For everybody here that enjoys a bit of that double-bass and ditry vocals so commonly opening up MSL's and Proleague matches, you may enjoy this music industry forecast and find some good new music along the way. For a community as technically oriented as TL, you might appreciate some excessively technical music. Djent is going to get very big in the metal scene.
Welcome to the genre, "Djent". Djent, by definition, is purely a homophone. It won't take incredibly long for you to understand why after a listen or two to the purveyors of this growing sub-genre. While Djent should broadly be considered Metal music, it is definitely it's own entity characterized by incessant bending of deep notes. This music is full of constant polyrhythms, off-time patterns, progressive song structure, and out of control chord progressions.
On April 19 2010 05:43 soliddew wrote: A lot of people in this thread have been saying its a polyrhythm, but i think the more appropriate term is a polymeter. most of meshuggah's music is built in polymeter, which means that while the music is in 4/4, the main riff is not in 4/4. the polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals. so while there are polyrhythms in meshuggah's music, they are quite different from the rarer polymeter.
Can you elaborate on this? It sounds very interesting.
I was once in a band were the guitars played 4 times a 5/4 measure riff, and the drums just went straight 4/4, but for 5 measures so in the end it was all even. Whats that called? And can you define polyrythm? And "he polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals." I don't get that?
the main goal of "djent" is to create a groove based around a cyclical rhythm/riff, but will generally total up to 4/4 in terms of beats. sure, you can count Periphery's Icarus Lives in 4/4, but you'll notice that the riff does NOT start again on beat 1, and it repeats OVER the bar. This is because the rhythm they are playing is either longer OR shorter than 4/4. However, the groove is still felt in 4, and the snare and cymbals are also in 4. meshuggah said it themselves: they do not count the time signature they are playing, they feel the polymetric groove they create. therefore,
4/4 riff timing is not welcome.
There are a few basic requirements to play Djent. It's forefathers, DIY math/music masters Meshuggah from Sweden, have long been the lone rangers playing this ridiculously heavy style of music. Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence. They made 8-string guitars famous in the metal world. Recently, 8-string guitars to metal kids are like SC2 Beta keys to nerds. Let's survey the gear:
Most Djent guitar players by default play custom Ibanez 8-strings, and they have recently become a stock production guitar. There are many custom guitar companies also making them. 8-strings enable sounds that most of our brains have not heard before in music. Green Day plays in E-standard; most Djent band's lowest string is in F#,nearly an octave lower. The tones of choice are purely digital. Usually, a Line 6 midi controller will control a rack of compression and digital effects that are then run out of the house sound system, or directly into a computer. Those who don't use racks usually opt for Engl Invader 100 amplifiers or Diezel's. Orange Amplification cabinets have found a resurgence in the metal scene because of their incredibly warm tones and extra-thick ply-wood that can actually handle the low tones our brains have trouble comprehending.
Drummers require 4-part independence, which means, they need to be able to play 4 different parts in different time signatures, simultaneously. Their kick drums usually mimic the patterns of the overly-percussive guitar riffs, and the snare is used to accent whichever time signature they are in (which is usually only for a moment). Some Djent bands like to use electronic drum kits that are triggered when recording. That means they play the songs exactly like a real kit, but a computer synthesizes the tones. Excluding jazz music, there isn't anything more difficult to do behind a drumkit than this.
Bass players are bass players.
Vocalists are required to talk about space, why Earth isn't fun, and use huge words that nobody understands. Keep in mind, their job isn't easy though. They must know the time signatures and parts as well as the other members, for their voice is used partially as a percussive interjection into the songs. Some Djent bands prefer no vocals at all. Vocals usually aren't the centerpiece of this genre, anyways.
Let's meet the lineup:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sumerian Records is a recent record label that has jumped onto this trend faster than anybody else. Touting growing death metal names like The Faceless, Sumerian reached enough with them success to pick up-and-coming Djent bands up like SCV's mining minerals. That being said...
Meet Periphery. Led by Misha Mansoor, resident brown guitar genius, this band will be the biggest, the soonest, and the fastest. They self-produced their album (which comes out today) and have had a DIY existence from the start. Matt Halpern behind the drums is a phenomenal, classically trained player.
Icarus Lives MV -
"Jamming"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Personally, I like Vildhjarta best. Hailing from Sweden, these Meshuggah babies are incredibly heavy and sport 2 vocalists. Beware of their self-produced 2010 album dropping, it will be ridiculous.
Shiver
Deceit
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Meshuggah, the inventors. No explanation needed. Bleed (you will bleed if you try to play this)
Rational Gaze
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TesseracT From the UK, the self-released their demo tracks and received an overwhelming response in 2007. Because of that response, they will be releasing a new album this year.
Concealing Fate Part One
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Animals As Leaders Led by Tosin Abasi, this Nigerian wonder-boy creates abstract jazz-influenced Djent whilst looping riffs over himself live in a completely instrumental self-titled album.
CAFO (Live)
On Impulse ...my favorite
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ After The Burial Minnesota tech-metal Djent geeks After The Burial bring their own style to the genre whilst incorporating more traditional metal riffs and structure borrowed from metalcore influences.
Aspirations (old version)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Other notable Djent-ish bands: Architects Impending Doom Volumes Veil of Maya Born of Osiris The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
djent chug djent djent djent chug jun jun chug djent djent chug djent djent djent chug djent djent djent chug jun jun chug djent djent chug djent djent djent chug djent djent djent chug jun jun chug djent djent chug djent djent
when it comes down to it, I think most people will agree that Meshuggah has a lot of talent, but that doesn't mean their songs get to just chug chug chug
I also can't stand the whole switching from clean to dirty vocals all the time. Sounds stupid.
On April 19 2010 02:00 captainwafflos wrote: why do we need another name for tech metal
Man you rock! I wish I could read entire articles and watch 10 videos in 7 minutes.
yes, i read your entire post before posting, and i'm familiar with most of the bands you've cited.
these bands all fall within the spectrum of "technical metal" (or technical death metal, which is basically synonymous these days). we don't need to give every band its own genre, and djent sounds Silly.
Btw, the name "djent" comes from the sound you get when you palm mute with razor tight, high gain tone. "DJENT! DJEN-DJENT!"
I don't want to call this a genre of it's own.
Meshuggah are still a metal band, or math-metal or whatever. I totally get what's "djent" about these bands but the music they play is still alot of times a mix of metal and hardcore. Alot of heavy music today falls under the metal-core banner. It's all a huge mix nowadays and I think "djent" is a weird category to put bands in.
My band used to tune down to F# thirteen years ago btw. Our guitarist and drummer were in love with Meshuggah at that time so I've done alot of djenting in the rehearsal room. The rhythm stuff can be very tricky indeed.
Btw, a band you should mention is definately Fear Factory. They have been busting out stuff like this since '95. Pantera also "djents" alot, check out Primal conrete sledge for instance.
On April 19 2010 02:07 boesthius wrote: I can't tell if you're serious or not.
By saying these bands are djent(which i still have no idea what the fuck that means), you encompass a shitton of metal genres that are barely related.
Meshuggah is progressive death metal that plays in standard times but with polyrhythms. Impending Doom is entry-level death metal/borderline death core. The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza is pure mathcore with some grind thrown in. Born of Osiris is really terrible deathcore. Animals as Leaders is a progressive metal band. Periphery plays a mathy metalcore.
I really dont understand why you think this is going to blow up as you say it is. All you're doing is trying to quantify a shitload of genres into the only thing they have in common - different meters; which has been around for ages. Like I really don't get why you're lumping in these random deathcore bands in here. Maybe because they have breakdowns? I dunno.
I said Djent-ish* at the bottom, and no, I definitely didn't make up the term. It's odd, and something to talk about as there are a ton of metal fans on TL. I agree they aren't all in this category, and I also agree that a few of them are terrible But I can't even count how many "Got Djent?" shirts I saw before I moved to Korea. 8-string guitars weren't stock production until last year, i.e. it's growing. Again, it's a discussion, and I love the fact that you are raging.
