Meshuggah - Kentish Town Forum, London - 20th April 2012 (Live Review)
Friday, 27 April 2012
Written by Ben Bland
There just aren’t any other bands like Meshuggah. Try as many contemporary metal acts may, there is just no way of replicating the Swedish titan’s unnervingly precise brutality. For a band that has been going over twenty years, their continuing ability to stake a claim as one of the most extreme heavy acts on the planet is truly astonishing. It is also to their credit that they continue to grow in popularity. This gig at the Forum is a complete sell out, with some hopeful fans outside the venue hanging around in the hope of a spare ticket or two for sale. Meshuggah may not sound pretty but it is clear that, for many metalheads, they are one of the definitive bands of the genre and the excited murmurings that approach show time also add weight to their reputation as a ferocious live act.
Before it is time for Meshuggah though, there is a chance for Animals as Leaders to strut their stuff in front of the packed venue. It has to be said that ‘strut’ is definitely the right word to use here. Quiet and laid back performers though they may be, this band are an instrumental technical masterclass for fans of the ‘djent’ genre and, indeed, interesting metal music in general. While lead guitar wizard Tosin Abai and his band have some interesting ideas, they become gradually less enthralling as their set rolls along. A little more emphasis on shifting dynamics and a little less on chugging riffs would go a long way to helping the band truly live up to their songwriting potential.
When the lights dim and it is signalled that Meshuggah are about to take to the stage, the Forum shifts into a state of near hysteria, a hysteria that is then dragged out as the band’s 'Obsidian' intro track is played out over the PA before the band actually make an appearance. When the stage lights do go up it is to the pulsating 'Demiurge', one of the highlights from the recently released 'Koloss' record. Predictably the standing section of the venue goes wild and, perhaps unsurprisingly, even those in the seats start as they mean to go on by intensely windmilling their way through the opening numbers.
What makes the Meshuggah live machine so insanely brilliant is arguably not the incredible musical abilities of the men on stage but the stalking presence of frontman Jens Kidman. This is not a band from The Dillinger Escape Plan school of showmanship, instead the band are left to do their thing whilst Jens goads the crowd into movement with nothing more than a steely gaze and his violent barking vocals. It also helps that Meshuggah don’t have much filler in their back catalogue. Every song they pull out of the bag tonight is a great choice, although it would be nice to hear a bit more from the perennially underrated 'Chaosphere' record.
They really do blast through their material as well. They pack in sixteen songs into a set that, despite going on for over an hour and a half, feels like it only lasts about half that time. Bowing out with 'Dancers to a Discordant System' and leaving a savaged Forum trailing in their wake, tonight is proof that Meshuggah are not only pioneers in the studio but they are also one of the most exciting live bands on the planet…and long may they continue to be.
'Koloss' is out now via Nuclear Blast.
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Before it is time for Meshuggah though, there is a chance for Animals as Leaders to strut their stuff in front of the packed venue. It has to be said that ‘strut’ is definitely the right word to use here. Quiet and laid back performers though they may be, this band are an instrumental technical masterclass for fans of the ‘djent’ genre and, indeed, interesting metal music in general. While lead guitar wizard Tosin Abai and his band have some interesting ideas, they become gradually less enthralling as their set rolls along. A little more emphasis on shifting dynamics and a little less on chugging riffs would go a long way to helping the band truly live up to their songwriting potential.
