Our man Zach Buggy foresees new -and nu-alt – metal in 2024

While the underground metal and hardcore scenes are rife with activity, packed out shows and avid followers; on the flip side of the coin the more mainstream currents appear to be pushing a specific brand of nu-alt-metal into the spotlight.

Combining elements of progressive and art rock with the rhythmic and groove-oriented compositions of Djent (popularised by the likes of Meshuggah, SikTh, Tesseract), yet married to unashamed pop song formulas, has led to an entirely new wave of crossover appealing metal that boasts enough accessible qualities to subtly translate motifs once perceived as non-digestible by casual listeners.

Don’t believe us? Just look at how Loathe captivated the scene in 2020 with their shimmering, immense, Deftones-indebted breakout success I Let It In & It Took Everything, or the effervescent rise of Canada’s Spiritbox who continue to be one of the most discussed acts in mainstream metal while maintaining their malevolent edge, likely thanks to the formidable presence and sultry cadence of frontwoman Courtney LaPlante.

The most notable example must be the perplexing explosion of Sleep Token; the masked anonymous collective who aesthetically resemble a more gothy combo of Slipknot and Mushroomhead but are musically more aligned to say Periphery meets Tool. Having just wrapped up their biggest UK/EU run to date with a packed-out performance at Wembley Arena (with support from underground synth-noise legends HEALTH), their ability to fill venues of this magnitude while sticking to their grandiose vision, artistic ethos and willingness to take avant-garde experimentalists on tour, exudes just how open casual and mainstream metal listeners are becoming.

Gone is the groove-metal pastiche of Pantera/Lamb Of God impersonators (looking at you Five Finger Death Punch), and in its place the brimming presence of “Djentcore” which, come 2024, will become the new standard for your buffed up gym buddy who only listens to metal when needing that motivational charge to sculpt his guns.