Keep in mind, Veil of Maya landed at #24 on Billboard last week and the guys from Meshuggah make millions/year. DIY metal is getting really big and cutting out the middleman, labels. Kind of a new wave as the music industry is changing.
On April 19 2010 02:12 Foucault wrote: Btw, the name "djent" comes from the sound you get when you palm mute with razor tight, high gain tone. "DJENT! DJEN-DJENT!"
I don't want to call this a genre of it's own.
Meshuggah are still a metal band, or math-metal or whatever. I totally get what's "djent" about these bands but the music they play is still alot of times a mix of metal and hardcore. Alot of heavy music today falls under the metal-core banner. It's all a huge mix nowadays and I think "djent" is a weird category to put bands in.
My band used to tune down to F# thirteen years ago btw. Our guitarist and drummer were in love with Meshuggah at that time so I've done alot of djenting in the rehearsal room. The rhythm stuff can be very tricky indeed.
Btw, a band you should mention is definately Fear Factory. They have been busting out stuff like this since '95. Pantera also "djents" alot, check out Primal conrete sledge for instance.
You're right about some of those other details. I'll update the OP as people continue to talk about it... I know I'm not the only one with experience and an opinion about it. As odd as it is, it's literately becoming a sub-genre though. As I said, I'm just noting what I've seen and heard from some A&R guys, specifically Sumerian (who are getting rich).
So yeah Meshuggah have had a tremendous influence on heavy music no doubt. Never heard of Vildhjarta (we have too much good music in Sweden it's ridiculous) but they sounded very tight. The name means "wild heart" btw.
It's hilarious how many sub genres there are in heavy music today
Metal has more sub-genres than any other music genre i've ever heard of. This shit is ridiculous. In this thread 3 different people called the same band 3 different grenres lol.
Tosin Abasi is pretty damn good at guitar, otherwise I kinda feel the same way as other people, this isn't some big revolution. I'd say it's a cool step for metal-ish bands. I could probably like some of these bands if they did not have a vocalist or tried to incorporate another instrument as the "voice." These are the types of groups that would be awesome live, but feel kinda weird just sitting here at my pc
LOL. Wow. Djent is a horrible genre if all it is is a bunch of bands ripping off Meshuggah, who are terribly boring in their own right.
Oh wow, their so technical, they have 8 string guitars and play polyrhythms at weird time signatures. Too bad most of them can't create a compelling song to save their lives. Bornig metal, for snobby metalheads who think that they are somehow special or intelligent for enjoying it.
This makes me wanna buy a TapouT shirt and drive around in a lifted truck. No seriously though, something has always turned me off about music that just tries so so so hard to sound "tough". Just so overdone.
On April 19 2010 02:00 captainwafflos wrote: why do we need another name for tech metal
After listening to the songs he posted, I figured out why it's called Djent. When you start talking about tech metal, the odds are most of the emphasis, or the band's "signature move" will be a breakdown of some sorts. Meaning that it's more about rhythm than melody.
I wouldnt say it's a genre though, more like a technique. Just as you can make ''Meshuggah'' style riffs, you can write a very ''Djenty'' breakdown. (Best example, Veil of Maya - Unbreakable (Ending of the song)
If there's one thing I noticed about Veil of Maya, who are kings of weird breakdowns, is that they mix up a LOT of Djents with their Chugs.
See below Assuming this is a tab, the 1-1 power chords is a Djent.
0--0--0--1--0--0--1 0--0--0--1--0--0--1
Chug Chug Chug Djent Chug Chug Djent
It creates a very... weird, psychedelic, borderline insane tone. I'm going out on a limb here because this is just something I noticed while listening to what I now know is referred to as Djent but messing around with time signatures and accenting odd beats really messes with your brain. If done proprely.
The first CD of Born of Osiris has breakdowns that weren't really thought through (with exceptions of course). It's chugging for the sake of chugging. On their second cd they really figured something out though.
