Meshuggah - obZen

[Edgecrusher]

Anybody get this yet?

I've only listened to it once, when they had a full stream on their
MySpace. I was initially impressed, and most Meshuggah albums
take about 5-6 spins to grow on me, to understand the true genius.

Anyways, I figured they wouldn't have it at my local Best Buy considering
it's the first day, but I'm just curious what anyone here thought of it,
regardless of how you "acquired" it. Discuss . . .

[temp100]

I haven't given the album a full listen yet (I will this weekend), but the tracks that I've heard are VERY impressive.

[hole in the sky]

i've never gotten into meshuggah. i've even seen them live. (opener) they sounded like ass then and they sound like ass now.

everytime i hear one of their songs, i think the same thing; where are the peaks? the valleys? why does this singer sound so terrible all the time? why do these guys get praise as if they were the ones to invent poly-rhythms or something?

people seem to be very impressed with the fact that they can play in 15/8, and it tends to interfere with their ability to step out of the technical aspect and actually hear the sound they make. there is a lot of leniency for redundant, noisy riffs as long as they are technical and convoluted.

whenever i think meshuggah, i picture a teenager in his room who just read a page out of a music theory book on time signatures. he then picks up his down-tuned guitar and starts sludging away on his b.c. rich with his metal zone guitar pedal.
sure, he may be playing notes, but the only thing running through his mind are numbers.













after reading through my post, it comes across pretty negative...it was nicer in my head. maybe my fingers dislike meshuggah more than my brain does.

[ColonelMcTurtle]

I got this album like two months ago when it leaked...I wasn't very impressed but there's a few good tracks on it, it's going to take some time to get used to. PM me if you want it I'll send you a link.

[Edgecrusher]

i've never gotten into meshuggah. i've even seen them live. (opener) they sounded like ass then and they sound like ass now.

everytime i hear one of their songs, i think the same thing; where are the peaks? the valleys? why does this singer sound so terrible all the time? why do these guys get praise as if they were the ones to invent poly-rhythms or something?

people seem to be very impressed with the fact that they can play in 15/8, and it tends to interfere with their ability to step out of the technical aspect and actually hear the sound they make. there is a lot of leniency for redundant, noisy riffs as long as they are technical and convoluted.

whenever i think meshuggah, i picture a teenager in his room who just read a page out of a music theory book on time signatures. he then picks up his down-tuned guitar and starts sludging away on his b.c. rich with his metal zone guitar pedal.
sure, he may be playing notes, but the only thing running through his mind are numbers.


after reading through my post, it comes across pretty negative...it was nicer in my head. maybe my fingers dislike meshuggah more than my brain does.

Yeah, I can definitely see why you would say this. I remember the
first few times I heard Meshuggah, I didn't like it at all. I remember
hearing about how amazing they were, yada yada yada.

One day, something just clicked and I had a sudden urge to listen to
them. I've loved them ever since. There's an esoteric quality to Meshuggah
that you have to appreciate. All their albums have like, an underlying
groove that you have to be connected with to understand the genius of
it.

[Trent215]

I just can't get into Meshuggah a lot because of the reasons hole in the sky stated....and a lot of their songs sound a lot a like, they basically play the same riff just changed up at different rhythms throughout a whole song

[Edgecrusher]

I just can't get into Meshuggah a lot because of the reasons hole in the sky stated....and a lot of their songs sound a lot a like, they basically play the same riff just changed up at different rhythms throughout a whole song

You've gotta have a deeper perception of the music. It can't just be taken
for face value. Their shit is fucking hard as hell to play, too. Not to mention,
their past 3 albums have been on 8 strings tuned down to F.

[Al Paccioli]

You've gotta have a deeper perception of the music. It can't just be taken
for face value. Their shit is fucking hard as hell to play, too. Not to mention,
their past 3 albums have been on 8 strings tuned down to F.

Technical wankery does not equivocate to deep.

[Edgecrusher]

Technical wankery does not equivocate to deep.

