
Devotees include Tool, The Deftones, Kirk Hammett & Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, James LaBrie of Dream Theater, and Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, which incorporates MESHUGGAH’s back catalogue into their curriculum, fortifying the belief that such perfectly calibrated music adds a crucial ingredient to a modern musical education. As a result, it isn’t shocking to see some of the biggest names in metal standing in the wings at MESHUGGAH shows, shaking their heads at the band’s majestically demented, down-tuned, groove-laden, and precisely performed polyrhythms that never veer out of control. The mystical lore surrounding them pertains to their mathematical execution of odd-cycle time signatures shifting around common 4/4 time. Unafraid to take risks and tackle new experiences, they create albums you can listen to six years later and still discover things you never noticed before.

An entity that has not sounded like anyone else in over thirteen years, MESHUGGAH are one of the few purely and honestly lateral-thinking forces genuinely dedicated to pushing the boundaries of extreme music simply because doing so comes naturally to them. When those graced with the rare gifts of astounding technical abilities and songwriting prowess are also fueled by a sacred trinity of creativity, originality, and self-belief, the results will always steer clear of any sub-genre categorization.įormed in the college town of Umeå in northern Sweden in 1987, MESHUGGAH have spent the last twenty years and cumulative thirteen releases developing, exploring, and redefining their complex, inimitable approach on the art of expressing their collective Id. If you take for granted that music exists as an expression of the inner mortal psyche, life can turn into an infinitely captivating adventure when musical creation is placed in the hands of a singular breed of enigmatic perfectionists. They are regarded as pioneers by critics and musicians alike.

Meshuggah is widely acknowledged as an influence on many modern metal bands from Textures to Tool. Their lineup has always been consistent, apart from bass which has been handled by many people since the band’s inception.

They use extended polymetric passages, complex drum patterns, angular, dissonant guitar riffs, and harsh vocals. The band’s style is most easily described as extreme/technical metal with some jazz influence. Meshuggah, whose name is taken from the Hebrew and Yiddish word for “crazy”, is a five-piece band from Umeå, Sweden, founded in 1987.

Mårten Hagström - Guitars, Vocals (Backing) ➔ Genre : Technical Post-Thrash Metal (Djent)įredrik Thordendal - Vocals (Backing), Guitars, Keyboards