In Elimination, the final part of the song represents hate in it's purest form. The breakdown is solid, the vocals are extremely aggressive but what really grabs me is the soft piano in the background, showing me that the vocalist has gone insane in his quest for vengeance or whatever it is he's talking about. He probably sees it as something beautiful at that point. Now, what does that mean for me? Not much, I'm a very happy person in general but I give BoO 10/10 for creating something that brings such a clear and precise image in my mind.
Anyway, my point is that those Meshuggah style riffs really makes your mind... vulnerable(?) to insane/sad/melancholic/odd/trippy/eery melodies.
A great example is TesseracT - Concealing Fate Part 1 at 6:30. It's the first time I listen to this song and that riff is burned into my brain. For me at least, it really catches my interest and brings me to ''that special place'' in music.
Sounds good maybe not the best of the best but there is one little problem with the article... Messugah is 4/4 but it has a polyrhythm on it. you Can still count 1 2 3 4 in the mayority of the songs the mayority of the time. The thing that makes meshuggah awsome is that. You can move your head in 4/4 while a 16/32 plus something else plus something else beat adds up to 4/4.
FYI the only thing i listen metal related is Meshuggah everything else seems too predictable.. but hey i do like Iron maiden and such.. this seems more Hardcore some suff like that. Hope some Proleague matches use this music its a bit better than the current songs...
First youtube kicks off in 4/4. By the way. And most bands use a less revolutionairy instrument called "bass" to reach tones one octave lower than standard guitar E.
Other stuff sounds like mathrock to me.
I wouldn't have started listening and I really like the tubes you post, but wtf djent? I'm not gonna use another musical genre name when the current once suffice.
I also agree with the poster above me, it's awesome when you can just bang your head 4/4 no matter what crazy shit they play. Groove above all.
I used to be into all those bands. I hate to use the term, but it's entry-level heavy music, Meshuggah included. It's actually the most accessible stuff in what should be an inaccessible genre. I'm referring to the more 'extreme' branch of Metal of course. This might sound like some of the most intense stuff in Metal, but it really isn't. There is a lot of technical complexity, but the music doesn't flow and lacks originality. It's also always over-produced. This was fine when Meshuggah did it, because they had this whole nihilistic/apocalyptic thing going and we could safely say that it fit perfectly with their themes and philosophical views. They were the only ones who sounded like this, so they were original. None of the other bands are. I've overplayed this stuff for about a year before realizing how empty it actually is of any originality. It's really bland. I can't feel any emotion when I listen to it -- at all.
This is why it has the potential to be huge, because it appeals to the masses. If I listen to metal, I want to be challenged, not feel comfortable and part of some trend. Just my 2 cents.
This is original and extreme, just for contrast's sake.
Demetori, one of the best Touhou music groups, used some of these 8-stringed monstrosities on their last release, Nada Upasana Pundarika. They're typically used on the album in a more "chug" way than "djent", but I thought it would be worth sharing regardless. Touhou music is by nature more melodically inclined than this stuff, and this is a rather interesting take on the extreme riffing these 8-stringers can provide.
These last two songs are right up my alley. Is it weird that I just listen to a lot of metal for the pure noise aspect? I just enjoy the sounds and vocals count higher for me than anything else. I'm just amazed by the ability of these men to make some of those inhuman sounds. xD
On April 19 2010 04:05 Navane wrote: And most bands use a less revolutionairy instrument called "bass" to reach tones one octave lower than standard guitar E.
You try making a bass sound like one of these guitars - it just doesn't work x.x
On April 19 2010 04:29 Hollow wrote: I used to be into all those bands. I hate to use the term, but it's entry-level heavy music, Meshuggah included. It's actually the most accessible stuff in what should be an inaccessible genre. I'm referring to the more 'extreme' branch of Metal of course. This might sound like some of the most intense stuff in Metal, but it really isn't. There is a lot of technical complexity, but the music doesn't flow and lacks originality. It's also always over-produced. This was fine when Meshuggah did it, because they had this whole nihilistic/apocalyptic thing going and we could safely say that it fit perfectly with their themes and philosophical views. They were the only ones who sounded like this, so they were original. None of the other bands are. I've overplayed this stuff for about a year before realizing how empty it actually is of any originality. It's really bland. I can't feel any emotion when I listen to it -- at all.
