MESHUGGAH

The EP features two tracks and a full playing time of 15:47 minutes. "Pitch Black" is a new studio recording while "Dancers to a Discordant System", which was originally featured as the closing track on "obZen (2008)", is featured here in a live version. If you are familiar with Meshuggah's distinct sounding trademark style you won't be surprised when I tell you that "Pitch Black" is somewhat rooted in heavy groove laden thrash, that it features a hypnotic odd metered groove, that the riffs played are downtuned and crushingly heavy and that the vocals by Jens Kidman are raw, distorted and aggressive. The last part is not exactly true on "Pitch Black" though as Jens Kidman sings/talks in the mechanical way he has done before a couple of times in the past. The track is also in the atmospheric end of the band's repetoire with odd clean guitars and multible solos. Production wise it sounds like "Pitch Black" could be a leftover track from the "Koloss (2012)" sessions.

The live version of "Dancers to a Discordant System" is executed to perfection and yet another example of how relentlessly aggressive and skilled a machine Meshuggah really are. I think the vocals by Jens Kidman could have been slightly better, but it's a minor issue when listening to the band perform this killer track with a technical precision that seem almost inhuman to me. But as always they groove in a hypnotic fashion that's completely their own.

"Pitch Black" is a nice free EP, but it's not exactly the place to start if you're a new commer to Meshuggah. For that the title track isn't representitive enough of the band's usual style. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

Looking for catchy melodies in a Meshuggah release is like looking for unbridled guitar solos in a Renaissance album. Melody isn't their thing. But it's not to say that some of the basic riffs utilized aren't cool sounding. If you're in the right frame of mind for this sort of thing, the polyrhythmic patterns are astonishing and even a delight to focus on.

ObZen is a heavy as their immediate prior material, but there is also a nod to their earlier thrash-influenced days, particularly regarding opening cut "Combustion", which begins things on a high and furious note. Man, it was nice to hear something like that from them after such a long time wallowing in mid-tempo-ville. Other highlights are the propulsive, heavy "Bleed", the energetic "Pravus", and the album's best track, closer "Dancers To A Discordant System", which may be my favorite tune by them. There are vocal variances to start off with, which are much appreciated after such relentless high-registered toneless barking by the vocalist, and the tune's epic nature allows for a good scope of what this band represents in one tune, with some real heavy riffing combined with amazingly complex time- signatures. Again, don't expect a slew of fretboard histrionics, although theirs some layered atmospheric melodies and rather unusual guitar soloing.

This album and their breakthrough release Destroy, Erase, Improve usually trade off as my favorite by the band, with this album's overall heaviness and cold production giving ObZen a bit of an edge in achieving this monolithic factory-from-hell aura. Not every song works, as "Lethargica" does somewhat put me in a state of lethargy as it channels Nothing's more banal moments, but for the most part, when the mood arises for some chugging fury, ObZen is one of my main drugs.

I know a decent portion of Meshuggah fanatics at this point would be shaking their collective heads with the understanding that I just "don't get it", but here's the thing; I am a fan of much of their material. I love ObZen and some of their other albums, but man Nothing just removes much of what I dig about the band's aspects and leaves the pure basics in a stripped down shambling form. There's no energetic speediness or change of format to counter the heavy groove-based numbers, resulting in an excursion that impresses early but settles into a tedious display of nu-metal grooves spliced up and reassembled in occasional jarring fashion. Like a heavier Korn with mathematics degrees.

Granted, I do admire the production in that this album is unquestionably heavy sounding with its extra stringed guitars groaning and "djenting" (silly word, I know) out hellish low notes in mean calculating fashion. As well, on a few occasions interesting melodic soloing appears to add a bit of ambience to the mechanical display, and yes, the tempo virtuosity is exceptional. But I will also say that they do the polyrthymic wackiness much more impressively on other efforts, including the equally plodding but overall better and more interesting Catch 33. As someone who likes what this band can achieve concerning what I would consider their best releases, I can't really recommend this album at all as it churns out one similar mind-numbing sequence after another. I need aspirin and coffee now.

