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thall

Thall

Sweden · 2010s
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Description

Thall is a hyper-groove-focused, ultra-low-tuned offshoot of djent and progressive metal that emphasizes suffocating, syncopated chugs, stark silences, and pitch-black atmosphere. The name is onomatopoeic, imitating the percussive, palm‑muted “thall” sound of its signature riffs.

Sonically, it pairs 7–9‑string guitars (often tuned far below standard), polymetric accents, and terse, staccato riffing with eerie ambient layers, reverb‑washed cleans, and cinematic swells. Vocals tend toward harsh growls, screams, and whispers; production is surgical and high‑contrast, with tight gating, extended low‑end control, and explosive transient design.

Compared with broader djent, thall is darker, more dissonant, and more stop‑start, favoring unsettling chord shapes, modal ambiguity, and heavy use of negative space to make each impact feel colossal.

History
Origins and coinage (early 2010s)

Thall emerged in the early 2010s within Sweden’s modern progressive metal scene. The term was popularized around the music and community surrounding Vildhjarta, whose debut album crystallized the style’s blueprint: ultra‑low, percussive riffing; polymetric grooves; and ominous ambience. Fans adopted “thall” as an onomatopoeic tag for that distinct, punchy chug.

From meme to microgenre

Initially a tongue‑in‑cheek in‑group term on forums and social media, “thall” quickly became shorthand for a specific compositional ethos—maximal groove with maximal negative space. Producers and guitarists gravitated toward extended‑range instruments, meticulous editing, and cinematic sound design, codifying thall beyond a meme into a recognizable microgenre under the broader djent/prog umbrella.

Consolidation and spread

Swedish and UK acts helped propagate the sound, merging djent’s Meshuggah‑derived polyrhythms with darker harmony, downtempo pacing, and atmospheric interludes. Parallel scenes—mathcore, post‑metal, and downtempo deathcore—absorbed thall’s impact‑focused riff construction and sound‑design sensibilities, leading to cross‑pollination across heavy subgenres.

Present day

Today, thall denotes both a stylistic tag and a toolbox: cutting, syncopated low‑string motifs; dissonant voicings; sudden silences; and cinematic production. While still niche, its vocabulary is widely referenced in modern progressive metal, metalcore, and downtempo deathcore.

How to make a track in this genre
Tuning and instrumentation
•   Use 7–9‑string guitars or baritones tuned very low (e.g., Drop E, Drop D#, or lower). Pair with a tight, modern high‑gain amp or modeler and strong noise‑gating. •   Drums should be precise and transient‑heavy: punchy kick with extended low‑end, dry/snappy snare with articulated ghost notes, and cymbals that leave space for the low register. •   Add atmospheric layers: reverb‑drenched clean guitars, pads, granular textures, and occasional sub‑drops or sound‑design swells.
Rhythm and groove
•   Center the music on syncopated, palm‑muted chugs that lock to the kick. Employ polymeters and polyrhythms (e.g., 4 over 3, 5‑ or 7‑beat groupings against 4/4) while keeping a clear pulse. •   Exploit negative space: insert hard stops and rests so each return “thall” hit feels heavier. •   Typical tempos range from ~90–140 BPM; slower feels highlight weight and impact.
Harmony and melody
•   Favor dissonant clusters and modal ambiguity: tritones, minor seconds, quartal/quintal stacks, and chromatic voice‑leading. •   Contrast brutality with sparse, haunting clean passages (e.g., parallel fourths/fifths, add2/add9 voicings) to heighten tension.
Arrangement and production
•   Edit tightly; quantize guitars and kicks enough to feel mechanical without losing human intent. •   Shape low‑end with multiband compression/sidechain so guitars and kick coexist. Use strong gating to sculpt the “thall” envelope. •   Layer cinematic FX (reverse swells, risers, impacts) to frame major riff entries and drops.
Vocals and lyrics
•   Employ harsh screams/growls with occasional whispers or spoken layers for contrast. •   Lyrically, lean into abstract, bleak, or cinematic imagery, matching the music’s tense, oppressive atmosphere.
Main artists
Influenced by
Djent
Djent is a substyle of progressive metal defined by ultra-tight, low‑tuned, palm‑muted guitar riffs that create a percussive, onomatopoeic "djent" sound. It favors extended‑range instruments (7–9 strings), precise rhythmic subdivision, and a highly articulate, modern production aesthetic. Sonically, djent emphasizes polyrhythms, syncopation, and metric modulation, often pairing dense, chugging grooves with ambient clean guitars, spacious synth pads, and melodic choruses. Vocals range from harsh screams and growls to soaring cleans, while drums and bass lock tightly to the rhythmic grid, accenting the guitar’s staccato patterns. Although the term took off online in the late 2000s, the core rhythmic and timbral blueprint traces to the 1990s work of Swedish band Meshuggah.
Progressive Metal
Progressive metal is a fusion of the complexity and experimentation of progressive rock with the weight, distortion, and precision of heavy metal. It is characterized by extended song forms, concept-driven albums, virtuosic musicianship, and frequent use of odd time signatures, polymeter, and rapid metric modulation. Harmonically, the style ranges from modal and diatonic riff writing to chromatic and jazz-influenced voicings, often integrating counterpoint between guitars, bass, and keyboards. Sonically it spans from high-gain, tightly palm-muted riffs to clean, atmospheric passages and orchestral/synth textures. Vocals vary from theatrical and soaring to harsh growls depending on the substyle, while lyrics frequently explore abstract narratives, philosophy, science fiction, and personal introspection.
Groove Metal
Groove metal is a heavy metal subgenre defined by mid‑tempo, syncopated, and riff‑centric songwriting that prioritizes head‑nodding "groove" over sheer speed. Guitars are typically down‑tuned and palm‑muted, locking tightly to a punchy, backbeat‑driven drum feel and muscular bass lines. Vocals are usually aggressive shouts or barks with occasional melodic or anthemic passages, while lead guitars favor pinched harmonics, blues‑tinged bends, and compact, percussive phrases rather than long neo‑classical runs. Production tends to be tight and weighty, emphasizing a thick, modern rhythm‑guitar tone and precise drum transients. Stylistically, groove metal grew out of late‑’80s thrash and hardcore but slowed and widened the rhythms, borrowing the feel of funk metal’s syncopation and, in some cases, southern rock’s swagger.
Mathcore
Mathcore is an extreme offshoot of metalcore and hardcore punk characterized by rapid-fire shifts in meter, tempo, and texture. It emphasizes dissonant, angular riffing; complex, polymetric drum patterns; and whirlwind song structures that often feel deliberately chaotic. The genre fuses the precision and rhythmic gamesmanship of math rock with the aggression of hardcore and the density of extreme metal. Songs routinely feature sudden stops, blast beats, start–stop riffing, odd time signatures, and atonal or chromatic harmonies, producing a sound that is tense, volatile, and cathartic.
Post-Metal
Post-metal is a heavy, atmospheric offshoot of metal that blends the weight and distortion of sludge and doom with the expansive dynamics and textural focus of post-rock. Instead of traditional verse–chorus structures, it emphasizes long-form development, layering, and crescendos, often moving from sparse, ambient passages to overwhelming climaxes. Vocals (if present) are used more as another texture—ranging from harsh screams to distant, chant-like cleans—while guitars prioritize drones, pedal tones, and richly effected timbres over conventional riffs. The result is music that feels cinematic and immersive: slow-to-mid tempos, tectonic low-end, and wide dynamic arcs that convey bleakness, catharsis, and grandeur in equal measure.
Ambient
Ambient is a form of electronic and electroacoustic music that prioritizes tone, atmosphere, and texture over conventional song structures and rhythmic drive. It typically features slow-moving harmonies, sustained drones, gentle timbral shifts, and extensive use of space and silence. Rather than drawing attention to itself through hooks or beats, ambient is designed to be as ignorable as it is interesting, rewarding both background listening and focused immersion. Artists often employ synthesizers, samplers, tape loops, field recordings, and subtle acoustic instruments, with reverb and delay creating a sense of place. Substyles range from luminous, consonant soundscapes to darker, more dissonant atmospheres.
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