CATCH THIRTYTHREE

Catch Thirtythree is inexplicably the first or second least regarded of Meshuggah's albums in critial circles. Even the members of Meshuggah insist that fans treat the album as separate from the core discography, claiming it is merely an "experimental" album. But such reservations towards the album are unnecessary and have been detrimental to establishing the true legacy of this record.

The album is mixed to give the impression of a single continuous song. Though, in reality, the album can actually be divided into three distinct movements, each of which explores a set of core themes across varying styles. In this sense, Catch Thirtythree is the band's only formally progressive metal album. Meshuggah's "prog" label was earned as a result of their innovations in the standard metal format. But on Catch, Meshuggah utilizes their signature sound in order craft a coherent, stylistically varied, and meditative concept album in the vane of any great traditional prog metal act. By this standard alone, Catch deserves greater recognition. Couple this with the fact that the riffs and melodic passages are some of the best ever crafted by the band and we have a recipe for a classic of the genre.