Finally got my hands on Meshuggah's latest album, Koloss. Yeah, they are bloody awesome.
Meshuggah. That band that mesmerized everybody with their musicianship. Their polyrhythmic structures, brilliant drumming, diabolical low end guitars and guttural vocals, they spawned an entire race of fans and musicians, most of whom have started ripping them off and started the whole djent movement. But when there are millions of good, mediocre and bad copies floating around, how do you identify the original?
This is where the cerebral side of Meshuggah comes in. What people have duplicated is the sound and song structure. What they have not, is the attitude, intelligence and ideas that Meshuggah put into their songs. They know when they have to play slow and chug and when they have to pace up and poly rhythmisize the space time continuum. And that cerebral side is what shines through on Koloss.
From the supercharged "The Hurt Finds you First" and "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" to the slow chugging on "Do Not Look Down" and "Marrow" to the doom filled ambient notes of "The Last Vigil", Meshuggah do not let the current movements in metal influence them. While the instruments are already known for their prowess, Jens Kidmans' vocals definitely do shine through and stand out.
My favourite tracks on the album still are the ones that were leaked intentionally by the band, "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" and "Do Not Look Down", especially the latter with its slow groove and jazzy guitar solo.
So those who are worried that Meshuggah will sound dated and obsolete, can rest easy. This is the most accessible Meshuggah album yet, at the same time being a logical evolution to their speed and riff crazed Obzen. The excellence and the essence that made Meshuggah the favourite metal band of the metal world, still remains. Buy it. For sure.
Meshuggah. That band that mesmerized everybody with their musicianship. Their polyrhythmic structures, brilliant drumming, diabolical low end guitars and guttural vocals, they spawned an entire race of fans and musicians, most of whom have started ripping them off and started the whole djent movement. But when there are millions of good, mediocre and bad copies floating around, how do you identify the original?
This is where the cerebral side of Meshuggah comes in. What people have duplicated is the sound and song structure. What they have not, is the attitude, intelligence and ideas that Meshuggah put into their songs. They know when they have to play slow and chug and when they have to pace up and poly rhythmisize the space time continuum. And that cerebral side is what shines through on Koloss.
From the supercharged "The Hurt Finds you First" and "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" to the slow chugging on "Do Not Look Down" and "Marrow" to the doom filled ambient notes of "The Last Vigil", Meshuggah do not let the current movements in metal influence them. While the instruments are already known for their prowess, Jens Kidmans' vocals definitely do shine through and stand out.
My favourite tracks on the album still are the ones that were leaked intentionally by the band, "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" and "Do Not Look Down", especially the latter with its slow groove and jazzy guitar solo.
So those who are worried that Meshuggah will sound dated and obsolete, can rest easy. This is the most accessible Meshuggah album yet, at the same time being a logical evolution to their speed and riff crazed Obzen. The excellence and the essence that made Meshuggah the favourite metal band of the metal world, still remains. Buy it. For sure.
No comments:
Post a Comment