Meshuggah is widely acknowledged as an influence on many modern metal bands from Textures to Tool. They are regarded as pioneers by critics and musicians alike.
Discography
Psykisk Testbild (EP, 1989)
Contradictions Collapse (1991)
None (EP, 1994)
Selfcaged (1995)
Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
The True Human Design (1997)
Chaosphere (1998)
Contradictions Collapse and None (1999)
Rare Trax (2001)
Nothing (2002)
I (EP, 2004)
Catch Thirty-Three (2005)
Nothing (Re-Release With DVD) (2006)
obZen (2008)
Alive (2010)
Koloss (2012)
Pitch Black (2013)
The Violent Sleep Of Reason (2016)
Immutable (2022)
Band history
Meshuggah was formed in Umeå in 1987; two years later, the band released their first record, an EP entitled Psykisk Testbild (which can be roughly translated as "Psychological test image". This recording displayed a straightforward thrash metal influenced sound, with some strains along the lines of Metallica's concurrent releases. There were also hints of more complex music in the songwriting. As the group grew older, they further refined the technicality of their musicianship and songwriting. This led to a harsher sound, utilizing strong seven string guitar (and later eight string guitar) rhythms, manic sounding vocals, and a combination of jazz fusion elements as well. This caused the band's style to border on the lines of an esoteric feel. This style has shown to be hard to appreciate by some but it is widely embraced by Meshuggah fans.
While the band's music is extremely intense and aggressive, the members often demonstrate a strong sense of humour: their video for "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" consisted of the five band members sitting inside their tour bus headbanging and air guitaring to the song. Promotional photos of the band often include comical grimacing.
In late 2005, Meshuggah were nominated for a Swedish Grammy for the album Catch Thirty-Three.
Bands such as Dream Theater, God Forbid, Deftones, Textures , Lamb of God, The Safety Fire and Tool have cited Meshuggah as an influence.
Style
Among the band's most recognizable qualities are lead guitar player Fredrik Thordendal's abrasive, chaotic and dischordant solos, singer Jens Kidman's vocals, which resemble manic screams and shouts; the churning, dissonant rhythm guitars and the polymetric drum beats. In a typical Meshuggah song, drummer Tomas Haake plays two separate rhythms: a standard 4/4 beat with his hands, and a completely different metrical subdivision with his feet. The guitars mostly follow the bass drum work, creating an awkwardly pulsating rhythmic pattern to work as the basis of the song.
To give an example, the main riff of the song "New Millennium Cyanide Christ" from their 1998 album Chaosphere follows the aforementioned blueprint. Haake beats a rather slow 4/4 rhythm with his hands, while the bass drums and guitars play a repetitive 23/16 rhythm pattern on top of it. As the subdivided pattern is repeated, the pattern's accents shift to different beats on each repetition. After repeating the 23/16 pattern five times, a shorter 13/16 pattern is played once. These patterns sum up to 128 16th notes, which equals exactly 8 measures in 4/4 meter.
The band has evolved through a number of stylisitic periods. Contradictions Collapse and None have a sound similar to Metallica's concurrent albums. Destroy Erase Improve and Chaosphere have a more distinct off-time influence along with the thrash metal sound. Nothing and Catch Thirty-Three have a sound close to the vein of groove metal, consisting of droning and slow grooves.
While live drums were obviously not abandoned, a unique decision was made to use programmed drum patterns using Toontrack's "Drumkit From Hell" (developed in co-operation with Tomas Haake and Morgan Ågren) sample library on the latest album Catch Thirty-Three, not only providing a more precise and mechanized drumscape, but also making drum beat creativity a more collaborative effort amongst all of the band members. It cemented the album as one of the band's most complex works to date. The band members have, however, stated in several interviews that the decision to use programmed drums was due to the lack of time given by their label to produce the record.
On all records since Nothing, guitarists Thordendal and Hagström use custom-made Nevborn, and custom Ibanez eight string guitars. These guitars add two low strings to allow the crushing, heavy riffs to be played in even lower registers. They currently use Line 6's Vetta II Amps.
In regards to lyrics, the main lyricist of Meshuggah is drummer Tomas Haake, who uses complex, but precise, vocabulary and metaphorical styling. Through abstract descriptions, Haake's lyrics discuss such topics as the self, society, mendaciousness, and the human condition, all with an overarching theme that intertwines with metaphysical concepts relating to the psychedelic experience. While Haake tends to write the majority of the lyrics, guitarist Mårten Hagström also contributes to some songs.