This is why it has the potential to be huge, because it appeals to the masses. If I listen to metal, I want to be challenged, not feel comfortable and part of some trend. Just my 2 cents.
This is original and extreme, just for contrast's sake.
A lot of people in this thread have been saying its a polyrhythm, but i think the more appropriate term is a polymeter. most of meshuggah's music is built in polymeter, which means that while the music is in 4/4, the main riff is not in 4/4. the polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals. so while there are polyrhythms in meshuggah's music, they are quite different from the rarer polymeter.
On April 19 2010 04:29 Hollow wrote: I used to be into all those bands. I hate to use the term, but it's entry-level heavy music, Meshuggah included. It's actually the most accessible stuff in what should be an inaccessible genre. I'm referring to the more 'extreme' branch of Metal of course. This might sound like some of the most intense stuff in Metal, but it really isn't. There is a lot of technical complexity, but the music doesn't flow and lacks originality. It's also always over-produced. This was fine when Meshuggah did it, because they had this whole nihilistic/apocalyptic thing going and we could safely say that it fit perfectly with their themes and philosophical views. They were the only ones who sounded like this, so they were original. None of the other bands are. I've overplayed this stuff for about a year before realizing how empty it actually is of any originality. It's really bland. I can't feel any emotion when I listen to it -- at all.
This is why it has the potential to be huge, because it appeals to the masses. If I listen to metal, I want to be challenged, not feel comfortable and part of some trend. Just my 2 cents.
This is original and extreme, just for contrast's sake.
Wow. I really really like the first song there. Great post btw.
Yeah, it feels like I'm playing Portal, Immolation and Lykathea Aflame all mixed together along with something that I can't ever put my finger on-- which must be a result of divine inspiration. :D
I feel as Metal continuosly takes three steps backwards and one step forward.
I also echo Hollow, even though I'm more of a Black Metal guy. Anyways, I just can't stand the clean vocals so this is a no-go for me, and the repetition is a turn off. Also, you better hope your favorite genre stays mostly "under-ground" or it becomes a complete and total sell-out and turns poppy in no time.
lol i just started learning the guitar a month ago and i know absolutely shit about metal or mathtal or djent or whatever the hell you guys are talking about so i really love this thread since i'm learning so much. good work OP and all other posters adding informative stuff, TL is cool.
On April 19 2010 05:43 soliddew wrote: A lot of people in this thread have been saying its a polyrhythm, but i think the more appropriate term is a polymeter. most of meshuggah's music is built in polymeter, which means that while the music is in 4/4, the main riff is not in 4/4. the polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals. so while there are polyrhythms in meshuggah's music, they are quite different from the rarer polymeter.
Can you elaborate on this? It sounds very interesting.
I was once in a band were the guitars played 4 times a 5/4 measure riff, and the drums just went straight 4/4, but for 5 measures so in the end it was all even. Whats that called? And can you define polyrythm? And "he polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals." I don't get that?
On April 19 2010 05:43 soliddew wrote: A lot of people in this thread have been saying its a polyrhythm, but i think the more appropriate term is a polymeter. most of meshuggah's music is built in polymeter, which means that while the music is in 4/4, the main riff is not in 4/4. the polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals. so while there are polyrhythms in meshuggah's music, they are quite different from the rarer polymeter.
Can you elaborate on this? It sounds very interesting.
I was once in a band were the guitars played 4 times a 5/4 measure riff, and the drums just went straight 4/4, but for 5 measures so in the end it was all even. Whats that called? And can you define polyrythm? And "he polymeter between the non 4/4 and the 4/4 is created by the snare and generally the cymbals." I don't get that?
your first example is a exactly what a polymeter is. its like take the GCF of two different time signatures and making it so that they eventually line back up. 4/4 for 5 measures is 20 beats, and 5/4 for 4 measures is 20 beats. but if your drums were not playing in 4/4 and in 5/4 instead, there would be no polymeter as there would be no two different simultaneous time signatures, and it would just be in 5/4.
