Djent and Rythmic Prog

by u/TheGalapagosGallop

To start off, I’m simply going to introduce the band that really needs no introduction, Meshuggah. Meshuggah was formed (under that title) in 1988, bringing a new approach to thrash metal and math rock to the table with a heavy emphasis on chugging, oddly timed riffs and polymetric compositions. Their debut, Contradictions Collapse, wasn’t necessarily the exact moment that this style truly took shape, as it still was more easily described as thrash than any form of progressive metal, but it was certainly a step in the direction of what eventually became Meshuggah’s unparalleled and extremely recognizable sound. After their 2002 LP release Nothing, Meshuggah had more or less developed the style that they maintain to this day, having ranged across different speeds, styles of composition, and levels of intensity in their first decade as a band, but they’ve continued to develop and innovate with every single release to date. It was this approach to progressive metal, along with that of British group SikTh (I’ll touch on them more later), that inspired the term “djent”, which was famously popularized by Misha “Bulb” Mansoor of Periphery on online forums with other founding members of the emerging sub-genre, including Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders) and Acle Kahney (Tesseract, ex-Fellsilent). Some cite Periphery as being the true creators of “djent”, as they took heavy inspiration from SikTh and Meshuggah and Meshuggah’s music bears very little direct resemblance to the multitude of copycat djent bands that followed in Periphery’s wake, but all three groups were hugely responsible for the movement that has continued to this day. Now, with it established that primarily Meshuggah, and to a lesser degree SikTh and Periphery, were the musical inspiration for both the term djent and the bands that played the style, I can now address the following question: what exactly is djent?

 

Firstly, the answer to that question can be somewhat controversial, but it is an often-misunderstood fact that djent is not truly the name of a genre, but rather one guitar technique often used by rhythmic technical progressive metal bands. It’s an onomatopoeia designed to describe palm-muted, staccato guitar playing, which results in individual notes that could be argued sound like the word “djent”. What makes this conversation of the djent genre challenging though, is the obvious fact that it’s not the only guitar technique these bands employ in their music, and it’s not truly a fair description of the music as a whole. This is especially true for Meshuggah, due to the fact that, as I mentioned before, their work is very distinct from that of modern bands that often are categorized under the djent title, and how can a genre possibly have a definition that excludes the most famous band within it? However, upon attempting to title the genre in other ways, one can run into different problems. If it’s technical progressive metal, does that mean Dream Theater is in this category? Or Cynic? Or Gojira? Intuitively, we know that’s not the case, and similar things can be said about other terms like rhythmic/polyrhythmic, polymetric, and math metal. As a result, if we’re to give the sub-genre a fitting name, we’re somewhat forced into a situation where we need to give a somewhat overly broad title to it to avoid having to write out a paragraph just to refer to a style of metal. In my personal opinion, rhythmic technical progressive metal is a fitting term, not because other sub-genres have no emphasis on rhythm or technicality, but because emphasis on technicality and engaging use of rhythm are the absolute key defining features of this sub-genre. Without any kind of technical composition, or bizarre, uncommon, and/or dynamic rhythmic patterns and time signatures, it would be extremely challenging to compare a band to groups like Meshuggah and Periphery. There may be some slight exceptions to this, but essentially every band grouped in with Meshuggah, Periphery, SikTh and the like will be progressive, technical, and rhythm-focused in their approach to their music, and as a result the term seems fitting. I’m not attempting to force anyone to use it, but for the sake of introducing the discussion of the sub-genre’s label-related controversy and to simply have something to refer to it by, I will be using rhythmic tech-prog as the working title. Plus, it sounds kinda cool.

