Djentlemen.

This is a thread for discussing djent, the universally disliked metal microgenre (kvltists gonna kvlt). Discussion about bands such as Meshuggah, Periphery, Animals as Leaders(?), TesseracT, Chimp Spanner and Cloudkicker goes here.

To be honest, I have plenty of qualms regarding the genre's legitimacy, but I'm sure discussing the above bands makes some patrons of the metal thread frown, so...

One is pretty cool or what.

What is Djent, aside from a small town in Wallachia?

OH HELLS YES

A thread existing for this is perfect for me because y'know I'm like an expert on djent and in a djent band and everything

Spain, you will hear many different theories as to what 'djent' is, but I'll just tell you that the original term was Meshuggah's guitarists' onomatopeia for the sound of a distorted palm muted guitar being struck with a pick.

The modern definition seems to be a sort of subgenre of metal spanning groove metal, progressive metal, tech death and others, in which multitudinous bands share one element of their music - a choppy, groove-oriented, staccato approach to riffing featuring syncopated or polyrhythmic ideas along the lines of the kind you hear in Meshuggah's Nothing.

It's a surprisingly diverse style, despite what some detractors would have you believe, with lots of bands just incorporating djent sounds and riffs into their own framework.

edited 19th Mar '11 10:39:55 AM by AsTheAnointed

Oh.

Metal has a lot of subgenres.

Djent is a Bollywood mockumentary movie in development, starring Bishai Bansoor, a Meshuggah fan who is also a bedroom guitarist and music producer (and amateur actor). Expected to have corny dialogue and love songs on downtuned electric guitars. Funded by $1 donations from each and every single member of sevenstring.org.

edited 19th Mar '11 10:37:05 AM by Litis

One will be an incredible album, although by now we've heard everything off it except the new versions of April and Sunrise. Eden is an incredible song.

I'm going to post new djent bands here as often as I can, starting with the excellent Circles who mesh their murkier side with a style of prog-rock very reminiscent of bands like Circa Survive in terms of melody and vocalization. Also electronic parts, and they're from Australia.

edited 19th Mar '11 10:37:43 AM by AsTheAnointed

It was leaked, FYI.

How very predictable. I'm still going to wait for release.

I like that Circles track alright (would like it a lot more without vocals), but I hear no real connection between Circles - Meshuggah - Cloud Kicker.

Is this really a coherent genre?

See my point about diversity. And spanning multiple styles.

Its status as a genre is very (VERY) hotly contested even among its fans - I myself perceive it more as a scene or movement than an actual musical style (for instance, I don't seriously like calling my own band 'djent', I call it progressive metal, but we still identify as part of that community).

I've only heard Meshuggah's stuff, so can I get some recommendations for other albums I should look out for?

Periphery by Periphery is pretty much the starting point for djent - Periphery are regarded in a way as the leaders of the whole thing (Meshuggah may have created the sound, but they predate the explosion of bands playing that style by decades, so I'd say they're kind of above the whole thing).

This. This track is like the definitive djent song.

edited 19th Mar '11 10:53:52 AM by AsTheAnointed

HEY HEY ANOINTED HEY ANOINTED HEY HEY HEY ANOINTED

ANIMALS AS LEADERS ARE PLAYING IN LONDON IN SEPTEMBER

FUCKING FINALLLYYYYYYYYYYYYY

oh, and a little band called Between the Buried and Me are playing with them...

stupid UKers with your ridiculous amount of concerts

I am aware. Very exciting news indeed. It'll be the third time I've seen BTBAM

I'm also seeing Chimp Spanner with Aliases and Cyclamen next month! WOOP

Oh and Litis, AAL are definitely considered djent (by people who believe djent is a genre). Interesting how three of the acts you intially named are instrumental solo projects (though AAL has become a full band now and Chimp Spanner is in the process).

edited 19th Mar '11 11:03:19 AM by AsTheAnointed

No way Wicked, you can't complain about this one. AAL have been touring America for two years and have never played in the UK before.

Hence why I am so happy.

OIC

That makes a lot of sense.

Kind of like how New Weird seems to have very little in common beyond not-being-generic-fantasy.

A funny trend I've noticed in djent is the tendency of bands to have names which are one-word plurals, often of things related to maths or science or other techy things. Examples:

• Monuments (easily one of the scene's biggest bands, and they are RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME live, so they get a free pass)
• Volumes
• Structures
• Textures
• Surfaces (yes, those four are all real, seperate bands)
• Chronographs (also get a free pass for being awesome)
• Systems
• Aliases
• Depths
• Forms
• Impulses

Hell, my band's bassist/producer is even involved in a collaborative project called Chronicles. It's quite scary how prevalent this naming system is.

That is weird.

There any good instrumental Djent bands?

/not a fan of metal vocals

AAL, Cloudkicker and Chimp Spanner are the three big daddies of instrumental djent. AAL are more jazzy/experimental, Cloudkicker more post-rocky and Chimp Spanner more electronically influenced.

Also, many djent bands have members with instrumental side projects - for instance, Bulb from Periphery's project of the same name and Bleeding Skies (side project of one of Entrosolet's guitarists, and some of my favourite music ever).

Also, you might still like Tesseract as they have barely any harsh vocals.

edited 19th Mar '11 11:33:38 AM by AsTheAnointed

So I've just finished listening to One, and I must say that I'm very impressed. I'm hardly the prog type, but it's managed to captivate me.

I have Animals as Leaders so I guess they're next up.

BWAAAAH bwank-ka bwaaah bwaaah bwank-ka bwank bwaaah bwaaah bwank bwank bah BWAnkabwankah

You are now imagining "Icarus Lives". You will be for a while.

Periphery! Love that shit!

@Annointed: Tesseract is awesome, and their new video is awesome. Animals As Leaders leaves everyone else in the dust, though... "Wave Of Babies" is the best thing to come out of djent so far.

edited 19th Mar '11 3:42:22 PM by BoundByTheMoon

May as well link that because it's awesome.

Watching this made me like EMG Pickups, the track sounds so beast in every way

Huh, I didn't know djent was the name for this genre. Pretty good stuff. I've listened to Cyclamen's Senjyu once or twice, some of Tesserac T and I've dabbled briefly in Chimp Spanner. As far as Meshuggah go, I keep trying to listen to them, but something always disturbs me and forces me back. And I listen to extreme metal already, so we'll just put it down to Meshuggah being Meshuggah. :P

edited 19th Mar '11 4:49:03 PM by Shinsworth