Obzen - Meshuggah

Amazing.

Swedish Mathmetal Meshuggah's latest studio effort is an all out combination of their previous work, which includes a blending of slow and fast tempo aggression rarely seen in any other music.

Characterized odd time signatures and down tuned 8 string guitars provide a "chugging" (a term which has become increasingly part of meshuggah's critical vocabulary) sound which is unique, inhuman and mind-bending. ...
...prominently Bleed and the title song Obzen. Thomas Haake's drumming is at its best, with rave reviews from all over the musical world for the unrepentant attack of his kit (again here: Bleed is exceptional) along with superb jazz influenced guitar solos and soundscaping from Fredrik Thordendal. It can be obviously heard that every band member is extremely skilled.

01.COMBUSTION: relentless, simple (comparatively to the other tracks) ... more

Amazing.

Swedish Mathmetal Meshuggah's latest studio effort is an all out combination of their previous work, which includes a blending of slow and fast tempo aggression rarely seen in any other music.

Characterized odd time signatures and down tuned 8 string guitars provide a "chugging" (a term which has become increasingly part of meshuggah's critical vocabulary) sound which is unique, inhuman and mind-bending. This sound is experienced on pretty much every track, prominently Bleed and the title song Obzen. Thomas Haake's drumming is at its best, with rave reviews from all over the musical world for the unrepentant attack of his kit (again here: Bleed is exceptional) along with superb jazz influenced guitar solos and soundscaping from Fredrik Thordendal. It can be obviously heard that every band member is extremely skilled.

01.COMBUSTION: relentless, simple (comparatively to the other tracks) and fast, good intro to the album. 4/5

02. ELECTRIC RED: frantic and yet reflective in the midst of its machine like realization. 3/5

03. BLEED: Probably the standout track of this release: desperate, inhuman, mind numbing, presenting a soundscape of pure and labyrinthine devastation. 5/5

04. LETHARGICA: again devastating. A slower, simpler spinnof of bleed (similar structure) 3/5

05. OBZEN: pure chugging, intense drumming here with odd tempo simple riffs. 4/5

06. THIS SPITEFUL SNAKE: a very slow moving track which explodes into a short & superb jam before moving on to a climax. 4/5

07. PINEAL GLAND OPTICS: wierd track name (typical meshuggah) with again a mind bending mix of riffery and odd tempo drumming which will make you fall off your chair. 4/5

08. PRAVUS: my favourite off this album. Its a fast moving track leaving a smouldering trail behind itself. The fill going into the breakdown in the middle is AWESOME! It ends with slow devastating blows of cymbals and guitar chuggery. 5/5

09. DANCERS TO A DISCORDANT SYSTEM: the closer to this album is an epic 9 minute song to which I am always surprised as to not see pass by. The drop is incredibly well mastered and the threatening dynamics of spoken vocals and harsh choruses is highly effective. A very good solo and ending do good justice to such an album. 4/5

If you are a newcomer to metal, you will probably be repulsed by such an eclectic sound and Thordenstal's harsh vocals. But the answer lies in listening to the whole sound itself, which is a rare jem lying at the bottom of the musical ocean. The harshness of the soundscapes presented to me when I first listened was revolting but at the same time... fascinating. It still interests me (months later) how humans can produce such music, powerful, dark and at the same time so entrancing.
For those who already know and enjoy Meshuggah, this is not an album to miss. They have blended all their previous work to craft a very tight knit album. And even though there lacks variation, all tracks when listened individually are outstanding. 

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