polyrhythm is kind of the same idea, just on a different scale. ex, triplets against eighth notes or 16th notes against triplets. if you play them at the same time, that is called a polyrhythm.
the main goal of "djent" is to create a groove based around a cyclical rhythm/riff, but will generally total up to 4/4 in terms of beats. sure, you can count Periphery's Icarus Lives in 4/4, but you'll notice that the riff does NOT start again on beat 1, and it repeats OVER the bar. This is because the rhythm they are playing is either longer OR shorter than 4/4. However, the groove is still felt in 4, and the snare and cymbals are also in 4. meshuggah said it themselves: they do not count the time signature they are playing, they feel the polymetric groove they create. therefore,
On April 19 2010 01:52 Quesadilla wrote: 4/4 timing is not welcome.
by the OP is quite wrong. Meshuggah almost always plays in 4/4. Go listen or read to an interview, they say it them selves. almost every djent band does play in 4/4, but keeps a polymetric feel via the guitar riffs.
Soliddew is actually 100% right, I just paraphrased how the guitar riffs and structures are thought of way outside of 4/4. The snare and the cymbals are the only thing that actually make this music accessible for people who aren't theory geniuses.
Tosin Abasi is using what, 15/24, 7/8, and 4/4 in 3 parts of one complete riff?
On April 19 2010 02:33 ZZangDreamjOy wrote: LOL. Wow. Djent is a horrible genre if all it is is a bunch of bands ripping off Meshuggah, who are terribly boring in their own right.
Oh wow, their so technical, they have 8 string guitars and play polyrhythms at weird time signatures. Too bad most of them can't create a compelling song to save their lives. Bornig metal, for snobby metalheads who think that they are somehow special or intelligent for enjoying it.
On April 19 2010 02:33 ZZangDreamjOy wrote: LOL. Wow. Djent is a horrible genre if all it is is a bunch of bands ripping off Meshuggah, who are terribly boring in their own right.
Oh wow, their so technical, they have 8 string guitars and play polyrhythms at weird time signatures. Too bad most of them can't create a compelling song to save their lives. Bornig metal, for snobby metalheads who think that they are somehow special or intelligent for enjoying it.
So basically this is hipster metal?
once they start wearing ridiculous outfits, it will be. oh wait, tosin abasi. who is still amazing.
On April 19 2010 02:33 ZZangDreamjOy wrote: LOL. Wow. Djent is a horrible genre if all it is is a bunch of bands ripping off Meshuggah, who are terribly boring in their own right.
Oh wow, their so technical, they have 8 string guitars and play polyrhythms at weird time signatures. Too bad most of them can't create a compelling song to save their lives. Bornig metal, for snobby metalheads who think that they are somehow special or intelligent for enjoying it.
So basically this is hipster metal?
once they start wearing ridiculous outfits, it will be. oh wait, tosin abasi. who is still amazing.
On April 19 2010 09:06 Quesadilla wrote: Soliddew is actually 100% right, I just paraphrased how the guitar riffs and structures are thought of way outside of 4/4. The snare and the cymbals are the only thing that actually make this music accessible for people who aren't theory geniuses.
Tosin Abasi is using what, 15/24, 7/8, and 4/4 in 3 parts of one complete riff?
Thats the beauty of the meshuggah type riffs, they sound fucked up while still being in 4/4.
I have to say though, I don't like Meshuggah. I really tried to appreciate it but it's too raw for me. I preffer the more recent offshoots.
Meh, I love me some metal and some of this stuff is decent. I also disagree w/ a lot of what you say about this musicianship. It's nice and all, but at the same time i think it's shallow to call mastery of 1 style anything resembling the apex of musical possibilities. It's not that I think that's what your saying, but you are certainly over-hyping the content provided.
Overall, tis good music though, I just prefer the non-djent style of progressive tech.
I find this much more musically rewarding, and even significantly more rhythmically complicated. Most importantly though, i find this style of song writing more appealing. But this is just my opinion.
