Maligned progressive metal offshoot djent is alive and scorned in 2020, unscrapeable like tar on the sole of a shoe. Many people predicted that this genre would quickly fade from memory, a passing fad leaving behind nothing but bad tattoos and blown-out amplifiers. Blame Meshuggah for inventing the sound, but blame yourself for never giving it a proper chance.
What follows are my picks for the 10 best djent albums of 2020. These include releases from veterans of the scene, alongside newcomers and some groups that incorporate djent into their repertory without ever going full CHUD. Hear the glory of the old ways and the inspirations of the new. Thank my girlfriend for encouraging me to dip my toes back into this pool. Djent didn’t die; you did.
10. Simulacra – Cretaceous
The first album from Simulacra, a solo project of Canadian metal musician Brendan Dean, has a loose dinosaur extinction theme that fits with the music’s grisly, downtuned guitar chords and raspy shouted vocals. The lo-fi production values add to the dizzying effect produced by the tight polyrhythms and claustrophobic guitar slams. The guitars often feel fast and loose, at rick of breaking apart, but the end result manages to b consistent and stays true to itself.
9. Reflections – Willow
Reflections incorporate industrial glitch and deathcore breakdowns into their sound. It’s like a cross between mid-period Whitechapel and early Humanity’s Last Breath, straddling the line between triggered tech-pocalypse and low-end decimation. The vocals are satisfyingly harsh, and the song-writing breaks certain conventions while doubling down on others. The slam/beatdown elements mesh nicely with the djent riffs, proving once again that djent and deathcore can make for very good bedfellows.
8. Scalar – Painting Visions
The thing I like most about Painting Visions is the way Israeli band Scalar is able to bridge the divide between djent and nu metal without sounding like complete tools. It’s a bold, ambitious sound, full of feeling and fun. The guitar playing is actually quite good, while the vocals conjure up various recognizable rock acts, from Godsmack to Incubus to Red Hot Chili Peppers. This album is an homage to some of the most misunderstood trends in heavy rock of the past two decades, and the end product manages to be cohesive and enjoyable.
7. Arcing Wires – Prime
Prime is a djent-jazz hybrid album from Australian ensemble Arcing Wires. There’s sax! Groovy jams abound across the album’s eight songs, making use of jazz composition and a djent framework to create some truly funky sounds. This is the kind of djent album that even the haters can’t resist.
6. Bulb – Archives
Periphery’s Misha Mansoor has been releasing recordings from his old project Bulb, and the archive is full of hidden gems. Across the eight numbered volumes and two themed releases (one for electronic works, the other orchestral), there’s plenty of listening material for devoted Misha fans. While the tunes may be old, I’m including these releases for posterity, and also to encourage djent novitiates to take time and discover some of the sounds that forged this genre back in the early days.
5. Plini – Impulse Voices
Plini blends pummeling djent with jazzy progressive rock to create some of the smoothest heavy music around. Impulse Voices is a triumphant album that strikes an ideal balance between pounding metal and thought-provoking instrumentation. It’s a lush listening experience that demonstrates djent’s versatility in the modern era.
4. Jakub Zytecki – LIVE 2020
A live album from Jakub Zytecki and co. recorded in Krakow. There’s a delightfully playful post-rock sensibility shooting through all the jamming tunes contained in this performance. I had not heard of this outfit prior to receiving the album, and I was impressed. Well worth a listen if you enjoyed the 2014-era Sargent House roster.
3. Polaris – The Death of Me
Australia’s Polaris have been churning out consistently satisfying djent-tinged metalcore since 2012. The Death of Me is their second studio album, and it’s just so good. All of metalcore’s best aspects (which, yeah, debatable) are improved with the addition of a dash of djent. The alternate clean/harsh vocals do not annoy me, and while the lyrical subject matter is occasionally cringe-y, there’s nothing wrong with banging your head in the privacy of your own home.
2. Cloudkicker – Solitude
Ben Sharp does not disappoint his fans. Solitude is the best Cloudkicker album since Subsume and channels the same energy that made the early releases so captivating. I often hear nominal Cloudkicker fans lament that there isn’t a Beacons 2 (although I’d argue The Discovery is essentially a companion album), and while Solitude does capture some of that energy, there’s still a passionate curiosity, a playfulness that Sharp imbues into each song. At forty-eight minutes in length, it’s relatively long, though the listening experience never feels like a chore. There’s a sense of triumph in the return to form demonstrated on this album, particularly since nothing feels stale or rehashed. It’s an instant classic from one of djent’s finest minds, and could easily be substituted for the top spot on this list.
1. Intervals – Circadian
Intervals changed in 2015 when everyone quit except Aaron Marshall. Especially lamentable is the exit of drummer Anup Sastry, one of the most innovative modern prog metal percussionsists, but Marshall has made a valiant effort to continue the project. Circadian is a trim, streamlined album that showcases Marshall’s knack for song-writing, love of syncopation, and penchant for collaboration, with guest appearances from Marco Sfogli, Joshua De La Victoria, and Saxl Rose. While things have changed since the early Intervals EPs, the sound remains, essentially, the same. Anyone with an interest in instrumental djent ought to give this a try; the single “Lock & Key” is representative of the feel-good style epitomized by this album. Aaron Marshall is a djent OG but time has not slowed him down. Circadian is the best djent album of the year, and heralds many years of djent to come.
Opinion of the Court 