Monday: Meshuggah - Obzen

     When I want a Metal Monday song, there are a few bands that I can count on as go-to touchstones for straight up heavy. Your belated Monday song for this week comes from one such band. Prepare yourself.

     I've read that the title of Meshuggah's obZen is, among other things, a sorta kinda portmanteau of "zen" and "obscene", and "obscene" is definitely a word I would use when describing my favourite Meshuggah material, as in "obscenely heavy". Longtime readers may by now have noticed my fondness for Meshuggah's sixth album, and while it's not the only one I dig, it is the one that got me into these crazy Swedes, so it's got that special "popped my Meshuggah cherry" place in my heart, y'know?

     So for Metal Monday I'm going with obZen title track "Obzen", a muscular tour de force of angular chugging and aggression. Doesn't it just make you want to mosh someone into the ground? Here's a fun game: next time you're at the office, put on "Obzen" and work your co-workers into a circle pit by the water cooler. If you need help, just show them that video of scenes from The Wolf of Wall Street cut to (you guessed it) Meshuggah so it looks like Leo's headbanging away in perfect time. Everybody will jump right on board after that.

Song of the Day: Meshuggah - Dancers to a Discordant System

     I've heard Meshuggah categorized a lot of ways. Hell, music people were so at a loss for what to call whatever it is that Meshuggah has spawned that they coined a whole new term for it, the now-infamous "djent". They're a band that can be all over the map over the course of a single album, let alone a single song. But what about -- stay with me here -- industrial?

Song of the Day: Meshuggah - Pitch Black

     The way I see it, Meshuggah is the kind of band that you're all probably already listening to. Or at least you all say you do, even if you don't actually, because listening to Meshuggah carries with it a certain amount of metal cachet. But even if you do dig Meshuggah for reals, there's still a chance you haven't yet heard that they've just put out a new (free!) EP on Scion AV, the new saviours of modern metal.

Song of the Day: Meshuggah - Bleed

     Does your afternoon require a dose of something super heavy? I've got just the thing for you. I've written about Meshuggah before, and even recommended this very song to you, but maybe you weren't paying or attention. Or maybe you were lazy that day and didn't go do any of your assigned homework. Or maybe you're just new to the party and weren't around like a month and a half, two months ago. Whatever the case may be, today you get to make amends.

     Your song for today is "Bleed" by Meshuggah, off of 2008's obZen. Put it on, turn it up, and be prepared for a sonic assault that I can only describe as "relentless". You've been warned.
(Also, please note that while there is a video for this song, it's an edit rather than the album version, so I've gone with the full on, longer version here.)

Koloss Ist Ein Monster

     Welcome back for another round! Couldn’t resist, could you? Maybe you’re back because last time I promised that next time (ie: this time) would be heavier. Sure, from a certain point of view The Mars Volta are kinda metal, kinda heavy – musically technical and complex, lyrically oblique, vocals like Queen on acid, and they can take a few listens to really get into – but from another point of view, and held up against another kind of band, they’re really not very heavy or metal at all. I wrote about them last time in no small part because they released a new record the week of March 27th, which put them back on my musical radar. Coincidentally, the same week (in North America, anyways) as Noctourniquet was released, another kind of band put out another kind of album as well, both of which are most definitely metal. That band is Meshuggah, and their new album (in case the title of this post didn’t give it away already) is called Koloss.