Debut metal album shows listeners what they should expect

When exploring the indie music scene, most listeners resort to naming off whatever bands are trending with teens who want to pretend they listen to music ‘outside the mainstream’ (a la Twenty One Pilots) or the monolith that is folk. While there is good to be found in both, if one is looking for music that is truly ‘outside the mainstream’ then look no further than djent: a subgenre of progressive metal, already unique in its long-winded, artful approach to heavy metal, that is characterized by intentionally distorted, low pitch, high volume guitar, quite literally making a ‘djent’ sound.

Wishful Lotus Proof is an experimental metal solo album by Polish artist Jakub Zytecki, the active guitarist of the band Disperse. It is positioned to set the tone of the progressive metal scene, as perhaps the most influential underground album since Animals as Leaders.

The two openers will most likely be sufficient to see if you can handle the release. The first track, “Yes”, is instrumental, showing off complicated rhythms and rifts that are demonstrative of Zytecki’s skill on the guitar. The second, “Satya’s Diary”, is an eight minute, not an unusual length for songs on the album, epic that adopts various sounds throughout its course. The rest of the tracks follow similar developments, ripe with featured artists to create an experience bound in heavy metal, in which the sound of each song is vastly different. It really speaks to Jakub Zytecki’s credit as a musician, picking the guests to perfectly suite the desired sound on each track.

The album runs for over an hour and may be a tad exhausting for one not accustomed to the intensity of music featured here. As an experimental project the work doesn’t include songs that have catchy tunes or can be danced to. It doesn’t need that. The music demands the listener to pay attention. If one is willing to enter the experience with a mind dedicated to, perhaps, consider the instruments over the lyrics, which aren’t as important to the understanding of any piece, they may be able to find the impressive work and talent that was poured into this record.

Wishful Lotus Proof is available digitally under a ‘Name Your Price’ option on Bandcamp, or available to order on CD.