I

Now this is one hell of a track/EP. Meshuggah pull out pretty much all the tricks in the book here. "I" is an absolute definition of an epic. This is one big journey of all things that make up extreme heavy metal, with an overall feel of prog. This could have easily been a suite but instead it only needed to be represented by one letter, I.

"I" displays brutality and chaos in it's no holds barred wave of utter heaviness. There are a few quiet moments though, perhaps to give the listener a bit of a rest before returning to complete chaos. The term chaos can be used to describe this 21 minute track because of the vast changes in tempo. This track weaves through speedy sections, some relating back to the thrash roots of "Contradictions Collapse" and "Destroy/Erase/Improve". It also weaves through the slower, sludgier moments that are more reminiscent of the bands latter album.

The concept of this track is an experiment that is perhaps a preparation for "Catch 33" which shows similarities in it's epic proportions. This EP shows off the best prog moments and insane time signatures and tempo shifts that have become one of Meshuggah's most famous trademarks. Music like this definetly separates them from other extreme heavy metal or prog metal bands, with only bands like CYNIC being able to compare.

"I" starts off with a sludgy, chuggy riff with the drums rattling away. The length of this almost grindcore reminiscent opening creates tension and paranoia. You know it is going to explode into something, just "when?" is the question. Suddenly, after over a minute and half, the listener is caught off guard as in comes a wall of sound displaying the most brutal barricade of vocals, guitars, bass and drums I have ever heard. This is heavy metal at it's most brutal. This is probably my favourite moment of the whole epic but as a whole i think it is a masterpiece.

The track carries on through different sections, the 8 string guitars pounding away menacingly. The vocals are top notch here and the drums are quite godlike in that they manage to pull off so many different time signatures and speedy fills, keeping up consistancy for a whole 21 minutes! Rarely have I heard an EP worthy of 5 star rating, but music like this is what makes a masterpiece, epic complexity, comsistancy and longevity. Still this one is only for fans of extreme heavy metal, and what a treat to those fans it is!

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