I played the drums for close to 30 yrs. Just keeping time with what he’s doing with his arms alone are insane. Let alone the feet. This is a testament of what the human mind is capable of
I hear ya. I played drums in the 80's. Hard Rock and Metal. It never even occurred to me to try and play polyrhythms. It was hard just to do simple 4/4 stuff playing 3bps. Probably why I switched to guitar.
The glove is because he said his right hand gets sweatier than his left so he needs the glove to not lose the stick since that's the "tempo keeper" in most Meshuggah songs. Also they're Swedish . . . not German lol
Beeing a musician myself and a Meshuggah fan for several years now I have to say that they made me appreciate music in so many new ways and there is always something new to discover in even their old tracks. They are just awesome!
Ok, now imagine getting the timing down with not only his hands, but the altering speeds his feet are also putting out. Its complete limb independence, and I can only think of a couple of drummers who can truly do this. I think its the truly defining factor of whether or not someone has really mastered the drums.
@2:45 because it is in 4. Even Thomas him self laughed at this in one interview, all of their songs are in 4. Getting this felling that musicians forgot all about what a doted note is or a how to play a triplet.
Bro! Watching you react to music is just plain awesome! You can tell you can FEEL it! And that is what Music is really all about. Keep up the good work, man!
My favorite part besides everything is the massive bomb that drops at 9:53. Absolutely crazy. Another thing are all those ghost notes on the snare and the high hat on the left is still going. Thomas is absolute masterclass drumming. What a beast! :D Subscribed! Please do more meshuggah reviews. They're one of my all-time favorite bands ever! :) Edit: Just say Thomas Haak-uh
That section is soooo fcking heavy. I was about to headband right Into the drop... And then BAM comes the advertising. I've never been so disapppointed of an ad before
exactly.. first time i heard it i lost my shit lol... my neighbors lost their shit too because i wached it on my phone and immediately ran that shit through my stereo for evvvvvveryone to hear haha
@@peternystrom6632 Yes, because this guy made a mistake no one in the US knows Meshuggah is from Sweden. There are no people in the US from Sweden and Swedish culture is not a thing in the US. You heard it here.
I love seeing someone else (fellow drummer) as happy, excited and astounded all at the same time when watching Thomas as I have been for over 25 years!!!🤘🤘 The pleasure of seeing these guys live is not to be missed when touring resumes. Awesome reaction man, thanks.
your explanation at the end of what makes Meshuggah is excellent and applies to literally all awesome art. it has the surface level appeal which consists of layers that can be pealed back to reveal more and more depth and more levels at which to appreciate it, all of which just amplify the initial surface level appeal.
I wish he’d do a Plini reaction. Maybe “Flaneur”, or “I’ll Tell You Someday,” but really any of Plini’s stuff would be really cool to hear Michael’s reaction.
@@daltonwynn3786 I love flaneur. When troy Wright left I was like damn who can drum as good as troy but then I saw chris allison and I was like damn. Live hes a beast. The whole band is just an unreal experience live
@@briantopps5638 I bet they are. I can’t wait for this Covid stuff to be over so I can go to shows again. I have a long list of bands I want to see, and Plini is right up there.
great reaction! it'd be really interesting to hear your take on some of their guitarwork as well. as for rhythm-based guitars it seems to be on virtuosic levels to me. not in the shredding-speed kind of way, but "Bleed" for instance is really fast and difficult rhythm-wise to keep up with. it's a part of their music that seems to go underappreciated.
3:53 You’re not gonna believe this. But it’s actually 4/4. It sounds like nothing but polyrhythms because everything is syncopated around the fundamental 4/4 rhythm.
My favorite thing about Meshuggah, is that you can pretty much count “1, 2, 3, 4” through the whole song, just the down beats hit in different increments. Like, for a person that has music theory knowledge, they are truly nuts to listen to.
