All photos by Kristian Singh-Nergård
The Swedish Technical/Extreme Metal band Meshuggah released their seventh studio album last year, entitled Koloss, and after cancellation of last year’s concerts, the band finally made it to Norway’s Rockefeller.
Meshuggah put on quite a light show along with the music. The show was very visual and obviously very well thought out. Vocalist Jens Kidman knows how to get the crowd in the right mood as well. He stands firm onstage with the authority and presence reminiscent of the Metal version of the Techno Viking (yeah, google it), which is substantiated by the heaviness and brutality of their music.
The band plays with a precision that’s almost impossible to comprehend. The music is extremely technical and it’s challenging even to listen to everything that’s going on, let alone play it. At times they utilize contrasts in their music such as the slow and melodic guitar solos on “Bleed” and “Dancers To A Discordant System”, which are played on top of heavy, rhythmical riffs. This sets them apart from the rest of their genre and really speaks to their musicianship.
The set was mostly dedicated to the songs off Koloss, but there were other gems as well. The already mentioned “Bleed” and “Dancers To A Discordant System” from 2008’s ObZen, and the title track from the same album were crowd pleasers, as were the double encore “In Death – Is Life” and “In Death – Is Death” off 2005’s Catch Thirtythree.
Rockefeller Music Hall was packed and the crowd got what they came for, and then some. Meshuggah has been labeled as one of the most important Rock/Metal bands by various music magazines through the years and they didn’t put their reputation to shame with this show. Any fan of Extreme Metal should go see Meshuggah at least once in their lifetime; it’s definitely worth it.
Highlights: “ObZen,” “I Am Colossus,” “Bleed,” “Dancers To A Discordant System.”
Setlist
Swarm / Combustion / Rational Gaze / obZen / Lethargica / Do Not Look Down / The Hurt That Finds You First / I Am Colossus / Bleed / Demiurge / New Millennium Cyanide Christ / Dancers To A Discordant System
Encore: In Death – Is Life / In Death – Is Death
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