 

With the title somewhat settled, let’s dive into what exactly rhythmic tech-prog extends to, and how it relates to other sub-genres. For starters, much of rhythmic tech-prog, or at least of the most influential, significant groups, is influenced by progressive rock (Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes) and progressive metal groups (Dream Theater, Tool, Symphony X), as well as guitarists like Steve Vai and Frank Zappa. In turn, those genres and musicians have been a fundamental part in the development of this sub-genre. Common (but certainly not universal) features of the style include influences from fusion, jazz, Eastern, and/or electronic music, as well as glitchy electronic production effects, percussive guitar techniques, and industrial approaches to songwriting and production. Rhythmic tech-prog can be split into quite a handful of categories (which of course blend quite a lot into one another), partially due to the inevitable tendency of bands to innovate and expand upon ideas, and partially due to bands being inspired by those that innovate to create similar music. It is, however, important to recognize the over-aggression of those that attempt to group far too many metalcore and deathcore bands (as well as hardcore/mathcore, progressive rock and general progressive metal groups) into this category, due to influences from the rhythmic tech-prog style. Bands like Erra, Northlane, and Plini all are sometimes needlessly and misleadingly associated with bands like Monuments and Periphery, despite many fundamental stylistic differences. With this in mind, bands that produce material primarily reflecting non-rhythmic tech-prog music (metalcore & the other sub-genres I mentioned just now) will be excluded from this overview. Now, with all of that said, the following represent most of the most significant, influential, and prominent rhythmic tech-prog bands of all time, along with the kind of acts they tend to be associated with and some of their most notable releases.

 

 

 

Meshuggah – The undisputable godfathers of this genre, their use of polymetric and polyrhythmic composition and their shift towards a more progressive approach to metal has inspired, either directly or indirectly, essentially every rhythmic tech-prog band in existence today.

 

• Chaosphere (1998): With their third full-length LP, Meshuggah attempted to create the most hectic, unrelenting tracks possible, and ended up creating one of the most esteemed and respected albums in all of rhythmic tech-prog. Prominent tracks include New Millennium Cyanide Christ and Corridor of Chameleons.

• Nothing (2002): This record took Meshuggah to entirely new places musically, and really solidified down-tempo, groove-focused composition as a part of their repertoire. Prominent tracks include Rational Gaze (best music video of all time btw), Stengah, and Straws Pulled at Random.

• Catch ThirtyThree (2005): Originally composed as one, massive track, Catch ThirtyThree was arguably Meshuggah’s most ambitious project to date, and yet again showed a fairly significant change in direction from the band. Prominent tracks (ignoring the fact that it’s technically one track) include In Death (both sections) and Dehumanization.

• ObZen (2008): ObZen took all of the work that Meshuggah had assembled in their first ~20 years of existence and demonstrated the full range of it, while also introducing new aspects to their music mostly unseen before at that point. Prominent tracks include Bleed, Combustion, Lethargica, ObZen, and Dancers To A Discordant System (I know that’s like half the album, sorry)

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Vortice – Heavily groove-based, Spanish rhythmic tech-prog with tech-death and metalcore influences. One of the only bands I’ve found that truly have a similar overall sound to Meshuggah’s music as opposed to simply borrowing a few musical concepts from it.

• Car Bomb – Quirky, experimental tech-death mixed with Meshuggah and SikTh flavoring that demonstrates how death metal elements can find their way into rhythmic tech-prog while still sounding like it belongs in the genre.

• CB Murdoc – Stockhom-based tech-death band that represents something of the flip side of Car Bomb’s situation: while it shares similarities with some material from ObZen and Chaosphere, this speaks more so to Meshuggah’s slight likenesses to tech-death than to CB Murdoc’s similarity to the majority of rhythmic tech-prog. Some tracks could certainly be argued to be in a similar boat with Car Bomb’s material, however, and the band’s national origin and direct association with Meshuggah already implies some measure of influence even without first observing the music.

• Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects – Arguably using this is somewhat cheating, as Fredrik Thordendal is of course the guitarist of Meshuggah, but his solo work is certainly notable and demonstrates just how progressive and unconventional he is willing to go with his music. (other directly influenced bands such as TesseracT, SikTh, Periphery, Vildhjarta, and Animals as Leaders are listed below, but are sufficiently different from Meshuggah’s sound to be excluded from this section)

 

 

 

SikTh– While their influence has not been as broad and diverse as Meshuggah’s (potentially due to their relatively small discography, having released only three full-length LP’s in their first 19 years as a band), their influences in experimental rock, alternative metal, and progressive metal combined into a style that remains distinct to this day, and shaped out a niche within the overarching rhythmic tech-prog sub-genre.