It doesn't, nor does it define Meshuggah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VerKdcrOQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMmsVxn8d4k

[Al Paccioli]

It doesn't, nor does it define Meshuggah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6VerKdcrOQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMmsVxn8d4k

No u.
10technicalwankeries

[Edgecrusher]

No u.
10technicalwankeries

lolque?

10upsidequestionmarksIdon'tknowhowtodo

[Al Paccioli]

lolque?

10upsidequestionmarksIdon'tknowhowtodo

K.
LOLWHITETEXT

[Trent215]

I Love Meshuggah So Much I Just Like To Read Their Sheet Music For Enjoyment!

[temp100]

I just can't get into Meshuggah a lot because of the reasons hole in the sky stated....and a lot of their songs sound a lot a like, they basically play the same riff just changed up at different rhythms throughout a whole song
Well like Edgecrusher said, you can't take it at face value. As an Isis fan you might understand that... because Isis taken at face value is just a few chords and sparse notes backed by grunting... but gradually with more listens you realise the true genius. I feel it's much the same way with Meshuggah. Meshuggah to me is a machine of hate, with hypnotic/trippy rhythms building up over time. I love Thordendal's jazzy soloing style too. I think they twist the idea of music... there's an insane 'solo' on Catch 33 which is basically bending centered around one note.

Meshuggah isn't about technicality... while Tomas Haake could possibly be one of the most technically accomplished drummers in history, he doesn't overplay in a 'wanky' sense.

[hole in the sky]

Well like Edgecrusher said, you can't take it at face value. As an Isis fan you might understand that... because Isis taken at face value is just a few chords and sparse notes backed by grunting... but gradually with more listens you realise the true genius.


here's another thing i have problems with; certain bands develop a fanbase with deep-seeded beliefs that others who don't like their music simply 'don't get it' or 'don't understand the genius' of that particular band. (tool fans are notorious for this nonsense)

what's the genius behind a few chords and grunting noises? is there really an underlining 'genius' that evades most people or are you maybe giving a little too much credit to an otherwise decent band?

of course, that's not the bands fault, but it's something that seems to be prevalent in justifying most technical bands, and it's prevalent in this thread.



Meshuggah isn't about technicality... while Tomas Haake could possibly be one of the most technically accomplished drummers in history, he doesn't overplay in a 'wanky' sense.


meshuggah isn't about technicality? are you serious? technicality is the only thing that band has going for it. what would seperate meshuggah from any other metal band if they didn't play in purposely complicated time signatures and poly-rhythms?

what makes them stand out IS their technical ability, no question about it.

[temp100]

here's another thing i have problems with; certain bands develop a fanbase with deep-seeded beliefs that others who don't like their music simply 'don't get it' or 'don't understand the genius' of that particular band. (tool fans are notorious for this nonsense)

what's the genius behind a few chords and grunting noises? is there really an underlining 'genius' that evades most people or are you maybe giving a little too much credit to an otherwise decent band?

I'm not trying to put forward the idea that others aren't mentally equipped to understand a band or segregate the world into fans and non-fans or anything like that... I'm just saying that multiple listens and an open mind are required to listen to certain bands because, at face value (first impressions) some bands aren't going to convey their ideas properly. That's just the nature of some bands.

I don't think Meshuggah is genius, but I consider them decent. However, I consider there to be an underlying genius with Isis. No other band can make me feel the same range of emotion as them. They excel at crafting atmosphere.



meshuggah isn't about technicality? are you serious? technicality is the only thing that band has going for it. what would seperate meshuggah from any other metal band if they didn't play in purposely complicated time signatures and poly-rhythms?

what makes them stand out IS their technical ability, no question about it.
I'm not saying they aren't technical... but more that they aren't technical in a wanky sense. And furthermore, I don't think they're solely about technicality even if they are technical. And without the time signatures, Meshuggah would still be quite unique for Thordendal's weird lead guitar style.

That's down to opinion though.

