Nothing (With Bonus DVD)

Probably my favourite Meshuggah album: nothing short of brilliant, nearly every track is a masterpeice of the supremely powerful pulsing grooves that if you love Meshuggah, you love them for. The band easily warrants its own genre of music.

Meshuggah have spent years crafting complex music that almost sounds effortless, and this album is a perfect display of exactly that. As straightforward and accessible as it is mind-bending and polyrhythmic, this re-recorded version of "Nothing" is simply a must have for any fan of the band. Not only have the guitars been re-tracked to draw more attention to the already crushingly heavy riffs and hooks, but the whole sound of the album has been refined. Personal favourites like "Straws Pulled At Random" and "Rational Gaze" really highlight why the band felt the urge to re-record these fantastic tracks. The guitar tone and mix simply blows away the original release.

The bonus disc is also a nice little extra, featuring their 2005 performance at Download Festival (which incidentally I was actually in the front row for). Even if you do own the original version of "Nothing", I would still highly recommend picking up a copy of this. You wont regret it!

Meshuggahs undisputed masterpiece, re-recorded. Basically the same as the original print but with added bits, except this time around the music is so precise you would think it was done on a computer (a super-computer i might add), and each guitar is layered 4 or 5 times more so they sound even more crushing.

If you are like myself a long time meshuggah devotee you may prefer the original recording because it is slightly rough around the edges, and sounds like an amazing metal band filled with geniuses rather than a cyborg of infinitesimal power and intellect (and groove dont forget) from the future using a fist and an armpit to raspberry out a 7/4 beat. I personally listen to both as very distinct, but equally brilliant works of art.

so, if you are an existing meshuggah fan, get this. now. and go and see them live. cos theyre intense. if you are new to the band go for destroy erase improve or obzen: some may dispute the latter but i feel it is their most accessible record and therefore the best for new fans. and go see them live. finally if you dont like the band or have never heard of them you probably wont be reading this, and unless you're jewish, you probably wont even know what meshuggah means. its "crazy" by the way.

100/10 stars