 

• The Trees are Dead and Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild (2003): As could be expected, their debut record was instrumental in defining not only their sound, but their influence and place in the overall metal scene. It showed traces of influence from groups like System of a Down, Deftones, Meshuggah, and a variety of other rock and metal groups, but arguably what SikTh did on this album was something genuinely different than anything else that had been done before at that point. Not only did it inspire other similar bands, but also gave inspiration to other developing groups that ended up finding their own, new styles entirely, such as Periphery. Prominent tracks include Peep Show, Pussyfoot, and Scent of the Obscene.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Twelve Foot Ninja – While it’s unclear whether or not SikTh had direct influence on the musicians of this Australian band, the groups that influenced the two of them are very similar, with them both displaying alternative metal, fusion, and experimental rock elements. Overall, it could be argued that TFN’s sound is more comparable to alternative and/or nu metal, with funk and rhythmic tech-prog influences, but even if their style is significantly different than most other notable rhythmic tech-prog groups out there, the likenesses to SikTh in particular are certainly there.

• Circles – Also hailing from Australia, Circles displays traces of quite a multitude of bands in their material, but SikTh and Periphery can be heard quite clearly amongst the influences, whether that be direct or indirect. Aspects of alternative metal and a somewhat unconventional approach to vocals and composition, defining features of SikTh’s signature sound, can both be found in Circles’ music.

• The Safety Fire – Being self-proclaimed fans of SikTh, it’s no surprise to hear traces of alternative metal and progressive rock in their music. The fusion and post-hardcore influences that can be observed in their music do initially seem to set them somewhat apart from this category of groups, but overall their approach most closely follows that of bands like SikTh and Circles.

 

 

 

Periphery – As I mentioned before, you could make the argument that Periphery are, in essence, the godfathers of the modern “djent trend” that has spawned so many relatively generic, similarly styled tech-metal groups, due to the differences in overall sound that Meshuggah and SikTh have with such bands. Regardless, Periphery certainly has their own differences with that demographic of bands and remains unique in their approach among the host of other rhythmic tech-prog bands around today.

 

• Periphery (self-titled) (2010): This band contained most features of what has become known as a fairly traditional, typical djent-utilizing album in the past decade: compressed production, mixed vocals, rhythmic riffs, and lead guitar over the top of them. Their use of off-kilter, electronic effects remained a feature of Periphery material moving forward and carried over into many other rhythmic tech-prog albums written in a similar style. Prominent tracks include Icarus Lives, All New Materials, and The Walk.

• Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal (2012): Periphery’s sophomore record walked the line between carrying on the band’s debut sound and moving it into a different direction, with it maintaining their complex riff-writing style while managing to diversify their approach and produce what arguably were more dynamic, differentiable tracks than were present on their debut. Prominent tracks include Scarlet, MAKE TOTAL DESTROY, Ragnarok, and Luck as a Constant.

• Juggernaut (2015): Periphery’s 2015 release Juggernaut was split into two albums, titled Alpha and Omega (Alpha technically being the first half of the two). It showed the full range of Periphery’s creative approach, including pop-influenced, melodic tracks, tracks full of savage, down-tuned riffs, and showcases of their capabilities in the realm of jazz composition. It’s widely agreed upon that Omega is the darker, heavier of the two, but both feature every aspect of Periphery’s style. Prominent tracks include Alpha, Heavy Heart and 22 Faces from Alpha, and Stranger Things, Omega, and The Bad Thing from Omega.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• The Helix Nebula – To preface this, there are essentially no bands that have managed to combine all of the elements of jazz, progressive rock arrangements, and technical metal in the way that Periphery has through the years, but there are bands that reflect certain aspects of their material. The Helix Nebula is an example of this, being an instrumental band that brings together djent technique, complex riff composition and fusion influences in a somewhat similar way that quite a few other similar groups do, with this group in particular standing out as more Periphery-esque than many of the others.

