Style:  Djent, Post-Metal, Progressive Metal (Instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: TesseracT, Cloudkicker, Animals as Leaders, Wheel
Country: Germany
Release date: 27 March 2026

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Few things in this world make me happier than when I’m attending a concert to see a djent band, finding myself inside the pit, waiting for the breakdown to drop so I can run and swing with as much might that a 63-inch-tall¹ woman possibly can. There’s something cathartic about the 0-0-0-1: it’s easy to build atmosphere over this classic riff pattern to create an otherworldly moment. Tesseract’s Concealing Fate² and Periphery’s “Reptile” are two stellar examples that blend the palm-muted style with textural orchestral instruments, piercing vocals, and unique pedal distortion to make their heavy sound feel palatable and light. The careful mixture of instrumental timbre is what makes those breakdowns in the pit feel transcendental rather than dangerous, and it’s also what empowers me to believe that I can take on anyone in the concert venue, regardless of how much stronger they may be. 

The up-and-coming progressive/post-metal German band THOUGHTS seek to bottle the ethereal balance of dirty chugs and spacey soundscapes in their debut album, Of The Radiant Void. Unlike some of the giants of djent (Meshuggah, SikTh), Of The Radiant Void combines the heaviness of the genre with post-metal’s long term riffing and atmosphere, producing a sound that is, in theory, cinematic—THOUGHTS’s bandcamp page even mentions that the record ‘takes the audience on a journey through sound and light’. So, does Of The Radiant Void capture ‘sound and light’ and send the listener on a journey within the addictive pit and in their ears?

…I guess? Look, I believe that djent is a difficult genre to write for and not sound derivative of another band, but the style still leaves space to experiment. Of The Radiant Void’s first two tracks, “Refract” and “Sunfall,” have all the components of a good djent track: staccato palm-muted chugs, metronomic cymbal markings, and a filled-out, immersive element via echoey synths and distortion. They’re undoubtedly groovy but feel formulaic in nature—-“Refract” would make a great track to teach a budding musician ABACA form. “Sunfall” is a bit more attention-grabbing with a haunting guitar and bass duet, but it falls into a sound that is uncannily similar to Tesseract’s “Tourniquet”, only if it were instrumental and not as emotionally charged.³ Some deeply influenced Meshuggah sound shows itself in closing track “The Luminoid,” as a deceptive 4/4 time signature beats behind a very similar chromatic melody that rings throughout “Demiurge”. There is a decent mix of creative riffing (“Descend · Disperse”, “Afore Dawn”), but ultimately, a few listens to the record will make it easy to identify which bands inspired the djent side of The Radiant Void. 

Now, while some musical ideas may need an extra push to sound original, the post-metal-heavy tracks THOUGHTS has crafted have a bit more substance. In the sludge/post-metal world, I often come across a song title or an album beginning with the prefix ‘Helio-’ (Heliocentric by The Ocean, “Helioentropy” by Shy, Low). Almost always, this begets a theme of starry, floaty music: this idea is not lost on the track “Heliotrope”. Light taps on the hi-hat and fuzzy guitars akin to Pelican’s hypnotic sound set the stage for an unexpectedly melodic and floaty bass solo. This starry theme continues as the band introduces a saxophone solo amidst the track’s atmospheric layers; the woodwind is entrancing, technical, and adds a much-needed palate cleanser from the droning riffs. My only gripe is that for as exciting as the solo is, the saxophone is overshadowed by the heavy guitars in the mix; something quite surprising to me as Chris Edrich mixed Of The Radiant Void, someone who’s had a hand in mixing many critically acclaimed albums in the progressive world (Melodies of Atonement, Les Voyages De L’âme, almost all of Hypno5e). Despite this, the textural layering in the synths, woodwind, and rhythm section stands out much more in the post-metal fronted tracks in the album (“Ecliptic”, “Afore Dawn”) than they do in the djent-y tracks. 

Regardless of if a track is post-metal fronted or chug heavy, some moments in the otherwise trifling music stand out as signs of tasteful songwriting. “Afore Dawn” introduces the use of tabla to add depth to the standard 0-1 riffing—although this particular riffing instance reminds me of Unprocessed. In the same track, the lead guitar goes on a tangential harmonic minor solo which adds a new color and maturity to the largely metronomic tone of the record. For the first time in Of The Radiant Void, the listener can finally experience the sonic journey THOUGHTS wanted to weave in their music. “Ecliptic” also introduces auxiliary sound with the use of piano and heavier distortion in the guitar and bass, something I wish they kept throughout Of The Radiant Void. 

A listener may find THOUGHTS’s debut record fun and groovy, but a tad forgettable. The sonic journey of ‘sound and light’ the band sought to take its audience on didn’t particularly shine through the record, but I believe there is plenty of room to grow in future releases. Of The Radiant Void comes across as a mash-up of all the best melodies in djent and post-metal with small tangents of new, creative elements. If THOUGHTS can balance their inspirations with their own ideas and add more auxiliary/textural elements to their music, they’ll be able to truly engage the listener in their concept ideas and tell an atmospheric story that’ll stop even the most half-interested listeners in their tracks. 

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Recommended tracks: Descend · Disperse, Heliotrope, Ecliptic, Afore Dawn 
You may also like: Planned Obsolescence, Uneven Structure, Black Idol, Shy, Low
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

THOUGHTS is:
– Konstantin Leschke (Bass, synths)
– Raphael Wittenburg (Drums)
– Oliver Lusga (Guitar)
With guests:
– Sarah Wolf (Saxophone on “Heliotrope”)
– Chris Edrich (Mixing)

1. That’s a whopping 160cm for the rest of the world, almost the exact average female height in the US! ↩︎
2. One is the best TesseracT album. You can fight me on it, but you won’t win that battle. ↩︎
3. If you told me “Sunfall” was a B-side track to Polaris, I’d believe you.  ↩︎