“The music Dan Ahrendt makes as Dahjyn is only intermittently metallic, but when the NYC-based experimentalist decides to lean into his metal influences, the results tend to be compelling. The first track on Peace Medal, “I Was Ten When” begins with a very similar chord progression to the iconic opening of Pallbearer's "Foreigner," close enough that it feels deliberate. The next song, “Talk Like A Prison”, finds Ahrendt testing out a black metal rasp, a vocal shadow self that emerges whenever the material turns dark enough to warrant it. At various points throughout the album, distorted guitars do battle with pneumatic percussion and hissing electronics, while Ahrendt's mellifluous vocals glide over the din. Voice is the core of Peace Medal, and Ahrendt has a great one. His cleans are a little Scott Walker circa Sunn O))) collab Soused, a little Nick Cave circa Skeleton Tree, and a little Peter Steele circa World Coming Down. The most ambitious (and satisfying) Dahjyn track to date is “Are You Ok?”, an industrial-doom slow-burner where Ahrendt asks the listener if they “need a hug” before inviting his metalized alter to roar about “killing everyone you meet” over blown-out noise and, perversely, what sounds like twinkling harp. “Are You Ok?” is a big swing, but Ahrendt is in total control.”
- Stereogum via Brad Sanders March 31st, 2026
“Filtering grinding industrial metal through gleaming trip-hop production, Dan Ahrendt’s project is a cathartic marvel.”
- Bandcamp New & Notable April 11th, 2026
"The latest EP from Brooklyn based producer Dan Ahrendt as Dahjyn sounds absolutely massive: a kaleidoscope of cut-up samples pushed through punishing digital effects. But the most memorable thing about Thresher's Blush is the controlled power of Ahrendt's vocals, which leap from a lithe baritone reminiscent of Scott Walker or early Brendan Perry to a rumbling Cookie Monster growl, then a Mike Patton-esque falsetto with a laser-focused bravado that both mirrors and complements the multifaceted precision of his composition. Ahrendt's vocals lend a strikingly human element to this rhythmically disjointed music that feels simultaneously strong and vulnerable, while his lyrics chart a cosmic struggle. ‘Here comes the hand of God to cross you out’, he sings on the opening track. If you can't beat the howling void, you might as well join it.”
- May 2023 issue of The Wire by Emily Pothast