• Pomegranate Tiger – Comparable to The Helix Nebula, Modern Day Babylon, and other similarly styled, Animals as Leaders/Periphery-influenced instrumental groups, Pomegranate Tiger approaches their instrumental metal with tight, technical composition and a heavy emphasis riffs, though, of course, melody does still find its way into their material.

• Corelia – Corelia admittedly does share a reasonable amount of similarities with bands more in the SikTh-influenced realm of rhythmic tech-prog, but their Periphery flavoring shows through stronger overall.

 

 

 

TesseracT – This group may not be as well known as groups like Meshuggah or Periphery, but undoubtedly TesseracT’s renown and influence within this sphere of metal cannot be understated. Acle Kahney, one of the guitarists and the producers of TesseracT, initially worked through the group as a solo project, eventually transitioning the band into the quintet format that has held until this day (though they’ve used quite the variety of vocalists through the years). TesseracT’s sound is unmistakable, but they have, as of their first four full-length LP’s, made considerable changes to their overall approach with each record.

 

• One (2011) – Their debut has (arguably, of course) remained their heaviest release to date, and introduced the full scale of TesseracT’s ambition, compositional ability, and unique combination of their musical influences. Prominent tracks include Concealing Fate Parts and 2 (Acceptance and Deception), and Lament.

• Altered State (2013) – This album took TesseracT in something of a different direction, putting more emphasis on atmosphere and their tendencies toward extensive, progressive composition, as well as introducing a new vocalist (who employed no harsh vocals on the album) and the use of saxophone in several songs. Altered State has seen some of the most praise from outside of the rhythmic tech-prog scene than almost any other, similarly styled album not created by Meshuggah. Prominent tracks include Of Mind – Nocturne, Of Matter – Proxy, and Of Matter – Retrospect.

• Polaris (2015) – Though it still maintained TesseracT’s core sound, Polaris has been their most atmospheric, least metallic album to date, which saw both harsh criticism and immense praise from their fanbase and critics alike. Prominent tracks include Dystopia, Hexes, and Survival.

• Sonder (2018) – Sonder, in essence, saw the combination of elements from each of TesseracT’s past three LP’s, bringing together atmospheric, compositional, and vocal aspects from each one into the sound of the record, while also re-introducing an increased use of harsh vocals and some new production elements. Prominent tracks include Luminary, King, and Juno (version with Spanish subtitles is all I could find on YouTube).

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Fellsilent – Acle Kahney and John Browne, of Monuments, were among the members of this British rhythmic tech-prog band, making the heavy similarities of Fellsilent’s sole full-length LP, The Hidden Words, to Monuments and TesseracT’s early works unsurprising. Fellsilent still was a separate project from TesseracT, though, and is a highly notable band when discussing the British rhythmic tech-prog scene.

• Skyharbor – India-based rhythmic tech-prog with notable TesseracT and Periphery influences/elements in their music. Daniel Tompkins, the vocalist on all but Altered State for TesseracT, worked with them for their first two albums, but has since left to focus more on his other projects.

 

 

 

Textures – Despite being founded in 2001, and certainly being well-known within the rhythmic tech-prog scene, Textures has not gained nearly as much attention in the greater metal scene as bands like Meshuggah, Periphery and TesseracT have over the years. Regardless of that, Textures can absolutely be argued to have been one of the foundational creators and innovators of rhythmic tech-prog, with clear Meshuggah, SikTh, and metalcore influences present across their discography.

 

• Polars (2004) – Textures’ debut album likely is the one that, to this day, remains the most influenced by progressive/technical death metal groups like Cynic and Atheist, as well as the obvious traces of Meshuggah’s early material. Along with the jagged progressive metal tracks came atmospheric, abstract soundscape pieces, and two songs over 17 minutes in length. Prominent tracks include Young Man, The Barrier, and Polars.

