Review Summary: What is this? I didn't know the soundtrack to a robot apocalypse was out just now...
Imagine if robots could play instruments. Like, for example, if R2D2 got on a guitar and just started chugging and shredding solos, and the Decepticons(or, if you prefer, Autobots) handling the rhythm section, and Galvatron, leader of Decepticons, was the lead vocalist. This almost perfectly describes Meshuggah’s sound, at least at the point in which their second album
Destroy Erase Improve was created, and unlike some Meshuggah albums, executes this sound as close to perfection as possible
Loud, mechanically precise chug, glitchy beeps, and oddly timed but razor sharp drumming give
Destroy Erase Improve it’s overly robotic sound. “Future Breed Machine” is Meshuggah’s perfect song, a track that is much more thrash-influenced than any of Meshuggah’s later material, but at the same time takes patches of soft sections that would fit on any melodic death metal album, and manages to piece it better than the usual one thousand piece puzzle you bought at a low budget Hobby Lobby. The rest of the tracks follow in this order, which is the major flaw in Meshuggah’s attack plan, because even the most loving, adoring fan can get bored of hearing the same mathematical playing being done in nine tracks, with only one track attempting to be different. Not to say some of these tracks execute this samey sound better than others, like “Soul Burn” takes perfect use of a slightly slower speed and rhythm than the rest of the breakneck speeds, but most of these tracks just pace through the mind with lack of memorability.
For some occasionally neat sounding metal music made to follow up the genre name, then go for it. Be forewarned, however, although this album has it's enjoyable moments that any fan of music can take, it's mostly just a tale of repetition and fretboard masturbation. However, if the best Meshuggah is what you want, this is what you get.
