Review Summary: Quite simply, Nothing is heavy. Maybe not the best the band have done but a great trip through the band's wonderful rhythmic tomfoolery and polished craziness.
As far as heavy music is concerned, Meshuggah are one of the bands that have, primarily, always been one of the heaviest. Their glorious mixture of groove, off-kilter rhythms and down-tuned metal brutality has featured on pretty much every album the band have ever released. Rarely straying far from the sound that has brought them adoration across the heavy music community, the Swedish group have definitely cemented themselves at the forefront of modern metal. This album, remixed and reproduced to include 8-string guitars, is a vicious slab of mountainous material showcasing the band's signature sound in a set of ten high quality tracks. For those unaware of what the band produce, an idea would be this - take Haake's typical polyrhythmic dexterity behind the kit (the man is a machine when it comes to making beats) and couple this with technical/angular groove riffs from bass/guitar, finishing off with the unmistakeable roars of Jens Kidman.
The ability that the band have to lock the listener into a groove is undeniable and is present right from the opening track. Kidman employs a mid-range shout above the measured chaos of the instruments. Tight, ever-twisting rhythms are aplenty - Rational Gaze opens up with one of the best sections on the entire album. The main focal point of Meshuggah's music would be the polymetric passages that help build and layer their songs. 95% of the time, the drums keep the beat with a 4/4 crash whilst the other instruments work their way in and around different sub-sections of 4/4. The guitars utilise a wide range of different techniques to achieve this - bends, staccato sections and the cutting of tempo/time helps the band to produce a wholly unconventional sound, all the while still managing to maintain an overall feeling of completeness. It has to be heard to be fully understood but the chemistry between the band members and the fact that they have the option of using those extra low guitar strings to achieve the desired effect works very well indeed.
It can be said that Meshuggah are yet to release a bad album. Whilst all of their material follows the same sort of logic and structure, their ability to produce listenable, complex and rewarding music is second to none. It sounds odd but there isn't a lot of variation or diversity in their sound. However, the constant bombardment of riffs and insatiable rhythms delivered by Haake and co. provides each of their albums with a certain quality that is proven hard to replicate via their peers. Whilst later albums such as ObZen and last years The Violent Sleep of Reason may be slightly more polished in regards to production and the actual delivery and execution of the material, Nothing proves to be a highly enjoyable listen, with tracks such as Spasm displaying a sort of cyclic wonder (and a slightly alternate vocal delivery). Even though everything sounds similar, there is enough differentiation between riffs and structure to keep the listener interested. The ever so slight nuances in the guitar work is nice, with riffs building in layers to achieve a sort of "cause-effect" motion - where one riff starts, variations of the same riff are repeated until a peak is reached. This formula proves to be a winner, as the band very rarely sound stale or boring despite being quite repetitive in nature.
Nothing sits nicely in the band's discography as an accomplished effort with very little wrong with it. Even though each track is similar, there is enough difference between them as to distinguish them from one another, mostly due to the band's incredible execution of all forms of polyrhythmic madness. Differing tempo, time signatures and an overall brilliant understanding of space and time are the band's first and foremost attributes. Splice this with a natural affinity to create a downright nasty groove and you have Meshuggah. Crazy in name as well as nature, if you want to hear the sound that is bringing the so called "djent revolution", look no further than this album. Well worth a listen for newcomers to the genre as well anyone who classifies themselves as a fan of heavy music.
Recommended Tracks
Stengah
Rational Gaze
Closed Eye Visuals
Spasm
