MetalSucks

Before Meshuggah was Meshuggah-ing and mind-fucking the feeble confines of what was rhythmically acceptable to our once feeble metal minds, Dream Theater was pushing the boundaries of mind-fuckery with their crushing masterpiece “The Mirror” on their 1994 album Awake. The section in question is the first minute of the song and the verses, in which John Petrucci plays the same simple chugga-chug pattern throughout while Mike Portnoy constantly changes the rhythm beneath. I think that’s called a polyrhythm (but I could be wrong). Get really stoned and try to wrap your head around this one… it ain’t easy.

Dream Theater – “The Mirror” (Awake)

“The Mirror” was way ahead of its time; it also is probably the heaviest Dream Theater song to date, or was at least until Train of Thought came out. Regardless, it fuckin’ kills. Enjoy.

-VN

This is way more metal than the live puppy cam feed I’ve been watching for the past two days (but no less cute). It’s never too early to get ‘em started on the right foot.

-VN

So a lot of you have been emailing us lately about this band Hacride, a really solid French progressive metal band very much in the Meshuggah / Textures / Benea Reach school. I think they’re pretty F’n cool, even if not entirely original (see also: those bands). Here’s the trippy Aronofsky-esque video for their song “Perturbed.”

-VN

Axl and I discussed going to the 3-day Hellfest metal festival in France this summer, but we’re suckers and we didn’t make it. Here’s some footage of Meshuggah performing “Perpetual Black Second” at said festival this past weekend to make me jealous of those who did.

-VN

MetalSucks reader Ramsey K. recently wrote us a letter with the following: “I’m writing to you guys in hope that you will at least post about these two bands that I’m going to mention, because they honestly deserve a lot of recognition for being awesome. I see that you guys like Sikth and Meshuggah and a whole slew of crazy prog metal, so I hope you will at least give these bands a listen or two at their myspaces.”

Touche! The bands in question are Periphery and Bulb, the latter of which is a “solo” project of the guitarist of the former. The headline of this piece pretty much says it all, so if you like those bands then you best check these out.

Also, it turns out that Periphery’s ex-singer Jake Veredika (whose voice is on their MySpace recordings) filled in on vocals for Divine Heresy after Tommy Cummings left / was fired mid-tour in May. Not that this has any bearing on why you should or shouldn’t like these bands. But, ya know, FYI.

-VN

[Periphery on MySpace]
[Bulb on MySpace]

Because we don’t always agree on shit here at the MetalSucks Mansion, and because I didn’t get my say in Vince’s column, I’m gonna throw in my two cents about some albums that weren’t on Vince’s “Best of ‘08 So Far” list that I would have included:

• Genghis Tron – Board Up the House. Except for Nachtmystium’s new album, this is still the best thing I’ve heard so far this year. Read my review here.
• Made Out of Babies – Ruiner. Holy shit does this album rule. My review is coming up real soon, but everyone should either pre-order a copy or just be prepared to buy one when it drops on June 24.
• Jarboe/Justin K. Broadrick – J2. Like a less industrial Jesu. Gorgeous, aching, awesome. Read my review here.
• Hate Eternal - Fury & Flames. Erik Rutan makes discordance into an art… again. Easily his best work since the Morbid Angel days. Read my review here.
• Origin – Antithesis. The ten minute epic mindfuck of a title track alone means you need to either own this album or beat yourself in the face with a hammer. Read my review here.
• Meshuggah – Obzen. And on the 8th day, God created Meshuggah. And He saw that it was good. Read Kip’s review here.
• Virgin Black – Requiem: Fortissmo. Read My review here.

Believe it or not, I still haaven’t heard this fucking Harvey Milk album everyone is going on about. I think I’ll go do that now.

-AR

There must be something in the water in Sweden. Metal is just ingrained in their culture. I was hanging out drinking with a major label pop band last night, five of whose six members are Swedish and at least three of whom were longhairs that I figured might be into metal given their appearance and heritage. Metal is a always a great way to bridge slightly awkward conversation with complete strangers, so I figured why not try? I swung and missed with the keyboardist, more of the jazz type, who nodded politely but seemed otherwise not to give a shit when I tried to slip “In Flames” and “At the Gates” into the conversation. Strike one. I would’n't even need a strike two, ’cause the minute I mentioned Soilwork to the guitar player his hand went up in the air for a high five. We were in full agreement that Stabbing the Drama is one of the best records of the past five years. And it went on from there down familiar paths like “Meshuggah” (he loves obZen), Refused and more.

This story seems way less compelling now that I’ve actually written it down. But, um, it was, like, really cool or something. Kind of like the time I ended up hanging out with Phil Anselmo’s Aunt and Uncle (a story for another time). That red wine / beer combo didn’t hurt either.

-VN

I don’t have much to say about Mesuggah’s new video for “Bleed” (directed by by Ian McFarland & Mike Pecci), except that I can’t wait to get home, get high, and watch in it a proper state of mind. It’s almost – almost – on the level of video making we’ve come to expect from Tool.

