Was my first Meshuggah song too back in 2002! There are moments in their albums that I feel like they are punishing me for listening, but I can't turn it off
3:20 I've said it before and ill say it again, their best use of melody alongside their different caliber of rhythmic composition has gotta be Dancers to a Discordant System
With their current sound you are correct, but there is plenty of melodic stuff in their older stuff, especially Contradictions collapse, but also a little bit on Destroy Erase Improve.
@@adamnilsson566interesting, I agree that DEI has some great melodic moments but I haven't fully listened to CC yet. Guess I better get around to that!
Love this band. Love this song. Love that guitar solo. The solo would've actually fit perfectly for tasteful solos last week. The soloist is Fredrik Thordendahl (the one with Sol Niger Within) and his main style and tamber for solos is (like here) extremely influenced by jazz fusion/prog guitarist Allan Holdsworth (R.I.P.)
I was always fascinated about the verse beat in this particular track because my mind wants to register it as a regular thrash beat ( à la Slayer, early Metallica and so on) but they tweeked a simple, straight beat in such a way that it feels....refreshing? Thrash Metal was on the decline in the latter half of the 90's and has been for a long while. I look at this as kind of an attempt to bring Thrash back to life. There are some Meshuggah songs in later albums that implement those straight snare hits within heavily syncopated beats and grooves and it just feels like they were going. for that old school Thrash Metal vibe but in their own unique way. Solo 1, amazing in it's simplicity. Solo 2 was probably conceived as Solo 1's inverse image ( or sound ) possibly implying the coexistence of beauty and chaos... 'cos man...solo 2 is just a mess tbh but a constructed mess
Honestly Meshuggah is way more melodic than they get credit for. Dissonant melodies are still melodies. Listen to second half of "Phantoms" from Immutable for a perfect example.
@@Weeping_Somnambulist oh for sure, they have melodic elements, but this is certainly not abundant in their catalogue. I can think of other djenty bands that do incorporate melody much more than them. It's not a slight, just an observation. The times when they do pull out something like Straws (pun intended), I can't help but wonder why they haven't explored this tone more often.
@@gurushen99 I would assume because they didn't want to. They have explored melody in a ton of different ways though, like ambient string arrangements to close out albums, or a ton of the stuff on Catch 33. It just isn't really "traditional" for lack of a better term. Whole end of Demiurge. There's just a lot of melody in Meshuggah that I think kinda gets overlooked because it isn't always front and center in the mix.
This was my introduction to Meshuggah. I heard a song from compilation "Death Is Just The Beginning III" and loved it. Immediately picked up Destroy Erase Improve.
This video is making me feel like a kid again! I first heard this song on WSOU 89.5 in the 90s and I happened to be recording it onto a cassette tape which I listened to over and over until my parents surprised me one day with the "None" cd. lol. I was like 11 or 12 years old. Totally changed my life as a musician.
I think what you might be missing is seeing this transpire live. For some time, I was in awe of complexity of Bleed, and maybe the incredible drops of Demiurge, but just could not get into the whole thing. Then I saw Meshuggah live, and something clicked, one of my favorite bands all of a sudden. Whats interesting is that because of the pattern complexity the songs feel fresh every time. You somewhat know what is coming, but the nuance is still surprising and unexpected. Also, you should try something from the last album, the sound is definitely more mature, and the atmosphere goes to 11.
I'm glad you did this song. This is one of my favorite tracks from this album. Meshuggah are a great band and they can be pretty melodic when they want to be. Ritual, from their 1994 E.P. None, shows their melodic side.
Early Meshuggah was definitely very different from the stuff you've heard from them before. A lot more of a thrash metal influence (their first proper album is actually more of a regular thrash record than this). They pushed the tempos a lot higher than later on, when they slowed down and focused more on grooves. This record was also a big transition for them vocally, where they weren't necessarily "clean" vocals, but the screams and growls were more "pitched" than future Meshuggah albums. Guitar World published tablature of this song with the proper rhythmic notation and even though most of it is in 4/4 time (the melodic part is in 11/8, I think?) the syncopation is enough that I can't follow it at tempo. If I tried to play it slower, I get it, but this just takes it to the extreme.
Hi Bryan. Always love your analysis. I do like this song a lot and I feel one of the reasons why the beginning and end drum patterns are so difficult to feel is also the sure speed of the song. I've heard a remix by them of this song that is a lot slower and somehow that feels a LOT more relatable, even with it's challenging meter. I've realised I've become a huge fan of music where the drums start becoming a very musical, a very expressive instrument, rather than feeling like just supplying a simple enough support, a structure there to make everything else work, to have it make sense. Yet I'm with you that there's always a personal limit, even when relistening, to what feels right, relatable, digestible. My absolute favourite band that does this the best is Karnivool, where a majority of their songs have absolutely unique grooves. What takes the cake for me is the song "We are", as it's a song that actually is written in 4/4, there are rhythmic analysis videos about it as well as many drum covers, but it's intuitively perceived as 3/4. And what blows my mind is that I still perceive it that way. No matter how much I try, I can absolutely not feel it in 4/4, which impresses me a lot. It's extremely clever and I can dearly recommend it for this theme. ❤
Not really, the band was a bit of a lone wolf until "Nothing" came out probably, I remember critics in metal magazines of the time struggling to even categorize the band, it was lumped in between Korn and Fear Factory!
@@g-man4744 The quote above is by Devin Townsend. The producer of his breakthrough 1997 albums (Strapping Young Lad's "City" and solo "Ocean Machine") was Daniel Bergstrand. This is the guy who had produced this album, Destroy Erase Improve. If memory serves, Devin was impressed by the sound quality and wanted the original drum tracks. This is one example off the top of my head that goes far back before "Nothing" :)
i think more so they’re listening for melodic content that courses throughout the song, like a melodic theme that features repeatedly, or is developed, whereas a guitar solo is a one time showcase of talent or shreddy acrobatics. while i agree that there’s melodies within, this isn’t as “melodic” as some other subgenres of metal. It’s great music regardless tho, IMO.
I listen to Meshuggah the way my older funk bass playing brother taught me to listen to rhythms, percussion and so on, you know, old school funk , that groove. For me, Meshuggah is an extreme percussion band playing it metal style with jazz sprinkled all over it.
Just remember that Meshuggah were about 15 yers ahead of their time with this song (I know I couldn't handle it back then) and if you want some more melodic Meshuggah try indeed Dancers to s Discordant System. Straws Pulled at Random or the fully instrumental They Move Below.
Good evening from New England Bryan This is the song that got me into the band The live version from 2005-6 that is just pummeling Tomas keeps a funky punk beat adding accents on the kicks Plus that weird discordant guitar riff just makes it so much more engaging Great song ✌️🤘🧐😎
This album is one of my favourites because of these jazzy sections some of the songs have. I miss that a bit in later Meshuggah albums. Anyways, for more melodic interest check out Straws Pulled At Random (bc the latter half or so of the song is just divine), Acrid Placidity ("filler" track but I really like it), Sublevels (with a jazzy solo, similar to this one), Dancers To A Discordant System (not pretty or soothing, more like the soundtrack to literal insanity, but melodically interesting nonetheless), or Ivory Tower (a newer one, also for the solo, which I love to bits).
Haake has quite the ability to actually play in 4/4 but completely disguise it from the listener with what seems like strange time. He has so many techniques to do this.
It's hard to understate how massive this album was in the metal community in the mid-90s. I didn't get into them until several years later, but even by then everyone was talking about how Meshuggah were the new big thing. I remember hearing this album for the first time and thinking it sounded like complete chaotic noise, but like most alien and abrasive music I kept being drawn back to it until it finally (kinda-sorta) made sense. Looking back it's also possible to see how this album was very much a transition from the tech-thrash of Meshuggah's first album (Contradictions Collapse) towards the djent style they'd develop on Nothing a few albums later. I'd still probably rank this as my second favorite Meshuggah album behind Catch-33, and I've always wished they (or some other band) would've done more in this quasi thrash-djent hybrid style. Meshuggah has revisited this style somewhat on later albums, but never quite the same. I think perhaps after Chaosphere (the album after this) they felt like they'd pushed this style as far as it could go.
I remember buying this album and playing this track for drummer friends and asking if he was just hitting randomly. To be fair, we were all in high school, but they thought so as well lol
I think you summarised my own feelings about Meshuggah quite well. I mean I am proud of them considering they come from my own hometown, Umeå. And I've really tried liking them, having seen them a few times live over the years. Always impressive musicianship, but there was always something lacking in their song that really could pull me into it. Lacking soul. I mean their groove is so damn nice sometimes, and it really was fresh back on their old first EP (that was really just a glorified demo tape really) but ever since back then it hasn't mattered how groovy or impressive their songs have been technically, it just have never clicked with me. And I think you're hitting the nail straight on the head in your analysis there.
I think in their last album they took a turn for the atmosphere and melody, which maybe were lacking in their earlier stuff. Give it a shot, preferably live or on vinyl.
murderous track. this whole album is really high quality, and the tracks are actually kind of diverse and not as super hoaned in the rythmics as you pointed out.
Did your discussion of the lyrics and your ending revelation of the song’s structure around them change your thoughts on the song as a whole? I really was hoping you’d go further down that rabbit hole once you found it
A little bit but it didn't give me a massive revelation. There's a little bit at 23:50 where I break down how the movement from human to machine was represented in the chaos of the music.
I rarely think about Meshuggah lyrics but maybe I should. The message doesn't necessarily have to refer to some AI overlord. Even in Huxley's Brave New World there was also this idea of homogenising human race to five classes that all specialise in different sorts of tasks. Everyone's responsibility was to buy shit, have fun, and not think about it too much.
Yes, DEI from Meshuggah is '95, and SOAD - SOAD was a '98 record. Terminator is from 1984 and T2 from 1992. Your insights are unparalleled, thank you so much for sharing such knowledge!!
i thought he did? except the catch 33 album maybe? i know he isn't writing the guitar solos but i thought he made the basic framework for all/most the songs?@@progperljungman8218
I think it’s called playing “laid back” in jazz when you’re behind the beat purposefully, obviously there is nothing particularly relaxing about meshuggahs music, save for the occasional time the rhythms put you in a meditative state, so I suppose it’s emotionally dissonant nomenclature in this case, but I caught on to it too. Now it remains to be seen if it was purposeful, or if this early in ‘shuggah’s days, Thomas Haake just maybe got a hair bit lost in the take and no-one noticed, I lean toward the former, Thomas has always been a machine.
Fuck yea Candiria! Also super ahead of their time. Me and my old band would sit around dissecting their albums. I’m just now realizing how similar 90’s Meshuggah and Candiria are. Now I gotta jam Candiria for the next week so thanks! 😂
You might really love "Contradictions Collapse" & "None", the very first few full Meshuggah productions. It's way more classical in terms of metal (and kinda music in general). I'd recommend "Choirs of Devastation" and "Humiliative" for a thorough introduction to who they were and who they'd later become. Personal fav of that time: Gods of Rapture.
If you like the djent grooves and want something more melodic (way more melodic) listen to Volumes’ Via. That entire record is amazing. Although the mixing could use some work (it was their first record) I cannot emphasize how much that record laid the foundations for a whole scene of modern djent bands
Bryan, a better composition for picking up Haake's drumming would be Bleed, notably the live version that focuses on. him- it is amazing (and still in 4/4!). th-cam.com/video/bAJ1WTGNISk/w-d-xo.html
"HOW DID THIS NOT FALL APART?" How could my head NOT snap off when head-banging aggressively to this in 1995!? :P In 1995 (the year Opeth debuted their album "Orchid", and would not hear them till "Still Life"), I was working at a Video Game studio in San Diego County, there was a Record Store that I used to go to in the next city from Carlsbad with a few team-mates. One day a co-worker after lunch who was into Metal Industrial music asked; "Hey I just bought this, but I don't really like it. If you don't want it, I'll take it back and get something else". So I put it on my CD Walkman (1995 dudes), and in the 1st 2 minutes . . . I was done. INSTANT fan of Meshuggah and "Future Breed Machine" is still my fave track. They were soo different than anything I heard, I was into Watchtower, Atheist, Death, Cynic, Atrocity, Believer, Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and whatever was technical/complex at that time (along with the melodical and aggressive, though i was also picky with Death Metal and Thrash). But I was more than ready for this also being into Gentle Giant and King Crimson. They were keeping the beat at 4/4, but it was what they were doing WITHIN the 4/4 that made it nuts! And that they could be so Brvtal! And then the guitar solo comes in as if *Allan Holdsworth* was a guest soloist, for a breath of fresh air . . . and then the "The Giant Chopping Blades" of riffs with the syncopated double kicks! How could anyone NOT headbang to that! I was a HUGE Holdsworth fan (still am), I had never heard that kind of guitar style played within Metal (maybe Cynic's "Focus" album, but more-so Chris Poland's Prog Metal band "Damn the Machine"). The other thing I noticed; it was like each member were taking turns as the "Percussion", and *Tomas Haake* on the drums would be the LEAD taking care of the timing as the guitars went in a different direction! I was just floored by the entire album. But I loved when Haake in the quiet mid part as Fredrik solos, his drumming style takes on the Jazz Fusion tropes with the _rim smacks_ on the snare, and playing the various cymbals. There was soo much to hear with each listen. It's probably TAME these days to many Metalheads that have heard things get more aggressive, and for Meshuggah fans as well. It was Groove Metal meets Death Metal, Thrash meets Math Metal meets Fusion, it was all the ingredients I wanted to hear smashed together like a tank being thrown at a 747. But still to this day, those that don't know the more underground Metal or understand what they were doing in 95, still gets contentious. 2 years ago I highly recommended my friends (a married couple) that do Reactions (and a fellow Metalhead and an even bigger Holdsworth fan) react to Future Breed Machine . . . and they hated it (but the husband later on started to get it from re-listens). And folks that are my age that heard it on the show, in the comments hated and disparaged it as well :p. Which is ironic, Allan Holdsworth was a guitarist that broke down barriers and pushed the envelope in Jazz/Fusion, he played his guitar as if it were a "Sax" (as Yngwie Malmsteen is to Paginini), and to this day, people don't get it, and I still see insulting comments under uploads of his albums/tracks. He died "Poor" and only the hardcore fans understood what he was doing. And luckily for us, Lead Guitarist *Fredrik Thordendal* understood him, was highly influenced by his style, so much so, back then he also used a "Breath Controller" to manipulate the sounds Holdsworth created in his solos (now its all controlled in his rack system). I've seen MANY folks create "thesis" of this album and deep dives into the compositioning, from teachers to musicians trying to explain the significance of this album. I miss though, that style of playing Fredrik had for at-least 2 more albums ("Chaosphere" and "I"), and the Thrashier/Prog Metal sound of the band, including *Jens Kidman* giving more of a Scream/Yell at a higher register, as he's become a bit more of a monotone Growler. *Mårten Hagström* - rhythm guitar (master of those chopping blade riffs) and *Peter Nordin* - bass, also played their parts with precision and brutality. And its always a sight to see when they all headbang to the 4/4, and Jens "Scans" the audience like a T-800 Terminator! I went backwards in their catalogue after receiving the CD (1 Ep and their more Tech-Thrash debut album), and followed them ever since. I think the last album "Immutable" (2022) had the sound I had been waiting for since "Cathch33", as it was more up-tempo instead of dirgy, but I look forward to what they'll do next. . . . Now, you'll need to hear Fredrik's solo album; *Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects* "Sol N!ger Within". LOTS of Holdsworth moments and Math Metal insanity, it's almost an "Avant-Garde" Prog/Metal album. The vocals took getting used to but the music is freakin' amazing (and lyrical content as well). You may have to dive into Holdsworth's music to get where we are all coming from with our references too. To continue with your "Theme", you may want to hear the late great drummer *Sean Reinert* (of "Cynic" and "Aghora") on the *Death* album "Human" and the 1st track "Flattening of Emotions", as he changed Death Metal Drumming forever (as told by Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan on Sean's "Drum Talk Tribute"). - Apologies for the rant, but thanks for your time \m/.
At 5:07 . . . POW! Exactly! Bryan, take a listen to the other tracks on the album, they are not as wild and angular as the opening track. I always took the lyrical content as "Re-making yourself", like we are on a conveyor being made into Terminators, but 1 decides to create its own self (hence the conveyor/factory sound effects in the intro). Going against authority, going against the "system" and just following trends. The "Robot" tropes are just a metaphor (that's how I interpretate it). Note: When I use the genre (or umbrella term) "Math Metal", I don't mean "Mathcore", as that was invented by "Dillinger Escape Plan" in 1997. *Watchtower* was the 1st time I had heard them referenced as "Math Metal" in "1989" in a trade mag article. Which totally makes sense. They too inspired many bands.
LOVED this comment and can really refer to much myself (an old prog/fusion fan who discovered them through Mats & Morgan before I was even open to much metal otherwise...). I immediately caught the Holdsworth inspiration listening to Catch Thirtythree - my first experience with them (and what a ride!) Bryan actually did a reaction to the whole of Sol Niger Within. Catch Thirtythree has a slight chance of being featured next week (for "Sinister Tones" theme) since it's in the Patreon poll 🙂
@@progperljungman8218 Well it was VERY late (or super early in the morning) when I wrote all that, then I try to proof read my longer comments because I'm a Typo King :P. I just looked at Bryan's review and sure enough, I didn't finish watching and noticed I gave thumbs up to many of the comments (and yours!) probably a couple of weeks after it went up. I'll have to start from the beginning. I see you (Bryan) thought that parts were "Keyboards" but that's Fredrik with his Holdsworth "Tone" and the help of a "Breath Controller" making those _computer_ like or fife-whistling sounds. Which reminds me, I often call many of the guitar phrasing "the Riffs of Peril" as if we were descending into oblivion or dangerous/hellish territory. Also, it's too bad Bryan didn't hear the extra track('s) on the "3.33 release" of the album; the instrumental "Missing Time" which would have been a great example how Fredrik was very influenced by Allan Holdsworth, doing his version filtered through his playing :). Bryan, if you are curious, here are 3 examples of Holdsworth that maybe you could react to: 1. Solo Instrumental work, the tracks - "Prelude/Ruhkukah" from his album "Hard Hat Area" (1993). 2. *UK* (Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Allan Holdsworth) - "Nevermore", and "Mental Medication" from their debut album (1979). This will give you a taste of his "Legato" style, guitar tone, and that "Saxophone" timbre that made him unique. - Thank you Bryan & progperjungman for taking the time to read it all \m/.
Perfect analysis! I was more into prog and avant garde when I first heard Meshuggah's Future Breed Machine it completely blew my mind! Been a metalhead ever since!
Meshuggah going melodic is extremely rare but not never. Their latest album Immutable is their most melodic album to date, yet it is still a far cry from what is considered as melodic lmao.
This is the best Meshuggah album IMO but I can't stand that vocalist. Never have. It's so freaking boring way of expressing lyrics. It's intentional, I know, but it keeps me from listening this band.
@@JosephAlnasl I didn't mean that. There are many other ways to express those lyrics but he chose to be boring as hell. He sounds so lame. I'd love him to growl with more passion and variety, scream and shout. Now it bores me to death.
They were better back then but I like all of their material. I think Catch Thirtythree would be the most interesting album for him to listen to front to back
"Better" how? I mean you might enjoy the music they put out back then more than what they put out now, but for me they're the greatest extreme metal band ever and put out banger after certified banger. Just depends on what you want out of it. Innovative songwriting and groove, most crushing guitar tone on planet earth, every album killer and consistent from beginning to end. They're one of the best to ever do it, and seeing them live in 2022 and in 2023 they show no signs of slowing. They performed this live both times I saw them, and played Sickening from None EP last year which sounded absolutely monstrous filtered through modern gear.
"So it is in 4/4, but..." pretty much sums up the entire Meshuggah discography ^^
Lol
that's the correct song to start Meshuggah journey
I think the album Koloss is very beginner friendly
@@matzeb.156chaosphere
NMCC
Was my first Meshuggah song too back in 2002! There are moments in their albums that I feel like they are punishing me for listening, but I can't turn it off
My first was Bleed but what really got me into them was Do Not Look Down. Ever since I heard that I’ve been a die hard fan and love all their music.
The section at 5:10, how it switches from a 2:3 to 3:4 polyrhythm is so good. Gives the impression of it slowing down but the pulse is the same
3:20 I've said it before and ill say it again, their best use of melody alongside their different caliber of rhythmic composition has gotta be Dancers to a Discordant System
"Straws Pulled At Random" contains Meshuggah's most melodic section ever. Amazing track
Totally agree!
Why does everybody forget about Sum??
@@Ion99 sum is an incredible track and has a very melodic, melancholic feel, but straws is definitely their most melodic with its ending.
With their current sound you are correct, but there is plenty of melodic stuff in their older stuff, especially Contradictions collapse, but also a little bit on Destroy Erase Improve.
@@adamnilsson566interesting, I agree that DEI has some great melodic moments but I haven't fully listened to CC yet. Guess I better get around to that!
Love this band. Love this song. Love that guitar solo.
The solo would've actually fit perfectly for tasteful solos last week. The soloist is Fredrik Thordendahl (the one with Sol Niger Within) and his main style and tamber for solos is (like here) extremely influenced by jazz fusion/prog guitarist Allan Holdsworth (R.I.P.)
This dude’s frustration with the Shuggah is exactly why we love it. It’s really creativity.
5:08 There’s the Meshuggah epiphany.
I was always fascinated about the verse beat in this particular track because my mind wants to register it as a regular thrash beat ( à la Slayer, early Metallica and so on) but they tweeked a simple, straight beat in such a way that it feels....refreshing?
Thrash Metal was on the decline in the latter half of the 90's and has been for a long while. I look at this as kind of an attempt to bring Thrash back to life. There are some Meshuggah songs in later albums that implement those straight snare hits within heavily syncopated beats and grooves and it just feels like they were going. for that old school Thrash Metal vibe but in their own unique way.
Solo 1, amazing in it's simplicity.
Solo 2 was probably conceived as Solo 1's inverse image ( or sound ) possibly implying the coexistence of beauty and chaos... 'cos man...solo 2 is just a mess tbh but a constructed mess
Finally some Destroy Erase Improve!!! You gotta react to some more 90's Meshuggah man, especially from this album and the previous None EP
I think WE were more than ready for this album, as it seems "Watchtower" was the pre-cursor for this type of music.
Straws Pulled at Random has some cool melody in the second part. I wish they would do more like that.
Honestly Meshuggah is way more melodic than they get credit for. Dissonant melodies are still melodies. Listen to second half of "Phantoms" from Immutable for a perfect example.
That song alone birthed the entire band Tesseract
@@Weeping_Somnambulist oh for sure, they have melodic elements, but this is certainly not abundant in their catalogue. I can think of other djenty bands that do incorporate melody much more than them. It's not a slight, just an observation. The times when they do pull out something like Straws (pun intended), I can't help but wonder why they haven't explored this tone more often.
@@gurushen99 I would assume because they didn't want to. They have explored melody in a ton of different ways though, like ambient string arrangements to close out albums, or a ton of the stuff on Catch 33. It just isn't really "traditional" for lack of a better term. Whole end of Demiurge. There's just a lot of melody in Meshuggah that I think kinda gets overlooked because it isn't always front and center in the mix.
@@Weeping_Somnambulist And that's fair enough, their choice. At this point it just feels to me like they've explored what they can in their niche.
This was my introduction to Meshuggah. I heard a song from compilation "Death Is Just The Beginning III" and loved it. Immediately picked up Destroy Erase Improve.
love this song!!!
This video is making me feel like a kid again! I first heard this song on WSOU 89.5 in the 90s and I happened to be recording it onto a cassette tape which I listened to over and over until my parents surprised me one day with the "None" cd. lol. I was like 11 or 12 years old. Totally changed my life as a musician.
I think what you might be missing is seeing this transpire live.
For some time, I was in awe of complexity of Bleed, and maybe the incredible drops of Demiurge, but just could not get into the whole thing.
Then I saw Meshuggah live, and something clicked, one of my favorite bands all of a sudden. Whats interesting is that because of the pattern complexity the songs feel fresh every time.
You somewhat know what is coming, but the nuance is still surprising and unexpected.
Also, you should try something from the last album, the sound is definitely more mature, and the atmosphere goes to 11.
I'm glad you did this song. This is one of my favorite tracks from this album. Meshuggah are a great band and they can be pretty melodic when they want to be. Ritual, from their 1994 E.P. None, shows their melodic side.
Early Meshuggah was definitely very different from the stuff you've heard from them before. A lot more of a thrash metal influence (their first proper album is actually more of a regular thrash record than this). They pushed the tempos a lot higher than later on, when they slowed down and focused more on grooves. This record was also a big transition for them vocally, where they weren't necessarily "clean" vocals, but the screams and growls were more "pitched" than future Meshuggah albums.
Guitar World published tablature of this song with the proper rhythmic notation and even though most of it is in 4/4 time (the melodic part is in 11/8, I think?) the syncopation is enough that I can't follow it at tempo. If I tried to play it slower, I get it, but this just takes it to the extreme.
Hi Bryan. Always love your analysis. I do like this song a lot and I feel one of the reasons why the beginning and end drum patterns are so difficult to feel is also the sure speed of the song. I've heard a remix by them of this song that is a lot slower and somehow that feels a LOT more relatable, even with it's challenging meter. I've realised I've become a huge fan of music where the drums start becoming a very musical, a very expressive instrument, rather than feeling like just supplying a simple enough support, a structure there to make everything else work, to have it make sense. Yet I'm with you that there's always a personal limit, even when relistening, to what feels right, relatable, digestible.
My absolute favourite band that does this the best is Karnivool, where a majority of their songs have absolutely unique grooves. What takes the cake for me is the song "We are", as it's a song that actually is written in 4/4, there are rhythmic analysis videos about it as well as many drum covers, but it's intuitively perceived as 3/4. And what blows my mind is that I still perceive it that way. No matter how much I try, I can absolutely not feel it in 4/4, which impresses me a lot. It's extremely clever and I can dearly recommend it for this theme. ❤
Cool, gonna check it out
Fun fact: They did an acoustic version of this song called Futile Bread Machine.
everybody was influence dby Meshuggah in that period
"... we all rip off Meshuggah" 😁
Not really, the band was a bit of a lone wolf until "Nothing" came out probably, I remember critics in metal magazines of the time struggling to even categorize the band, it was lumped in between Korn and Fear Factory!
@@g-man4744 what critics were saying and how many bands were inspired by them is a different thing
@@g-man4744 The quote above is by Devin Townsend. The producer of his breakthrough 1997 albums (Strapping Young Lad's "City" and solo "Ocean Machine") was Daniel Bergstrand. This is the guy who had produced this album, Destroy Erase Improve. If memory serves, Devin was impressed by the sound quality and wanted the original drum tracks. This is one example off the top of my head that goes far back before "Nothing" :)
@@mat_j read between the lines... nobody sounded like Meshuggah at that time
Most of Meshuggah's songs have melodies in the guitar solos, i don't understand why people don't call it a melody just because it's dissonant.
i think more so they’re listening for melodic content that courses throughout the song, like a melodic theme that features repeatedly, or is developed, whereas a guitar solo is a one time showcase of talent or shreddy acrobatics. while i agree that there’s melodies within, this isn’t as “melodic” as some other subgenres of metal. It’s great music regardless tho, IMO.
I bet you’d like Behind the Sun from Koloss
I listen to Meshuggah the way my older funk bass playing brother taught me to listen to rhythms, percussion and so on, you know, old school funk , that groove. For me, Meshuggah is an extreme percussion band playing it metal style with jazz sprinkled all over it.
Just remember that Meshuggah were about 15 yers ahead of their time with this song (I know I couldn't handle it back then) and if you want some more melodic Meshuggah try indeed Dancers to s Discordant System. Straws Pulled at Random or the fully instrumental They Move Below.
Good evening from New England Bryan This is the song that got me into the band The live version from 2005-6 that is just pummeling Tomas keeps a funky punk beat adding accents on the kicks Plus that weird discordant guitar riff just makes it so much more engaging Great song ✌️🤘🧐😎
This album is one of my favourites because of these jazzy sections some of the songs have. I miss that a bit in later Meshuggah albums.
Anyways, for more melodic interest check out Straws Pulled At Random (bc the latter half or so of the song is just divine), Acrid Placidity ("filler" track but I really like it), Sublevels (with a jazzy solo, similar to this one), Dancers To A Discordant System (not pretty or soothing, more like the soundtrack to literal insanity, but melodically interesting nonetheless), or Ivory Tower (a newer one, also for the solo, which I love to bits).
Acrid Placidity has the most diabolical chord shapes for left hand on guitar
@@Goose21 "this sounds easy, finally a song I can learn" - me, moments before disaster 😄
The snare is literally on 2 and 4
Haake has quite the ability to actually play in 4/4 but completely disguise it from the listener with what seems like strange time. He has so many techniques to do this.
It's hard to understate how massive this album was in the metal community in the mid-90s. I didn't get into them until several years later, but even by then everyone was talking about how Meshuggah were the new big thing. I remember hearing this album for the first time and thinking it sounded like complete chaotic noise, but like most alien and abrasive music I kept being drawn back to it until it finally (kinda-sorta) made sense. Looking back it's also possible to see how this album was very much a transition from the tech-thrash of Meshuggah's first album (Contradictions Collapse) towards the djent style they'd develop on Nothing a few albums later. I'd still probably rank this as my second favorite Meshuggah album behind Catch-33, and I've always wished they (or some other band) would've done more in this quasi thrash-djent hybrid style. Meshuggah has revisited this style somewhat on later albums, but never quite the same. I think perhaps after Chaosphere (the album after this) they felt like they'd pushed this style as far as it could go.
I remember buying this album and playing this track for drummer friends and asking if he was just hitting randomly. To be fair, we were all in high school, but they thought so as well lol
Tomas counting off with the China right before the breakdown hits is so tasty I just can't explain it
I think you summarised my own feelings about Meshuggah quite well. I mean I am proud of them considering they come from my own hometown, Umeå. And I've really tried liking them, having seen them a few times live over the years. Always impressive musicianship, but there was always something lacking in their song that really could pull me into it. Lacking soul. I mean their groove is so damn nice sometimes, and it really was fresh back on their old first EP (that was really just a glorified demo tape really) but ever since back then it hasn't mattered how groovy or impressive their songs have been technically, it just have never clicked with me. And I think you're hitting the nail straight on the head in your analysis there.
I think in their last album they took a turn for the atmosphere and melody, which maybe were lacking in their earlier stuff. Give it a shot, preferably live or on vinyl.
murderous track. this whole album is really high quality, and the tracks are actually kind of diverse and not as super hoaned in the rythmics as you pointed out.
Did your discussion of the lyrics and your ending revelation of the song’s structure around them change your thoughts on the song as a whole? I really was hoping you’d go further down that rabbit hole once you found it
A little bit but it didn't give me a massive revelation. There's a little bit at 23:50 where I break down how the movement from human to machine was represented in the chaos of the music.
I rarely think about Meshuggah lyrics but maybe I should. The message doesn't necessarily have to refer to some AI overlord. Even in Huxley's Brave New World there was also this idea of homogenising human race to five classes that all specialise in different sorts of tasks. Everyone's responsibility was to buy shit, have fun, and not think about it too much.
New Millenium Cyanide Christ has some of the hardest lyrics ever. Like they should be analyzing this in schools instead of Ozymandias
Yes, DEI from Meshuggah is '95, and SOAD - SOAD was a '98 record. Terminator is from 1984 and T2 from 1992.
Your insights are unparalleled, thank you so much for sharing such knowledge!!
the drummer is a true genius who composes all the music including the lyrics and some of my favorites are the ones he does vocals too
"...composes all the music..." Really? 😂
Agree that he's really awesome and a core part of a group of geniuses..
i thought he did? except the catch 33 album maybe? i know he isn't writing the guitar solos but i thought he made the basic framework for all/most the songs?@@progperljungman8218
Now that this song is fresh in your mind, you should listen to Futile Bread Machine (the campfire version)
Sublevels has a melodic section too. It's from a same album
I think it’s called playing “laid back” in jazz when you’re behind the beat purposefully, obviously there is nothing particularly relaxing about meshuggahs music, save for the occasional time the rhythms put you in a meditative state, so I suppose it’s emotionally dissonant nomenclature in this case, but I caught on to it too. Now it remains to be seen if it was purposeful, or if this early in ‘shuggah’s days, Thomas Haake just maybe got a hair bit lost in the take and no-one noticed, I lean toward the former, Thomas has always been a machine.
You should do an album analysis of destroy erase improve, this album is very interesting
not soad, but fear factory is what it reminds me a lot of.
I missed watching your channel
Excellent!!!
The dissonant stabs reminded me of one of the Clown Core songs in that toilet
BTW Candiria drummer commented under your video of thier song, looks like you didin't see that
Thanks for bringing this up! I did miss it somehow
Fuck yea Candiria! Also super ahead of their time. Me and my old band would sit around dissecting their albums. I’m just now realizing how similar 90’s Meshuggah and Candiria are. Now I gotta jam Candiria for the next week so thanks! 😂
The whole album is unbelievable.
You might really love "Contradictions Collapse" & "None", the very first few full Meshuggah productions. It's way more classical in terms of metal (and kinda music in general). I'd recommend "Choirs of Devastation" and "Humiliative" for a thorough introduction to who they were and who they'd later become. Personal fav of that time: Gods of Rapture.
Should’ve done the LIVE VERSION
Saw this shit LIVE on mushrooms and it was amazing
check out Nevermore for some technical heavy rhythm + melody
"Don't look down" is probably the easiest to get into Meshuggah .
If you like the djent grooves and want something more melodic (way more melodic) listen to Volumes’ Via. That entire record is amazing. Although the mixing could use some work (it was their first record) I cannot emphasize how much that record laid the foundations for a whole scene of modern djent bands
Bryan, a better composition for picking up Haake's drumming would be Bleed, notably the live version that focuses on. him- it is amazing (and still in 4/4!). th-cam.com/video/bAJ1WTGNISk/w-d-xo.html
Plz, do the 20 minute masterpiece song "I" next time. It´s even to hard for Meshuggah to play live.
React to the whole Contradiction collapse album, the best album they made imo
The best thrash song with the best breakdown with the best jazz guitar solo ever
"HOW DID THIS NOT FALL APART?" How could my head NOT snap off when head-banging aggressively to this in 1995!? :P
In 1995 (the year Opeth debuted their album "Orchid", and would not hear them till "Still Life"), I was working at a Video Game studio in San Diego County, there was a Record Store that I used to go to in the next city from Carlsbad with a few team-mates. One day a co-worker after lunch who was into Metal Industrial music asked; "Hey I just bought this, but I don't really like it. If you don't want it, I'll take it back and get something else". So I put it on my CD Walkman (1995 dudes), and in the 1st 2 minutes . . . I was done. INSTANT fan of Meshuggah and "Future Breed Machine" is still my fave track.
They were soo different than anything I heard, I was into Watchtower, Atheist, Death, Cynic, Atrocity, Believer, Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz and whatever was technical/complex at that time (along with the melodical and aggressive, though i was also picky with Death Metal and Thrash). But I was more than ready for this also being into Gentle Giant and King Crimson.
They were keeping the beat at 4/4, but it was what they were doing WITHIN the 4/4 that made it nuts! And that they could be so Brvtal! And then the guitar solo comes in as if *Allan Holdsworth* was a guest soloist, for a breath of fresh air . . . and then the "The Giant Chopping Blades" of riffs with the syncopated double kicks! How could anyone NOT headbang to that!
I was a HUGE Holdsworth fan (still am), I had never heard that kind of guitar style played within Metal (maybe Cynic's "Focus" album, but more-so Chris Poland's Prog Metal band "Damn the Machine").
The other thing I noticed; it was like each member were taking turns as the "Percussion", and *Tomas Haake* on the drums would be the LEAD taking care of the timing as the guitars went in a different direction! I was just floored by the entire album.
But I loved when Haake in the quiet mid part as Fredrik solos, his drumming style takes on the Jazz Fusion tropes with the _rim smacks_ on the snare, and playing the various cymbals. There was soo much to hear with each listen.
It's probably TAME these days to many Metalheads that have heard things get more aggressive, and for Meshuggah fans as well. It was Groove Metal meets Death Metal, Thrash meets Math Metal meets Fusion, it was all the ingredients I wanted to hear smashed together like a tank being thrown at a 747.
But still to this day, those that don't know the more underground Metal or understand what they were doing in 95, still gets contentious. 2 years ago I highly recommended my friends (a married couple) that do Reactions (and a fellow Metalhead and an even bigger Holdsworth fan) react to Future Breed Machine . . . and they hated it (but the husband later on started to get it from re-listens). And folks that are my age that heard it on the show, in the comments hated and disparaged it as well :p.
Which is ironic, Allan Holdsworth was a guitarist that broke down barriers and pushed the envelope in Jazz/Fusion, he played his guitar as if it were a "Sax" (as Yngwie Malmsteen is to Paginini), and to this day, people don't get it, and I still see insulting comments under uploads of his albums/tracks. He died "Poor" and only the hardcore fans understood what he was doing. And luckily for us, Lead Guitarist *Fredrik Thordendal* understood him, was highly influenced by his style, so much so, back then he also used a "Breath Controller" to manipulate the sounds Holdsworth created in his solos (now its all controlled in his rack system).
I've seen MANY folks create "thesis" of this album and deep dives into the compositioning, from teachers to musicians trying to explain the significance of this album.
I miss though, that style of playing Fredrik had for at-least 2 more albums ("Chaosphere" and "I"), and the Thrashier/Prog Metal sound of the band, including *Jens Kidman* giving more of a Scream/Yell at a higher register, as he's become a bit more of a monotone Growler. *Mårten Hagström* - rhythm guitar (master of those chopping blade riffs) and *Peter Nordin* - bass, also played their parts with precision and brutality. And its always a sight to see when they all headbang to the 4/4, and Jens "Scans" the audience like a T-800 Terminator!
I went backwards in their catalogue after receiving the CD (1 Ep and their more Tech-Thrash debut album), and followed them ever since. I think the last album "Immutable" (2022) had the sound I had been waiting for since "Cathch33", as it was more up-tempo instead of dirgy, but I look forward to what they'll do next.
. . . Now, you'll need to hear Fredrik's solo album; *Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects* "Sol N!ger Within". LOTS of Holdsworth moments and Math Metal insanity, it's almost an "Avant-Garde" Prog/Metal album. The vocals took getting used to but the music is freakin' amazing (and lyrical content as well). You may have to dive into Holdsworth's music to get where we are all coming from with our references too.
To continue with your "Theme", you may want to hear the late great drummer *Sean Reinert* (of "Cynic" and "Aghora") on the *Death* album "Human" and the 1st track "Flattening of Emotions", as he changed Death Metal Drumming forever (as told by Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan on Sean's "Drum Talk Tribute").
- Apologies for the rant, but thanks for your time \m/.
At 5:07 . . . POW! Exactly! Bryan, take a listen to the other tracks on the album, they are not as wild and angular as the opening track.
I always took the lyrical content as "Re-making yourself", like we are on a conveyor being made into Terminators, but 1 decides to create its own self (hence the conveyor/factory sound effects in the intro). Going against authority, going against the "system" and just following trends. The "Robot" tropes are just a metaphor (that's how I interpretate it).
Note: When I use the genre (or umbrella term) "Math Metal", I don't mean "Mathcore", as that was invented by "Dillinger Escape Plan" in 1997.
*Watchtower* was the 1st time I had heard them referenced as "Math Metal" in "1989" in a trade mag article. Which totally makes sense. They too inspired many bands.
LOVED this comment and can really refer to much myself (an old prog/fusion fan who discovered them through Mats & Morgan before I was even open to much metal otherwise...). I immediately caught the Holdsworth inspiration listening to Catch Thirtythree - my first experience with them (and what a ride!)
Bryan actually did a reaction to the whole of Sol Niger Within. Catch Thirtythree has a slight chance of being featured next week (for "Sinister Tones" theme) since it's in the Patreon poll 🙂
@@progperljungman8218 Well it was VERY late (or super early in the morning) when I wrote all that, then I try to proof read my longer comments because I'm a Typo King :P. I just looked at Bryan's review and sure enough, I didn't finish watching and noticed I gave thumbs up to many of the comments (and yours!) probably a couple of weeks after it went up. I'll have to start from the beginning.
I see you (Bryan) thought that parts were "Keyboards" but that's Fredrik with his Holdsworth "Tone" and the help of a "Breath Controller" making those _computer_ like or fife-whistling sounds.
Which reminds me, I often call many of the guitar phrasing "the Riffs of Peril" as if we were descending into oblivion or dangerous/hellish territory.
Also, it's too bad Bryan didn't hear the extra track('s) on the "3.33 release" of the album; the instrumental "Missing Time" which would have been a great example how Fredrik was very influenced by Allan Holdsworth, doing his version filtered through his playing :).
Bryan, if you are curious, here are 3 examples of Holdsworth that maybe you could react to:
1. Solo Instrumental work, the tracks - "Prelude/Ruhkukah" from his album "Hard Hat Area" (1993).
2. *UK* (Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, Allan Holdsworth) - "Nevermore", and "Mental Medication" from their debut album (1979).
This will give you a taste of his "Legato" style, guitar tone, and that "Saxophone" timbre that made him unique.
- Thank you Bryan & progperjungman for taking the time to read it all \m/.
Perfect analysis! I was more into prog and avant garde when I first heard Meshuggah's Future Breed Machine it completely blew my mind! Been a metalhead ever since!
@@matternicuss Thank you, I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read it all :).
@9:11
what time signature is bryan's forehead in tho? 8/4? 9/4? - _ -
This band always felt to me like having too many cups of coffee
Best meshuggah álbum
Dude it’s not just System of a Down that’s influenced by mushuggah fucking everyone is influenced by them
I am cursed, i can never hear this song and not hear the misheard lyrics.
Meshuggah going melodic is extremely rare but not never. Their latest album Immutable is their most melodic album to date, yet it is still a far cry from what is considered as melodic lmao.
You should listen to Car Bomb, underrated band, bigger than Meshuggah imo
I mean i love Meshuggah but Car Bomb is like next level composition.
I've heard Secrets Within, Xoxoy, and Dissect Yourself. Let me know if you need links to any of those. But yeah, Car Bomb is a wild group!
Honestly I prefer old trashy Meshuggah instead of them only playing single strings on the guitar.
why do you have to read what you have to say?
This is the best Meshuggah album IMO but I can't stand that vocalist. Never have. It's so freaking boring way of expressing lyrics. It's intentional, I know, but it keeps me from listening this band.
There's no other way to express the lyrics... unless he rap it or just 'talk' it, melodic singing doesn't fit the band.
@@JosephAlnasl I didn't mean that. There are many other ways to express those lyrics but he chose to be boring as hell. He sounds so lame. I'd love him to growl with more passion and variety, scream and shout. Now it bores me to death.
Dude just seen them 2 hrs ago... If you haven't seen em live you don't know shit...
Sweet a pick from back when they were good
They were better back then but I like all of their material. I think Catch Thirtythree would be the most interesting album for him to listen to front to back
@@BittersweetDualityi agree, i like their 90's stuff more but all Meshuggah Is good Meshuggah in my book
"Better" how? I mean you might enjoy the music they put out back then more than what they put out now, but for me they're the greatest extreme metal band ever and put out banger after certified banger. Just depends on what you want out of it. Innovative songwriting and groove, most crushing guitar tone on planet earth, every album killer and consistent from beginning to end. They're one of the best to ever do it, and seeing them live in 2022 and in 2023 they show no signs of slowing. They performed this live both times I saw them, and played Sickening from None EP last year which sounded absolutely monstrous filtered through modern gear.
smells like gatekeep spirit.
@@kristiangalbany4567 not allowed to like anything post-Chaosphere, because that's when they started to "suck".