Review Summary: Heavy Is What Heavy Does
Three years after Meshuggah released their experimental not-really-an-album-really-just-a-very-long-song, Catch Thirtythree, the extreme metal Swedes return with ObZen, a powerful return to a more typical album structure. ObZen is a perfect step forward from their previous album, Nothing, where Meshuggah single-handedly spawned an entire subgenre of metal for better (or mostly) worse. Doing so is no easy feat, and the last time a guitar tone changed the course of music was, as far as I can remember Black Sabbath.
Encapsulating the heaviness and albeit bizarre sound of Catch Thirtythree and their earlier "I" EP, Meshuggah transforms those same ideas into a wholly fleshed-out album. ObZen is the album that launched Meshuggah into the stratosphere, and with good reason. Their best-known song to date, Bleed, showcases a finesse not typically heard of in metal. There are certainly highly talented musicians throughout heavy metal music, but I have never heard rhythms that mess with your head as much as the ones on this album. Tomas Haake's ability to hold down the beat and simultaneously become a focal point in the music is certainly not something to take lightly. Add Fredrik Thordendal's twisted and often disorienting Alan Holdsworth-inspired guitar solos to the mix, and you have one of the most marveled-at bands in the genre.
This amalgamation of brutality and polyrhythms that would even terrify the most experienced Jazz musicians is sure to turn away anyone whose ears are not ready to be pounded into oblivion. However, those who enjoy incredibly challenging and relatively obscure music are in for a real treat. Not many albums, or bands for that matter, get better the more you study and understand the music. Meshuggah is one of those one-of-a-kind bands, and ObZen is the perfect introduction to the madness of Meshuggah.