Not gonna get too deep and crazy with this review because the music just speaks for itself. If you are a person who is looking for music with a crazy-hard edge to it, then youve found your band and your album OBZEN. This is the hardest music I've ever heard in my life, but it's the hard aspect of the music that makes it so great. Tracks like COMBUSTION and BLEED offer up some wild and extreamly odd time signatures with the use of Guitar. I've never really heard such hard music played with so much finesse and technicality. Wow. I'm pretty blown away. I actually laugh by just how crazy this music is, but I laugh cause it really is incredible by how fast and technical the music is. I have a new found respect for the tech/extreme prog metal genre and because of Meshuggah I will venture further into the genre. I thank Meshaggah for opening my eyes to see the creative, ahnillative and destructive force they are. Dam!!! Be prepared to be blown away by great musicianship and hard-assed guitar riffing that is sure to please any sane metal head. Enjoy. ObZen is a masterpiece and it warrants a 5star rating.

On "Koloss" it's apparent from the get go, that Meshuggah have lost none of their heavy edge, their caustic aggression, the alien sci-fi atmosphere, or their dominant use of odd time signatures. The "core" features of their music style are intact. When that is said "Koloss" further develops on the more accessible direction of the material on "obZen (2008)", and it's perhaps the band's most accessible release since "Destroy Erase Improve (1995)" (which was also what I said about "obZen (2008)" when it was released). The less raw and sligthly more organic sound production probably has a lot to do with it, but to my ears Meshuggah have also begun to focus a lot more on memorability and "hooks" than earlier and that often leads to a more accessible sound. At this point I think it's the right path to take for the band. They've explored the extreme limits of their music style, pushed boundaries like few, and have now found a balance between extremity and accessibility that appears to suit them well. "Koloss" was, unlike most of it's imidiate predecessors, mostly written as a group effort and I think that approach has given the album a more groove based and imidiate sound than what we've been used to from the band.

"Koloss" is still a damn heavy and aggressive album though, so there are no loss of integrity (to those who care about such things) and still very few signs of mainstream appeal in the band's sound. The playing is outstanding as ever and you'll probably find yourself hynotized by the groove, the razor sharp riffing and the heavy beats that these guys deliver like no one else. So have they burned out on ideas or begun to repeat themselves? Hell no!!! "Koloss" is another high quality and distinct sounding album by Meshuggah, showcasing that they are fully capable of sounding unmistakably like themselves while at the same time incorporating enough twists to their sound, to make each album they release stand out as an individual entity in their discography. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.

The closest thing the band have been close to wow me was Catch 33, and that was because it almost one big epic track. Now the album which followed it up Obzen, showed a lot of potential, especially with songs like Combustion, Bleed & Dancers To A Discordant System, where there was a lot of intricate songwriting techniques found in the tracks.

Now this album has seemed to take the best bits from Obzen, and really highlighted them.

Yes, this is definitely one of my favourite Meshuggah albums. I didn't know what to expect from this album, and I'm really happy that I left it really satisfied with the album and no blaming it for wasting my time. The first half of the album especially is the most significant, whilst the other half may have certain old Meshuggah qualities, it still is a great listen.

Musically the band have adapted a better songwriting style and have experimented with more tempos and other types of riffs, rather than having the complicated djenty nonsense over and over again. At times, the band even return to their thrashy roots now and then. Basically, this album, musically, is a very different approach for the band.

Lyrically the band are at their best. Their lyrics aren't just silly nihilistic nonsense, but rather take on more organic and meaningful forms. Jen's vocals are also the best I've ever heard. He really screams and growls his heart out on this album, with a more raw approach to his vocal style.

1. I Am Colossus - Wow! What a way to start off an album. Powerful riffs and epic moments. Can you think of a better way to kick off an album. 10/10

2. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance - I was surprised at how fast this song was. A very kick ass thrashy influenced song. 10/10

3. Do Not Look Down - Best song on the album. I was surprised how poppy and catchy this song was, especially this being a Meshuggah song. The riff in the song is actually rather funky too. 10/10

4. Behind The Sun - A very doomy, dark and dank song. Quite a powerful moment. 9/10

5. The Hurt That Finds You First - Again, I was surprised how different this song is for Meshuggah. A return to their thrashy roots. The song also had live sounding drums...which surprised me. 9/10

