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.
Organic Shadows
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
-Cracking at the seams. Torn from my reality
The motion of thoughts subdued. Overcome, suppressed by terror
The mouth of fear overfed by dread beyond measure
Pounding waves of overload running through my every nerve
Will reduced to nothingness. My system overturned
My mind resigns to defeat. Internal razors activated
Heartbeats hammering at the sight
A revelation to wrap my soul in fear
Blinded by the neverlight
as I stare into my organic shadow
The bin of repressed emotions crammed
Limits of pain by far exceeded
I stare into the blank
the mantra of dead silence repeated
Hear me
Find me
Save me
The dead me
(Shallow breathing. Eyes not shut, not open
By fear silenced. Incantations never spoken)
This hell of vacuum abound
with the chanting whispers of the mute
Exposed to the wrath of neversound
-The words of my organic shadow
The lyrics of Meshuggah's song Organic Shadows are a raw and intense depiction of the overwhelming impact of fear and anxiety on one's psyche. The opening lines describe the fragile facade of self-control that one holds onto in order to maintain their sense of sanity. However, as the pressure builds and the emotions become too much to bear, this sense of control begins to crack, leading to a complete severance of the self. The second verse vividly depicts the physical and emotional toll of this internal struggle, with lines like "Heartbeats hammering at the sight" and "Pounding waves of overload running through my every nerve".
The chorus serves as a powerful moment of reflection for the singer, who is faced with the terrifying realization of their own mortality as they stare into their "organic shadow". The final verse serves to underscore the profound sense of isolation that one can feel when trapped within the depths of their own fear, with lines like "Exposed to the wrath of neversound" and "The words of my organic shadow".
Line by Line Meaning
The glued-on sheet of self control. The ply of sense, of sanity
The fragile facade of self-control and rationality begins to break down, revealing the true chaos and instability at the core
Cracking at the seams. Torn from my reality
The strain becomes unbearable, and the person is ripped away from the world they thought they knew
The motion of thoughts subdued. Overcome, suppressed by terror
Fear takes hold, paralyzing all reason and preventing the person from processing their own thoughts.
The mouth of fear overfed by dread beyond measure
The fear grows until it consumes everything, leaving nothing but an overwhelming sense of dread.
Pounding waves of overload running through my every nerve
The sense of panic becomes so intense that it feels like a physical assault, assaulting every part of the person's body.
Will reduced to nothingness. My system overturned
The person feels utterly powerless, as if their own will has been wiped away and their entire being has been upended.
My mind resigns to defeat. Internal razors activated
Faced with an impossible battle, the person surrenders to the pain and begins to self-destruct from within.
Slashing trough unprocessed thought. The severance of self complete
Their own thoughts turn against them, cutting like a knife and shattering what little sense of self they had left.
Heartbeats hammering at the sight
The person's own body betrays them, pumping blood so hard that they can feel their own pulse thundering in their ears.
A revelation to wrap my soul in fear
A truth so devastating that it feels like it will crush their spirit, cloaking them in a blanket of terror.
Blinded by the neverlight
The harsh, unrelenting glare of reality prevents them from seeing anything else, even hope.
as I stare into my organic shadow
Facing their own darkest fears and insecurities, looking deep into the abyss of their own psyche.
The bin of repressed emotions crammed
All the emotions that have been buried and ignored for too long are now bursting at the seams.
Limits of pain by far exceeded
The suffering has reached levels that were once unimaginable, pushing past boundaries of tolerance.
I stare into the blank
Empty and devoid of hope, staring into a void that seems to stare back.
the mantra of dead silence repeated
With nothing left to say and no one around to hear it, the person is left with only the sound of utter stillness.
Hear me
A desperate plea to be noticed and acknowledged, as if fading away into nothingness.
Find me
A need to be located and rescued, calling out for help in the darkness.
Save me
Asking for a lifeline to be thrown out, the person begs to be saved from the abyss.
The dead me
A recognition that the person they once were is no longer there, gone and replaced with something else entirely.
Shallow breathing. Eyes not shut, not open
Existing in a state of limbo, where the boundaries between sleep and wakefulness blur together.
By fear silenced. Incantations never spoken
So afraid that the person can't even express what they want to say, the word trapped inside their own mind.
This hell of vacuum abound
In the midst of an all-encompassing emptiness, surrounded by nothingness on all sides.
with the chanting whispers of the mute
The only sound is the voice of one's own thoughts, a constant and endless litany of despair.
Exposed to the wrath of neversound
A victim to the chaos of their own mind, constantly assaulted by dark and unrelenting thoughts.
The words of my organic shadow
The thoughts, fears, and insecurities that lurk in the deepest, darkest corners of one's own being.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, MARTEN HAGSTROEM, M�RTEN HAGSTR�M, TOMAS HAAKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind