Vildhjarta

Few bands have made Meshuggah's rhythmic language their own quite like Vildhjarta, the progressive metal group from Hudiksvall in Sweden. Formed in 2005, they build their sound on heavily down-tuned guitars, harmonic minor progressions and jarring staccato riffs, layered beneath reverberant guitars and atmospheric textures. Their djent-style approach is distinctive enough that they coined a word of their own, thall, without quite meaning to, and it has since become a meme among the band and its fans.

Their debut, Måsstaden, arrived in 2011 after the band signed with Century Media Records, following a 2009 demo, Omnislash. It is a concept album that tells the story of a hidden, isolated town in the manner of a classic fable, and Consequence of Sound praised it as harsh and fantastic. The 2013 EP Thousands of Evils came out on a 1,000-copy vinyl run, and the second full-length, Måsstaden under vatten, followed in October 2021. Their third album, Där skogen sjunger under evighetens granar, was released on 30 May 2025, and the band now has no original members remaining.