Djent

Dusk – Spectrums Review

By Cherd on February 17, 2023 in Reviews, Deathcore, Djent, Electronica Metal, Metalcore, 40 comments

“How I came to pen this review is kind of a funny story. Upon entering our promo pit and undergoing de-lousing, this record was tagged as death doom. Whether that was an honest mistake or something more nefarious is an ongoing discussion. The advance material does tout a guest spot by Jaani Peuhu, briefly a member of death doom luminaries Swallow the Sun (more on that later), but Steel has also openly admitted he sometimes lays promo traps for unsuspecting writers to unwittingly claim metalcore. Spectrums, the debut full-length by Saudi one-man band Dusk, has nary a hint of death doom. I’ll give you one guess what it is.” Traps in the glooming.

Elyose – Déviante Review

By Dolphin Whisperer on February 11, 2023 in Reviews, Djent, Groove Metal, Nu Metal, Synthwave, 26 comments

“Why do we find ourselves in the midst of a nu renaissance where bands like The Offering throw down like it’s ’03 and genres like slam can shamelessly quote groove under the guise of gore? Well, it seems that some also grew up to incorporate their first loves into their art. Elyose, an act of that breed, urges you to embrace your inner jumpdafuckup with a French language tour-de-force of alt-rock meets gothy vibes with nu and industrial accouterments on Déviante.” What’s olde is nu.

Mask of Prospero – Hiraeth Review

By Dear Hollow on January 26, 2023 in Reviews, Djent, Metalcore, Progressive Metal, 26 comments

According to the promo, “Hiraeth” is a Welsh description of pain: “…a mixture of longing, referring to the sense of homesickness tinged with grief and sorrow over the loss. A yearning for that which has passed.” Mask of Prospero channel this grief into their sophomore effort Hiraeth, crisp metalcore weaponized with progressive metal to a complex and atmospheric degree.” The misery shows.

Source of Rage – Witness the Mess Review

By Dear Hollow on July 25, 2022 in Reviews, Djent, Heavy Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Metalcore, 26 comments

“Uh oh. The dreaded phrase, that cursed moniker. Boasting hooks, riffs, breakdowns, what could possibly go wrong?? Yes, Source of Rage is “modern metal.” I feel dread coursing through my veins. But hey, when the Promo Gods shrug their broad shoulders and a Metalville release Witness the Mess topples from an almighty schlong, you don’t question (1) why modern metal is tucked in the divine crotch somewhere, or (2) why modern metal gives the Promo Gods such a hard-on. The gods work in mysterious ways. Glory fuckin’ be.” Witness the modern age.

Minipony – Ajna Review

By Doom_et_Al on June 23, 2022 in Reviews, Djent, Technical Death Metal, 95 comments

I’ve listened to a lot of metal. I’ve listened to a lot of very average metal. I’ve listened to some pretty bad metal. Despite all this, I was simply unprepared for Ajna. You see, Ajna is on another level entirely. True story: “Because of Ajna, I could not complete the train journey to work this week. It was halfway through my 5th listen when something cracked. “Why would the Boss Ape force this upon me?” I mused. “Is this a test of my loyalty?” If so, it was a stern examination. The pointless sound effects; the bizarre vocals; the bite-sized, jittery riffs; these all congealed into a force that simply overwhelmed my brain. I could no longer compute, and the only response was to laugh. So, I did. I howled and cackled and coughed up my coffee.” Small horse, big confusion.

Monuments – In Stasis Review

By Dear Hollow on April 18, 2022 in Reviews, Djent, Metalcore, 52 comments

“To my credit, I was prepared. For those who enter the prog trailer park via that sketchy patch of woods at the back called “djent,” the polyrhythm abusers can be easier to spot. Futuristic-looking album covers, scientific names, and vaguely mathematic monikers like Structures, Tesseract, Volumes, and Intervals greet the eyes – or Monuments, in this case.” Escape from 2003.

Meshuggah – Immutable Review

By Carcharodon on March 30, 2022 in Reviews, Djent, Progressive Metal, 110 comments

“Meshuggah is often accused of failing to evolve or change. That accusation is misplaced. While it’s certainly true that their unique style means it requires just one guitar line from Fredrik Thordendal or a single snarl from Kidman to know it’s Meshuggah, exactly how they’ve deployed that has changed subtly from record to record. Immutable picks up where The Violent Sleep of Reason left off, feeling freer than Meshuggah’s precise technicality has sounded in many a year.” Immutable, inflexible, inshuggahable.

Haunted Shores – Void Review

By Carcharodon on March 10, 2022 in Reviews, Death Metal, Djent, Progressive Metal, 15 comments

“Washington, D.C. progressive instrumental duo Haunted Shores returns after a seven-year absence with second full-length, Void. This is the follow-up to 2015 EP, Viscera, and 2011’s self-titled debut album. Haunted Shores members Mark Holcomb and Misha Mansoor are better known as members of Periphery, where both handle guitars and Mansoor is also responsible for programming, synthesizers, orchestration and drums. And once you know that, you can’t unhear Periphery in what the duo turn out.” Crawling eyes and void fanciers.

Nothing Noble – Modern Dismay Review

By Dear Hollow on August 5, 2021 in Reviews, Djent, Metalcore, 8 comments

“I’m not sure how everyone got their start with metal, but there had to be a bit of a transition to the more extreme stuff, unless you eat nails for breakfast while listening to Cryptopsy’s None So Vile. Unlike you sausage or oatmeal or vegemite shippers who are descended from the yesteryears of heavy, thrash, or doom, I enjoy my eggs with my bacon: my origins of Christian metalcore a la Demon Hunter, Haste the Day, and Oh Sleeper stick with me. While metalcore has not been the kindest to me thus far in 2021, I’m always rooting for any that may wander across my lap like a feral kitten. Is Nothing Noble available for adoption?” Dismay Day.

VOLA – Witness Review

By El Cuervo on May 20, 2021 in Reviews, Djent, Electronica, Progressive Metal, 76 comments

“Three high quality releases is the threshold. The point at which a band stops being an exciting upstart and starts being a respected part of their community. I previously enjoyed 2015’s Inmazes and loved 2018’s Applause of a Distant Crowd. VOLA’s unique brand of poppy, electronic, progressive metal put them at the forefront of the modern prog scene and now 2021 is seeing the release of their third album called Witness. It firmly establishes them as one of the most inventive and enjoyable bands in the scene and I’m delighted to publish a positive report on their progress.” Witness more applause.