Meshuggah Rational Gaze REACTION
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- Опубліковано 6 січ 2022
- Today on BaldHeaded Metal I'll be reacting to Meshuggah Rational Gaze. I love heavy metal, hard rock and classic rock and music in general so this is right up my alley! Join me for the reaction and see what i had to say! Thanks for stopping by!
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Original Song: • Rational Gaze
@meshuggah
#baldheadedmetal #meshuggahreaction #meshuggahrationalgazereaction
for me, it's the complexity and uniqueness of the rhythms and how they are applied that I love so much. almost all their stuff has an inherent 4/4 feel so it's really groovy once you lock into the beat. also, catching all the subtle nuances are enjoyable to hear after multiple listens (kind of like watching a movie you've seen 10 times and noticing something you didn't catch before)
I can see that with this band!
Where a lot of bands technicality comes from their melody, Meshuggah are rhythmic monsters.
Meshuggah is a heavily rhythmic band. What draws me to them, is that despite its heaviness and unique choice of melody, after prolongued time listening to it becomes like a trance. The heavy rhythmic nature of it, feels as if you are listening to tribalistic folk music. Almost everything is focused onc reating very rhythmic and unique patterns.
At first it might sound too foreing to you, because the rhytmic patterns can be quite complex (while maintaining 4/4 on the cymbals) and the melody is often quite dissonant. But after appreciating it for what it is, you will never find anythign similar. Even tho there are so many bands inspired by them, and so many bands trying to copy their style. No one comes even close to capturing the unique ambiance Meshuggah creates.
That is the reason I keep trying to be honest.
I like that you are really trying, its worth it:) In 2005 i was going through that too, i had an older friends who listened to them from the beginning and i wasnt that into it because of the extreme dedication to the craft if you know what i mean, but in time it has become like meditation to me, its not normal music, its unique and very indulgent. Many many bands have been inspired by them but none are as too the core of the genre as Meshuggah are. Another band of note is 'Devolved', they are considered math metal lol, love them too.
I think u should give those band some love .. some of the best 2021 ❤️
Vildhjarta
Aviana
Thrown
I love your honest reaction man, seeing your videos gave more insight on how people feels on my favorite bands. Keep up the good work!
Appreciate the honesty, keep up the shuggah content 🤘
drummer of 26 years here. one of the keys of getting into these guys is, for sure, letting your head groove to what you naturally find. if you find yourself being dragged by Tomas' uncanny 4/4 subgroove, fall into line and march with. if you're finding that Fredrik and Marten are drawing your mental gaze, follow them into the abyss. if you find Jens enchanting your feeble existence, allow his words to narrate your descent.
these guys create an atmosphere that we, as the listener, are forced to exist in and contend with. we must find our assigned currents.
Nice.
You put it really well at the end.
They've been my favorite band for 20 years and music is my favorite thing.
But I think I like them so much, not because I love the sound so much.
I mean, I do love the sound, but I think the main reason from day #1 was because I was and am so intrigued by their approach and application.
Even if the riff is devoid of all melody and distinguishable tempo, I'm compelled to learn from it because I just know it's next level rhythm.
Damn, can't wait for the new album.
Awesome, you're staring to recognize and maybe even try and anticipate the cycles while listening.
Great videos, man.
Love the honesty.
I LIKE JUICE!
I can't hear this song without hearing the misheard lyrics anymore :D
The first song I ever heard from Meshuggah was Straws Pulled At Random, which I quickly found out the existence of 8 string guitars and didn't quite like the band. That and the fact that it was also my introduction to polyrhythms, so I was thrown off the cliff. As a bassist, I complained "Why use 8 string? Just use bass!" while pretending that I did not play the song 5 more times in a single day.
It took me 2 months to finally admit that Meshuggah is an incredible band and quickly rose to among my top favourites. It took me 3 years to bang my head on time with the songs. It took me 3 more years to be able to play my bass while also headbanging on time.
So yeah, it takes time to like the band, but this is coming from an ex-elitist so the experience is completely different. I always tell first time listeners that liking Meshuggah takes time and Bleed is the worst song for first time reaction because you can't start at 100. They're not simple as evident by their songs, so I completely understand your point of view.
Awesome video! Bleed is typically cited as their most "accessible" song (and it's pretty badass), so it's worth checking out if you're on the fence. Personally, Demiurge and Clockworks are two of my favorites.
