Meshuggah

[scottness]

New album has been announced as finished and scheduled to plop March 27, 2012. I cannot wait for some new material from these guys!! No supporting tours announced as of yet.

Also, check out sumerianrecords.com for other bands.

[wizfan]

Yeah, they are amazing. I can't wait, either!

[bobbie solo]

corridor of chameleons will melt your fucking face off.

[blackholesun]

Color me excited.

[Space Suicide]

I can take this band in small amounts. I enjoy them but I wouldn't call myself a fan or even a casual listener. I don't know.

[dlb]

this band is pretty hard to listen to at home IMHO, but I really want to see them live since their DVD "alive" really got me going. guess it can be pretty hypnotizing.

[october_midnight]

'Koloss' - March 27th



01 – “I Am Colossus”
02 – “The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance”
03 – “Do Not Look Down”
04 – “Behind The Sun”
05 – “The Hurt That Finds You First”
06 – “Marrow”
07 – “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion”
08 – “Swarm”
09 – “Demiurge”
10 – “The Last Vigil”

[aggroculture]

Fuck yes. To me Obzen was their best album yet, so of course I'm totally stoked.
Also, I believe they are far and away the best live metal band around right now. No one comes close to the power and intensity they create onstage.

[Wretchedest]

Their's a video of the recent listening party floating around (found it on facebook) the end of it has some music...

So far sounds like Meshuggah.... kind of the way they usually sound, very cool with that.

[october_midnight]

New song leaked.

[Wretchedest]

:/ kinda boring...

[poinoup]

Leakage...

[wizfan]

I'm going to do a quick mini-review here. There's SPOILERS, so don't read if you want to go to this album completely unprepared (which I did). Samples from the album have already been released, but if you haven't listened to them, I'd suggest you go to this album straight on without having heard the promo stuff. Trust me.

So, for those of you who would like to read more about it before you listen to it, here's my opinion on it. I only listened to it once, so my view on it may change after repeated listens.

Okay, enough stating the obvious (it's a real bad habit of mine, can't help it). On with Koloss.

One word: wow.

Meshuggah didn't make major changes to their sound; they are still using the basic elements of what makes them such a great band. But this is far from "obZen II". This time, they are experimenting with songwriting rather than harshness. There are compositions that bring to mind their earlier works, and others that are more obZen-ish. The album's biggest strength, however, is that its true power lies in dynamics. More on that later.

I didn't care much for the first track, I Am Colossus, rather than the usual "yay, Meshuggah is back" feeling. It's mid-tempo and pretty standard aggessive Meshuggah fare. However, it was the second track, "The Demon's Name Is Surveillance", that really sets things forward. This thing is incredibly strong and fast-paced. It's going to be a killer live song.

"Do Not Look Down" reminded me of Destroy Erase Improve. It's one of those tracks that, while aggressive, do have some "breathing room". I'm glad that Meshuggah went towards that direction instead of being 100% destructive like in obZen.

The album keeps surprising you with its versatility. These tracks feel like SONGS, rather than variations of the same track (a thing that really bugged me with their album Nothing). The dynamics, as I said before, are what drives this record. It never feels monotonous. The changes in tempo and guitar effects and, as always, those amazing polyrhythms prove Meshuggah can still be innovative, even when they have finished building their sound.

"Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" is probably one of my favorites on this album, a seven-minute slow burn that goes through many different directions. While it keeps a steady tempo, you hear the guitars shift from loud and fast to slow and deep. Lots of bass melodies, too.

The final track, "The Last Vigil", is the finishing blow; a sad, SAD instrumental consisting of clean guitar sounds. Remember "Acrid Placidity" from DEI? This track is far better. It delivers Meshuggah's message that they aren't just about the aggression. There is sorrow and hopelessness in their music. And unless things change, they will continue to make destructive music. It was an excellent ending to an excellent album. Well done, sirs.

I'd love to buy it. I read that it has a pretty cool Tool-ish 3-D cover.

[Carpathian Psychonaut]

These tracks feel like SONGS, rather than variations of the same track (a thing that really bugged me with their album Nothing).

Am with you there on the Nothing front - liked it but did get that feeling.

Glad to read that isn't the case this time round.

[Dissonance]

Fucking love these guys. Quickly became one of my favorite bands when I heard Obzen. Went back again into their catalogue and soaked it up after trying to get into em once. I do admit some albums, songs in earlier work have a tendency to sound like variations of others or similar. It's rare too, for me to like a band like this.



