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Released on September 26, 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records
Occasionally I find myself with an overpowering urge to listen to crushingly heavy music that manages to channel any frustration, or anger, into a corner of my head that basically becomes the no-go zone. One of the bands that fits perfectly into this realm is Sweden’s extreme metallers Meshuggah. I first encountered the band when Rory Friers of ASIWYFA mentioned them to me, the conversation was about tempos, riffs and detuned guitars if I recall correctly. At the time I was obsessing over detuning my guitars for that extra low end. Meshuggah, if you didn’t know it already, play detuned 8 string guitars custom built for their incredible and unique style of playing.
The Ophidian Trek is a live DVD/CD package which pulls together 15 tracks from their back catalogue. Lasting over 90 minutes in length, I have to admit I couldn’t possibly digest this entire album in one sitting. In fact, any more than a few songs in a row is tantamount to pushing me over the edge. So, why am I reviewing it you ask? Well, because I’m interested in musical extremes and listening to music that I couldn’t possibly emulate. In fact, there are few people in this world who could possibly generate the kind of mathematical polyrhythms and grooves contained in a Meshuggah album.
To the untrained ear, this music is pure cacophonous noise, unexplainable, seriously impenetrable, deranged, horrific and just plain fucked up. But listen closely and it is also stunning, incredible, amazing, intricate, unbelievable and superbly recreated in the live setting. Not that you would know this as the audio version of this show has been edited so that the minimal crowd noise, which only appears at the beginning or end of tracks, sounds like the audience are possibly not in the venue.
The suitably named ‘Swarm’ opens the album/show, its rolling drums and menacing droning riff reminiscent of bees, probably killer bees too. The guitar ‘solo’, like many of Fredrik Thordendal’s is devoid of melody and is mainly a frenzied stabbing attack. It’s noteworthy, that any soloing in this type of extreme metal probably just wouldn’t fit, so the kind that Thordendal plays works. ‘Combustion’ is an impossible collision of complex riffing and superhuman drumming. It’s always a marvel how this band conjure up such technical playing on the studio albums, to hear it played out live is confounding and truly amazing.
The groove and two-note guitar lines in ‘Rational Gaze’ bring little hooks, when the music is so relentless you find yourself clinging onto any semblance of melody. The timing on this track really is off the scale, drums and guitars pulling in different directions, the ability Meshuggah have to switch instantaneously from one to another extremely complex pattern is astonishing. How the fuck do they manage to remember everything? Their ability to make sounds that are more akin to industrial machinery is also hard to explain. ‘Obzen’ is an absurd mix of chugging riffage and machine gun kick drums.
The riffs of ‘Lethargica’ are so broken and intricately started/stopped that it sounds as if the industrial machine is about to grind to a deathly halt. ‘Do Not Look Down’ retains a slower groove but is no less intense and the riffs are still as twisted. ‘The Hurt’ is a full on thrasher with incredible drumming that constantly shifts timing and rhythm. There appears to be two drummers on ‘Bleed’, such is the staggering combination of insane kick drumming and separate rhythms by hand, that appear to be at a different time signature.
Outstanding track ‘Demiurge’ is a barrage of riffs constantly changing but yet managing to retain a consistent level of droning fury, like a raging sea engulfing you. The solos are certainly the most melodic and add a ghostly feel to the track. The end section of ‘Dancers to a Discordant System’ manages to settle into a superb bouncing rhythm, showcasing how the band aren’t just about blood and thunder. There’s also a variance to be heard in closer ‘The Last vigil’, with chiming ethereal guitars throughout, it’s hard to believe the band are capable of such quiet beauty after such intense brutality. Surely this must be the music over the end credits on the DVD, they don’t end their shows with this do they?
Ever increasing in size, the Meshuggah fan base will thoroughly enjoy this set. As I mentioned already, this is music I dip into on occasion rather than frequently, but I can still appreciate the energy and ability it takes to create this incredible kind of sound. Right now, I’m off for a lie down in a darkened room.