Future breed machine also has a cool change up
i actually did that one ;)
Glad your kinda coming around to meshuggah! Check out Pravus off of the obzen album! Crazy song
I first learned of Meshuggah when a metal elitest tried to troll me on a Tool video, comparing the two bands and saying that Tool wasn't real metal, Meshuggah was! I am now a huge fan of both bands. I'm a fan of badass music, what can I say! Meshuggah really got me to appreciate and love harsh vocals at this level, and now I'm a fan of Death Metal, Black Metal, and most of their subgenres. After opening myself up to these styles of music I find that, while listening to some of the craziest rhythms and sounds that a human can experience, I can even drift to sleep through transcendental mediation, the journey never ends!
Everything is awsome…
What did u think about In Mournings album?
This song is one of the easier of their songs in their catalog to play. You just have to catch the 4/4 and then it makes sense
That being said meshuggah doesn't write easy songs
Please make a playlist. I want to stay updated
You are feeling the same about Meshuggah as most Meshuggah fans including myself felt when trying to get into them. First song I heard of them was Bleed as well. I was so impressed and mesmerized yet it was so hard to listen to at first because of its brutal heaviness and complexity. One day I wanted to go through their whole catalog and started from the start. I was immediately in love with their earlier work until I got to Chaosphere which was so weird sounding at first. Everything before Chaosphere was more like very heavy thrash metal with still some complexity but not too much for a beginner should I say. But I still kept coming back to Chaosphere because it was so unique sounding altough I didn't necessarily love it. Same with all of their other albums. I kept going back and forced myself to like them because it was so unique and dark sounding. Today Meshuggah is my favourite band and I am glad that I always gave them opportunities sometimes even after months of not listening to any of their albums. They are also the best live band in the world in my opinion. They put you in trance with the combination of their music and light show. Every one just headbangs and stares at the band when they play... Their best song is probably "I" which is a 21 minute song of epicness and brutality and there are so many switch ups through out the song that I you would be blown away. However my absolute favourite songs by them are "Pravus" and "The Violent Sleep of Reason".
"as most of Meshuggah fans" ehh do u have facts of this?
Seen the music video yet?
It's hilarious😂
If you get a chance to see them live, DO IT! They are insane live.
Another thing that’s kind of tough for you is that you’re such a seasoned metal fan. This sound was super unique when it first came out (particularly the guitar tone), which I’m sure you know, but it probably doesn’t hit you as much because it’s a much more common sound these days. One of the first songs I heard from these guys was “Concatenation,” and my eyes bugged open, thinking “What is THIS?” It just sounded like nothing else I had ever heard before. So you’re kind of robbed of that experience as someone who’s coming in post-Djent. Generally in terms of the idea of the band, I think it’s just groove and relentlessness. They just want to be fucking brutal, haha. Personally, I think there’s a certain boldness to stripping it down to just rhythmic percussive chugging - somehow by making it so simple it kind of makes it more brutal, if that makes any sense. Like I said on the last post, though, there’s a more intricate, chaotic side to Meshuggah too. They’ve got some stuff in their bag. And their early stuff is like jazzy old Metallica.
i was always aware of em but i dont think i was open minded enough before to even try to be honest...it is time now
Their first album is amazing.
Yea this would be better with Tatiana's vocals. 🙂 On that note, you should do a reaction to JINJER - Judgement (& Punishment) - Tatiana Shmayluk - One Take Vocal Performance (if you haven't already). That song has some of the same base notes as this one, but with some more progressive vibes and shifts during the song. You clearly hear the influence.
Just stick with it. I hated Meshuggah at first, but now they're my favorite band. Nothing sounds like them--it's like alien music. The infectious grooves will start to permeate in your head and eventually you will find those grooves repeating in your head all day.
This might guide you a bit when it comes to their major albums (excluding their 90s stuff which I don't like):
*Nothing* = a more hypnotic, trance-inducing album with many repeating patterns. I listen to this album alot while working to get into a flow state. The remastered version (the version you are listening to) is DEFINITELY better than the original. My favorite songs on this album are "Stengah", "Perpetual Black Second", "Closed Eyed Visuals", and "Spasm".
*Catch 33* = an amazing concept album that was originally written as one long song and then split up into individual tracks. The first half of the album is chaotic and the second half is where it becomes truly epic. I normally just listen to the album starting from the song "Mind's Mirrors" through the final song "Sum". I shit you not, this album is the most epic sounding thing I've heard (even just for the second half of the album alone). This album requires you to be a more seasoned listener to truly appreciate it. But seriously, it's like an epic movie score. The last song "Sum" is the most soul-crushing thing I've ever heard.