I pre-ordered the album month ago at band's website, comes with Koloss T-shirt, and autograph apparently for like 22-25 bucks. They have other packages. Really like what I've heard so far including what's been released and Swarm when it leaked today. Gonna try to resist on hearing anymore

[Dissonance]

Fuck. I gave in.

[BenAkenobi]

`Behind the sun` isn't RHCP cover?

[Dissonance]

Only listened to it once on the leak. But got the preorder in the mail today early.

Album's fucking mindblowing. They did some different, maybe risky things on here. But it's still Meshuggah.

[Wretchedest]

It's pretty good! I had my hopes down from some of the leaks, but once again Meshuggah has manged to make an albums of confusing, trippy rythyms that are nearly impossible to follow. I love it.

[cahernandez]

I just watched the documentary about the Meshuggah tour in India, the one that's on the DVD that comes with the CD. It was quite funny to see these HUGE, tattooed Swedish guys rocking out in India...I think it was a pretty ballsy move of them to do shows in India...not a lot of metal bands (that I know of) go to India. There are a lot of memorable scenes in the film, namely of those when they are arriving to the venue, setting up their gear...it seems like the Health & Safety standards in India are not that high, the lighting techs would climb the lighting rig/structure with no harnesses, helmets, nothing...the dressing rooms that Meshuggah got were almost empty, they looked like abandoned rooms from the 80's. And then when the Meshuggah sound guys would try to coordinate something with their Indian equivalent (the guys from the venue itself), language was definitely a barrier! And the Indian fans are crazy, they were really into the shows, props to them. Overall a great film.

[aggroculture]

Just got my tix for May 23 Terminal 5 show. Shitty-ass venue, but hopefully will still be a kick-ass show.
Haven't got into the new album yet, but I have 3 weeks.

[cahernandez]

Pictures from the show in Seattle, at the Showbox at the Market (May 9 2012). Included in the set are pictures of Baroness, the opener (who were amazing):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3844015...7630811851384/

[aggroculture]

Hell to the yeah: http://www.theprp.com/2012/11/27/new...lly-announced/

[nothing8]

Assuming this actually is true and goes ahead, could someone please show up at this show and tape it?

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/...ml?no_takeover

EDIT: Link is broken/page is down so I'm guessing it was very fake. Oh well.

I'll just post this here incase nobody else has seen it yet. Basically the link stated that Leo's management agreed to him showing on stage with Meshuggah at their last stop on the tour.

[tony.parente]

That damned video makes me lol every single time.

[cahernandez]

My Swedish friend went to see the anniversary show in Stockholm, it happened at Gröna Lund, which is an amusement park in central Stockholm. During the summer this park organizes outdoor concerts, and I believe that your entry ticket to the park (which is like $15 USD) allows you to see the show as well. Pretty cool deal. This is what she had to say about the show:

So, Meshuggah at Gröna Lund was epic. Well, first they played songs from many of their albums which was great. But the combo - hardcore vs tivoli was fantastic. I was walking around with cotton candy in my hand, watching kids go on roller coasters and all of the sudden you hear this really "misplaced" music. It was awesome. Small girls in pink dresses, still with left over icecream around their mouth, looking with big eys to the stage, while their older brothers headbang, and their mothers try to pull them away...

Sweden is truly a unique place! If you guys haven't been there, you should get that fixed ASAP. It's awesome. So many good bands (both pop and metal) coming out of that place. Central Stockholm has a metal karaoke bar I went there, and had a blast.

[aggroculture]

I could theoretically still make that Chicago show.
Very tempted.

[PUNCHLINE]

I saw them live last year, they managed to be both incredibly boring yet very very impressive at the same time, which is a great talent to have, lol!

[cahernandez]

I got the Ophidian Trek live album last week on the email. Yesterday I was driving back from Leavenworth WA after a day of Oktoberfest festivities (Oktoberfest is late in 'MERICA) and was jamming HARD to this album, headbanging and such. I probably looked funny to other drivers. That end of the album...New Millennium Cyanide Christ into Dancers to a Discordant System into Mind's Mirrors into In Death - is Life / In Death - is Death into the Last Vigil is pure EPIC. In fact, CD2 is just stacked. Better album than "Alive", I think

[seasonsinthesky]

better setlist maybe, but it sounds significantly worse. i dunno how you can take a direct out from an immaculately-programmed AxeFX and get such a shit guitar sound!

has anyone watched the bluray? it looks amazing but besides the mix being poor, the songs play noticeably slower. i kinda wonder if Nuclear Blast didn't absolutely fuck this up like their usual rush jobs.