• Drawing Circles (2006) – Drawing Circles stayed true to Polars’ key, defining stylistic elements, but overall made a shift towards having a sound that more closely resembles a sizable portion of rhythmic tech-prog bands today. The tech-death and hardcore influences were still there, but the style as a whole moved in a direction more recognizable as rhythmic tech-prog. Prominent tracks include Regenesis, Stream of Consciousness and Drive.

• Phenotype (2016) - After a five year break since their previous LP, Dualism, Phenotype introduced a version of Textures more akin to contemporary rhythmic tech-prog than any previous version. Their tendencies towards atmospheric production elements, their hardcore influences, and of course the fundamental influence of Meshuggah and SikTh still could be found in the material, but the improved production and compositional decisions in particular gave Phenotype an even more similar sound to at least a subset of djent/rhythmic tech-prog bands. Prominent tracks include New Horizons, Timeless, and Illuminate The Trail.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Between The Buried And Me - For those familiar with this band (I'm sure there's lots of you that are) and/or Textures, it may come as quite a surprise to see them listed here, but let me explain. Textures and Between The Buried And Me share hardcore and progressive metal influences, but BTBAM overall leans much more in the "traditional" progressive metal direction, similar to that of Dream Theater, than in the rhythmic tech-prog one. Lots of similarities exist between rhythmic tech-prog and BTBAM (and bands like them, some of which I'll mention below), but not enough comparisons can be drawn to bands like Meshuggah, SikTh, and Periphery to confidently categorize them under that label. With that said, BTBAM is still a fairly relevant and influential band within the rhythmic tech-prog scene, so I wanted to mention them, and their hardcore influences made it logical to connect them with Textures (obviously though, Textures wasn't an early influence on early BTBAM, if any of their material; their debut wasn't even out when BTBAM's debut was released).

• The Dillinger Escape Plan - TDEP shares a lot of similar qualities with BTBAM, with the technical hardcore influences on BTBAM's music shining through even more clearly in TDEP's material. Dillinger typically isn't as quickly associated with rhythmic tech-prog groups as BTBAM is, but their direct similarities to BTBAM are undeniable.

• Protest the Hero - The aspect of Between The Buried And Me that hearkens back more to a Dream Theater-ques form of progressive metal takes center stage with Protest the Hero's material, as well as an increased presence of common rhythmic tech-prog elements in comparison to The Dillinger Escape Plan and groups similar to them.

 

 

 

Monuments – John Browne and Joshua Travis (ex-The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza) initially started Monuments as a side project from when they were still in Fellsilent and TTDTE respectively, but two LPs later they’ve developed significantly from their roots. While not a very well known group outside of the realm of rhythmic tech-prog, Monuments has carved out a specific niche for themselves stylistically, and are one of the bands, in conjunction with Periphery and Vildhjarta (more on them in just a bit), whose music has directly influenced the wave of djent-focused tech-prog bands the most, and whose sound bears notable similarities to those groups, in contrast to influences like Meshuggah, SikTh and TesseracT who have less sonic similarity to most bands in that category.

 

• Gnosis (2012) – Their debut Gnosis featured a great deal of elements present in the stereotypical “djent” approach, including an emphasis on rigid riffing, rhythmic synchronization between the vocals, drumming and guitar, and (of course) polyrhythmic grooves, in addition to Eastern flavoring and percussive picking technique. Prominent tracks include Admit Defeat, Degenerate, and Regenerate.

• The Amanuensis (2014) – Monuments’ first concept album The Amanuensis saw both a change in vocalist and in overall sound, bringing forward an arguably more diverse, dynamic, and ambitious sound, while still maintaining the key, recognizable elements of Monument’s style present in Gnosis. Prominent tracks include I, The Creator, Origin of Escape, and I, The Destroyer.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Uneven Structure – This is a bit of a complicated band to mention here, as Uneven Structure would be better described as a contemporary of Monuments’ (having formed only a year after Monuments) than an “influenced act” of theirs, and their style at times more closely resembles that of Vildhjarta or TesseracT, but generally speaking Monuments shares quite a few similar qualities with Uneven Structure, and is substantially more well-known/influential than them (hence UE not getting their own, separate mention).