Well, keeping a steady 4 like that throughout whatever polyrhythms you're stacking can definitely be called German, no matter where the band's from. :)
loving the reactions and analysis! please please Nevermore - this godless endeavour. Insane riffs and sweeps by Jeff Loomis and mid intro is the uncontested best riff of all time
He mentioned in an interview that he only wears one glove, because he sweats a lot and the right hand stick has a tendency to slip out of his hand. He doesn't like to tape his sticks so he tried one glove and that kept the stick in his hand. That why he only uses one glove.
Hey Micheal! I would highly recommend listening to Charley Crockett. Texan guy who’s got a lot of original material and a cool story as well. _That’s how I got to Memphis,_ and _9lb Hammer_ would be good songs to start with. Hope you’ll have a look ;)
Probably been answered but he wears the glove on the right hand cause that hand does more work as a drummer. He started developing Carpal Tunnel. The glove is very grippy so it takes less effort to hold onto the stick. Also helps with holding onto the stick when hands get sweaty. Also, the left hihat is going to mark time. Thats literally all its there for. he only plays the right hihat with the stick.
Might be a late answer but he doesn't wear a glove on his left hand (he tried) because when he hits rimshots on the snare he lets the stick slip past his thumb (into the web of finger and thumb) to absorb some of the shock of hitting so hard and with the glove that stopped from happening and hurt his thumb. So glove went away. Makes sense.
I think it's been discussed that their songs are usually in 4/4 but the guitar lines offset and it takes 2 or 3 measures for the guitars to come back around to land on 1. And if you really want your brain to hurt, watch a couple Matt Garstka videos....especially the ones where he talks about beat displacement.
Loving your content! Even if you don’t do vids please check out wintersun sons of winter and stars, Karnivool change, Karnivool we are and twelve foot ninja one handed killing they are amazing
The stick is more likely to fly out of his right hand because it moves around the kit more, while the left hand tends to stay planted near his core. Therefore he wears the glove on the right. I would imagine he learned the hard way.
He mentions in an interview that he mostly plays rim shots and the stick would not slip if he wears the glove, thus giving him blisters. So he doesn’t wear one so that the stick can slide properly on every rim shot.
He doens't wear the glove on the left because he wants the stick te be a little loose in his left hand. He tried it with a glove but then it injured his left thumb (the stick needs to flick off the thumb). He doesn't want to have his right stick go anywhere, so he still uses the glove on the right.
This can actually be done without being really good at odd time signatures. I think they said that they're basically using a metronome with a 4/4 timing when writing stuff and then just do weird stuff around it. They are incredibly good at knowing where they syncopate or tie into the next measure. So really everything is written in 4/4, but it can be interpreted as an odd signature. Or they're just insanely meticulous and plan everything out in a theoretical sense, which could be the case as well. They are very diffuse about how they really accomplish their stuff, and I think they're doing that on purpose. They want to keep it a secret.
Its hilarious how simple of a concept they use for this song and then how creative they get with it. The base idea is Left Hand, Right Foot, Left Foot. And he plays that 3 note pattern at two different note rates: as 16th notes, or a 3 over 4 polyrhythm and as 16th triplets which feels more even to 4/4 They take those two very basic ideas and combine them in longer odd phrases all while Tomas keeps time on the cymbals. I love this band and how creative they are
Trying to keep a 4/4 on one hand while doubling the speed on the other is so hard. How does one have that much discipline in (terms of) their technique?
I know this video is two years old but did anyone even find out why he is wearing just one glove? I thought it might be because he catches cymbals with that hand and doesn't want to get cut up. My old drummer used to cut his knuckles on cymbals occasionally.
He only wears one glove because he says he likes to feel the stick more in his left hand and doesn’t like a how glove interferes with his feel with that hand.
He spoke about it being about doing rimshots too. Rimshots on the left didn't sit well with a glove. The glove would keep the stick static in the same position during rimshots instead of sliding a bit off, and he preferred without.
Have you reacted to John Moreland; "you don't love me enough to cry" ?? It pretty deep, nice guitar too:) like your channel, thanks and keep up the good work buddy.👍
Would love for you to react to some progressive stuff (like Between the Buried and Me, their drummer regularly streams on Twitch) or technical death metal (like The Black Dahlia Murder or Enterprise Earth).
