Interview With TesseracT

There’s a new subgenre within metal on the rise, simply called “djent”. It’s a term used for bands who are inspired by Meshuggah and combine this all kinds of progressive wizardry. One of the rising starts within the djent movement are UK-based TesseracT. They made quite a splash with One, their thoroughly solid debut album. On behalf of the band singer Dan Tompkins (D) and bass player Amos Williams (A) were more than willing to answer my questions about their new album, songwriting and their adventures with Periphery and Monuments and a very memorable gig in India..

The Human Abstract – Digital Veil

Digital Veil is the third and most recent album by US-based tech/progressive metal/core band The Human Abstract. Their previous effort blew me away because of its highly original take on the progressive side of metal and hardcore. With that in mind I couldn’t wait to put their latest album in my CD-player. Needless to say I was again very surprised by the technical and progressive frolics of these Americans…

The Human Abstract – Midheaven

Progressive metal core, djent or simply progressive metal new style is pretty hot nowadays. Bands like Periphery, Between The Buried And Me and Protest The Hero are making quite a name for themselves nowadays. The Human Abstract is another rising star in this genre. Midheaven is their second full length album and it’s the centre piece of this review.

Chimaira – The Infection

After kickstarting their career again with Resurrection Mark Hunter and Co returned to the studio to record its successor. As was the case with the other Chimaira albums, the band decided to embark on a different course with The Infection, so let’s see how that turned out.

Chimaira – Resurrection

Fresh blood in a long running band and a change in record labels can give the right kind of boost to make a great record. That’s certainly the case for Chimaira with former drummer Andols Herrick rejoining the fold and a welcome transition on the business side of things. Resurrection marks Mark Hunter and Co’s revisiting their familiar style during The Impossibility Of Reason days..

Chimaira – Chimaira

Chimaira were part of the so-called New American Wave Of Heavy Metal, together with peers like Killswitch Engage, God Forbid and Shadows Fall. The band was never too happy with that tag, so after the touring cycle of The Impossibility Of Reason they decided to do things a little differently. The result of that is the self-titled album, which is still an incredibly savage affair years after its initial release…

TesseracT – One

Some months ago I did a review on the Concealing Fate EP by the UK progressive metal band TesseracT. At the time I was quite enthusiastic about it, so after hearing the news that they had a full blown album in the works I couldn’t wait to do a review on it. Here it is, finally. Their new album is simply called One, so let’s dive into the musical exploits of these British progsters.

In-Quest – Made Out Of Negative Matter

Belgium has their share of musically interesting bands as well. One has only to think of the musical capabilities of groups like Channel Zero, Aborted, Serpent Coil and Oceans Of Sadness. Another worthy band is In-Quest, which got my attention with their Epileptic and The Comatose Quandaries albums. Recently the band released their latest instalment, entitled Made Out Of Negative Matter. Let’s see what matter it’s made of.

Periphery – Periphery

Technical extreme metal is gaining popularity fast nowadays, thanks to bands like Meshuggah, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Between The Buried And Me and The Red Chord. There’s a new kid in town by the name of Periphery. They rival the aforementioned bands in sheer skill and technical prowess. Let’s take a closer look at their musical lunatic asylum.

Deftones – Diamond Eyes

A decade ago the Deftones were one of the leading bands in the emerging nu metal movement. Albums like Around The Fur and White Pony are considered genre classics. The last couple of years things have been difficult for the band. The self-titled album and Saturday Night Wrist received mixed reviews and their popularity declined. On top of that bassist Chi Cheng got involved in a serious accident and he remains comatose until this very day.