Top Albums from the New Djent Movement
Djent is a very polarizing genre of music, to the point where it might not even be an actual genre. But if i were to make a list of progressive metal albums I would be questioned as to why I left out the majority of great progressive metal albums. I want to focus on albums from this new movement that go beyond the whole "We like to chug and palm mute on the first string like Meshuggah" and focus on more fulfilling albums that use this technique in a better way. There are a lot of terrible and generic djent bands out there but these ones stand out to me as either great musicians or great songwriters, and sometimes both. I will admit I haven't paid attention to the genre lately and have probably missed some gems but at the time, these albums really stood out to me. |
| 10 |  | Plini
Other Things
While just a short EP, these 3 tracks feature a great mixture of jazz and modern progressive metal. It is much more subtle than other "djent" releases but it makes for a very easy listening experience. |
| 9 |  | Scale the Summit
The Migration
The Migration is a gorgeous album with so many great guitar leads. The playing here is fantastic and a favorite of mine. |
| 8 |  | Animals As Leaders
Animals as Leaders
The debut from Animals as Leaders showcases them at their finest and really added to the explosion of people buying 7 and 8 string guitars to emulate this style. I'll let you decide whether that's a good thing or not. |
| 7 |  | Chimp Spanner
Imperium Vorago
This album was very ahead of its time. Many of the instrumental djent bands are attempting to do things Chimp Spanner had mastered in 2006. |
| 6 |  | David Maxim Micic
Bilo
David Maxim Micic's Bilo is a great guitar-driven record that doesn't get too lost in itself. The guitar lines are crisp and very memorable. |
| 5 |  | Returning We Hear the Larks
Far-Stepper/Of Wide Sea
Returning We Hear the Larks is a one-man band from England. This is very impressive atmospheric music that complements a unique narrative. |
| 4 |  | Vildhjarta
Masstaden
I have yet to find an album in this genre that really captures this purely terrifying atmosphere that Vildhjarta put to use in this LP. This album is dark and intense and at times almost like a horror movie when the heavy moments jump out of nowhere. |
| 3 |  | Fellsilent
The Hidden Words
While Meshuggah may have pioneered the sound, Fellsilent took the sound in a different direction. Periphery takes too much credit for making the genre into what it is today. Fellsilent basically gave birth to Tesseract and Monuments taking Acle Kahney and John Browne respectively. |
| 2 |  | Uneven Structure
Februus
Uneven Structure's Februus is a massive album that plays seamlessly from front to back. It features a mix of heavy progressive metal and lengthy ambient passages to create a dark atmosphere. There are also large sections that take cues from the post rock genre. |
| 1 |  | Tesseract
Concealing Fate
This EP is basically put in the middle of their full length "One" but this movement was what really drew me into this style. Tesseract blends melody and ambiance with a more technical style of picking use of odd timing rhythms. The vocal performance by Daniel Tompkins is one of my favorite from modern metal as well. |
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