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 Paradoxical Spiral
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drowning in the endless sky. An ever-downward dive, only to surface
The sawage of indecision, on which all sense of self is afloat
The vortex-acceleration a constant. Resolute in purpose its choking flow
The lyrics of Meshuggah's song The Paradoxical Spiral seem to point towards a feeling of suffocation and helplessness that seems to engulf the singer. The idea of "non-physical smothering" creates a sense of being trapped by something intangible, while the phrase "asphyxiation by oxygen hands" seems to suggest that the very air that we breathe can be oppressive, leading to a feeling of drowning in the endless sky. The physicality of this sensation is emphasized by the use of words such as "sawage" and "vortex-acceleration," which create an image of the singer being caught up in a whirlpool of emotions and thoughts, unable to find a way out.
There is also a sense of paradox in the lyrics of The Paradoxical Spiral. The phrase "an ever-downward dive, only to surface" suggests that the singer is caught in a cycle of moving forward and backward, making progress only to find themselves back where they started. The use of the word "paradoxical" in the title reinforces this idea of contradiction and confusion, highlighting the fact that the singer is struggling to make sense of their own experiences and emotions. Overall, the lyrics of The Paradoxical Spiral paint a bleak and oppressive picture, in which the singer is caught in a downward spiral of indecision and self-doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
Non-physical smothering, asphyxiation by oxygen hands
Feeling suffocated even though there is no physical constraint, like being choked by the very air we breathe
Drowning in the endless sky. An ever-downward dive, only to surface
Feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of the world, constantly trying to escape but always ending up back where we started
The sawage of indecision, on which all sense of self is afloat
Being lost in a sea of uncertainty, where our identity is adrift and we struggle to find our place
The vortex-acceleration a constant. Resolute in purpose its choking flow
Feeling trapped in a cycle of chaos and confusion, where everything seems to be moving too fast and we are unable to keep up
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FREDRIK THORDENDAL, JENS KIDMAN, MAARTEN HAGSTROEM, M�RTEN HAGSTR�M, TOMAS HAAKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
DjentCity77
Ive put on 15lbs of muscle while listening to meshuggah over the winter..there is nothing like lifting weights with ear buds...in a gym..while listening to this band..if you are human...you zone out and just destroy the weight..its insane. If you havent dont this (Id be shocked if you havent) you really need to...Meshuggah's intensity is like nothing else. They are my power...my anger..my aggression...
FA9082
The riff that starts at 4:49 is the most mind-bending riff in the history of metal.
Jay Motzer
Seriously is lmao even 12 years later
John D Jones III
this song is such a mindfuck.... those bends deserve an award...
Jesse Henderson
When Meshuggah practices, metronomes lose their rhythm and even clocks can't keep time
Xenoforge78
Meshuggah is a band that takes time to appreciate.
daniel mak
they make more sense as you age
Car Bomb
5:20 may be the most beautiful solo of human history
Babeman12
the solo at 5:20 is so dementedly awesome
B H
This is literally physically paralyzing while high.