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Hard Rock & Metal |
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Obzen
Participated by Meshuggah
Studio : Nuclear Blast America
by Nuclear Blast America
Release Date : 2008-03-11
Publisher : Nuclear Blast America
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
EAN : 0727361193720
UPC : 727361193720
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 57 reviews)
List Price : $15.98
Our Price : $8.00
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Sometimes the heaviest metal can also be the best. |
In a nutshell, Meshuggah are the heaviest metal band I have ever heard, and arguably the most sophisticated. Each of their albums has something to be said for it individually, but their style of being reliably unpredictable has kept up without being much different. It sounds strange, I know. It is a bizarre contradiction. In that way, stylistic differences between obZen and Meshuggah's previous records are subtle. The album shreds with tonal spikes, crushes with breakneck beats, and booms with growling vocals in the same way that the previous albums did. But now, they occasionally pull a hint of mysticism out of their bag of tricks. The difference is almost negligible.
But it doesn't tire me out. ObZen is the culmination of Meshuggah's style thus far. All of the band's good aspects are rolled into a single, compact album that doesn't waste much time. In terms of production, the guitars still sound very heavy, and are still as far as I know the same type of guitars used on I and the Nothing re-release, that is, downtuned eight strings. Fredrik Thordendal has created some of his most instantly memorable riffs here. Tomas Haake is back on live drums after a break during the recording of Catch Thirty Three, which used a drum machine. Haake is the centerpiece of the band. His rhythms are considerable at the very least because they are complex and take an unfathomable degree of talent to produce, and the drum production is heated and inward. Thordendal's guitar parts seem to ride along Haake's heavy low-toned rhythms like a menacing crow resting on the head of a rhinoceros, except both animals are on crack and are charging forward at full speed.
Somewhere along the line, I stopped trying to count rhythms. I mean, in general. When listening to music. I did not think about them. When playing a song, it would come naturally to me, and I became more at ease with music that features complex rhythms and syncopation. Breakbeats from Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, for example, are one of the numerous hurdles I cleared to reach the point where my rhythmic comfort zone exploded. When I first listened to Meshuggah, I had not reached this point.
I have clearly become comfortable with Meshuggah's rhythms by now, by realizing that there is no way I could possibly keep up with them. That said, the signposts for any Meshuggah songs are difficult to pinpoint. The drums and guitars are too huge and complex to be signposts, and all of the vocals sound the same. It isn't easy getting acquainted and comfortable with Meshuggah, but it is a battle worth winning. The opening Combustion is one of the band's most memorable and adrenaline charged songs. It is followed up by comparably moody Electric Red, and then the sonic firestorm of Bleed. Although obZen pulls its best cards first, it rarely slips up. Pineal Gland Optics is also a standout, and Dancers To A Discordant System rounds everything off quite nicely.
ObZen differentiates itself by simply being of high quality. Although there isn't a hell of a lot new going on for the band, they have at the very least constructed their tightest collection of songs to date. ObZen ties the experimental EP I for the most representative Meshuggah release, and in full album form. All of Meshuggah's trademarks are here. Crushing, geometric storms of drums and guitars are periodically interrupted by guitar solos, some of which are fast with complex modes, others that are slow, unaccompanied, dissonant noises which contrast impending doom.
Although it seems as if Meshuggah have reached their stylistic boundaries, that did not stop them from making an awfully good album to kick off 2008. Fans will find familiar excellence, and new listeners would be encouraged to start here. |
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Very Impressive! |
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This is a must have for any death metal collection. This album has it all. However, it's not very fast, but has angry grooves. The musicians are amazing and the album is quite unique from anything else out there. If I had to compare it to any other band, it would be Rage Against the Machine. |
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My first Meshuggah album |
I've browsed their reviews in guitar mags. Something intigued me. So I bought their newest album. As you can tell, I'm coming to this review without any knowledge of previous output or fan favourites. But I have been listening to Opeth, Tool, Mastodon, The Fall Of Troy, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Mars Volta, Joy Division very recently.
First impressions? A dense record, full-on all the way through. A bit of a cacophony.
Later impressions? It's a grower. I'm getting to understand the seperate songs. Getting to hum along to the riffs and bits. It's still an awful racket, though! But I like that.
I'm an older music fan, and have been listening to King Crimson since they started (well, second album). And I'm amazed how influential their sound and playing has been on new metal music. I thought I was the only person listening to KC as they continually reinvented themselves. Evidently not.
This album has some blistering guitar playing on it that clearly owes an influence to KC's duo of Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp who were making new sonic worlds in the 90s and Naughties.
I like it! As Mr. Belew once said.
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What is the big fuss? |
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I don't know guys. This is my first experience with this band. I have heard that they were this phenomenal metal band, so I bought this when it first came out for $9. My first listen, I was disappointed. There are no real songs...it just seems like wankin'. And the production was terrible. So I put it on my shelf for a few months and just tried to listen to it again a week ago. Yeah, it still sucks. |
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Now this truly is a classic. |
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I'm a brand new fan of this band so I admit that they may have released some better records prior to this...I wouldn't know. All I know is that this is the absolute best death metal record I have ever heard asside from maybe only one other (by the band Death). I love this album...it is so dark, serious, and genuinely technical. These guys are real muscians. Wow!!!! I'm addicted to this album. Incredible muscianship!!!! |
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