IF YOU really like a band or an artist, and you think their music is good on your headphones, it’s a different feeling when you go to see that band in person. That band for me was Tesseract, and recently I had the chance to go and watch this band live, and give a review on this band and their live performance.

Although formed in 2003, this UK band was not signed to a major label but had released a four-song demo in 2007 and later had parts used in their debut album One in 2009 under Century Media.

Their style revolves around the progressive metal genre with the lead vocalist Daniel Tompkins it gives you an atmospheric sound and with founding member Acle Kahney (Lead Guitar), Jay Postones (Drums), James Monteith (Rhythm Guitar) and Amos Williams (Bass and Backing Vocals) it all comes together as a create-and-destroy sound.

They are also considered as one of the pioneers of the djent movement, “with polyrhythmic riffs, odd time signatures, and several atmospheric layers,” as stated on the tesseractband.co.uk website. Djent is a hard-hitting guitar, palm-muted and distorted.

Djent was started as a term that musicians at home dawned upon a band called Meshuggah. Although not a real genre, it identifies a sound specifically produced when palm muting your guitar. To play this type of music, they use a seven- or more string guitar.

Djent is an associated play style to Tesseract mainly in their Altered State album (2013) with their hit single on the album the hard hitting riffs of the djent play style, it was launched to the top of the leader boards because it was a new sound.

Their main play style, which is identified as the progressive metal genre, is heavy-metal infused with hard rock, also known as technical metal. There are many successful bands in this genre such as Dream Theatre and Tool, both also influence Tesseract’s writing and play style.

Although their play style is said to be progressive metal, there are many associated bands who play this genre also such as Periphery and Skyharbor. No one sticks to certain genre restrictions; they all play the music the band likes to play. If a band member doesn’t like the play style, they change it up.

Tesseract is also the first band to play in the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig in Lapland, Finland. Basically they were the first band to play in a giant igloo; they spent 75 minutes in -4º Fahrenheit weather — brutally cold, but they went around to local places to announce that they had a show going on in a giant igloo and people wanted to go watch.

It would be very exciting to watch a band in the icy cold with all the lights reflecting off the snow, and the sounds tearing through the frozen air surrounded by trees, ice and snow. Getting lost in the music would be too easy, with their energetic play style and head-banging riffs.

When listening to Tesseract live, you get chills from the sudden start of playing music and the bright lights that flash with the strum of a guitar or the beat of the drums. The composure of each one of them on the stage is amazing, and it looks like they are each in their own world — no breaks in their attention — perfectly played songs every time. Watching them live is definitely an experience to look forward to. Take a look into Tesseract, and surely you wouldn’t be disappointed.