Nothing
Nuclear Blast
2.5 EYES
Meshuggah's ace-in-the-hole has always been their twisted-metal sci-fi car crash of ridiculously technical start-stop palpitations, hoarsely screamed over and served still sparking. Trouble was, after about one record of this (1995's impressive Destroy Erase Improve), it seemed the band had painted itself into a corner, taking forever to release a followup (Chaosphere) that, while brawny and brainy, was a bit of a rehash, maybe just upratcheting the tension headache a little more. Accolades poured in (is anyone else sick of seeing that quote from Rolling Stone about Meshuggah being one of the 10 Essential metal bands yet?) and bands like Tool took 'em on the road, but as years stretched on, one could almost hear the collective "now what?" echoing from Sweden.
Nothing pares down the algebra equations, although it's still hard to mosh to without getting a crick in your neck - but its aim seems to be at a different headspace altogether, more of a bleak, minor-chorded Voivod tundra than a sizzling tech-metal inferno. At certain points, like the droning closing track and the ending of track six, their newfound sparseness works, igniting a huge, but minimalist wall-of-sound dirge that sounds like the chord of God come down to smite the meek. Too much of Nothing, though, just plods on, and without the constant nerve-twitching time changes of yore, the music (and Jens Kidman's barked vocals) gets monotonous. Guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, as always, throws in some insidious, eerie anti-solos, worming their way through the concrete blocks of rhythm like acid leaching into concrete. But long stretches of Nothing just sound like filler, standard-issue chugga-chug to take us to the next good idea. There's great stuff on Nothing, and it certainly sounds like Meshuggah could be heading into a cool new direction, but after waiting four years, I was hoping for more than a transitional record. Not bad, but one gets the feeling that Meshuggah has yet to make their definitive record - and I, for one, ain't gettin' any younger... (Keith Bergman)
Shockwaves CD REVIEWS ISSUE 6 Page 14