[hole in the sky]

I'm not saying they aren't technical... but more that they aren't technical in a wanky sense. And furthermore, I don't think they're solely about technicality even if they are technical. And without the time signatures, Meshuggah would still be quite unique for Thordendal's weird lead guitar style.

That's down to opinion though.

ok, i just have one question;

what is meshuggah about if it's not about technicality?

Meshuggah to me is a machine of hate, with hypnotic/trippy rhythms building up over time.

i also tend to disagree with your opinion that meshuggah is a 'machine of hate' because to me, they sound too disconnected from human emotion in every sense of their music for hate to even be factored in.

[temp100]

ok, i just have one question;

what is meshuggah about if it's not about technicality?

i also tend to disagree with your opinion that meshuggah is a 'machine of hate' because to me, they sound too disconnected from human emotion in every sense of their music for hate to even be factored in.
When I said machine of hate I probably should have more greatly emphasized 'machine' because their anger doesn't come across as a very humane kind of hate... not hate born out of centuries of religious oppression or anything even remotely familiar like that. Meshuggah's hatred feels more nihilistic and mechanical, and that is what distances it from human emotion. So I would describe Meshuggah as cold and angry mechanical hatred. I'd say that's what they're about.

I definitely understand why people don't like them. They can come off as being repetitive, especially with their riffery. I enjoy their twisted music though.

[Al Paccioli]

Ok ok, I listened to their first album, it's like Rob Zombie is pounding all the Dream Theater guys in the ass. Cool stuff.

[DTX]

I only heard one song from it, I think it was called Bleed. It was a good song so i'm guessing the other songs are good too.

[Jag dammsuger]

I only heard one song from it, I think it was called Bleed. It was a good song so i'm guessing the other songs are good too.

Umm....yes...:squint:

[Lord Vollum]

Yeah, I can definitely see why you would say this. I remember the
first few times I heard Meshuggah, I didn't like it at all. I remember
hearing about how amazing they were, yada yada yada.

One day, something just clicked and I had a sudden urge to listen to
them. I've loved them ever since. There's an esoteric quality to Meshuggah
that you have to appreciate. All their albums have like, an underlying
groove that you have to be connected with to understand the genius of
it.
That was how it was with me too, this may count too... when I first heard of them I was young and just beginning to understand more complex music and learn how time signatures really worked(I don't mean knowing how to count time, but really getting them and being able to look at a crazy one and know how the music should go).

[Bass Noe]

I've been listening to the album for about a month now. I think it's awesome, but shortly after I downloaded Catch 33. A much better album overall.

But I'll agree with the bunch on here saying that they do alot of the same. Often many of their verses have the same feel. Still different though, especially if you're a fan of good rhythm sections.

[ColonelMcTurtle]

I've been listening to the album for about a month now. I think it's awesome, but shortly after I downloaded Catch 33. A much better album overall.

But I'll agree with the bunch on here saying that they do alot of the same. Often many of their verses have the same feel. Still different though, especially if you're a fan of good rhythm sections.

I couldn't really get into catch 33, but after listening to it for a while I started to like it. I agree with the others that meshuggah is more of an acquired sound; you can't just listen to them once and decide if you like them or not. It's more of an appreciation. My favorite album thus far is probably Destroy Erase Improve, I'm not really feelin ObZen in it's entirety yet.

[blasphemer123]

Album kicks ass i say!

This spiteful snake alone did it for me

[YourBrainIsGod]

The album has some very good tracks and overall is an effort worth listening to. Some of it isn't as complicated as usual Meshuggah, but definitely worth listening to. I think Catch 33 is a superior album, but I also haven't given this one enough time to sink as much. This album seems like it'd be an easier introduction to the sound of Meshuggah than some of their previous efforts. As for Meshuggah as a whole for me their sound just really clicked to me one day and I loved them ever since, I eventually just understood the whole concept of the band which they put forward flawlessly. To describe it in easy terms I've always kind of thought of it as music a terminator would make.