Artist: Meshuggah (Sweden)
Release Date: 30th March, 2012
I mentioned in my review of their supporting slot for The Devin Townsend Project that Meshuggah are true innovators. They are the creators of a metal sub-genre that they stood alone in until recently. Still, it has taken most of these new bands fifteen years to catch up with Meshuggah’s technicality and how to use that technicality to create excellent songs (there are plenty out there who have amazing technical abilities but can’t write a decent song). So, now that the rest of the metal world is catching up to the almighty Meshuggah, their new album, Koloss, arrives with a certain amount of expectation. Whether it meets the expectations of listeners, I think, will hinge on two important questions; how will they respond now that they suddenly have contemporaries, and, will they still be the kings of technical metal?
For me, the answers to those questions are, “Ok” and “mmmm, maybe…yeah, probably”. Koloss is, by no means, a bad album. It’s just a very average Meshuggah album. Now, I should stress again, that this is merely my opinion (before you decide to burn me at the stake, please read my first ever post here). I’ve spoken to a few metal fans that are really enjoying what Koloss has to offer. For me, its’ just not doing much at the moment.
The main problem is the relentless nature of the album. Where their pre-Catch Thirty-Three releases demonstrated an amazing ability to build tension and then release a brutal storm of metal excellence, Koloss seems to be stuck in the one gear. There are very few ups and downs in terms of the album’s dynamics. It’s mostly, “everything turned up to eleven”. Many people will enjoy that, but I like my albums to have some give and take, to give you some moments where you are anticipating the impending mayhem. I think it helps albums to flow and take the listener on a journey.
Many of the riffs are also fairly Meshuggah-by-numbers. There seems to be a lack of inspiration in the band with a lot of riffs being surprisingly simple and/or not up to Mushuggah’s usual lofty standards. For the first time ever, the vocals are also grating on me. Again, there is very little variation in them. There are hardly any changes in pitch or intensity, which means that the lacklustre riffs are exposed more than they otherwise would be.
Being the legends they are, Meshuggah do still pull out a few jaw dropping moments such as in the face melting The Hurt That Finds You First. Just before the two-minute mark, what has been a single stringed, palm-muted thrash riff, suddenly becomes a chugged, multi-stringed sludge fest that presents Meshuggah in a dirtier way than they ever have been before. Likewise, the closing riff of Marrow and the opening riff of Swarm are classic Meshuggah; technical and groove laden in a way that only they can be. On top of this, Don’t Look Down probably wouldn’t be out of place on their excellent 2002 effort, Nothing. Unfortunately, much of their good work is ruined by fourth track, Behind The Sun. It’s such a slow, boring piece of music that it makes Lethargica from their last album, ObZen, seem like a dance party. It’s position in the first half of the album also makes it difficult for the listener to want to continue on and get into what follows. Or, at least, that’s how it works for me.
It’s pretty clear that I’m disappointed with this release. Like I have said, I know plenty of people who are really digging this. Maybe it’s just not a Meshuggah time for me right now. It may take a few months and then suddenly I’ll throw it on and everything will just click and I’ll love it, and if that happens I’ll be back on here recanting every statement that I’ve made (although, my opinion on Behind The Sun, I think, is fairly unshakeable). But, to me, Meshuggah seem to be suffering from being compared to their past glories. Having created the masterpiece that is Chaosphere, Meshuggah have the unfortunate problem of having everything they do compared to that milestone. Meshuggah might still be the front-runners of modern metal, but there are signs that the rest of the pack is catching up.
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