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.
Demiurge
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Retribution. Soul eclipse turns solid
Energized. Sucking vomit acting like its honey
Deprived of I
Falling while thrusting squares through circles
Serving one single new dimension
Terror rising. Agnostics nemesis. A prophet of extinction
I scorch the skies before your very eyes
My deliverance - enslavement labelled: love
Just trust this nemesis to sign and seal extinction
The lyrics of Demiurge by Meshuggah assert the theme of retribution and punishment. The first few lines symbolize the creation process. “Writing and embraced. Retribution” mean that creation of something new always comes after the destruction of something else. The next line “Soul eclipse turns solid" suggests that the artist is embracing his inner darkness and negative energy to form something solid as the lyrics move on to the next verse.
The line “Energized. Sucking vomit acting like its honey. Deprived of I” suggests that the artist has been a victim to negative energy and feeding on it as it seems like a source of nourishment. However, the last line – “Deprived of I" – indicates that the artist knows he is not gaining anything from it but rather becoming more and more deprived, which leads to the next line “Falling while thrusting squares through circles. Serving one single new dimension” representing the artist’s complete disregard to the logic and order of dimensions and the world around him, in pursuit of his own vision.
The next verse, “Terror rising. Agnostic’s nemesis. A prophet of extinction. I scorch the skies before your very eyes. My deliverance – enslavement labelled: love. Just trust this nemesis to sign and seal extinction,” further highlights the theme of destruction and retribution as the artist embraces his inner darkness and seeks to burn everything down.
Line by Line Meaning
Writing and embraced
Feeling embraced while writing
Retribution. Soul eclipse turns solid
Soul eclipse becomes real and seeks revenge
Energized. Sucking vomit acting like its honey
Feeling energized even though surrounded by disgusting things
Deprived of I
Feeling like oneself is missing or lost
Falling while thrusting squares through circles
Trying to force something to fit where it does not belong, resulting in failure
Serving one single new dimension
Devoting oneself to a new and singular way of thinking or living
Terror rising. Agnostics nemesis. A prophet of extinction
A threat arising, someone who believes in nothing and seeks destruction
I scorch the skies before your very eyes
Causing destruction visible to all who witness it
My deliverance - enslavement labelled: love
Love being a form of bondage or enslavement
Just trust this nemesis to sign and seal extinction
Having faith that destruction will be brought about by this nemesis
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DICK AUGUST LOEVGREN, FREDRIK THORDENDAL, JENS KIDMAN, MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, TOMAS HAAKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexvsguitar
Writhing and embraced
Retribution, soul eclipse turns solid
Energized
Sucking vomit, acting like its honey
Deprived of I
Falling while thrusting squares through circles
Serving one single new dimension
Terror rising
Agnostics' nemesis
A prophet of extinction
I scorch the skies before your very eyes
My deliverance
Enslavement labelled love
Just trust this, nemesis, to sign and seal extinction
@paulpollitt5411
What the hell are we supposed to listen to after this?
@ItsCriti
I'm struggling myself
@SeanSulkaHyde
Bleed? 😆
@ItsCriti
@@SeanSulkaHyde I'm a normie I started with that. Pull this up you will love it. Doom bfg division it's so fxcking heavy
@ItsCriti
@@SeanSulkaHyde tell me that shit ain't super heavy
@illynoizzz
Try "Slaughter to Prevail - Hell"
@LemonySnickers69
What a talented bunch of djentlemen.
@andrewwaller89
you made my night lol
@ZombieBoy540
Djent is a suicide doll
@Roger_Ramjet
Where?