Meshuggah – I

The Swedish metal titans Meshuggah have reissued their one-song EP, “I”. The 2004 original literally one had one song but this version has four tracks to sink your teeth into.

At an insane 44 minutes, this is no easy listen and if you’ve never heard the math based progressive metal machine before, this is not for you.

While this not an official album, however it’s longer than most. The EP’s single is a colossal 21-minute track. It’s a mash up of everything that will appeal to long term fans of the band. These are presented in a series of musical movements.

There are well over a dozen movements that range from an awesomely heavy intro to a slow and atmospheric interlude. There are some great sections to behold: the several technical breakdowns and the crunchy outro are amazing! I like a lot of what they band provides.

There are some bad points in this opus. I can’t stand the cheap deafening noise that makes up the second section. And I think that the use of silence is much at times and becomes repetitive.

Overall, it falls into the traps that always occur when bands produce long songs such as these. That said, it is always perhaps the defining song of Meshuggah’s back catalogue.

“Bleed” sounds unreal! For a live track, this is a great unrelenting metallic assault.  “Dancers To A Discordant” is the weakest track on the EP (also live). It totally lost me. It’s very progressive and loses its way very quickly during its ten minutes.

“Pitch Black” is a distorted gem with a slower more brutal pace. The solos are where Meshuggah lose me again; Math metal over does it a lot in this area. Guys, we get it. You’re awesome, come on! The free jazz break in PB is still very fun though.

I am not fan of Meshuggah; it is just too much! However, they’re great! This EP is worth your time and money. It’s nearly one just for fans or the genre but there is enough here for any metal fan. I am looking forward to hearing their new album.

The remastered “I” EP by Meshuggah is set for release on September 30th 2014 by Fractured Transmitter Recording Company.

Track List:

1. “I”

2. “Bleed” (live)

3. “Dancers to a Discordant System” (live)

4. “Pitch Black”

Meshuggah are:

Tomas Haake – drums

Mårten Hagström – rhythm guitar

Jens Kidman – vocals

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meshuggah