Style: Djent, Thall, Progressive Metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Vildhjarta, The Contortionist, Corelia, Periphery, Cloudkicker
Release date: 8 May 2026

---

At its core, metal music serves as a means of catharsis. Fast and angry tempos, heavy breakdowns, and graphic lyrics can dredge out a myriad of negative emotions in a listener and channel them into a euphoric release—even more so at a live show, where the atmosphere is exhilarating and emotions are heightened and felt within the collective crowd. But what happens when metal musicians want to achieve the same goal with wholesome, uplifting music? Enter Karmanjakah¹, a Swedish djent band who take the abrasive and almost violent characteristics of thall, strip them down to their bare bones, and adorn them with powerfully uplifting sound. From the humble, proggy experimentation of their self-titled EP to the magnificently djent-like and—to me—almost perfect release of Ancient Skills, Karmanjakah skillfully merge the thundering power of djent and thall with a warm, gentle ambience that makes their music shine like the sun onto the progressive world.²

Diamond Morning, their second full-length album, takes an experimental route within Karmanjakah’s sonic cocktail of chugs and atmosphere. From the first moment, “Dove” kicks off the album’s dense energy with sharp guitar tremolos and galloping rhythmic lines, driving alongside classic thall bends that create moments of tension throughout the track. The prettiness of “Dove” is born from shimmering keys and Jonas Lundquist’s tender, soaring vocals—which are much improved upon since previous releases. The nature-inspired lyrical themes in “Dove” match the depth of Lundquist’s voice: In the midst of tremolos, heavy-rooted bass, and the first of only two instances of blast beating on the entire record, Lundquist’s robust melodic voice sings “The sound of the leaves flickering in your chest / The million deer released when you say the words”. The balance of heavy rhythms, powerful vocals and introspective lyrics immediately establish Diamond morning’s radiant identity.

Even if reading lyrics isn’t your thing, Karmanjakah breathe fresh, technical songwriting into Diamond Morning. A striking example is heard in “Thousand horns”, which deviates from the dreamy ambience by being the only track on the album with a breakdown composed in the melancholic and somber Aeolian³ mode (melodic minor key). After an exposed and layered vocal solo, unrelenting, full-bodied arpeggios dance up and down octaves, resembling the crashing waves referenced in the lyrics (“Giant waves sky high close the path behind / They hold me, they take me”). Accompanying the melancholic arpeggios are softly accented chords from the rhythm guitar and soaring, pleading vocals that intensify the introspection of the breakdown. Tension is felt throughout until it releases altogether with a modulation into a brighter key that rewards the listener with a colorful, glistening burst of sound, even as the rhythmic lines stay the same. 

“Thousand horns” isn’t the only track to deviate from standard djent composition: “Diamond train” brings back the Middle Eastern musical influence showcased in Ancient Skills with intricate trills and turns, melody-focused musical lines, and harmonic composition.⁴ “Sun, astray” follows in the footsteps of “Eyes seeing eyes”, presenting itself as a melodically and acoustically driven track with the heavier thall elements taking a relaxed accompaniment role. Karmanjakah’s subtle use of transitions between tracks is another sign of the group’s meticulousness. “Diamond art” acts as the anticipatory instrumental interlude to a breakdown that seamlessly starts “Diamond train”. “Eyes seeing eyes” gently introduces the melody of “Sun, astray” in its outro, marrying the two tracks together. The tracks in Diamond Morning were ordered with careful intention, giving each section of the album its own story and personality. 

While feather-light thall riffs are a large part of Karmanjakah’s sonic identity, Diamond Morning takes time to explore different moods within more ambient sections of music.⁵ Duo “Sapphire” and “Ruby” explore two ends of an ambient spectrum; “Sapphire” introduces a sparkling, jazzy interlude that features bouncy keys and timely yet diffused drumming that fills out the foundation of the soundstage. The track slowly de-crescendos into nothing but scattered vocal audio, which gets picked up by the heavily distorted and dream-like ambience in “Ruby”. While the ambient tracks are easy on the ears, they eat up a large chunk of runtime and limit the exploration of complex compositions on the heavier tracks. Karmanjakah add an additional experimental spin to Diamond Morning by adding moments of free rap over the soft instrumentation of  “Moon, astray”. The lyrics are spoken with encouragement (“Don’t stop at the road crossing / just go farther than your soles can”), but the vocal style is sung in sharp contrast to Diamond Morning’s ambient lines, making it a controversial addition because of the verse’s bold change in direction. 

The unabashed brightness of Diamond Morning’s sound is a testament to Karmanjakah’s musical talent. Their technical prowess and blend of extreme composition create a dreamy, heartfelt sonic journey through the album’s lyrics and powerful vocals. And while not every element of experimentation lands, the band’s confidence within each note and riff makes Diamond Morning an exemplary record. The weightiness of the album’s massive tracks and the weightlessness of their soft ambiences makes it easy to take in the music over and over. To any listener who wants to brighten their mood without sacrificing the vulnerable catharsis of metal, find some sunshine and let your worries wash away with Karmanjakah’s Diamond Morning. 

---

Recommended tracks: Dove, Sun, astray, Thousand Horns, Ruby, Diamond Morning
You may also like: Kadinja, Lattermath, Outrun the Sunlight, Disperse
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Karmanjakah is:
– Viggo Örsan (Guitars, Backing vocals, Production, Mixing, Recording)
– Jonas Lundquist (Vocals, Keyboards, Production, Mixing, Recording)
– Lukas Ohlsson (Bass, Acoustic guitar)
– Sebastian Brydniak (Drums)

1.  The name Karmanjakah originates from a Swedish children’s story called The Brothers Lionheart by Astrid Lindgren. “Karmanjaka” is the name of a cave that is home to a dragon! ↩︎
2.  Even outside of their music, you can periodically find the band posting about their musical inspirations, sharing free tabs for their music, and making some rather elegant merchandise, all independently. They make for a tiny yet wholesome space on the internet! ↩︎
3. Aeolian mode is essentially another name for a natural minor scale, a seven note scale which has a flat 3rd, 6th, and 7th note. Harmonic and melodic minor keys (where the 7th note is no longer flat) are often favored over natural minor in writing because natural minor doesn’t have a leading tone (half step below the tonic note), making it difficult to write natural chord progressions in. It’s unfortunate, because as Karmanjakah wonderfully demonstrates, compositions in natural minor tend to wholly sink into dark moods, making it a wonderful choice for a deeply emotional piece of music.  ↩︎
4.  As a climate/ocean scientist who is Middle Eastern, loves djent and thall more than anything, and has a strong (sometimes overly) emotional attachment to music, this album had to be written with my name on it, right? ↩︎
5.  Karmanjakah are often given casual genre tags by fans like “thallgaze”, “ambidjent”, and “magic thall” because of the ambient use in their music. ↩︎