Contrarian is an American extreme metal band from Rochester, New York, founded in 2012 by guitarist Jim Tasikas.

Jim then enlisted his friend Ed Paulsen for bass duties, Brian Mason as lead guitar and George Kollias of Nile for drums.

Contrarian roots came from the progressive and technical metal scene birthed in Rochester, NY in the mid-1990s which also brought to light bands such as Lethargy, Mastodon, Psyopus and Sulaco.

This EP caught the attention of Jason Tipton at Willowtip Records and within one year the band released their first full-length album Polemic on November 20, 2015.

[9][10][11] The band's two latest album Only Time Will Tell and Sage of Shekhinah were also released via Willowtip Records, with mixing by producer Neil Kernon.