Track Listing

1. Stengah
2. Rational Gaze
3. Perpetual Black Second
4. Closed Eye Visuals
5. Glints Collide
6. Organic Shadows
7. Straws Pulled At Random
8. Spasm
9. Nebulous
10. Obsidian

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85198 in Music
• Released on: 2002-09-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

CD Description
Hailing from northern Sweden's thriving death metal/thrash scene is Meshuggah, a quintet whose origins date back to thelate '80s. NOTHING features plenty of driving cuts packed with plenty of high-speed riffing, unorthodox time changes, and frontman Jens Kidman's disemboweled howl. This disc showsthe results of the band's gradual maturation. Their earlierwork showed the influence of bands like Exodus, but this more recent fare finds the band incorporating more industrial-flavoured nuances. Casual fans and die-hards alike will findplenty to get pumped up over with this ultra-aggressive dose of Swedish thrash.

Customer Reviews

Ultra-crushing heaviness, but doesn't quite top 'Chaosphere'
Meshuggah have possibly the finest guitar sound in the whole of extreme Metal. It’s something akin to a cement mixer being pushed down a fire escape; unbelievably heavy and crushing. If you thought Korn and all the other Nu Metal rubbish had guitars that were very downtuned, you should give this a listen and you’ll understand how low the sound can go. However, this is unlikely to appeal to the average Linkin Park-loving Nu Metal fan, as there happens to be some intelligence behind the music and not just banal, pre-packaged pop music. These Swedes have their own seven and even eight string guitars custom made for them so they can make their sound heavy enough! When you hear the album, you’ll see that the extra effort was well worth it. From the devastating opener ‘Stengah’ onwards, they simply crush everything in their path with the size of the sound they produce. The polyrhythms that the band are rightly famous for are still here on the guitars, but the usual polyrhythmic double bass assault from drummer Thomas Haake is strangely absent, giving the record a slightly unusual feel and atmosphere, different to anything that has gone before. That isn’t to say the drumming isn’t still crushing and intelligent because that’s exactly what it is, it just isn’t what you’d expect to hear. Also missing here are Fredrik Thordendahl’s ultra-complex solos as last heard in full effect on ‘Destroy Erase Improve’. It seems like a logical evolution from the band’s back catalogue, and it is, but most fans, myself included, still prefers this album’s predecessor, the simply mindblowing ‘Chaosphere’ to this one. That isn’t to say ‘Nothing’ isn’t a superb record, it is, but it doesn’t quite make the superhuman step to outdoing what came before it. If you want to see how heavy a guitar tone in Metal can be made, you should check this album out, it will impress you.

A welcome change from Chaosphere
Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah has never been conformist, in any sense. With this, their third major full-length release, they've once again defied expectations and changed their approach from the whirlwind insanity of Chaosphere and jazz-fusion stylings of D:E:I, favouring instead a very tightly-controlled, deliberate and unrelenting sonic assault.

It's a gamble, but one that ultimately pays off, despite criticism from "fans" who were expecting another Chaosphere. What this album lacks in speed, it makes up for with sheer heaviness and complexity, as the listener is battered by Thordendal and Hagstrom's awesomely heavy 8-string riffs, complemented by the most intelligent drumming on any metal album courtesy of Tomas Haake, and finished off by Jens Kidman's intense vocal growl (you can just imagine the veins popping out on his neck and temples). As with previous Meshuggah releases, all the instruments seem to work against each other, but somehow the conflict always resolves itself and everything meshes together beautifully. The only thing really missing is Frederik Thordendal's awesome Houldsworth-inspired jazz-fusion solos, which wouldn't really have fit very well with the texture of the album overall, although the odd solo can be heard here and there. (Of course, if you want solos, you can always listen to D:E:I.)

Nothing is a difficult album to withstand, but ultimately very rewarding, as with each listen you become more familiar with the complex interlocking patterns within the music, and further appreciate the technical skill and musicianship of the band. Hopefully this new direction will bring them the commercial success they richly deserve.

Nothing. What have you got to lose?
The great thing about Meshuggah is that their quite relentlessly heavy. The even better thing is that their ingenuity knows no bounds. Where other bands stick to a low tuned, seven stringed guitar sound Meshuggah have pushed themselves further ahead or should i say lower by using eight string guitars (or at least that tuning) on this album. This sub sonic assault is best outlined on the track 'Spasm'. The tectonic barrage's sinister quality is highlighted by a higher pitch tune bringing this off kilter cacophany towards Jens Kiddman's (vocalist) lyrics about seizures and fits. All the more fitting when the guitars break down into a stutter while the snare drum fills the pauses with rattles like bone shattering.

Not to go on too long about just one track but i hope i have managed to describe to you as best as possible just what this amazing band are capable of. Check them out.