Meshuggah – Koloss (2012)

Simultaneously avant-garde and extreme, Meshuggah not only rocked our world, but tear it down to pieces. Formed in 1987, in Umeå, Sweden, they became world wide famous with the 1995 release “Destroy Erase Improve” and for its fusion of brutal, fast-tempo Death Metal, contorted Thrash Metal and Dark, Progressive Metal, and Industrial build-ups with Jazz Fusion elements. They were labeled as one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands by Rolling Stone and as the most important band in metal by Alternative Press. They 2002’s album “Nothing” and the albums that followed have all charted on the Billboard 200, although Meshuggah has found little mainstream success, but staying a significant and influential act in extreme underground music. Meshuggah’s most commercially successful album, the previous 2008’s “obZen”, peaked at No. 59 and sold 11,400 copies in the first week and 50,000 copies six months after its release in the United States. In Sweden, the album entered the official album chart at number 16, and in the UK at number 151.
“Koloss”, the upcoming seventh album is set to be released on March 23, 2012 in Germany, on March 26 in the rest of Europe, and March 27 in North America via Nuclear Blast. We’ve got 54 minutes of sonic slaughter and as drummer Tomas Haake stated: “best avoided by the faint of heart!”

And this is such a Hell of a trip – eventually paved with contorted, brutal, groovy, still extremely colorful, good music. Not easy to listen, not a ticket to the mainstream, but complex, looking forward (future) Metal. Hard to impossible to pick a favorite, “The Hurt That Finds You First” nailed me down with its vibe, “Swarm” ripped my head off with its complex rhythmic construction and grinding riffs, each and every song here have something incredible, original hook and Meshuggah once again over-come themselves. The production is massive and cutting, everything it’s placed in it’s right place and blowing. Murderous. If you want to got a score, it’s 11 out of 10.

Tracklist:

01 – I Am Colossus
02 – The Demon’s Name Is Surveillance
03 – Do Not Look Down
04 – Behind The Sun
05 – The Hurt That Finds You First
06 – Marrow
07 – Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
08 – Swarm
09 – Demiurge
10 – The Last Vigil

Meshuggah – Official Site
Meshuggah @ Facebook

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK3VJytefMo&w=545&h=399]