IMMUTABLE

There are few metal bands who are as instantly recognisable as Meshuggah whose devotion to djent, eclectic and esoteric time signatures and styles are something to be admired. However, they are not exactly the most prolific of outfits and this 2022 album is the first in six years, following on from 2016's 'The Violent Sleep of Reason' while that in itself was the first in four years. It is also somewhat lengthy, at 66 minutes, which is both a blessing and a curse. I really enjoyed the last album, but I have had real issues getting my head around this one, and I am unable to understand exactly why. Possibly I would have liked them to have moved further away from the repeated crunch we have come to expect, or possibly it is just too long, but I did find that after a while I was not getting the overall feeling I would expect from Meshuggah, the drama and intensity which only comes from a metal band pushing the limits.

They have been following this particular style for some time now, and the question must be asked are they now solely going through the motions? Their wall of sound approach has been perfected, they have had remarkable consistency in their line-up (their last change was in 2004 when bassist Dick Lövgren joined), with the result being they are an incredibly tight outfit. However, this also means they can come across as almost mechanical as opposed to being delivered by sweaty humans as there are times when it feels quite metronomical and artificial. Certainly, this album has not had nearly the same impact on me as their last one, and by the end I was looking for something with more heart and soul.