I

Meshuggah is one of the bone-crunchingest metal acts going today. Their chugging, thrashy sonic onslaught is rough on the ears, but enticing to the mind. Their single "I" is undoubtedly one of the most "progressive" prog metal tracks ever created. This piece refuses to fall into any of the prog metal cliches so often encountered, and instead creates a truly original and highly technical sound.

The 20+ minute track begins with about 2 minutes of monotonous chugging in some ridiculous time signature(s) which I have yet to figure out, despite several efforts. This gives way to an all-out grinding noisefest, but quickly regains composure. The next few sections feature variations of Meshuggah's signature chugging riffs, while the vocalist screams in what seems to be a different time signature from the rest of the band. My personal favorite part of the piece is around the fifth or 6th section of the song, a real thrashy part begins, and it becomes apparent that the drummer is playing in (at least) two different time signatures at once. His right and left hand are going at completely different and seemingly unrelated tempos, while the kick drums beat out ungodly numerical patterns. The song moves abruptly back and forth between extereme volume and ambience, and by the end it feels like you've been on one hell of a heavy metal roller coaster ride.

Don't try this record (or any Meshuggah record) if you're looking for melody, because you won't find any. This gets 4 stars for being one of the most complex and original metal songs ever composed, and for being unrelentingly brutal, to the point of (almost!) being unlistenable.