I played the drums for close to 30 yrs. Just keeping time with what he’s doing with his arms alone are insane. Let alone the feet. This is a testament of what the human mind is capable of
I hear ya. I played drums in the 80's. Hard Rock and Metal. It never even occurred to me to try and play polyrhythms. It was hard just to do simple 4/4 stuff playing 3bps. Probably why I switched to guitar.
I love watching musicians geek out over each other.
Especially across genres.
Completely agree, the admiration is infectious
The glove is because he said his right hand gets sweatier than his left so he needs the glove to not lose the stick since that's the "tempo keeper" in most Meshuggah songs.
Also they're Swedish . . . not German lol
he said it sounds german, not they are german,
It might depend on a workplace injury he had back in the early 90s.
He hurt his hand in a lathe.
all of you are wrong. he's got eczema on his hands. he sometimes wears gloves on both hands, or just the other, or not at all.
@@apple_with_a_human_butt You are all wrong, he is a huge Michael Jackson fan.
jk
@@apple_with_a_human_buttthe glove was around long before the eczema
Even his ghost notes have ghost notes.
LOL exactly
good one
they sound so fucking good
His ghost notes have nightmares.
And also, they're more ghostly than any ghosts in horror movies and games.....
Already loved this channel but now you’re breaking down Meshuggah? Fan for life! Thank you!!!
Have you seen him react to Slayer while holding his newborn child?
Also reacted to Domination with his son. Loved watching that one as I am a very big Pantera/Dimebag fan.
Beeing a musician myself and a Meshuggah fan for several years now I have to say that they made me appreciate music in so many new ways and there is always something new to discover in even their old tracks. They are just awesome!
Ok, now imagine getting the timing down with not only his hands, but the altering speeds his feet are also putting out. Its complete limb independence, and I can only think of a couple of drummers who can truly do this. I think its the truly defining factor of whether or not someone has really mastered the drums.
At some point, the drumming is a derivative of him dancing in the chair. Quite amazing.
@@seltmitchell2965 spot on. Playing this on the drums is more a dance than anything else. Especially with the left foot clicking down on the hi-hats
You can see that he is very focused on the pulse, everything else just comes naturally by feeling it. I'm convinced that he's a cyborg from the future
YOU HAVE TO DO THE NOSTRUM PLAYTHROUGH TOO! You really get it, man. One of my favourite Meshuggah reaction videos. Thank you
It's no joke when a god comes down from Asgard with drumsticks in his hands.
@2:45 because it is in 4. Even Thomas him self laughed at this in one interview, all of their songs are in 4. Getting this felling that musicians forgot all about what a doted note is or a how to play a triplet.
"Meshuggah is the only band where 3 persons headbang at different speeds to the same song and none of them is off-rhythm."
- Bill Burr
If you are going to CTRL+V the same comment on every Meshuggah video, the least you could do is correct the grammar.
Also thats not true lol
Boring and over done joke.
Watching musicians (react to) go nuts over Meshuggah is one of my favorite past-times. :D
Bro! Watching you react to music is just plain awesome! You can tell you can FEEL it! And that is what Music is really all about. Keep up the good work, man!
Amazing band and Tomas is legit one of the best drummers on earth.
Dude, your passion (and musical knowledge) is amazing, reflects in your eyes. Great stuff!
My favorite part besides everything is the massive bomb that drops at 9:53. Absolutely crazy.
Another thing are all those ghost notes on the snare and the high hat on the left is still going. Thomas is absolute masterclass drumming. What a beast! :D
Subscribed! Please do more meshuggah reviews. They're one of my all-time favorite bands ever! :)
Edit: Just say Thomas Haak-uh
That section is soooo fcking heavy. I was about to headband right Into the drop... And then BAM comes the advertising. I've never been so disapppointed of an ad before
@@MrTelorix Ooof, that should be illegal! One does not simply put an add right next to an epic breakdown! -_-
exactly.. first time i heard it i lost my shit lol... my neighbors lost their shit too because i wached it on my phone and immediately ran that shit through my stereo for evvvvvveryone to hear haha
They´re from Sweden, not Germany! Great reaction though, keep em coming :)
As usual, americans don't have a clue about the rest of the world...
Yeah, but it's so German that it's actually Swedish, like 2 minus makes a plus thing.
@@peternystrom6632 Yes, because this guy made a mistake no one in the US knows Meshuggah is from Sweden. There are no people in the US from Sweden and Swedish culture is not a thing in the US. You heard it here.
@@davidnicholson6680 he actual said it sounds german. thats different anyway
@@peternystrom6632 I'm American, I know Swedish & German are different.
German, scary rough pronunciations.
Swedish, softer happier sounding pronunciations.
German, ö. Swedish, å.
German, Beerstein.
Swedish, meatballs.
German, Rammstein.
Sweden, Meshuggah.
Germany, 3rd Reich.
Sweden, neutral.
Feel better??
I love seeing someone else (fellow drummer) as happy, excited and astounded all at the same time when watching Thomas as I have been for over 25 years!!!🤘🤘 The pleasure of seeing these guys live is not to be missed when touring resumes. Awesome reaction man, thanks.
your explanation at the end of what makes Meshuggah is excellent and applies to literally all awesome art.
it has the surface level appeal which consists of layers that can be pealed back to reveal more and more depth and more levels at which to appreciate it, all of which just amplify the initial surface level appeal.
Nice to see that you have as much fun as I have watching Messhugah! They always put a smile on my face and I have no idea why.
It is all in 4/4. The rhythm just rotates around it. It’s the anchor that holds it all together, like you said.
Not all of it. A lot of their stuff definately is 4 though.
I was on your live stream a few weeks ago recommending plini. As a drummer this one of the greatest reaction to thomas.
I wish he’d do a Plini reaction. Maybe “Flaneur”, or “I’ll Tell You Someday,” but really any of Plini’s stuff would be really cool to hear Michael’s reaction.
@@daltonwynn3786 I love flaneur. When troy Wright left I was like damn who can drum as good as troy but then I saw chris allison and I was like damn. Live hes a beast. The whole band is just an unreal experience live
@@briantopps5638 I bet they are. I can’t wait for this Covid stuff to be over so I can go to shows again. I have a long list of bands I want to see, and Plini is right up there.
Haake's so perfect that when he makes a mistake you kinda celebrate it but not in a mean way.
Excellent analysis and infectious appreciation. Well done!
great reaction! it'd be really interesting to hear your take on some of their guitarwork as well. as for rhythm-based guitars it seems to be on virtuosic levels to me. not in the shredding-speed kind of way, but "Bleed" for instance is really fast and difficult rhythm-wise to keep up with. it's a part of their music that seems to go underappreciated.
I can't stop shouting everytime I see this video or this song. And even more when someone does a reaction video. Love it 😂
Your facial expressions are great. You look like you’re living and dying with each drum beat!
Is so good to see someone so excited with meshuggah and Tomas crazy stuff
Finally somebody explains Meshuggah's poly-rhythm technique correctly!!!! Thanks bruh...💯 P.S. they're from Sweden...
You are amazing 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This is a great change of pace. Love your content man!
I've listened to a lot of metal, this one is top 5 material no doubt absolutely relentless
The most honest reaction ever. Thanks man
3:53 You’re not gonna believe this. But it’s actually 4/4. It sounds like nothing but polyrhythms because everything is syncopated around the fundamental 4/4 rhythm.
Death Metal before lunch...whoa! Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.
Getting back to your metal roots, I love it
Now we're talking
Is Haake still human or a machine? ;) Look at his strength, timing.... effortless. One of the best drummers i know. And he won*t stop
My favorite thing about Meshuggah, is that you can pretty much count “1, 2, 3, 4” through the whole song, just the down beats hit in different increments. Like, for a person that has music theory knowledge, they are truly nuts to listen to.
I have accepted Tomas Haake as my personal Lord and Savior.
Lol
I clicked on this so fast
Edit: but still never as fast as Thomas
Me too
Drummer is off hook! Vocal not my style. Great band!
Outstanding reaction Michael! I can see you thoroughly enjoyed the skill set and beauty of this amazing track! Awesome!
Leprous - The sky is red (drum playthrough) is an amazing drum playthrough as well. Check it out.
This is a great recommendation!!!
This!
Baard is a great drummer, Moon playthrough is amazing as well.
Swedish lol
They're so German that they're actually Swedish! I know. Great video though 😊
Well, keeping a steady 4 like that throughout whatever polyrhythms you're stacking can definitely be called German, no matter where the band's from. :)
The marching band from beyond (Sweden not Germany): Messhugah
I'll accept that 😉
I come back to this video when I'm sad
loving the reactions and analysis! please please Nevermore - this godless endeavour. Insane riffs and sweeps by Jeff Loomis and mid intro is the uncontested best riff of all time
That album is an absolute masterpiece that becomes more relevant the older it gets.
I thought they were Swedish...wait, I KNOW they're Swedish...but you're in top 5 of reactors love it good job brother
He mentioned in an interview that he only wears one glove, because he sweats a lot and the right hand stick has a tendency to slip out of his hand. He doesn't like to tape his sticks so he tried one glove and that kept the stick in his hand. That why he only uses one glove.
Don't forget the feets Michael, listen to that bass drum, those patterns makes it SO MUCH amazing.
I'm pretty sure this guy is inspired to play drums now. Machine has motivated man today
You gotta check out the art of dying by Gojira. Either live at garorock in 09' or just a custom drum chart by some fan, its a blast just like this. 🤘
Hey Micheal! I would highly recommend listening to Charley Crockett. Texan guy who’s got a lot of original material and a cool story as well. _That’s how I got to Memphis,_ and _9lb Hammer_ would be good songs to start with. Hope you’ll have a look ;)
The channel "Time consuming" has done a time signature breakdown on this. I think hes a genius.
10:53 You got one thing wrong there. He doesn't ride on that Crash. He crashes that Ride 🤣🤣🤣
Probably been answered but he wears the glove on the right hand cause that hand does more work as a drummer. He started developing Carpal Tunnel. The glove is very grippy so it takes less effort to hold onto the stick. Also helps with holding onto the stick when hands get sweaty.
Also, the left hihat is going to mark time. Thats literally all its there for. he only plays the right hihat with the stick.
Do you make those faces when you watch videos without us watching? You're awesome. Guitargate is also awesome.
Might be a late answer but he doesn't wear a glove on his left hand (he tried) because when he hits rimshots on the snare he lets the stick slip past his thumb (into the web of finger and thumb) to absorb some of the shock of hitting so hard and with the glove that stopped from happening and hurt his thumb. So glove went away. Makes sense.
Love your shirt man
It actually is in 4/4, as are almost all Meshuggah songs. ;-)
seeing them tonight and will be headbanging in 4!!
I think it's been discussed that their songs are usually in 4/4 but the guitar lines offset and it takes 2 or 3 measures for the guitars to come back around to land on 1. And if you really want your brain to hurt, watch a couple Matt Garstka videos....especially the ones where he talks about beat displacement.
Loving your content! Even if you don’t do vids please check out wintersun sons of winter and stars, Karnivool change, Karnivool we are and twelve foot ninja one handed killing they are amazing
Nothing like a 37/15 time signature to tap your foot to while enjoying your morning coffee.
Im a huge deadhead but i get my rocks off with heavy heavy music and Meshuggah is ridiculously nasty
Yessss he went back to the breakdown
The stick is more likely to fly out of his right hand because it moves around the kit more, while the left hand tends to stay planted near his core. Therefore he wears the glove on the right. I would imagine he learned the hard way.
He mentions in an interview that he mostly plays rim shots and the stick would not slip if he wears the glove, thus giving him blisters. So he doesn’t wear one so that the stick can slide properly on every rim shot.
9:53 Heaviest riff on the planet is about to blow your mind. Damn
It's the mother of all bombs! Gets me every time I listen to that song! :D
Thomas is a magician.
He doens't wear the glove on the left because he wants the stick te be a little loose in his left hand. He tried it with a glove but then it injured his left thumb (the stick needs to flick off the thumb). He doesn't want to have his right stick go anywhere, so he still uses the glove on the right.
Hakke just completely slays
Consider the following: they recorded all tracks live
Meshuggah are the masters of hidden complexity in their music. I've noticed Devin Townsend and Gojira seem to borrow that from them a lot.
This can actually be done without being really good at odd time signatures. I think they said that they're basically using a metronome with a 4/4 timing when writing stuff and then just do weird stuff around it. They are incredibly good at knowing where they syncopate or tie into the next measure. So really everything is written in 4/4, but it can be interpreted as an odd signature.
Or they're just insanely meticulous and plan everything out in a theoretical sense, which could be the case as well. They are very diffuse about how they really accomplish their stuff, and I think they're doing that on purpose. They want to keep it a secret.
Reminds me on my work at the press workshop
Love the insight. Focus on groove. Make groove massive. Force people to feel it. Repeat
Its hilarious how simple of a concept they use for this song and then how creative they get with it.
The base idea is Left Hand, Right Foot, Left Foot.
And he plays that 3 note pattern at two different note rates:
as 16th notes, or a 3 over 4 polyrhythm
and as 16th triplets which feels more even to 4/4
They take those two very basic ideas and combine them in longer odd phrases all while Tomas keeps time on the cymbals.
I love this band and how creative they are
Trying to keep a 4/4 on one hand while doubling the speed on the other is so hard. How does one have that much discipline in (terms of) their technique?
I know this video is two years old but did anyone even find out why he is wearing just one glove? I thought it might be because he catches cymbals with that hand and doesn't want to get cut up. My old drummer used to cut his knuckles on cymbals occasionally.
i'm not saying it's complex, but it took me twenty years to be able to listen to it.
He only wears one glove because he says he likes to feel the stick more in his left hand and doesn’t like a how glove interferes with his feel with that hand.
And the glove for the other hand is needed for grip due to a finger injury
Ghost notes need feel cymbals get hammered
He had a pretty severe injury on his right.
He spoke about it being about doing rimshots too. Rimshots on the left didn't sit well with a glove. The glove would keep the stick static in the same position during rimshots instead of sliding a bit off, and he preferred without.
@@slimefudge This is the real answer. Just watch the interview as well.
It's so German....yet Swedish! Opeth is something you should check out for the The amazing composition.
you should do Loathe - Broken Vision Rhythm guitar playthrough
amazing playing and creativity out of super low tuned 30'' baritones
Best reaction. thnx
Have you reacted to John Moreland; "you don't love me enough to cry" ?? It pretty deep, nice guitar too:) like your channel, thanks and keep up the good work buddy.👍
Check out godsmack drum battle live at house of blues. It’s pretty old video you might have seen it already idk but it’s awesome
Clockworks - when you think it's over it's barely beginnig
Check out Zildjian Live sessions. The one with JD Beck is one of my favorites!
Hand cramped up,saw in a interview he did.
Tomas haake is a monster!!
Its not poly rythm its poly pattern. Totally unique. Musical radical genius. Watching people try to find the meter and measure is hilarious.
Best band ever.
You should check out Archspire both killer drums and guitar. Whole band is awesome. Calamus Will Animate or Involuntary Doppelganger.
The dude is a machine.
0:12:16 ...when even @MichaelP's video stop and go's are in time with Meshuggah.
Everybody is actually headbanging on different rhythm :) in meshuggahs songs :)
Check out Jamie Dupuis' "Winter Night Walk - (20 String Harp Guitar)"
I believe he wears his gloves because of an injury and he said it makes him grip better. But you MUST react to bleed their most popular song!
This is a much better song. Better drumming. Better sound than the drum cam Bleed video.
Would love for you to react to some progressive stuff (like Between the Buried and Me, their drummer regularly streams on Twitch) or technical death metal (like The Black Dahlia Murder or Enterprise Earth).
Apex of metal IMO right here