*Obzen* = their most popular album which includes a ton of bangers like "Combustion", "Bleed", "Pravus", and what many people consider their greatest song "Dancers to a Discordant System". I hated Meshuggah at first like I said previously, but "Dancers to a Discordant System" is what lured me in initially and kept me listening. This album has a brutal, cold, and clinical mix and is pure aggression. It's masterful, but it scared me at first since I had only previously listened to bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and 80s thrash bands.
*Koloss* = probably their most accessible album and the one I listen to the most because every song is so damn groovy. Like seriously, grooves that make you nod your head whether you like it or not. You got bangers like "Do Not Look Down", "Break Those Bones Whose Sinew Gave it Motion", "Marrow", and "Swarm". The first track "Colossus" is a grower--I didn't listen to it for years because I thought it was boring, but it hooked me a month ago and now the groove is constantly in my head.
*The Violent Sleep of Reason* = their latest album. This showcases their amazing song "Clockworks" with the awesome drum-cam video. That song alone makes this album great. Then you got awesome songs like "Born in Dissonance", "Nostrum", and the title track. This album is probably their darkest and most sludgy album and has alot of songs that take a while to appreciate. Part of what inspired them to make this album was that they thought it was horrible how many countries were turning their backs on refugees trying to escape death in their own countries. In otherwords, "humanitarian treason" as stated in the lyrics of the title track.
In terms of accessibility, I'd rank them as follows (most accessible to least accessible):
1. Koloss
2. Nothing
3. Obzen
4. TVSOR
5. Catch 33
Check out their new single abysmal eye... you'll definitely like that...
that one is coming this week for sure :D
Good! I am curious what comes of your adventure with meshuggah... it appears to be similar to my experience... but over time I suspect you'll have a strange fascination with them. Just like me...lol
Cool reaction! You are really persevering with bands that doesn't speak to you immediately. I would highly recommend Straws pulled at random from the same album as the next in the list.
Since you are now a bit "malleable" to different kind of metal, I recommend to check out Ulcerate - Drown Within. It is a band from New Zealand, and they are also a very drum centered band. It is hailed as one of the most unique bands in the technical death metal genre. Very underrated.
ill add em to the list and check em out!
Try listening to Swarm
Imo “Do not look down” and “bleed” by meshuggah are the perfect blend of technicality leading to a nice sounding song. Rational gaze is neat but i dont really think its good as an intro to meshuggahs music.
Meshuggah was one of those bands in highschool was out of my grasp, or out of my wheelhouse I couldn't understand it at all. But when I stumbled back onto them about two years ago, instantly on the first playthrough of clockworks, my mind was just blown and I went on a two day bender listening to every song that I could find. I'm not sure what changed, but something clicked the second time around for me. Though they are kind of like tool for me, they are complex enough that they will never be in my daily playlist because sometimes I just don't want to listen to Meshuggah.
Also fear factory....in my opinion is totally separate from Meshuggah, like comparing apples and oranges to me. They just don't corelate, I get the comparison but to me that's just doesn't stack up.
I've seen your reactions to Meshuggah so far, and I think Catch 33 (album by them) is probably the closest to your taste. The album itself has an interesting story and approach, and has a lot of themes lyrically and musically that run through the whole thing. It feels more like one continuous song too. If you listen to "In Death is Life" from Catch 33 it will actually remind you quite a lot of Rational Gaze.
Aside from that album, I would say that their album Koloss is the most approachable and it definitely has a bunch of bangers I listen to all the time. "Do not Look Down", "Swarm" and "Demiurge" are all very groovy and easy to get into.
And if you want someone who explains the rhythms really well, I recommend Yogev Gabay. Here's Bleed explained, since youve already heard it. ua-cam.com/video/UcsAAPdJTBE/v-deo.html
I know I’m late but I was gonna suggest catch thirty three. It’s such an amazing album that played like one continuous song. So great
It's difficult sometimes to understand if a certain band and/or movement was before your time, or if you missed out on it when it was happening. I caught onto Meshuggah around their second album, which is widely considered a classic and extremely influential on the djent, deathcore and math metal scenes. Had I not known who they were and just started to listen to them now, I don't know how much I would be into it either, because I tend to gravitate toward newer bands that have more melody, like power metal or prog or hard rock/metal. The more extreme bands that I listen to have been around awhile. So I understand hearing them for the first time and being like WTF is this and even listening to more songs and saying I still don't get it. You shouldn't feel obligated to keep trying it out if you don't connect with it. You have heard their biggest songs, so if it hasn't reeled you in by now, it likely won't be any different if you binged their whole discography in a weekend.
Once you understand what Meshuggah are actually doing in all of their songs (Rhythmic displacement) their music becomes less and less complicated and much more enjoyable to listen to. Takes some time though
Iwabo over jinjer. Maybe in fanning