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.
War
Meshuggah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the user of my face; beneath its guise i rot. a paradox in terms. (i am now what i'm not)
interconnected, fused. my words are its thoughts. i now share my self with my reflection.
straining to divide our twined formation. duality within singularity.
(i'm forlorn in my own withering soul, racked by continuous waves of dissolution
my gemini mind the creator of the undulation. i strain to untangle these malignant bonds,
to become again the one that i was)
coalescence done, the merging complete, the sentence carried out. (i'm condemned for eternity)
the confluence, our interwound flows; surges not to be fused. (now combined, intertwined)
in this mental cage we absorb our selves. the only certainty is my suffering.
my mind in constant pleas for an end to this concatenation. a struggle all in vain, we're both the same.
(a withering soul torn by the attempts of regeneration. my gemini mind the obstacle of my redemption.
i strain to elude the face of my other self. to become again the one that i was)
plug me in, reconnect me to my self. plug me in, reconnect me to my soul.
gone are all my hopes, all my vain illusions. deceived i dwell in me. in the core of my agony.
i fade in this duress. i'm weakening. the one who claimed my front is now the claimant of my soul.
(a withering soul torn by this antipolar mental integration. my divided mind a system split in two creations.
i strain to reach the separation tools, to be again the one that i was)
into the core of self, the neuro-axis, i fade
within the fading core of self i am...
gone-bound, lost, away, phased out, non-existing
Meshuggah's song "War" depicts the idea of being trapped in one's own body with no control over themselves. The lyrics describe a feeling of helplessness as the singer is trapped in a "stale organic cage" and feels like a stranger within their own body. The use of metaphors is evident in the following lines: "the user of my face; beneath its guise I rot" and "I strain to reach the separation tools, to be again the one that I was." The song seems to touch on themes of identity, self-discovery, and a desire for freedom.
The lyrics of the first verse indicate that there is a connection between the singer and their reflection - a duality within a singularity, where their thoughts and words are shared. The chorus highlights the pain and suffering that comes with being trapped in one's own body, and the longing for liberation. The second verse further illustrates the theme of duality, where the singer is plagued by a "Gemini mind," and the struggle to become "the one that [they] was."
In conclusion, "War" is a powerful song that beautifully captures the struggle of feeling trapped in one's self. The lyrics and metaphors used effectively convey a sense of entrapment and the desire to be free. The song ultimately leaves the listener with a sense of poignant hopelessness.
Line by Line Meaning
a stale organic cage. incarceration. i'm in the stranger: me. (lost in corporeal inanity)
I am trapped in a lifeless body and imprisoned within myself, disconnected from reality.
the user of my face; beneath its guise i rot. a paradox in terms. (i am now what i'm not)
My body is a mere tool that I no longer control, and it is deteriorating faster than my mind is.
interconnected, fused. my words are its thoughts. i now share my self with my reflection.
I am one with my reflection, as we share the same thoughts and ideas.
straining to divide our twined formation. duality within singularity.
I am struggling to separate myself from my reflection, as we are two halves of the same whole.
(i'm forlorn in my own withering soul, racked by continuous waves of dissolution. my gemini mind the creator of the undulation. i strain to untangle these malignant bonds, to become again the one that i was)
I am desolate within my own decaying soul, plagued by a constant cycle of decline. My mercurial mind is responsible for this turmoil, and I am striving to break free from the unhealthy cycle and return to my original self.
coalescence done, the merging complete, the sentence carried out. (i'm condemned for eternity)
The merging of myself and my reflection is complete, and I am now condemned to this fate indefinitely.
the confluence, our interwound flows; surges not to be fused. (now combined, intertwined)
Our combined energies flow together, but they are unable to merge any further now that we are one.
in this mental cage we absorb our selves. the only certainty is my suffering.
We are confined within a mental prison, slowly consuming ourselves with no end in sight. My only guaranteed fate is continued pain and suffering.
my mind in constant pleas for an end to this concatenation. a struggle all in vain, we're both the same.
I am constantly begging for an end to this combination of myself and my reflection, but it is a futile effort. We are both one and the same now.
(a withering soul torn by the attempts of regeneration. my gemini mind the obstacle of my redemption. i strain to elude the face of my other self. to become again the one that i was)
My deteriorating soul is struggling to regenerate, and my mercurial mind is hindering my quest for redemption. I am trying to avoid my own reflection in order to once again become the person I used to be.
plug me in, reconnect me to my self. plug me in, reconnect me to my soul.
I am pleading to be reconnected with my true self and soul through some external force.
gone are all my hopes, all my vain illusions. deceived i dwell in me. in the core of my agony. i fade in this duress. i'm weakening. the one who claimed my front is now the claimant of my soul.
All my aspirations and false beliefs have vanished, and I now dwell within myself, deceived by my own reflection. I am fading away under the weight of this distress, weakened by the force that has claimed my body and soul.
(a withering soul torn by this antipolar mental integration. my divided mind a system split in two creations. i strain to reach the separation tools, to be again the one that i was)
My deteriorating soul is ripped apart by this conflicting mental integration. My divided mind consists of two separate creations, and I am striving to reach the tools that will allow me to separate myself and return to my original state.
into the core of self, the neuro-axis, i fade within the fading core of self i am... gone-bound, lost, away, phased out, non-existing
I am fading into the core of myself, into the neuro-axis where I am gradually becoming nothing. I am gone, lost, away - phased out, and no longer existing in this world.
Contributed by Abigail J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.