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.
Electric Red
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deprived of integuments that make us real
Shadows of flesh to maintain the system
Our own blood splashes as we kneel
So meticulously machined
Into these obedient devices
Puppets, fine tuned, submissive drones
We're dormant accumulations of flesh
In a crimson filtered twilight
Mute witnesses to the game
Wrenches to keep the bolts of lies tight
We're the fabric concealing the stains
The red tainted existence
The gullibles to bless your sins away
Rags to wipe your blooded trails
We give in to the atrophy
To the twining of self-thought knowledge
The purpose of the human mind reviled
Everlasting ignorance realized
The scarlet flood that inundates our powerless thoughts
Defenseless minds with the lies overfed
Every thought stained, defiled
Painted the color, the shade of electric red
The lyrics of Meshuggah's song "Electric Red" are a commentary on the dehumanization and homogenization of society, as we sacrifice our individuality and critical thinking in service of the systems that exploit and control us. The opening lines describe humanity as being stripped of our essential qualities and reduced to "shadows of flesh" that are only valuable insofar as we can be harnessed to maintain the status quo. The chorus uses vivid imagery to underscore the violent, bloody cost of this arrangement, as our own blood splashes around us while we kneel in submission.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of resigned fury at our situation, as we are portrayed as "fine-tuned submissive drones" with no agency or purpose beyond propping up the structures that keep us oppressed. The repeated references to "crimson" and "red" suggest a world soaked in blood, both literally and metaphorically, with the color becoming a symbol of the lies and illusions that we are force-fed. The final lines of the song drive home the message that our thoughts and minds are being molded and corrupted by these forces, leaving us powerless and unable to see beyond the electric red haze.
Line by Line Meaning
Humanity peeled from our bones
Our identity and essence have been stripped away from us, leaving us as mere flesh and bone.
Deprived of integuments that make us real
We have been robbed of the traits and characteristics that make us unique and authentic beings.
Shadows of flesh to maintain the system
We are reduced to mere shadows of ourselves, used to support and sustain the societal system we live in.
Our own blood splashes as we kneel
We are forced to comply and kneel down to authority, even if it means causing us harm and bleeding our own blood.
So meticulously machined
We have been crafted and engineered with extreme precision, leaving no room for individuality or divergence.
Into these obedient devices
We have been fashioned into obedient machinery, adhering to the demands of our superiors.
Puppets, fine-tuned submissive drones
We have been transformed into puppets, manipulated and controlled to serve a specific purpose, without any will or agency of our own.
Replicas of each other, clones
We have been replicated and duplicated to create a uniform and homogeneous society, lacking any variety or distinction.
We're dormant accumulations of flesh
We are passive and inactive beings, simply existing as collections of biological matter.
In a crimson filtered twilight
We live in a world colored by vivid red hues, symbolizing the blood and violence that pervade our society.
Mute witnesses to the game
We silently observe and endure the chaos and cruelty of the world around us, without any power or voice to change it.
Wrenches to keep the bolts of lies tight
We are tools used to tighten and reinforce the lies and falsehoods that support the status quo.
We're the fabric concealing the stains
We act as a cover-up, hiding the flaws and imperfections of the system we live in.
The red tainted existence
Our lives are tinged with the color of red, representing the bloodshed and brutality that are inherent in our society.
The gullibles to bless your sins away
We are naive and credulous individuals, used to absolve those in power from their immoral deeds and transgressions.
Rags to wipe your blooded trails
We are disposable and insignificant beings, used to clean up the blood and traces left by the powerful and influential.
We give in to the atrophy
We succumb to the gradual decline and decay of our minds and bodies, resulting from the apathy and inaction bred by our society.
To the twining of self-thought knowledge
We are entangled and trapped by our own limited and biased understanding of the world, hindering our ability to learn and grow as individuals.
The purpose of the human mind reviled
The true meaning and worth of our minds and thoughts have been reduced and despised, leading to a devaluation of our humanity.
Everlasting ignorance realized
We have resigned ourselves to a state of perpetual ignorance, unable and unwilling to challenge the status quo and question authority.
The scarlet flood inundates our powerless thoughts
We are overwhelmed and inundated by a torrent of blood and violence that washes away any capacity for independent and critical thought.
Defenseless minds with lies overfed
Our minds have been deprived of the truth and fed with a constant stream of lies and propaganda, leaving us exposed and vulnerable.
Every thought stained, defiled
All of our thoughts and ideas are corrupted and tainted by the pervasive influence of a violent and oppressive society.
Painted the color, the shade of electric red
Our lives and existence are marked by the vivid and intense color of red, symbolizing the all-encompassing influence of violence and brutality.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fredrik Thordendal, Jens Kidman, Tomas Haake, Maarten Hagstroem
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind