Tag Archives: djent

Weserbergland, Yawn, Vetvi, and Izthmi

by Dæv Tremblay

Weserbergland – Sacrae symphōniae, numerō 1


Sacrae symphōniae, numerō 1 is a one-track, forty-minute, progressive, atmospheric, psychedelic, , symphonic krautrock piece. Yeah, I bet I tickled your curiosity right there eh! This is the third album from Norwegian band Weserbergland, and it’s just as advertised. When you click play, you’re submerged in an aura that’ll only end two-thirds of an hour later. During that time, you’ll come across the mesmerizing repeated riffs of krautrock, only spiced up with a lot of keyboard ambiance, woodwinds, and piano. The whole thing sounds uncanny, like it shouldn’t exist, yet it does. And it’s… Read more

Best of Progressive Metal 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


The “progressive metal” category casts such a wide net that I had to subdivide it into several subcategories. So, instead of making a top 5 for every one of them, let’s see only the best concept album, the best experimental album, the best instrumental album, the best vocal album, the best prog-power album, and the best prog-thrash album from 2021!

Best Prog-Power: Æphanemer – A Dream of Wilderness


It’s got the cheese, it’s got the shredder, it’s got the pasta.

Best Prog-Thrash: Cryptosis – Bionic Swarm



Throughout the many really cool thrash metal albums the year gave us, Cryptosis’s stood … Read more

Best of Metalcore 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Let’s hear it for the most crushing metalcore albums of 2021!

Number Five: Warring Monk – 僧兵


That Warring Monk album is a last-minute entry, but I had to include it here! Despite its lower production standard, it’s filled with incredible riffs, an amazing guitar distortion sound, and it’ll be a great discovery for most of you!

Number Four: Vildhjarta – Måsstaden under vatten



I don’t feel like Vildhjarta recaptured the lightning in a bottle that the original Måsstaden ended up being, but the under vatten follow-up is still really freaking good!

Number Three: Employed to Serve – Conquering


Employed … Read more

遺伝学者 – 芸者

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Good can come from death. Some would argue that, indeed, djent is a dead genre. I’d have to admit that it has seen better days, but, every once in a while, some shiny thing rises through the ashes and comes to the surface. A miniature speck of jade in a dull grey pile. Today, this is thanks to Mexican quartet 遺伝学者 (Iden Gakusha) and their Japan-oriented EP, 芸者 (Geisha). I believe the band achieves something great with this twenty-minute EP; here’s why.

First of all, the foundation of djent—and metal—is the riffs. Fear not, the riffs … Read more

Everything Is Terrible – Intensely Distressed and on the Verge of Mental Collapse

by Dæv Tremblay

The debut from Copenhagen progressive metalcore outfit Everything Is Terrible is terribly good. The aptly-titled Intensely Distressed and on the Verge of Mental Collapse showcases a slow, heavy kind of metalcore, almost to the point of deathcore, well-infused with djent sonorities. The guitars sound thick and powerful, thanks to a precise mix and a present bass guitar. On this intense full-length, the band goes from straight-out djent, to the mellower atmodjent style somewhat reminiscent of Tesseract or Uneven Structure, and that’s a recurring theme here – atmosphere –, for as hard or tranquil as they decide to go, all … Read more