On April 19 2010 03:35 soliddew wrote: this thread needs more cloudkicker... not really as brutal as other "djent" bands, but still has the same polymetric feel as they do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZtisFY6Km8&
Wow. This single one-man artist deserves more attention than this thread could possibly hope to give. Thank you so much for posting!
On April 19 2010 03:35 soliddew wrote: this thread needs more cloudkicker... not really as brutal as other "djent" bands, but still has the same polymetric feel as they do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZtisFY6Km8&
Wow. This single one-man artist deserves more attention than this thread could possibly hope to give. Thank you so much for posting!
no problem. you can download all of his albums/eps on his myspace for free. also, if you like cloudkicker, you might also like Chimp Spanner. same type of one man progressive type of deal. Chimp Spanner is really fantastic.
heres another "djent" influenced band. breaks away from the chuggachuggachoochoo of meshuggah and most modern day djent and instead uses some jazz elements. 1980 - sagaie
i'm just going to edit this post whenever i feel necessary to add in djenty bands that aren't a carbon copy of meshuggah.
I hope that Periphery isn't one of the bands being referred to as a 'carbon copy of Meshuggah'. Their album is completely sick, I'm already in love with it.
On April 21 2010 13:36 ShaLLoW[baY] wrote: I hope that Periphery isn't one of the bands being referred to as a 'carbon copy of Meshuggah'. Their album is completely sick, I'm already in love with it.
periphery is definitely not a carbon-copy of meshuggah. i didnt mention them because they were in the OP. i do love periphery, but their new album wasn't as good as it could have been. i miss their old drummer too much.
On April 23 2010 02:54 Late wrote: Damn, this is so INCREDIBLY GOOD. Must take insane skill to play riffs like that. I keep listening to these songs over and over. Thanks a lot man!
Playing the riffs, it's not so bad. You just practice.
WRITTING them is the hard part. To come up with that stuff, you have to be good. There's no other way.
Holy crap, how did I miss this thread? I was waiting for soooooooo long for the Periphery album *2+ years*. Its so cool to see one of my fav bands going big ^__^
On April 23 2010 02:54 Late wrote: Damn, this is so INCREDIBLY GOOD. Must take insane skill to play riffs like that. I keep listening to these songs over and over. Thanks a lot man!
Playing the riffs, it's not so bad. You just practice.
WRITTING them is the hard part. To come up with that stuff, you have to be good. There's no other way.
either that or have no idea what you are doing and just chuggah chuggah chuggah
On April 19 2010 01:52 Quesadilla wrote: Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence.
I don't get why you are hyping polyrhythms so much. It is so ridiculously common in contemporary classical music to have things like this. I'm currently playing a 30 year old Toru Takemitsu duet with 5 on 3 on 2. Sure these guys are complex compared to the average pop scene, with its ubiquitous 4/4 patterns, but its really nothing special compared to even early 20th century music.
I mean, they don't even use stuff like quarter tonality or play non melodic music. I mean, if they played in bohlen-pierce scales I would have shat my pants. This isn't anything like that. Fuck 4/4 anyway, play something in 5/8 even and I'll say its cool.
Edit: oh ps, if they continually displace the 4/4 meter this is cross-rhythm not polyrhythm.
either music is getting shittier, I'm getting pickier, or my style is changing because the only song on this list I liked was Icarus Lives by Periphery. Everything else sucked in my opinion. Sorry haha
On April 19 2010 01:52 Quesadilla wrote: Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence.
I don't get why you are hyping polyrhythms so much. It is so ridiculously common in contemporary classical music to have things like this. I'm currently playing a 30 year old Toru Takemitsu duet with 5 on 3 on 2. Sure these guys are complex compared to the average pop scene, with its ubiquitous 4/4 patterns, but its really nothing special compared to even early 20th century music.
I mean, they don't even use stuff like quarter tonality or play non melodic music. I mean, if they played in bohlen-pierce scales I would have shat my pants. This isn't anything like that. Fuck 4/4 anyway, play something in 5/8 even and I'll say its cool.
