Genre : Instrumental thall, Djent, Progressive metal
Released : November 22nd, 2022
Label : Self-released
FFO : Vildhjarta, stoort neer, Fractalize
I've mentioned in previous write-ups how Vildhjarta's unique spin on djent and progressive metak, a.k.a "thall", has recently become one of modern metal and metalcore's trendy tropes to integrate into a band's sound in order to try and freshen things up a little.
As a massive fan of the style, I'm always happy to hear bands experimenting with it and seeing how it could fit into their own style but it also worries me about it becoming a trend that could soon become stale if it is over-done by bands who only try to simply imitate Vildhjarta's style rather than make something new out of that hybridization.
It's no surprise that for the most part, other projects that successfully pull off the "thall" sound are projects that have worked in collaboration with some of the sound's originators (for instance, this year with and all i can say is and Grayscale Season).
And that is also the case with Vodník's "Time Traveler" which was co-produced as well as mixed and mastered by both of Vildhjarta's guitarists, Calle Thomer and Daniel Bergström.
But aside from the Vildhjarta stamp of approval and the instantly recognizable guitar tones and production style; where this project really shines is through the originality of the riff-writing. Indeed, more often than not, it's easy to see other "thall" artists follow the Vildhjarta recipe a bit too closely, whereas on "Time Traveler" there is a refreshing playfulness and creativity to the guitar parts resulting in some super fun and memorable passages; for example, the album opener's "Prelude in G", the elusive riffs of "Undervalued" or the skippy and bouncy recurring motif of the two-part "Folkloric".
I know I tend to use this turn of phrase a lot to conclude reviews or recommendations but I mean it every single time : If like me, you're a massive fan of the janky, bendy, heavy oddballness of "thall", do not, by any means let "Time Traveler" fly past your radars unnoticed.
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