So it was a no brainer to do an On the Radar showcase of some of the upcoming releases for 2011 that I've either been tracking for a while, or had recently come across.
The number of groups and varying array of talent I wanted to put up on the Blaarg for this Djent installment of On the Radar was too heavy to throw into one post. It would have just been too damned long, so I decided to break it in two part. Here Comes the Djent, Part I opened up with the following group of Djentlemen: Nova, Volumes, Uneven Structure and Textures.
So here's a look Part II, and the other five groups that I planned to showcase. Each having their own distinct flavor, and all bringing something equal to the table, in the form of aural pleasure.
Periphery - Icarus Lives EPLabel: Sumerian
Genre: Progressive Metal
Release Date: April 19, 2011
About one year to the day that their debut self-titled album was released, Periphery will be releasing the Icarus Lives EP.
Periphery is the 6 piece Djenternaut from Maryland, featuring guitarist Misha Mansoor a.k.a Bulb, one of the most recognized figures in the current rising of the Djent circuit. But you can't take anything away from fretwork the of Jake Bowen, Alex Bois and Tom Murphy on bass, Matt Halpern's prowess behind the drum kit, and Spencer Sotelo up front on the vox.
The EP will feature the remixed version of Icarus Lives from the fan remix contest from this Fall, as well as two other remixes of the song. Also making an appearance on the EP will be the track Jetpacks Was Yes! v2.0, the addition of everyone's favorite intro, New Groove, and the tracks Captain On, Eureka and Frak the Gods, an old fan favorite which they've been playing live for the past few months.
Regardless of what Periphery would have decided to release on this upcoming release, I'm sure fans of the group would surely be pleased.
Elitist - TBALabel: Unsigned
Genre: Metalcore / Progressive
Release Date: TBD, 2011
Elitist are a 5 piece outfit out of Los Angeles, California, fusing together elements of progressive metal, trademark metalcore riffs, breakdowns and blisteringly elegant guitar work.
In 2010, Elitist released their debut EP Caves, quickly catching the attention of a few friends of mine, and many a metalhead. Not many details about Elitist's debut full-length album have come forward, but the band has released a studio update video, and footage of the band rehearsing together in studio.
It's understandable to make comparisons between bands, when trying to give people an idea of what a group sounds like, however I hate it when people label bands as a clone of another band. I've seen and also heard comments from people claiming that Elitist is just a clone of August Burns Red. I'm not one to argue there are similarities, but every band is unique, each member brings something new to the table, and Elitist and ABR clearly have their differences.
While I'd never use the term clone, comparing one up and coming group to another extremely talented band, such as ABR, that were once up and comers themselves, is actually a great compliment - as far as I see it.
You can check out Elitist on their MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/theelitistband.
Monuments - TBALabel: Basick Records
Genre: Ambient / Progressive Metal
Release Date: TBD
Many fans of Monuments consider it to be the primary successor, at least in spirit, of Fellsilent.
Originally the spawn of former Fellsilent guitarist John Browne, and Josh Travis of TTDTE, Monuments now feature Browne alongside former Fellsilent vocalist Neema Askari, Mike Malyan on drums and Adam Swan on bass.
If the combo from Fellsilent wasn't enough to inspire oogling from fans of the genre, the fact that Paul Ortiz a.k.a Chimp Spanner often plays guitar with Monuments while on tour, should give you an idea of how talented this group is. And of course if you don't know Chimp Spanner, then you sure as shit need to check out his work, especially the album At the Dream's Edge.
Monuments released an EP in late 2010 entitled We Are the Foundation. While only comprising three tracks, all three tracks are technically beautiful, and show off the talents of the group as a whole. Monuments is currently tracking their debut full-length album, while also doing kickass things like touring with Periphery and Tesseract on the League of Extraordinary Djentlemen tour.
I say this a lot, but if you haven't heard of these guys or their music, be sure to check them out. You can do so by visiting their MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/thisismonuments. The track Admit Defeat is a definite must listen.
TesseracT - OneLabel: Century Media
Genre: Experimental / Progressive Metal
Release Date: March 22, 2011
The brainchild of former Fellsilent guitarist Acle Kahney, TesseracT is a five member squad out of Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom.
TesseracT has been one of the most popular groups in the djent community ever since their inception. Blending together incredible instrumental technique, rhythm, and melody, along with alternating clean vocals and screams from Dan Tompkins, TesseracT provides one the most enjoyable progressive metal experiences of recent memory.
Fans of the group were obviously disappointed when in 2010, news that their debut album One would once again be delayed, however when news broke out that they had signed with Century Media, fans had good reason to get excited again. Following that announcement, the band released their debut EP Concealing Fate which I've discussed previously on the Blaarg and in my top 10 for 2010 post, where I named it my favorite EP of 2010.
Concealing Fate serves as a great prelude to their debut album One, which will finally be coming on March 22nd - which is officially a Smorgasbord day in the Metalverse also featuring new releases by Born of Osiris and Protest the Hero.
If you don't know them yet, get acquainted, and fast. You can check out TesseracT on their website at: http://www.tesseractband.co.uk/.
Vildhjarta - IrreversibleLabel: Unsigned
Genre: Ambidjent
Release Date: TBD, 2011
A seven member group out of Sweden, Vildhjarta have come to describe themselves, their style and their sound as being Ambidjent.
Vildhjarta utilizes a fusion of technicality and eloquence, featuring transitions between sections of abstract riffage, aggressive melodies, and ambiance that shifts between beautiful and dark at a moments notice.
Their debut album, entitled Irreversible has been, so far, something of a myth, as fans of the group have waited with bated breath to find out if the day will ever come when they can wrap their hands around a piece of this groups technical wizardry. Up until now we've had to do with the single pack Omnislash, released in 2009, a few sporadic releases and snippets.
Vildhjarta has been featured before on the Blaarg, in my first Djent oriented post from August entitled Forecast: A 90% Chance of Djent, the post which has actually received the most overall traffic (by a large margin) on the Blaarg to date, according to my stats - Nifty.
Regardless, rumors abound as to whether Irreversible will finally see the light of day in 2011. Personally, I fucking hope so, as it has been one of the albums I've been looking forward to for well over a year now.
You can check out Vildhjarta by visiting their MySpace at: http://www.myspace.com/vildhjarta. Omnislash, the single pack released in 2009 is also available free for download, and contains the tracks Shiver and Don't Fail Me Now (Lady Luck).
A little trip around the tubes and Youtube will also net you with a wealth of Vildhjarta's instrumental work, which is sure to please, if you haven't heard these guys prior to right now.
This concludes my outlook on what I have On the Radar in the Djent community for 2011. Here's to another great year in djent, and hopefully all of these releases will spank my ear drums this year, including those featured in Part I.
- J
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