WARNING. Listening to this album may cause serious damage to your bank balance and add points to your license.
If you have ever been caught speeding then you’ll know the following reasons are not accepted as an excuse; “I was late”, “I did not see the signs”, “I did not know the road” and so on. I think Meshuggah’s latest offering could well be added to that already extensive list.
If you do find yourself sitting in front of a judge, however, asking what the reason for your speeding was, play ‘Monstrocity’ and see what happens. Has anyone seen a judge head-bang with his or her ceremonial wig on? I don’t know. It would make for an interesting music video actually. Food-for-thought.
Meshuggah have always been at the forefront of the avant-garde metal scene, despite not breaking into the “mainstream” line of vision. They push the capable limits of what instrumental writing and playing capabilities can achieve, stopping on a pinhead to change time signatures multiple times over to a jazz-esk drumming style.
Here is the first track of this their eighth album, ‘Clockworks‘:
This is impressive at any level, but when you’ve been a band for twenty-nine years then you deserve for passers-by to take to their knees as you walk by.
‘The Violent Sleep Of Reason’ is ten tracks deep in what can only be described as the “Meshuggah noise”. There is so, so much going on each of the ten tracks that it is nothing short of an assault on the mind and further more so on the senses, with the colossal and overwhelming brutality of their sound. It’s a very complex and layered way of writing music but my god it keeps you on the very limits of the edge and holds you there without mercy.
This is a seriously powerful album, anchoring down what this band can achieve. In a world where bands often try to change their sound for a wider acceptance, Meshuggah concentrate by experimenting in their very unique way and proving they are still a formidable force nearly thirty years on.
The Swedish powerhouse that is Meshuggah are currently on tour and will be forcibly making their way into and across the UK in mid-January for seven shows.