Edit: oh ps, if they continually displace the 4/4 meter this is cross-rhythm not polyrhythm.
i'll admit, the bands aren't SUPER modern with quarter tonality and stuff like that. but if you can show me guitars that have quarter tonality, which i don't think i've seen, that'd be pretty awesome. and i'm not sure, but aren't cross rhythms the same as polyrhythms?
also, i know that the OP's claim and a lot of people's claims are a bit exaggerated, but you are looking at the music one-dimensionally. the musical techniques these bands use are used to convey a feeling, a groove, and aren't being done just to show off. honestly, stuff like 5/8 and 7/8 aren't even that interesting anymore. it is how it's being used.
ps. what is a bohlen-pierce scale, because it sounds interesting
On April 19 2010 01:52 Quesadilla wrote: Second only to Dream Theater, Meshuggah is the bane of every modern music theory student's existence.
I don't get why you are hyping polyrhythms so much. It is so ridiculously common in contemporary classical music to have things like this. I'm currently playing a 30 year old Toru Takemitsu duet with 5 on 3 on 2. Sure these guys are complex compared to the average pop scene, with its ubiquitous 4/4 patterns, but its really nothing special compared to even early 20th century music.
I mean, they don't even use stuff like quarter tonality or play non melodic music. I mean, if they played in bohlen-pierce scales I would have shat my pants. This isn't anything like that. Fuck 4/4 anyway, play something in 5/8 even and I'll say its cool.
Edit: oh ps, if they continually displace the 4/4 meter this is cross-rhythm not polyrhythm.
i'll admit, the bands aren't SUPER modern with quarter tonality and stuff like that. but if you can show me guitars that have quarter tonality, which i don't think i've seen, that'd be pretty awesome. and i'm not sure, but aren't cross rhythms the same as polyrhythms?
also, i know that the OP's claim and a lot of people's claims are a bit exaggerated, but you are looking at the music one-dimensionally. the musical techniques these bands use are used to convey a feeling, a groove, and aren't being done just to show off. honestly, stuff like 5/8 and 7/8 aren't even that interesting anymore. it is how it's being used.
ps. what is a bohlen-pierce scale, because it sounds interesting
For the record, quarter tonality can be achieved with bending or fret-less instruments (which are more common in basses, but fretless guitars exist. I agree with Fontong though, Meshuggah isn't the most complex musical project of all time, but they at least are more complex then the average pop band ) Though, i want to say thanks to the OP for posting Animals as Leaders - some really great songs from Tosin Abasi - and he's ridiculously talented. Jesus, I don't even like shredding and this guy can tear it up (also nice to hear some of his jazz inspired licks as well, nice that he diversifies himself [being that he actually seems to be trained in music])
On April 23 2010 06 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 23 2010 06 end_of_the_skype_highlighting:09 Foucault wrote: Thread needs more Dillinger Escape Plan imo
As much as I love DEP (I personally think Miss Machine is the greatest album ever made, like, ever!) I really don't think they have anything to do in this thread, since they're not Djent... At all!
On topic, I loved the OP. Have been a Meshuggah fan for a long time, and it's so nice hearing some youngsters (ehm, sort or) play inspired from them. I really like some of the stuff you've posted in the op, Periphery has a lovely mix between Protest the Hero and Meshuggah, and it works great! Thanks for inlightening me into this genre or whatever people want to call it.
Btw, to people yelling about this not being the most technical or complex ever made, well, that's not why you should listen to music anyway. You should listen to music because you think it sounds awesome/ awakes some feelings of some sort and such. Liking music conceptually is stupid.
Showing some love for TesseracT and AAL... saw TesseracT recently and they put on an amazing show! The new vocalist is incredible!! Check out this studio session!!
EPT
But I can't even count how many "Got Djent?" shirts I saw before I moved to Korea. 8-string guitars weren't stock production until last year, i.e. it's growing. Again, it's a discussion, and I love the fact that you are raging.
![[image loading]](http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Girls-Shorts-500x277.jpg)
either music is getting shittier, I'm getting pickier, or my style is changing because the only song on this list I liked was Icarus Lives by Periphery. Everything else sucked in my opinion. Sorry 
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