AOTY #23: Meshuggah - Koloss

My relationship with Meshuggah is on again, off again.  I loved Chaosphere, but couldn't even make it through obZen. Other albums were hit and miss. So with Koloss we can declare the relationship on again. I'm no expert but I understand Koloss is a return to a more groove oriented approach for the band. Perhaps it's that underlying fluidity complementing the signature Meshuggah "djent" time signature mindfuckery that won me over this time. Not to mention the absolutely phenomenal drumming of Tomas Haake and the intensely unique vocalist, Jens Kidman. I can hear his facial expressions. I went to bed listening to Koloss a few times after some "herbal" medicine and I'm really surprised I didn't wake up completely insane.

(Nuclear Blast)

Meshuggah Official Site

Krisiun, Norma Jean, Meshuggah, and No Age

Krisiun - Southern Storm: Excellently executed Sepultura cover = Automatic Horns UP! Sepultura is an obvious influence as the cover is right in the middle of the album and it fits right in. If this album is an accurate sonic interpretation of a southern storm, I am happy up here in the Norther Hemisphere, because this Southern Storm is devastating! Horns up!

Norma Jean - Vs. the Anti-mother: I shouldn't like this. It's Christian screamo. But, for some reason, I do. I think it's the great tone, the song that sounds like Helmet, the catchiness and they have a really long song. Horns up.

Meshuggah - Obzen: I like Meshguggah, I really do, but I really have to be in the mood for them. And I seldom am. It's too herky-jerky. I can't lock into anything. I have to think too much. If it came around on my ipod, I wouldn't skip it, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Horns up based on musicianship and tone.

No Age - Nouns: It's just noise to me. Shitty noise at that. I've tried to listen to this a couple times but I just can't make it past the first track. I can't even finish the first track. The rest of the album MIGHT be better but if you start with such crap, you don't deserve to have me listen to any more. I am not even going to give this a horns down because it doesn't deserve horns. If I was throwing the horns while doing a one-armed keg stand, that would be horns down and WAY cooler than this piece of crap. I'll give it the Finger.Down.

Because I don't like EVERYthing

Just because it's metal doesn't mean it's good. I find this out the hard
way sometimes. At the same time, as Cronos from Venom said in Black Metal:
A Documentary, (basically)"If I had to listen to the worst corpse-paint
metal band in the world or fucking Britney Spears, I'd listent to the
fucking worst corpse-paint metal band in the world. Because I fucking love
metal".
Where am I going with this anyway? Right. Metal is better than everything
else but just because it's metal doesn't make it good.
That being said, here's some shit I listened to within the last 24 hours
that was exactly that. Shit.

Abigail Williams - In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns ( or some such bullshit
name, I forgot it already).
I am trying to like Black Metal, I really am but it's band like this
that turn me off of the sub-genre. I can handle the screechy vocales but I
can't do the theatrical, atmospheric shit. Too many keyboards and strings
(other than guitars). Can't do it. Turned it off after 2-3 songs.

After the Burial - Rareform
Better than the above but still shitty. First song, maybe 2, was kinda
deathcore/metalcore/whatevercore. Well executed but stale. Then I thought
my player went to another band. I checked, nope, still ATB. They went into
full-on Meshuggah-clone mode. Same choppy rhythms, exact same guitar tone.
Note to bands: You cannot do Meshuggah as good as Meshuggah, so stop trying
and get your own sound.

Cynic - Traced in Air
I don't even think I finished listening to 2 songs. Can't stand the
vocals. The high ones anyway. The low growls weren't too bad but I just
couldn't handle the high stuff. If it's another 15 years before they
release an album, that would be fine with me.

On a positive note.....2 bands I heard one song from today that I MUST
listen to the whole album: Zozobra and Helms Alee.