Dissentient – Labyrinth

If we believe Periphery, Djent is not a genre – and as they basically coined the term, they should know. However, if it was a genre, Canada’s Dissentient have taken the playbook and nailed it. Greeted by the Starcraft-inspired typeface, detail-rich sci-fi artwork akin to a purple-burst burl-top guitar, down to the ambient delay synth intro setting up the listener for drop-G sledgehammer riffage, “Labyrinth” draws out its mission unmistakably. With the inevitable “riff salad!” dissenting trve metalhead’s voice echoing far behind us, we dive into the album.

Dissentient has been active for a remarkably long time since their 2005 founding in Ottawa, Canada. “Labyrinth” marks their 4th complete release over the timeframe. Rather reserved in their online presence, the band appears to consist of founding member Phil Campbell on vocals, guitars and synths, Dale Sauve on bass, alongside an enigmatically unnamed drummer. Recording was done at Dark Moon Productions, whose owner Joe Lyko also supplied the album artwork.

“Labyrinth” hits tremendously hard in its heavy sections, with a supercharged hard-gated modern production and gargling guttural vocals from the deep. The album is at its best when a well-appreciated breather is provided in the form of atmospheric, 80’s inspired synth sections ornamented by eerie guitar leads, setting up the listener for yet another guitar barrage. Compared with the who-is-who of the genre, the stylistic spectrum is a bit confined by the rather one-dimensional growls, lacking either modern metal’s clean singing chorus or death metal’s contrasting dialogue with a shrieking fry scream. At the risk of being mistaken for programming, the live tracked drums have been thoroughly de-humanized – quite unfortunate, as a glimpse of organic flaws might be just what their sound needs. Nevertheless, the album is still a highly enjoyable sonic ride due to its vivid soundscape and tasteful fusion of modern guitar and retro synth flavors.

The opener ‘Saprophyte’ and the follow-up ‘Chamber of Wires’ pull no punches, as the band flexes their heaviness muscle. However, during the closing section of the latter, a first taste of the aforementioned retro vibe shines through, revealing the album’s full scope. ‘Existential Purge’ leaves open a welcome window for groove, as the guitar leads take short detours into Ron Jamborzek styled spiciness. No work in this genre would be complete without a tribute to Meshuggah’s polyrhythm chugging; in the case of “Labyrinth”, this is covered by ‘Gloomsphere’.

With the listening ears dilapidated from these tracks, the album proceeds into its most charismatic track, aptly named ‘Realm Drifter’. A multi-facetted ride through somewhat exotic melody, frantic and fast paced riffing, a short talk box guitar interlude, staccato grooves and dissonant chords, are all successfully fused in a fine excursion, concluding in yet another synthesizer resolution.

Back to the hard hitters, ‘Parallax River’ and ‘Silver Sky’ emphasize groove and call for 2-stepping live crowds. The latter’s quintessential ambient break section features a bit of clean singing for a proper tie-in. Arriving at the title track presents a deep instrumental track, with extensive motive development over a droning synth bass. In style of a soundtrack, the rather long-winded song offers a welcome respite for the patient listener.

The album comes to a proper climax with the longest track ‘Throes of Creation’ [sic], fusing the major elements of the previous hour into a united mixture. Dissentient slams heavily one more time, before releasing the listener into the most savory of its synth sections in a solid 2-minute outro, calling for an immediate re-spin.

It may not be breaking new ground, but with “Labyrinth”, Dissentient demonstrates remarkable prowess in delivering their style. Fans of the big names of the Djent non-genre are well advised to look past the smaller-scale resume of this band and give the album a try. Just make sure to use a listening setup that allows the luscious stereo soundscape to take full effect.

Track List:

1. Saprophyte
2. Chamber of Wires
3. Existential Purge
4. Gloomsphere
5. Realm Drifter
6. Parallax River
7. Silver Sky
8. The Labyrinth
9. Throes of Creation