So, here it is… smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.

-AR

Two bits of Meshuggah news today. First, an interview with the intrepid, strapping young lads of Metal Injection in which drummer Thomas Haake shares his thoughts on the cult status of the “Meshuggahhhhhhh!!!” chants at concerts, his blase attitude about the supposed complexity of the band’s music that most of us mere peons struggle to understand, and the fact that a U.S. headline tour is tentatively scheduled for November. Yes!

Next, we have a spine-tingling trailer for the upcoming music video for “Bleed.” Holy fuck.

Meshuggah – Bleed

-VN

As opposed to Ministry’s headline performance (read Axl’s review), Meshuggah absolutely fucking destroyed last night at NYC’s Irving Plaza. It seems like a good chunk of metalheads at last night’s show in NYC were there strictly for Meshuggah — after all, U.S. tours for the band are few and far between. Eight string guitars? Check. Forward head-banging? Check. Gut-wrenching, precision drumming? Double-check.

What is there really to say about Meshuggah that you don’t already know? They’re fucking awesome, they make your head spin, they are br00tal, yadda yadda. Cosmo Lee of Invisible Oranges (and lots of other mags you read) summed it up better than I possibly could, anyways:

Yet Meshuggah provoke a profound bodily response. People sway, nod their heads, or simply close their eyes. It’s trance music in the true sense. The key is Tomas Haake, whom only Vinnie Paul rivals in steely precision and groove. Meshuggah cut through the testosterone bullshit that “groove” in metal usually entails, and tap into something truly primal. Yes, they’re cerebral – but towards physical ends. Their sonic vice grips probably light up the same areas of my brain that addiction does. Like how certain psychedelic experiences weren’t possible before synthesized drugs, Meshuggah couldn’t have existed 30 years ago. They’re that rare band for whom today’s antiseptic, hyper-compressed production is perfectly appropriate.

See? MESHUGGAH!!!!

-VN

Vince and I saw Ministry’s (alleged) farewell tour last night, which is to say, we went to see Meshuggah (who ruled – Vince’ll have a review up a little later I think), and then we decided to stick around for Ministry, who just happened to be the headliners.

There were two distinct crowds at this show, and after Meshuggah concluded their set, suddenly all the long haired dudes with big beards split and the venue was suddenly overflowing with what we might call, for lack of a better term, hipsters, yuppies, and good old fashioned bridge n’ tunnel trash. Ministry took an unbearably long amount of time to set up, mostly, I think, because they perform from behind a chain-link fence that had to be installed (Is Al Jourgensen saying we’re all prisoners of the band, or that the band are prisoners of us all? HE’S SO DEEP!!!). Then the lights dimmed and some intro music started and I thought “Oh, swell. The band is finally gonna come out and play some music now.”

Then the intro music kept going.

And going.

And going.

Seriously, this intro was so long that it’s still happening right now. I’m still standing here, typing this review as the intro music plays, waiting for the band to come out. “Wow,” a friend of ours jokes, “live they sound exactly the same as they do on the CD!” Yes, they’ve decided to go ahead and just play an entire song from the CD over the PA system for their “intro.” And it’s not a short song, either. Another friend wonders aloud why they’ve kept the crowd waiting for so long if they’re not even on stage for the first fifteen hours of their show.

Oh-kay! The band has finally gone on now. They open with “Let’s Go” from The Last Sucker, and suddenly I’m reminded why I never really like Ministry that much: for each song, they find a cool riff, and then just play it over and over and over and over again. Sometimes they find a second cool riff and then play that for too long as a kind of bridge between bouts of playing the original cool riff. Even stoned or drunk, this shit can get real old, real fast. Add to that the fact that Jourgensen, as a performer, strives to be very, um, theatrical, which I usually dig, but, really, he’s not that good at being theatrical. He just kind of comes off like the David Cross character on Arrested Development.

Above, I’ve posted Ministry’s video for “Just One Fix.” It’s a song I generally like, and when I was a young man, I found the video, with its weird William S. Burroughs cameo and kid endless puking, to be genuinely disturbing. It’s how I’d like to remember Ministry – not the way we (allegedly) said “farewell” to them last night.

-AR

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/uZvPM9D4hws" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[from Crustcake and Metal Injection]

Get ready to become sick of me waxing ecstatic about Textures, the amazing, awesome, incredible progressive metal outfit from The Netherlands. We didn’t lead you astray with At All Cost, right? When we splooged our pants (albeit a year late) over Sikth, you guys liked, right? And when we jumped on the Protest The Hero bandwagon — nay, built the bandwagon — ya’ll thanked us. So, with that in mind…

Guys…. TEXTURES.

This is the kind of music that just creates that awesome feeling inside of me that only music can, gets me psyched about life, and actually gives me hope that this world isn’t totally fucked beyond belief (that, and I just had some very strong coffee). This is kind of musical talent is few and far between.

Go listen to the new album, Silhouettes, in its entirety on Textures’ MySpace page. NOW. If you have any interest in Meshuggah, Faith No More, and good metal, it will be worth your time.

