When Jonathan Carpenter parted ways with progressive metal band The Contortionist shortly after the release of their sophomore record Intrinsic in 2012, it was surely a big change for both parties. Last Chance To Reason vocalist Michael Lessard has more than capably filled the void Carpenter left behind, while Carpenter laid low for a bit to do, well, dad life – and a solo project, Foreign Waves. It’s safe to say the journey for both has been successful.
However, many fans wondered whether Carpenter would ever embark on a major musical project again. That’s now come to fruition by Carpenter joining up with progressive metal band The Room Colored Charlatan as their new vocalist. The band has released 3 really solidly interesting records – and they have a history with Carpenter, too, as he appeared on their song “A Polarity” in 2016. TRCC has now released a new single with Carpenter, entitled “Forest View”, and it’s honestly great to see Carpenter doing music in any capacity. And if we’re lucky, it won’t be the last time, either.
Carpenter also had this to tell us about how it all came to fruition:
“A few years back, I performed a guest vocal with TRCC on a very cool song. Now I’m working with them as their new vocalist..which I’m excited to see what we come up with. The band’s sound has that familiar contrast between heavy and delicate that I interface well with. While we are currently working on more songs to release as an EP, I hope people enjoy “Forest View”. That title references an excerpt from bioethics philosopher Nick Bostrom’s writings, about the limitations of our minds to comprehend the grand scale of how reality is constructed. Comparing our perspective to someone standing in the middle of dense forest, not able to grasp the whole picture. That resonates with me in multiple ways, but one in particular- is the idea that our entire existence could be contained within just one of many, if not infinite simulations. I see parallels between that theory and the concept of reincarnation, so I took personal inspiration from the rebirth of this band along with that concept. If that explanation sounds slightly pretentious, that’s because it is.
;) Enjoy.”
You can also check out his Foreign Waves project below – give him a subscription on Youtube, if you’re into it.
