haven't really focused too much on Southern California specifically, to be honest. We've done a show here and a show there, but recently we really tend to focus outside of California and getting out more towards the Midwest and further north, into Oregon and Washington, and then, of course, branching out further, even as far as Europe. So, we've done a couple of UK tours in the past couple of years, and now we're aiming for all of Europe by the end of this.
Chris: Contortion has done some big shows playing at Mayhem Festival and KnotFest, opening for huge acts like Dry kill Logic, Overkill, Soulfly, and Testament. How fortunate does it feel to have those opportunities?
Brian: Those were an absolute blast and definitely phenomenal just to be able to put on our resume. Those festivals were when we were still kind of getting our feet wet. I think capitalizing on more of these opportunities will probably benefit us even more so now that we’re gaining our own ground, which is why I believe that the Crypto shows went over so much better than a lot of our previous experiences.
Chris: Speaking of which, it sounds like Contortion might have some plans for a USA tour in May?
Brian: Yes, we’ve got about two weeks that we're looking at the end of May into the 1st week of June. We’ll head southwest into Texas, and then we'll be headed north into Nebraska, and then cutting back across through Colorado, Utah, Nevada and then back down through California. Nothing too crazy because we're really trying to set up, save money, and get everything dialed in to do Europe later.
Chris: Branching more out into the European scene?
Brian: Yes, and this isn't to naysay the USA in any regard, but it feels like Europe has a much deeper appreciation for what we do at the moment. I don't know if that's just because Europe is more into metal it seems than the States right now? European metal fans out there are a little bit more into adventuring into the new and undiscovered. It has always felt to me that the European scene feels more welcoming, more open, and more attentive as well.
Chris: Please elaborate more?
Brian: Granted, we can play shows all through southern California, but this is a saturated scene that’s very populated, it's so difficult. There are just too many things to do in SoCal from the beaches, all the bars, and different venues, to all the amusement parks. I live ten minutes away from Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. There are so many bands and so many artists, and everybody's trying to fight for attention. And so, it's very hard, but once you get out into a new realm, into a new zone, people can appreciate that. It's like, oh, you came all the way from this location to come here and do this thing that says something. Places like the Balkans and Eastern Europe and those types of locations are very appreciative of that.
You can now order the new record “The Common Thread” online now!
Chris: Your new album “The Common Thread” just came out February 16th of this year 2024, but some of the songs had been written a quiet a while ago?
Brian: The original first four songs for the record had been written either around 2015 or 2016. We had gotten signed to a small label for the first album, and we're already starting to write new material and wanted to see how things panned out with that record label. It got silly and it got a little weird. Long story short, we ended up going through several band changes over the next few years for a plethora of reasons: whether it was they had kids, or a job that they couldn't sacrifice, or they didn't want a tour, or creative differences, the list is forever. Then in the beginning of 2020, this is when my daughter died. And there was so much angst and so much anger and grief inside me right after she passed, and then the pandemic hit.
Chris: Damn, I so sorry for you lost.
Brian: Thanks man. So now I had all of this negative energy that I needed to funnel into something and all this time to do it. That's when I got into our pre-production studio with my guitarist Andy, and I started writing new music and just pumped out song after song after song. And right around that time was when I brought Jason in. Not long after, maybe a year later, is when Drew would join us. But I literally just started to think to myself, what can I do? How can I make this more interesting? How can I make this more fun? How can I make this something that is worth every ounce of effort I'm about to put into it and every dollar.
Chris: Sounds like it was a pretty rigorous process. Six years, four producers, seven studios, and a dozen guest appearances. What can you tell me about the process you guys went through recording this album?
Yeah, that's when I started calling out all of my friends, people that I had known for years, and some of them I barely knew, and it started to really click into place. To write and then organize all the individuals that would come in to work on these songs with me, plus with the producers, and the studios as I was writing, I figured to myself, that these songs work best with different producers, and I would really like them to work on certain songs. And then with these songs, I'd like to work with this producer because I think they'll add something cool to it. So, this is exactly how it panned out. Each producer kind of put their own unique stamp on it and their own interesting ideas, right alongside of all the guests that would come in and add their own flavor and their own little unique stamp to the songs that they were on. It was just a process of pre-production, fine tuning it, bringing it to the producers, seeing what they felt, and then now you're adding more people into it, and feeling out what they want to do. And so, it kind of went in stages. We would do these two or three songs and then put it on pause and work on another couple of songs and then go in and finally record those. And that's how the process went, which is why it took this long. The longest hiatus we had was between the first four songs and then 2020, and then everything just started clicking together, and then everything I feel like was wrapped up by 2022.
Chris: And then that’s when Josh Gilbert came in to the picture?
Brian Yes. I was on tour with another band for almost year, so in the brief hiatus I had in the summer is when I showed up in LA to go over all the fine tuning with Josh Gilbert, because he was the one who finished the edits and final mix down of everything to help it all have something of a unified sound. And, yeah, we sat in the studio for a couple of days, went over every little nuanced detail, and then it was done. We tried all through the rest of that year in 2023 to shop it out and get some kind of record label to pick it up, and nobody really seemed all that interested, despite the effort. So, we opted to just get a PR company and self-release ourselves and have them help us promote it and get the word out. And here we are.
Chris: It’s quite a list of cameos on this new album is insane: Belisario Dimuzio from Cattle Decapitation, Heidi Shepard from Butcher Babies, Christain Machado from Lions at the Gate and Ill Niño, Henry Sanchez from Brujeria, Brian Sheerin and Matt Wannamaker from Mower and 1001, Dam Palmer from Death By Stereo and Zebrahead, Travis Neal from Devine Heresy & Fraxures, Marcelo Barbosa from Angra, Riley McShane from Alleggaeon, and Dallas Coyle from God Forbid.
Chris: Are some of these guest appearances close friends and people you know in the music industry?
Brian: So, the guys from Mower are really close friends of mine. I used to be the guitar player for Mower when they broke. You know, Brian Sheerin and Matt Wannamaker are actually really good friends of mine. Matt, Bellasario Dimuzio who's now in cattle decapitation, and I used to all be in a band together called 1001. We've performed a number of shows and recorded together. I did share the stage with Christian Machado on a big Mexico festival when I was performing with Black Oil which is how we became friends. I'm trying to think. Riley McShane and I have performed at weird random shows, but not with our bands. Most everybody else are pals or people that I know from the scene or from the underground.
Chris Hazel: What about Dallas Coyle and Heidi Shepard?
Brian: Some of them were pretty much like, cold calls in some regards for the record. Dallas and I had met and hung out many times before, but when it came down to who would I want to do this, I honestly was like, you know what? It'd be interesting to have Dallas Coyle on our song “Antivirus”. At that time, he hadn't performed or written anything in a long time. So, I just literally hit him up on Facebook and was like, hey man, we're doing this thing. Would you be down? And he was like, sure. Similar with Heidi Shepard. I got her emails address through some friends of a friend and I just sent her an honest, straight up email. I told her that “Among the Stars” was about the loss of my daughter. This is why I want you on the song and I really think you would add an amazing flavor to what we're trying to work on. She was very moved by the purpose of the song and what the song was about, and she was more than honored to come out and sing on that song, which was amazing.
Chris: After going through the loss of your daughter, would you say this was very therapeutic and close to heart when writing the rest of the album “The Command Thread?”
Brian: Absolutely. Without a doubt, without some artistic outlet. I don't know that I would have gotten through it in the same way. Fortunately for me, I not only had this album that I was working on, but another couple of albums with the band from Brazil that I toured with. So, it was just nonstop, just work, work, work, and just dump all of my energy and all of my anger and grief into making music. And I'm rather certain it saved my life.
Chris: How proud are you of this record?
Brian: I couldn't be more excited about how this album turned out musically and artistically. This band, since its inception, has striven for versatility. We don't want to be pigeonholed as a metalcore band or a death metal band or a thrash band or whatever, so we've definitely tried to push the envelope in doing anything and everything that we can to diversify our style and our sound and our songs. And I really think that this album has done a very good job of that. And I hope and am looking forward to working on a new album in the very near future and start writing again to excel in that and bring more styles and more intrigue and more interesting things to the table.
Chris: How has the reception been so far since its release?
Brian: The reception of the album has been widely really positive and very body's really digging it. The beauty of it is that everybody kind of has their own favorite song. You think of like a Slayer album, right? Especially their early stuff. Let's take Rain and Blood, for example. Rain and Blood is a straightforward, ridiculously amazing thrash album. It's heralded, rightly so, as one of the greatest thrash metal albums there is. What I'm noticing with “The Common Thread,” is depending on the adherence to metal, whatever an individual's style is or their preferences, any random song on our album could speak to them.
Chris: It must be cool to hear what everyone’s favorite song is on the album?
Brian: Some people like the opening song on the album, “For Want of a Nail,” other people might lean towards “Among the Stars,” and we have gotten a lot of love for “Antivirus.” These three songs aren't really all that much alike. “Guttersnipe” is another one that people are really loving, especially now that we've introduced into the live set. So again, the album itself is all over the map. It's a little metalcore, a little djent, a little hardcore, a little groove, a little bit of everything that can appease a very wider audience. And it's fun to watch and hear about what people like and what song speaks to them. I love it. I can't get enough of it. And then the very next person, it's a completely different song. So, it's really nice to see that kind of appreciation unfold.
Chris: Would you say that's probably the most rewarding part about this album is with the vast diversity of it, everybody has a track that they can associate with and that touches them in a different way?
Brian: Absolutely, that's probably one of the biggest reasons that we want to do the music the way that we do it. When you think of old school Faith Mo More albums, right. It wasn’t the same way every time. Every song is amazing, but none of them are really the same style or the same approach, and so everybody has something that they can really adhere to that separates their love for a particular song from the rest of an album.
Brian: What's your favorite song?
Chris: I like Idiot Box, actually. I think that one's one of my favorites on the record.
Brian: Nice, that's amazing. That's actually the oldest song on the album. That was from the original ep.
Chris: Something about the riffs in that song and how it drives the energy. I really enjoy the energy of that song.
Brian: Well, you'll be happy to hear and maybe you'll announce it before anybody else. But that is the one song that we already have a music video for that we haven't yet to release. We'll probably be releasing that sometime this month.
Chris: Oh, yeah. Really? Okay. Sometime in March? Brian: Yes sir. Well, that's is a surprising thing. We can wait tell the readers. Thank you for sharing that news. Brian: You got it man.
Editorial Note:
The new music video for “Idiot Box” from the new album “The Common Thread” will drop March 22nd.
Chris: I know some fans are wondering if we'll ever get a collaboration for a song on stage by any of these guest vocalists from this album or any future albums?
Brian: It's funny you should ask that. We are in discussions. I'm not going to say which songs, but there are a few artists from the album that all live in San Diego. And so, there is talk about potentially performing. In fact, having discussed with these artists as the album has released them jokingly, but in some regards, sincerely asking, like, so are we going to play this song? So, there is a good possibility that one, two, maybe even three songs from the album will all be performed with the guest artist live on stage in San Diego for the next tour.
Chris: Hell yeah, it just keeps getting better, that even more exciting news. Do we know what venue in San Diego this is going to take place?
Brian: Yes, it will be a Brick by Brick and the date has already been booked and it's set for June 9th.
Chris: Okay. Awesome. I can't wait to see that!
Chris: With the release of the new album, the future of the band looks bright. Are you excited for what's to come next after all this?
Brian: I am. I'm very excited. And we are all diligently working behind the scenes to push further, farther and harder into new realms. There’re conversations right now going on behind the scenes about new countries to tour in, new bands to tour with, and a lot of little finite details. Nothing is remotely set in stone, but the conversations are being had. And a lot of this really just depends on our fan base. And if people want us out there enough, all we ask is just share the music, share the links, and make as much of a ruckus as you can in your location. And we will do everything we can to get there.
Chris: What's one piece of advice you can get to give to bands that are just getting started? What would you tell them?
Brian: Oh, man. I remember a long time ago talking with the guys at Mushroomhead about this same thing, and I asked them the exact same question. They said to me, “don't do it!” And I was little disheartened by it, but I was definitely like, what? And they iterated to me. They said, “unless there's literally nothing else in life for you and you don't care for anything else, then yeah, I would advise, don't do it.”
Chris: wow, yeah that is a little disheartening.
Brian: There's something about the art world, whatever it is, painting, photography, music, dance, whatever, pick your medium that it's just, especially in this country, doesn't have the level of appreciation that I think real art deserves. It's sad to watch some of the most ridiculous forms of this become popular, become infamized, and broken down into one-minute Instagram or ten second sound bites on TikTok. Videos where you have legitimate people who spend the better part of their lives creating something amazing; and then it never seeing the light of day or getting the reverence that it deserves. But if this is all that's in you, if this is all that you really want, my advice is do it until you die!
Brian: Because the reality is you can give 10% of yourself to a thing and know that it's only 10%. And at the end of this game we call life, you're going to regret that it was only 10% because you will always wonder what 100% would have looked like. If you're going to do it, you got to do it all the way. When you do reach the end, know that you did it for yourself, and for the love it.
Chris: Okay, what's the one question you wish some people would ask you during interviews that no one asks? You.
Brian: Never really thought about it. Maybe something about the passion of it. And what is the drive? Because being behind the scenes with a lot of bands and with a lot of artists, I see their quote unquote passion or their drive, and for lack of a better term, it wanes and it waxes based on a lot of different influences. For me, it's the passion for the art itself, not trying to be famous. I perform this art, and I do this thing because it is more addictive than any drug. It is more powerful than any energetic experience I've ever felt. I've skydived, I've surfed, I snowboard, and I've done a lot of crazy shit in this world. Still, there is no adrenaline rush and a more beautiful experience than being able to create something and show it to the world and it being received in a positive way.
Chris: Would you say the biggest adrenaline rush in your life, is creating art and then sharing with people in a positive way?
Brian: Absolutely. There are so many parts that go into what it is to be a band. The number one thing of course, is creating it, writing it, recording it, sharing it, and performing it. When I'm on stage, when we are doing what we're doing, I'm not on this planet anymore. I'm not even really in the room. It carries you to a whole new dimension, and you embody a new version of yourself that takes on its own form, and it's like a meditation. That's what contortion means in its root idea, to find and be in a level of meditation that transcends the moment, that transcends your body, that transcends the art and everything that's happening right then and there.
Chris: You're in the moment, and the fans are in the moment with you.
Brian: Exactly. And together, as a unified entity, we move into a new space that isn't this reality.
Chris: Yeah. It's like if you want to take away all your worries and troubles and leave them at home and be in a new world with contortion.
Brian: I like that. Suspending the bounds of our reality through the inspiration of art and sharing it with everybody.
Chris: Is there anything you want to say to the fans of the readers and what they can do to help support you guys more?
Brian: Just the usual stuff, man. Follow, blare it, and share it, play the music until your ears bleed, until your neighbor's ears bleed, and just get it into more people's hands. That's how bands like us move, groove, and continue to grow. People sharing the things that they love. We're so quick to pass memes around and pass the latest silly joke that you found on Instagram. You could do the same thing for bands and for art and for music. If you really love an artist, if you really love a photographer or a dancer or a musician, pass that shit around, because that's what helps us gain more notoriety and helps us move forward and outward into new locations and distant horizons.
Chris: The more we share you, the better for you?
Brian: Yeah, better for all of us. That's the one thing I love about music, especially if you think about it, as opposed to a lot of other art forms people will share. I guess comedy kind of falls into this category of music in a similar regard. But when you share, or are interested in an actor, the more famous they become, the further the removed they are from you. And yet, for some reason, I feel like with comedy or with musicians, it's like the more popular they become, the more intertwined they are with their audience, because we are heavily reliant on that audience and like no other art form there is because we perform live. I think that's a huge imperative and a very important thing to recognize. The more we grow, the more audience grows, which means the more we all continue to. You will get more music from us. You will see us more often. You will see us perform better shows.
Chris: Cool, man. Well, thanks for taking your time to speak with us today.
Brian: 100%. Thank you for including us.
(Photo Gallery By Chris Hazel at Brick By Brick)
Comentários