Silhouettes drops April 21 on Listenable Records.

-VN

Silhouettes, the forthcoming release from Dutch progressive metal masters Textures, is the single release I am most looking forward to in April. I was completely sold after hearing only one track from Silhouettes (April 21, Listenable Records) that the band posted on their MySpace a few weeks back, but now that they’ve released a second song (”Storm Warning”) I am completely, totally, and unquestionably sold that this record is going to be absolutely fucking amazing.

Textures make ultra-heady yet accessible progressive metal — imagine elements of Meshuggah, Faith No More and a stew of European influences, with some Protest the Hero and Sikth thrown in, and you should get an idea of what this sounds like. Or just go listen.

Prepare for the next MetalSucks proverbial wet dream.

-VN

Netherlands-based prog-metal titans Textures are fucking fresh. Part Meshuggah, part Lamb of God, part Opeth, part Faith No More, and all awesome, this is the kind of hyper-aggressive, technical, mathy, heavy, heady and of course progressive metal that we jizz our pants over around here. At least I do… err, just did.

Lucky for you, VS Webzine has made the new track “Old Days Born Anew” from their upcoming album Silhouettes due April 21 (Listenable Records) available for free download. We’ve linked to the track below so you should be able to listen right here, but in case that doesn’t work for you Textures has the track up on their MySpace page too.

Textures – “Old Days Born Anew”

-VN

Well, there once was a time when a question like that would’ve been met with a resounding hells yes, but as of late, the almighty Meshuggah has effectively “dumbed-down” its proto-prog-a-licious, heavily syncopated sound into something a bit more palatable, something that your younger brother’s dorky best friend can even get behind (when he’s through marveling at how bloody awesome “Achilles Last Stand” is).

Yes, it’s true — on Meshuggah’s latest album, ObZen (released in the U.S. today), the band has crafted a significantly more accessible (in a good way) sound. Rest assured, none of the staccato, asymmetrical profundity is gone, but the tunes seem constructed in a way that your hippest grandma could possibly get down to. I mean — don’t get me wrong; this aforementioned grandma would have to be a serious motherfucker in order to even enter the room that ObZen is playing in (let alone give the inevitable mosh pit a good go), but goddamn — if she’s got the proverbial ballz to be down, then let that bitch rrrrockit, nawmean?!?

Speaking of which, I’ve cleared many a room in my day, for many a reason, but my favorite experience as such by far was when I threw Meshuggah’s Nothing on my iPod at a party, and softies done been fleein’ like it was their muthafuckin’ jizznobbz!! To tout my old friend E. Chapman (allbeit talking about a completely different medium but who the fuck cares), “If you’re affecting them in some way — good or bad — you’ve done your job as an artist.” Truly. Dude was in the right headspace for influencing minds, and that is undoubtedly what Meshuggah has done extremely well over their 21 year career.

Click to read more…

(In preparation for Tuesday’s release of *ObZen*, the new album by Meshuggah, the following is a repost of one of the first pieces that yours-motherfuckin-truly ever wrote for MetalSucks — yay.)

Ahhh, alliteration… awesome, aye asshole? All literary snickers aside, this band is an absolute MUST for any serious metalhead, especially those folks who have more progressive leanings…but don’t go thinkin this is gonna be a walk in the park–getting into Meshuggah can be quite a demanding process for many, myself included.

The first few times I listened to Meshuggah (which incidentally means crazy in Hebrew), I walked away feeling more than just slightly ill; something about the stark, staccato, rhythmically assymmetrical (yet surprisingly largely in 4/4) sound made me noticeably queasy. As we have recently learned from the esteemed Rabbi Vincent X. Neilshteinawitz, vomit is occasionally induced by the sickest of bands (after VN’s infamous run-in with Blackwater Park in my Brooklyn apartment a couple weeks ago, my porcelain palace of puke will never be the same), and my first few experiences with Meshuggah were pretty similar. Except even without the dark demon whiskey lurking in my belly, I still felt nautious after a few songs. Then I grew a goddamn pair, and my musical bar for the tightest, proggiest (in a good way), and most syncopated metal was raised once again.

Click to read more…

Well well well. This new offering from Meshuggah has been heavily anticipated, to put it mildly, and now it’s out there in the world, albeit not in an ideal, high quality download. In any case, if you just can’t wait to hear this puppy – and really, who can? – head over to the cleverly titled Metal Music Download for the download. And once you’ve given it a listen, let us know: does it live up to the hype?

-AR

So the first new track off of obZen, the new Meshuggah album that comes out March 7 in Europe and March 11 in the U.S., dropped over the weekend, and there are web-rips of not-so-great quality floating around all over the internet. Even though the sound quality isn’t so hot, they still give you a sense of what the 7 minutes-plus track has to offer: awesomeness in audio form.

You can find the track on any number of sites; I recommend Metal Injection, because, well, I like the dudes over at Metal Injection. So get over there, already.

-AR

This is getting ridiculous.

-AR