6. Marrow - One of the most jazziest songs on the album. One of the best instrumental moments on the album. 8/10

7. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion ' A return to the Meshuggah style I'm not the biggest fan of. Very slow and a tiny bit boring. Still not too bad, but still not the best. 6/10

8. Swarm - Contains some very bone shattering riffs. Beware. The song also contains actual off time riffs (rather than 4/4 drum patters with random off time beats). 8/10

9. Demiurge - This song is probably one of the heaviest Meshuggah songs I've heard. Very heavy and monstrous. 8/10

10. The Last Vigil - A nice little ending to the album. Eerie yet beautiful. 8/10

CONCLUSION: This is probably my second favorite Meshuggah album. This is

8/10

The album is essentially one long song divided into 13 parts, in which one part ends and another begins at random moments throughout this piece. It almost seems like some sort of appeasement to their record label after their prior release which consisted of one 21 minute track named "I". The 13 individually named parts may give that feeling of a typical full length album, but it's all just a disguise for one seismic entity which shifts mechanically at random moments of its own design and sense of order.

Musically this whole thing is an exercise in rhythm, consistently utilizing the lower notes of eight string guitars and bass playing odd repetitive riffs over polyrhythmic and downright difficult percussion. The sound is thick and bludgeonly powerful at times, although there are also some reasonably long passages of quiet ambience that ease the ears but add to the overall tension of the piece. Lyrics are usually delivered by an enraged shout that's utterly hoarse but still retains humanity, along with some robotic vocals and whispering at key points. As one monolithic work, this thing can get tiresome with its unbridled constant chugging and yet there are times I listen in wonder as to how the hell are they doing this incredible stuff.

The fact that a drum machine is used instead of their stellar human timekeeper is unfortunate. I understand that the percussion here was composed with loops of Haake's work and some serious programming due to deadlines to be met, but it still takes away from the experience unfortunately even if they do sound incredible and intricate. It's like seeing a favorite singer of yours in concert lip sync because he/she has a terrible cold. The reasoning is completely legit, and you know from previous gigs that this singer is truly gifted, but that doesn't mean disappointment should not be felt.

I'm trying to figure out the Catch 33. I'm insane, therefore the music sounds pretty decent. If I was not insane, then the music would still sound pretty decent, therefore I am actually insane even when I'm not insane, although knowing that I'm insane means that I am not really insane etc.

Very technical hypno riffing guitars with distortion to the max is found on the majority of the album. There is some interesting lead guitar work especially on 'Neurotica', a circus rhythm of squawks over an incessant grinding riff. The vocals of Jens Kidman do nothing for me personally, just lunatic growling like a maniac with rage and anger, but quite dull and monotonous with little variation or coherence, though one has to admit it's appropriate to the manic time sigs of distorted chaos. The atmosphere is dark as night and the mechanised crunches are kind of appealing. The end of 'Neurotica' is like a factory sound with metal grinding on metal by the guitar stabs of Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström.

There is a blistering metal onslaught on 'The Mouth Licking What You've Bled' and the factory sounds continue. The sound is horrendous but so compelling; this is not designed for the faint of heart or parents, that much is certain. I like the twisted lead break on this track and the pounding off sync drumming by Tomas Haake that attempts to keep up.

The mesmirising rifftastic sounds of 'Sane' maintain the frenzied guitar wrath. One has to admire the ferocity of the riffing on 'The Exquisite Machinery of Torture', and the vocals are more rapping than screaming in some places, though he could be saying woof, growl, bark, snarl for all I know; I cannot understand a word. The time sig is simply uncanny, with short stabs of knife edge crunches with a lead break melting over almost improvisationally.

The 15 minute epic 'Elastic' is definitely a highlight with quick bursts of repeated riffs in the opening section, and it builds gradually into Meshuggah mayhem. The riffs become more technical and are so precise it is staggering. The first lead break is like a violin and the second break is a repeated motif with an ethereal quality, quite chilling actually, nothing like your average guitar break, and it goes on with the same note pattern for quite some time. The guitar even sounds out of tune and then it phases into a feedback loop, with a spacey effect drone. This builds in volume to deafening proportions reminding me of the intense nauseating drones from Sunn O))). The sound reverberates like the pulse of a UFO, sending shockwaves through the skull, until it mercifully breaks into a low volume pulse. The grinding riffing guitars return finally and a ton of screeching vocals that is simply white noise and hard to take.

The brutal intensity is the drawcard for many and will take some tolerance to withstand by the uninitiated. Overall this is an interesting Meshuggah album with a lot of complex time sigs and Meshuggah's defined original approach to metal. I think they improved on subsequent albums but this is still an album that made an impact in 1998. It will not appeal to all certainly but is worth checking out just to hear the sheer ferocity of those factory sounds and distorted downtuned riffs.

I fully admit I'm not a big fan of Meshuggah but here's why, they have always bored me. Their fans (who have really grown in number over the years and have reached "fanboy" status) are quick and passionate to tell me how technical they are and I understand that and appreciate it. It's just boring. Meshuggah is of course technical in regards to their insane time signature use and polyrhythms but not so much in terms of musicianship and song writing. The shame is they used to display such tendencies, and their albums "Destroy Erase Improve" and "I" are awesome prog metal works in my book. They have largely abandoned this for whacking the crap out of a few djent notes, or repeating two riffs, for 5 minutes and purposefully anti tonal brutality. This generally upsets fans who repeat "technicality" to me and I again ask to understand something can be impressive and still boring.

That was not a rant for the sake of it, but basically how I feel about this album. More of the same. One person I know said this album was proof that all those who think Meshuggah just do the same thing need their sanity checked, or something like that. Well check me in to the asylum.

"Koloss" sounds like same old Meshuggah to me. This is perfectly fine for fans, but I am just confused as to where the difference is. Djent and brutality abound. Whacked out time sigs, sub drop A djent riffs, and intentionally unforgiving brutality are a plenty. Every song sounds like Meshuggah by the numbers to me, and I admit every song on "Koloss" is different, which is nice, but the songs themselves tend to be repetitive. I think it's bad when a song feels like it was twice as long as it really was...

A prime example of my beef with Meshuggah is the song "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave it Motion". It starts off cool, and has one hell of a brutal riff. Then that one riff continues for more or less 7 minutes. There is one part when it lets up, and it's a decent section but man what an unrelenting song overall. Especially with Jens screaming away.

Jens' vocals are, as always, completely atonal, non pitched and anti melodic. I get it. I know it's what they want to do, and I applaud them for taking no prisoners, but I just don't care for it. No variation, no pitch no nothing...just shouting at the absolute max. I will say they actually seem to have toned down the vocals a bit, it's not as piercing as previous albums. I'm not a fan but I can at least tolerate them on "Koloss"

For some good news, this album is better than recent Meshuggah output. I like the song "Behind the Sun" because it actually feels like a song, it progresses. I don't get bored after a few minutes and it builds to a powerful climax!

"The Hurt That Finds You First" starts off nice and thrashy, which is welcomed, and the song really changes throughout. How nice!

"Marrow" isn't bad, nothing new to say but it does change it up a good bit and even has some classic Thordendal random tapping solos. OK, not to take away from the guy but seriously, youtube it...you can make a Fredrik sounding solo by finding a certain way to tap 3 notes all over. Not a bad song, some cool parts.

"Swarn" OK now this starts off kicking some ass. Unfortunately it gets repetitive quick. There are some pretty sweet moments, but they are like islands on a trip across the ocean. Also there's more of that Meshuggah guitar noise just floating around the background. An alright song.

"Demiurge" isn't too bad either. The epic brutal riff is a bit boring, but the song does enough to at least keep me from wanting to hit next. Though really, the changes aren't drastic, just difference in the brutal riff being played.

The album ends with "The Last Vigil" another Meshuggah classic, the clean song. Not groundbreaking but very relieving! A melodic, clean guitar song that drifts you away. Very nice.

So that's what we got. I stress I get the band wants to do, and appreciate their technicality, (Tomas Haake is still one of my favorite drummers) but I am just left cold. Maybe that's the intent. Another repetitive, by the book Meshuggah album, though admittedly better and a bit more varied than recent work.

"Koloss" will be a damn fine album for any Meshuggah fan, while those who are not will find nothing here worth buying. I find half the songs boring, the rest are decent and a couple I actually enjoy. So while I recommend "Koloss" only for Meshuggah fans, it's not a bad album by any stretch, and feel a 2.5 is fair.

Two and a half stars

Bump: Two Stars