• Modern Day Babylon – Instrumental rhythmic tech-prog similar to groups like the aforementioned Pomegranate Tiger and The Helix Nebula, but with more elements of Monuments-esque riffing.

• Drewsif Stalin’s Musical Endeavors – Based around a one-man, bedroom project, DSME brings forward significant stylistic similarities to Monuments, as well as Uneven Structure and Periphery. Most of his work (including his three full-length LPs) have taken that musical approach, but other works have dipped into ambient, soundscapes, and soundtracks.

 

 

 

Vildhjarta – Vildhjarta hasn't gained nearly as much attention as some of their contemporaries and fellow Meshuggah-influenced groups in the greater metal scene, but they have successfully created an entire sub-culture and sub-style within rhythmic tech-prog with their highly rigid, jagged approach to riff writing and musical composition. Also originating from Sweden, Vildhjarta essentially took Meshuggah's work and put an entirely different spin on it, while still absolutely staying true to the progressive roots of Meshuggah's material and not delving almost at all into forms of hardcore-influenced music with their approach.

 

• Måsstaden (2011): Their debut full-length LP took the sound they'd presented in earlier demo/EP material and more or less formed it into a much more dynamic, atmospheric and, quite arguably, mature tracks than what they had been producing until that point. Since the release of Måsstaden, they've released an EP, and quite a few small parts of songs, but for now it remains the band's sole LP. Prominent tracks include Dagger, Shadow, and Traces.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Humanity's Last Breath – In essence, Humanity's Last Breath, another Swedish band, combines Vildhjarta's substantially recognizable form of rhythmic tech-prog with deathcore influences and harsher vocals, and has gotten attention from both the rhythmic tech-prog and deathcore communities for their fusion of the two styles.

• Hjärna Waves – Perhaps the Canadian scene's most notable take on Vildhjarta-lane rhythmic tech-prog, Hjärna Waves has begun to make something of a name for themselves among the followers of Vildhjarta's "thall" sub-culture and sub-style of progressive metal.

• Fractalize – Fractalize, of Moldova, is yet to make much of a presence on the more "official", formal forms of music publishing (streaming services, iTunes, etc.), but their works posted to YouTube have attracted substantial attention and appreciation from the fans of this style, remaining impressively true to their Vildhjarta influences with their music.

 

 

 

Animals As Leaders – Animals As Leaders initially began as a one-man project, with guitarist Tosin Abasi writing the entirety of the act's debut album, which has remained arguably their most metallic to date. However, beginning with the 2011 release of Weightless, Abasi began to work with other instrumentalists, and has continued to do so until the time of this piece's writing. Their music ranges from heavily Meshuggah-influenced, metallic compositions, to Latin and jazz influenced pieces, but technicality and unconventional rhythm are always key components of their material. Worth noting is that their more recent work has admittedly focused less on their foundational, metal roots, but overall they've continued to be a rhythmic tech-prog band for the entirety of their existence.

 

• Animals As Leaders (self-titled) (2009): Tosin Abasi brought together electronic production elements, highly technical, Meshuggah-influenced guitar composition, fusion, jazz, and classical music with this album, and the key features of it have remained present in every LP release of theirs to date. Prominent tracks include Cafo, On Impulse, and Tempting Time.

• Joy Of Motion (2014): Joy Of Motion saw the real development of the influence of Javier Reyes, the secondary guitarist of the band behind Abasi, and his Latin guitar training influence on the overarching sound of Animals As Leaders, including tracks that Reyes had been composing alone before they were worked on for the album. However, the album still featured the Meshuggah and general rhythmic tech-prog flavoring so familiar to AaL's sound, and in no way betrayed their stylistic roots. Prominent tracks include Physical Education, Kascade, and Tooth and Claw.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Chimp Spanner – Chimp Spanner's debut LP was released in 2006, making it fairly difficult to argue that Animals as Leaders influenced Chimp Spanner's work in that era, but their musical similarities and common traits as instrumental rhythmic tech-prog bands are certainly notable.

• Scale The Summit – Yet another instrumental rhythmic tech-prog group, Scale The Summit shares not only musical influences, but also guitar techniques and riff-writing similarities with Animals As Leaders, making comparisons between the two of them essentially inevitable.

• Destiny Potato – Bizarre as it may seem to some to have Destiny Potato listed under Animals As Leaders due to their use of vocals and their likeness to prog-rock, overall they share quite a great deal of qualities with AaL, including their incorporation of fusion, similar riff composition, and electronic elements in production and songwriting. The technicality is not quite as much there in Destiny Potato's material, but the core musical components are for a sizable amount of their music, along with influence from Periphery and a wide assortment of other styles of rhythmic tech-prog.

 

 

 

Born Of Osiris – Despite being claimed by significant portions of the deathcore and metalcore communities, Born Of Osiris's style much more closely fits the rhythmic tech-prog description than the deathcore one, though those influences are undeniable. Previous guitarist of the group Jason Richardson has continued to be one of the most widely known names within the sphere of rhythmic tech-prog, and his/Born Of Osiris' use of sweep picking and other complex forms of guitar composition within their music has become a highly recognizable feature of their music. Elements of electronic and Eastern music also have had a significant presence in Born Of Osiris' discography.

 

• The Discovery (2011): Though their first two albums were, needless to be said, absolutely fundamental in establishing their core sound and gathering a fan base, The Discovery is the sole album associated with Jason Richardson (as its the only one he was in the group for the writing process of) and is interpreted by many as the turning point, and peak, of Born Of Osiris' material. The sweep-picking and technical lead guitar work, Eastern-flavored melodies within the instrumentals, and instantly recognizable pinch harmonics of this album (and to extent, all of their first three LPs) all have become core aspects of their sound over the years. Prominent tracks include Follow The Signs, Recreate, and Singularity.

• Tomorrow We Die alive (2013): BoO's 2013 album was a fairly significant departure stylistically from The Discovery, with it introducing a heavier emphasis on melody and their electronic influences, but the foundational aspects of their rhythmic tech-prog sound were certainly still there, and it's come to include some of their most popular work to date. Prominent tracks include Machine, Divergency, and Exhilarate.

 

Similar/directly influenced acts include:

 

• Within The Ruins – Fellow American deathcore-influenced group Within The Ruins does bring a somewhat different approach to technical deathcore/rhythmic tech-prog than Born Of Osiris do, and though they do bear significant similarities, overall their approach is likely more definable as tech-deathcore than rhythmic tech-prog. However, they are a notable band within this sphere, and are especially relevant within the Born Of Osiris realm of rhythmic tech-prog, with plenty bringing them right in under the umbrella of bands like Born Of Osiris and Veil Of Maya.

• Veil Of Maya – Veil Of Maya's similarities to Born Of Osiris are finite, but generally speaking they share similar metalcore and deathcore influences, incorporation of bizarre, unconventional guitar techniques/effects in their riff writing, and very comparable senses of melody, particularly with their most recent material. VoM is certainly not an inherently "influenced act" of Born Of Osiris', and would be better described as a contemporary, but VoM admittedly has not created so much of a niche and a sub-style within rhythmic tech-prog as Born Of Osiris has.

 

 

Other notable groups (without links due to excessive character count for this post, see comments for linked version):

• Metalcore-influenced: The Contortionist, After The Burial, Cilice, The HAARP Machine, Hibakusha, Ever Forthright
• Fusion/jazz-influenced crossovers: Polyphia, Intervals, Plini (as detailed in the introduction, these aren't really rhythmic tech-prog across most of their material, but are sufficiently similar to be worth mentioning for this overview)
• Heavily djent-focused: Shokran, The Algorithm (significantly electronica-influenced), Anup Sastry, Andromida
• Mathcore-influenced: Benea Reach, Last Chance To Reason, The Arusha Accord
• Rap-djent (not truly rhythmic tech-prog for the most part, proceed at your own risk): Hacktivist, DVSR, Volumes

 

 

Thanks for reading this overview/primer/list/whatever, took me a pretty good amount of time to put it all together so I hope it's helpful and/or interesting to read. Have a good one!