Behind the Sun
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The prophecies of mans corruption fulfilled
Arbitrarily you harm. Snap your fingers, cue demise
Murder on impulse. Your evil inclinations wrapped in lies
Divine man. Appointed. Claiming the stern voice of god
Absolute judgments passed from where you cowards hide
Where you and your ophidian partisans abide
The doctrine of your unholy trinity
The violence, the spite and the enslavement
You awesome monarch, you man of dominance
All shall be as you decide
Illustrious ruler of all things
Wield your razors, cut the flesh of man
Control, govern and lead us
Into the nightmare of your wishes fulfilled
Grab the reins, you awesome puppeteer, you conductor of chains
Redeemer. Unbreakable strings. Damnation leashes
Remote cords extend, the trusses they run
They stretch all the way behind the sun
So vain our attempts, the useless tugging
This meaningless gnawing at restraints by which we're bound
Hail the tyrant saint, the great bereaver
You will bow before the emperor crowned
The song "Behind the Sun" by Meshuggah is a critique of human nature and religious doctrine that endorses violence, enslavement, and prejudice. The first stanza portrays the callousness of humans in causing harm and death through their actions. The second stanza targets religious fanatics who claim to have divine authority to pass judgments while hiding behind their beliefs. The third stanza illustrates their false trinity of violence, spite, and enslavement, which they use to control people for their own gain. The fourth stanza addresses the ruler or emperor figure who wields power over people and manipulates them like puppets. The final line suggests that people will eventually be subjugated and bow before such a tyrant.
The song's message about human nature is both bleak and lucid. The band uses metaphors such as the "remote cords extend," and the "conductor of chains" to describe how society, especially religion, imposes control over people. The line "so vain our attempts, the useless tugging" highlights the futility of resistance against such systemic oppression. It provides a poignant reminder of how people are often complacent with their subjugation and continue to accept the status quo without questioning it. Overall, the song is a commentary on the human condition, which acknowledges the dark side of human nature and warns us of the dangers of religious fanaticism and authoritarianism.
Line by Line Meaning
Carelessly you sentence. How indifferently you kill
You condemn without thinking and end lives without concern
The prophecies of mans corruption fulfilled
Your actions fulfill the predictions of human depravity
Arbitrarily you harm. Snap your fingers, cue demise
You cause harm without reason, causing death with ease
Murder on impulse. Your evil inclinations wrapped in lies
Your spontaneous killing comes from a malevolent desire obscured by deceit
Divine man. Appointed. Claiming the stern voice of god
You see yourself as godly, with a right to judge harshly
Absolute judgments passed from where you cowards hide
You sit in a place of safety and assign total blame to others
The lair of snakes. Your dark haven
Your hiding place is a den of deceitful plots and schemes
Where you and your ophidian partisans abide
Your followers, like snakes, base their lives on manipulation and secrecy
The doctrine of your unholy trinity
Your message is based on three terrible ideas - violence, malice and subjugation
The violence, the spite and the enslavement
Your rule is based on brutality, cruelty and servitude
You awesome monarch, you man of dominance
You see yourself as a great, mighty ruler who cannot be challenged
All shall be as you decide
You believe that all decisions should be made by you, for your benefit
Illustrious ruler of all things
You see yourself as the shining, powerful leader of everything
Wield your razors, cut the flesh of man
You want to destroy and hurt others, leaving them with permanent scars
Control, govern and lead us
You demand control over everyone else, to rule and lord your power over them
Into the nightmare of your wishes fulfilled
You want to bring everyone into the reality of your horrific and twisted desires
Grab the reins, you awesome puppeteer, you conductor of chains
You yourself are in complete control, like a puppet master with all the strings in your hands
Redeemer. Unbreakable strings. Damnation leashes
You see your control mechanisms as necessary, unbreakable chains that cannot be escaped
Remote cords extend, the trusses they run
Your control runs deep, reaching out to even the furthest extremes
They stretch all the way behind the sun
Your control extends even beyond the reaches of what is seen and known
So vain our attempts, the useless tugging
We, the oppressed, are powerless against your might and control, with even our attempts to fight resulting in nothing
This meaningless gnawing at restraints by which we're bound
We are stuck and unable to separate ourselves from the chains by which you hold us
Hail the tyrant saint, the great bereaver
You are a false saint, pretending to guide and help while really causing great pain and loss
You will bow before the emperor crowned
You demand that we all submit to your rule and accept you as the ultimate leader
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DICK AUGUST L�VGREN, DICK AUGUST LOEVGREN, FREDRIK THORDENDAL, JENS KIDMAN, MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, M�RTEN HAGSTR�M, TOMAS HAAKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind