Meshuggah - I
2004 Fractured Transmitter Records
by Skin Splitter

Quick Summary:
A 21 minute song by the Swedish metal band.  This warrants a quick review and a quick review only.  The end result is this:  The song can be described one way...LONG.  HA, you think it's a sick joke, but this is serious.  This song didn't have to be 20 minuets.  It could have been five.  Had this song been five minuets, this would have been the best song they ever made.  But no, it's too drawn out.

However, for the sake of argument I'll give you the good, the bad, and the macabre.  The good:  It's FAST.  Way faster than NOTHING.  Some great drumming and guitar work.  Reminds me of the days of old (Destroy Erase Improve, Chaosphere).  And I do believe I hear a BASS, which is something they haven't had in a while.  Unfortunately, that's where the good ends and the bad begins.  The bads:  There is some AWFUL one note, slow, filler in here that takes up about twelve minuets of the song that is just plain unnecessary.  Combine that with the fact that every part/transition is four times as long as it needs to be.  Cut it down by 3/4 and you got a kick ass song.

Website:  www.meshuggah.net

Song Summaries:

1. I - Here's the rundown of the song with some things to listen to and some parts to skip rocks off your sisters head to.  The intro (for about 30 seconds, it goes on for another minute after, but it reminds me of Anthrax - Persistence Of Time - Time), the noise right after (1:32...if you cut that in half).  The meat of the song (1:54) is pretty good but still too long.  At 5:40, Meshuggah puts on one hell of an arsenal of sound.  Just listen to that snare/crash drumming sequence...beautiful...until 7:45.  Then the next part is total crap until 8:38.  There is a little boost of something going on there, but it's really nothing to write home about.  I would consider these six minutes to be track 2, but they had to be artsy about it.  14:06 to the end should be avoided at all costs.  In fact, that may be the worst thing I have ever heard these guys put out.  COME ON NOW.  STOP BEING ARTSY GO BACK TO CHAOSPHERE!  This is a mixed bag.  So it gets an upsetting grade.  C- (good for most, weak for Meshuggah, and ANNOYING AS ALL HELL!)

Average Song Rating:  C-
Overall Album Rating:  C-

Also be sure to read:
Meshuggah - Destroy Erase Improve by Skin Splitter
Meshuggah - Nothing by Skin Splitter