The difference, by ear
Both are rhythmically complex and both use extended-range guitars. Djent works one rhythmic idea on the lowest string; this changes key, metre and texture continuously.
Djent is part sung, part screamed where technical death metal is growled or screamed, and much slower: 90 to 160 bpm against 160 to 260. To hear the difference, play Death next to Meshuggah. They share a root in heavy metal, and technical death metal came first, by sixteen years.
In figures
Technical death metal
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Death metal › Technical death metal
In short
Death metal with jazz harmony, tapping and impossible drumming. The more notes per second, the better.
How it sounds
- Jazz harmony, extended chords and frequent modulation.
- Fretless or slap bass treated as a lead instrument.
- Polyrhythmic drumming and varied blast beats at the edge of what is physically possible.
Key acts
- Death
- Atheist
- Cryptopsy
- Necrophagist
Start here
The pickDeath - Human. The moment the genre became music to study, not just to hear.
Full page →Djent
Where it sits
Heavy metal › Progressive metal › Djent
In short
The name imitates the sound: seven- or eight-string guitars, heavily compressed palm mutes and polyrhythms. Meshuggah built the vocabulary; a generation of forum users named it.
How it sounds
- Seven- or eight-string guitars, tuned very low, with heavily compressed palm mutes.
- Polyrhythm: the riff repeats on a cycle that does not line up with the drum meter.
- Precise digital production with a deliberately sterile tone and no reverb.
Key acts
- Meshuggah
- Periphery
- Animals as Leaders
- TesseracT
Start here
The pickMeshuggah - Nothing. Count the bars if you can.
Full page →