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.
The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Imposed observance. Sentries in the sky
Vigilant lenses. Objectives belied
In blackened heavens covertly they hide
They see you. They see all. They know all indiscretions
Compiler of your dreams, your indignations
Following your every single move
All-seeing instrument. Supreme perception
Omnifocal accumulator
Thief of integrity. Its gaze upon the blind
Information divinity by man designed
The lives of all they occupy. Their eyes in dismal gloom
The all-piercing, dead oculi - mirrors of our doom
Oblivious to the trespass as you gaze into the black
The demon of surveillance insultingly staring back
- Into you
They own your every secret, your life is in their files
The grains of your every waking second sifted through and scrutinized
They know your every right. They know your every wrong
Each put in their due compartment - sins where sins belong
They know you. They see all. They know all indiscretions
Compiler of your dreams, your indignations
Following your every single move
They know you
The Demon's Name Is Surveillance by Meshuggah primarily discusses the theme of surveillance and its adverse effects on people's lives. The song talks about how mechanical compound eyes, like CCTV cameras, have been imposed in public spaces to keep a watch on people. The song also emphasizes that these cameras are like sentries in the sky, whose objectives are belied and covertly hides in blackened heavens. The cameras see everything, know all indiscretions, and follow people's every move. They compile people's dreams, indignations, and hold information about their secrets in their files, which they sift through and scrutinize every waking second of their lives.
Through the lyrics, the band addresses the fact that these cameras are all-seeing instruments, which accumulate omnifocally, and eventually become a thief of people's integrity. These cameras have supreme perception and are designed to be an information divinity by man. The song also highlights how these cameras occupy people's lives and how their eyes are in dismal gloom. These all-piercing and dead oculi are like mirrors of our doom, oblivious to the trespass as people gaze into them. They insultingly stare back into the people, reflecting a demon of surveillance.
Line by Line Meaning
Mechanical compound eye
The all-seeing and inorganic eye
Imposed observance. Sentries in the sky
Forced surveillance. Watchers in the atmosphere.
Vigilant lenses. Objectives belied
Aware optics. Purposes kept hidden.
In blackened heavens covertly they hide
Secretive, hiding in the dark skies.
They see you. They see all. They know all indiscretions
They know your secrets, your mistakes, your every action.
Compiler of your dreams, your indignations
Recording every notion, every outrage.
Following your every single move
Tracking and monitoring your every action without fail.
All-seeing instrument. Supreme perception
A device that can see everything, with the ultimate perception.
Omnifocal accumulator
A device that can gather and hold all information.
Thief of integrity. Its gaze upon the blind
Stealing a person's right to privacy, while the unaware remain ignorant.
Information divinity by man designed
A creation of man, with godlike access to information.
The lives of all they occupy. Their eyes in dismal gloom
It controls everyone's lives, watching in darkness.
The all-piercing, dead oculi - mirrors of our doom
Its gaze is destructive, reflecting our eventual downfall.
Oblivious to the trespass as you gaze into the black
Unaware of the intrusion as you stare into the abyss.
The demon of surveillance insultingly staring back
The cruel creature of monitoring, mocking you with its stare.
Into you
Penetrating your being, invading your privacy.
They own your every secret, your life is in their files
They possess all of your secrets and your life story.
The grains of your every waking second sifted through and scrutinized
Every detail of your life is examined and evaluated.
They know your every right. They know your every wrong
They know all of your good deeds and all of your sins.
Each put in their due compartment - sins where sins belong
Categorized with impartiality, with each sin in their corresponding folder.
They know you
They know all that you have ever done or will do.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DICK AUGUST LOEVGREN, FREDRIK THORDENDAL, JENS KIDMAN, MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, TOMAS HAAKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind