CONTRA

Contra biography
What should you expect from a band that has the Maryland Renaissance Festival on its Facebook likes list? Instrumental fantasy metal apparently. United States band CONTRA was formed in Annapolis, Maryland, in June of 2008 by guitarist Alex PETERS and drummer Brandon WILDMAN; and by August, bass player Charles RUPERTUS had joined the band. In 2012, these three put out the band's debut album, The Epic..., a hard rock fantasy saga without lyrics. Not long after, Matt BAROS was added on the keyboards for touring duties, forming the present lineup.

CONTRA'S instrumental rock has been compared to the metallic story telling of RUSH and MASTODON. Their reliance classic metal and fantasy tropes might also draw some connection to RAINBOW, while the contemporary sheen they give their songs could be compared to alt metal outfit TOOL. All in all, CONTRA masterfully fuses the old and the new, the modern and the legendary, in a way that should prove to be fun for metal fans and a guilty pleasure for non-metalheads.

The Whistler (Colin)