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Djent is a movement in the underground metal scene. The word 'djent' is an onomatopoeia for a heavily palm-muted distorted guitar chord. It is believed to have been coined by Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal and is generally considered to have been made popular by Misha Mansoor of Periphery . Typically, the word is used to refer to music that makes use of this sound, to the sound itself, or to the scene that revolves around it. Its meaning is the subject of much debate.
Musicians
Although Meshuggah are typically credited as the fathers of djent, bands and musicians considered to have instigated the birth of the modern djent scene are Periphery, TesseracT, Chimp Spanner and Fellsilent. Other popular bands are Monuments, Vildhjarta and Cloudkicker. Some popular progressive metal bands that are not part of the scene have some similar characteristics, and are also sometimes referred to as djent. These include Textures, SikTh, Veil of Maya, After the Burial, Animals as Leaders and Meshuggah themselves. .
Controversy
While the origin of the word is generally agreed upon, its precise meaning is controversial and it is used in a variety of different ways.
Sound
Djent, in its original meaning, is simply a short, metallic, palm-muted sound made by an electric guitar using mid to high range gain. In the words of Misha Mansoor, " the onomatopoeia of a heavily palm muted distorted guitar chord which is usually played as but not limited to a four-string double octave power chord, and as a result sounds much more metallic and sonically present than a ‘chug’ ‘chugga’ or ‘djun’ per se ." Another type of sound often referred to as djent nowadays is achieved by low tuned, open note syncopated riffing.
Style
Djent is also used as a stylistic grouping of bands that incorporate these sounds into their music. It is argued by many that this grouping constitutes a new subgenre of metal, but equally many are vehemently opposed to this notion.
As a style descriptor, it describes music that makes use of the palm-muted chord that the word originally referred to. This leaves room for various other musical qualities, with only one element that remains consistent across bands and songs. Many modern progressive metal bands have been associated with the genre when their use of the chord is in fact limited. This seems to be in accordance with the typical evolution of a musical genre .
References
- The Guardian - Djent, the metal geek's microgenre
- got-djent.com - Bands by popularity
- Last.fm - djent music
- McKay, C. 2004. Automatic genre classification of MIDI recordings. M.A. Thesis. McGill University, Canada, p. 16.