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.
Neurotica
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Refit this vessel of confusion to bring the eloquence of the mute.
Incorporate this forfeit cause, assimilate and fake it mine.
I bow my head and taste the lies that I'm fed, all to claim my reward.
Master and servant. One for all and all for none. Ignorant to the distant hymns of chaos,
the progressive stand before me. Their eyes fixed in the distance, default to conform to the new.
They animate me. In confidence I thrive. My reign: supremacy. I speak no word unheard.
Ripples race across my eyes. Breaking out in acid sweat. Wills shrivel and crack.
Disintegration of my inner self. I find the substance lost. A shed shell of a being of disgust.
Done is the cleansing. Complete is the surgery of the soul.
Step inside and taste the shackling thoughts that devour all confidence. Realizing I'm lost.
Being no more than a mutt with a fake pedigree. Stillborn soul shaped and molded.
I can live an eternity in a minute's time. A borrowed talent filled with copied goals.
The carcass of hope lies dead beneath the fabric of dreams. Facing the truth within the mirror of souls -
ha ha this is what I've become. Always been in this emancipated state. Submerged, battered and numb.
Just a mindscape fit for illusion to make fear into reign and fulfillment of pain. Kneeling in permanent solitude.
The minions of the inside claim me
Re-animate, me cause I was once alive. Defeat smears out my focus. Consciousness subsides
Unmotivated. Beheld by scorching eyes. Infinity stares back at me. The surging darkness coils to strike.
The lyrics of Neurotica by Meshuggah are a reflection of the struggle of the human psyche to break from the cycle of conformity and assimilation. The first verse talks about being subdued and repressed in a vortex of faceless progress, where one is elevated so high that they feel God-like. The singer wants to break from this confusion and find eloquence in the mute, to incorporate a forfeit cause and assimilate it as their own, and to bow their head and taste the lies that they've been fed in order to claim their reward. The master-servant dynamic is also briefly explored, as the ignorant and conformist follow the progressive ones with eyes fixed in the distance.
The second verse is a descent into a deeper chaos. The singer is animated by their surroundings and thrives in confidence, achieving supremacy over their peers. Yet, their reign is short-lived, as they experience a disintegration of their inner self and find themselves at the mercy of shackling thoughts that devour their confidence, reducing them to a mutt with a fake pedigree. They are left feeling numb, disillusioned, and trapped in a mindscape fit for illusion, where fear reigns supreme and pain is fulfilled. The surging darkness coils to strike, and the minions of the inside claim them.
Line by Line Meaning
Subdued and repressed. A son of the vortex in faceless progress, coaxing, tugging, grinding. So elevated so God.
I am suppressed and held back, a product of a society fixated on superficial progress. I feel pulled in all directions, struggling to find my identity. Yet, despite my struggles, I am seen as superior and god-like.
Refit this vessel of confusion to bring the eloquence of the mute.
I want to transform my jumbled mind into something clear and eloquent like the silence of a mute.
Incorporate this forfeit cause, assimilate and fake it mine.
I try to make sense of the meaningless, and force myself to conform to others' beliefs and ideals as my own.
I bow my head and taste the lies that I'm fed, all to claim my reward.
I obediently accept and believe the falsehoods that are presented to me, all because I hope to gain something in return.
Master and servant. One for all and all for none. Ignorant to the distant hymns of chaos, the progressive stand before me. Their eyes fixed in the distance, default to conform to the new.
People blindly follow the leaders and conform to the new without understanding the true chaos that lies ahead.
They animate me. In confidence I thrive. My reign: supremacy. I speak no word unheard.
I feel alive only when I am validated and empowered by others. I claim the title of supreme being and dictate only what is popular and accepted by society.
Re-motivate me. I'm all there is to be. An omnipotent being so complete in my diversity.
I need others to encourage and inspire me, but ultimately, I see myself as an all-knowing, powerful being that is unique in its flaws and strengths.
Ripples race across my eyes. Breaking out in acid sweat. Wills shrivel and crack. Disintegration of my inner self. I find the substance lost. A shed shell of a being of disgust. Done is the cleansing. Complete is the surgery of the soul.
I feel my mental and emotional state deteriorate as I try to become someone I am not. I am left feeling empty, like a shell of my former self. I have undergone a transformation, but it has only led to further emptiness and despair.
Step inside and taste the shackling thoughts that devour all confidence. Realizing I'm lost.
I am trapped by negative thoughts that erode my self-confidence and leave me feeling hopeless and uncertain.
Being no more than a mutt with a fake pedigree. Stillborn soul shaped and molded. I can live an eternity in a minute's time. A borrowed talent filled with copied goals. The carcass of hope lies dead beneath the fabric of dreams. Facing the truth within the mirror of souls - ha ha this is what I've become. Always been in this emancipated state. Submerged, battered and numb. Just a mindscape fit for illusion to make fear into reign and fulfillment of pain. Kneeling in permanent solitude. The minions of the inside claim me
I am nothing more than an imposter who has adopted false ideals and aspirations. My soul has been stunted and shaped by outside forces. Even though time seems to pass slowly for me, I am only living a life that is a cheap imitation of others'. My hope has died and my dreams are nothing but a sham. I am isolated and in pain, just a pawn of my own negative thoughts and fears, unable to escape their grasp.
Re-animate, me cause I was once alive. Defeat smears out my focus. Consciousness subsides. Unmotivated. Beheld by scorching eyes. Infinity stares back at me. The surging darkness coils to strike.
I want to be reborn and feel alive again. But my defeats in life have made my vision cloudy and my mind numb. I am unmotivated and held back by a constant, intimidating presence that surrounds me. The infinite abyss of uncertainty looms, threatening to consume me completely.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, MARTEN HAGSTROEM, M�RTEN HAGSTR�M
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind