It is sad that, despite their legendary status in metal’s higher echelons, Meshuggah are rapidly becoming best known to a new generation of heavy music fans as the forefathers of ‘djent’. It is undoubtedly true that, were it not for the influence of these Swedish masters of the polyrhythm, ‘djent’ bands like Tesseract and Aliases would not currently be making waves as they are today. Yet really Meshuggah are something far more important than just the band that belatedly started a scene with debatable excitement credentials. Meshuggah are a band that genuinely changed perceptions of what could be done with the genre of heavy metal. There may have been plenty of other bands that have pushed metal to its experimental, technical outskirts but few who have forged a career as extreme and yet progressive as this one.
However, despite their long term excellence, Meshuggah have always had something of a problem, ever since 'Destroy Erase Improve' dropped in 1995. It is extremely difficult creating a unique sound in the crowded metal landscape, but it is even more difficult to move on from said sound and progress even further. While each new album may have introduced new elements to the band’s sound, Meshuggah have never truly moved on from the polyrhythmic brutality with which they first made their name. In the eyes of many metalheads Meshuggah could all too often be accused of failing to develop their sound to the point that this, their seventh full-length album, is awaited more with baited breath than genuine excitement.
Yet to take such an approach into a first listen of 'Koloss' is a mistake indeed. Meshuggah have not reinvented their own wheel here but they have arguably progressed more than ever before. The most obvious difference between this and 2008’s 'obZen' is that here Meshuggah are consistently capable of being genuinely catchy. 'Koloss' is still full of ever shifting, bone shaking time signatures as one would expect, but they have been combined more potently than ever before into actual songs. 'The Hurt That Finds You First', 'Marrow' and 'Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion' provide a three song run moving towards the end of the album that is truly astonishing in the way it manages to be utterly neck breaking, mind boggling and…hooky. For the first time ever Meshuggah are writing songs that you can really hum along to as well as head bang to.
Not that this is particularly important once the record has truly sunk in. This increased songwriting nous is just an element of why this album is special. Most of the elements are those that remain behind from earlier releases, and they are as strong as ever Meshuggah are truly still in a category of one. There may be those who seem set on twisting their template but no other band genuinely sounds like Meshuggah. Twenty-five years on from their inception they are still completely unique and that is why 'Koloss' is special.
'Koloss' is out on Monday 26th March via Nuclear Blast Records.
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However, despite their long term excellence, Meshuggah have always had something of a problem, ever since 'Destroy Erase Improve' dropped in 1995. It is extremely difficult creating a unique sound in the crowded metal landscape, but it is even more difficult to move on from said sound and progress even further. While each new album may have introduced new elements to the band’s sound, Meshuggah have never truly moved on from the polyrhythmic brutality with which they first made their name. In the eyes of many metalheads Meshuggah could all too often be accused of failing to develop their sound to the point that this, their seventh full-length album, is awaited more with baited breath than genuine excitement.
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