Catch Thirtythree over the years went from my least favorite album in their discography to by far favorite one. It definitely takes a while to fully appreciate, at first I'd only relisten to the "fun" tracks like In Death - Is Life and Shed, but once you get into those you'll be inclined to venture out to the rest of the album, and then listening to the full thing start to finish becomes an incredible experience. Also, whoever suggested this as your first Meshuggah album is a dick.
@@BaldHeadedMETAL I suggest going in order of their release so you really get how their sound evolved. The change from their 90s stuff to their modern albums is insane
Bro that feeling of knowing there’s magic there but you can access it yet. That’s exactly how I felt. Theyre my favorite band now and this is my least listened to album even though it’s still fantastic. It’s just a big undertaking
In my opinion with the issue you're having of getting into them this is not the right album to go to. I would say Obzen is their most accessible and traditional album. Just a good pack of well written songs that groove from here to Mars and beyond. Keep going.
@@BaldHeadedMETAL Obzen is probably their best production, but is very brutal (in a heavy way). Koloss is great, not as game changing as Obzen but definitely more accessible
"Destroy Erase Improve" did it for me, but yea, back then Catch33 was their newest album. That's about the era when they completely abandoned their old "trashy" style (with the guitar solos and stuff), and went with a more machine like approach instead, with fascinating patterns and mostly brutal heavyness
Great band. Destroy, Nothing, Obzen and Koloss are their most accessible albums in my opinion. Not an easy band to get into but once you get used to the mind bending craziness and brilliance, you realize these geniuses are operating on another level.
What resonates so with me with Meshuggah is their creativity. It's just so inspiring to listen to. Whether youre painting, writing music or a novel, they get the juices flowing for sure.
That was a big undertaking. I wanna thank you for giving the Meshuggah fans that much of your time. Especially since you could basically do like 10 other reactions with that time. I get your qualms with the spacey avant garde parts of this album. It's up to you if the payoff at the end is worth it. Keep in mind that it's not typical of their later work. As you know its a concept album and basically one song, but yeah it's weird and it's difficult and it's not fun the first time. That being said you've done the work and now 90% of their catalog will seem approachable to you 🤣. I called it in my comment on your Rational Gaze video that you would really love In Death is Life. From here I would still suggest Koloss, it's approachable and you'll just be into it sonically I think. Again I wanna say thanks for giving your time and giving us content.
Hi, I’ve been a Meshuggah fan for some time now, and yeah I was doubtful about this being your first full length to listen to. Everything that you struggled with in this video is totally valid, I struggled with it too. I can promise however that the meaning is there and is worth the work. Keep revisiting it occasionally, and as you do you want to try to immerse yourself in it as much as possible, let it guide you, and purely follow it instead of mentally auditing it. A little cryptic I know, but I only have so much I can say in a limited youtube comment. As a first album, I’d personally suggest Obzen or Koloss, they have more accessible songs that just hit like a truck. I recognize what you say about listening to the albums as the artists intend and giving them a full playthrough, but they are very dense and have a lot to digest, so personally i reccommend taking it one track at a time, and occasionally a whole album. I’d point you to: Break Those Bones, I am Colossus, Marrow, Behind the Sun, and Demiurge on the Koloss album; and Electric Red, Bleed, Obzen, Pravus, and Dancers on the Obzen album. Good luck! Don’t give up! The work pays off!
I ended up listening to obzen and loved it and then the new album and loved that. Kolossos was good but didn’t fully click yet. Thank you for the encouragement!
Yeah very well said, it took me years to get fully into meshuggah But when I first heard Demiurge i knew my life wouldn't be the same anymore I took a good 6-7 months before I listened to all the songs on Immutable
For what it's worth, I feel bad for recommending this album to a new listener lol. It's NOW one of my all time favorites, but when I was new to Meshuggah, I listened to this album once and didn't listen to it again for almost 2 years. I think ObZen would be a better album to start with since it's definitely more traditionally structured and has actual hooks. It's the album that Bleed is on. And if you do start to warm up to Meshuggah after listening to their easier stuff, maybe you'll venture back to this album again, maybe not. I wouldn't focus on the "complexity"; the beauty of Meshuggah is that is can sound both complex or simple depending on how you listen to it. Also, *ALIEN MUSIC.* Yes! That's what I've always thought about Meshuggah. I've never heard anything like it. It sounds like some apathetic, relentless alien mechanical behemoth. I recommend watching some of their songs played live--it looks like an alien abduction. It's what really got me into them despite being unsure of their music. The light show is insane and perfectly matches each individual beat being played. You seem to have little patience for slow stuff which is fair. I used to get really bored with that kind of stuff. I think it depends on the setting. I LOVE listening to the quiet repetitive atmospheric parts of Opeth's Blackwater Park if I'm in a dark room and lying down. But if I'm listening to music to get amped up, I don't listen to that song. Same thing with Catch 33. I listen to it in bed at night and while I'm working. But if I'm listening to music to get energized and headbang, I'll listen to ObZen of Koloss instead. Kudos for making it through the album!
As someone who regularly listens to this album in its entirety, I use the complex metal-driven sections as a means to sort of test my musical knowledge, as I'm learning this album fully on guitar, and getting the sections right in my head is very satisfying. The atmospheric sections of the album are where I am able to see my emotions through the lens of the music. The way that the music makes me feel helps me understand my own emotions. That's just me though.
Great reaction and a bold move to dive into this album for sure! I hope you'll dare to check out the guitarist of Meshuggah's solo album, "Fredrik Thordendahl's Sol niger within" in the future! (reaction or not) It has some similarity to this, a long song divided into parts, it features the famous jazz drummer "Morgan Ågren" (played with Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend etc" (I read somewhere that if Tomas Haake has a drum question he goes to Morgan!) Its much more trippy than this imo, but showcase some of the coolest guitarsolos I've ever heard, still 20 years after realease to this day! Have a nice day!
I would agree with a lot of comments here. This album in my opinion is more for seasoned Meshuggah fans. Obzen would be their best album for newer listeners, followed by Koloss, and Nothing. I myself thought the same way about Meshuggah roughly 10 years ago. I only liked a few of their songs such as Rational Gaze / Demiurge / Bleed / Break Those Bones etc. After a while I learned to love so much more, and they for the most part have made me now think that most other metal (most but not all) is very played out and dull. Great reaction video you’re honest and not just hyping up the music. I also recommend checking the lyrics after or even as you listen, most of their lyrics could have been written by a poet or philosopher. Just another cherry on top IMO.
19:13 meshuggah used to be a band i really couldn't enjoy whatsoever, no matter how much i was into extreme metal, rock, pop, bossa, romantic, so be it, meshuggah was like some of the other things i love thoroughly this day. its not that i hated them, but to have so many other people worshipping them, and then me not feeling the same, really made me dislike the music even more. i did a full 180 on them a few years ago, i just so happened to be listening to obzen and some of their older stuff, and it just clicked for some reason. they arent this obtuse and sorta "forcefully quirky" band to me anymore, they feel genuine and badass. this shit goes so hard i cant even explain how it manages to hypnotize and fascinate me at the same time, its just something i fell into. and more especifically this album dude, i listened it at the right time, at the right mindset, and it felt like everything aligned perfectly for me to get sucked into this. but to be very honest, do not feel like you *need* to get into anything, there's no such thing as an obligation to enjoy x thing because people and musicians you admire say its the best thing ever, i do really think that people who listen to meshuggah will eventually "get it", but its not something you need to force or anticipate, just enjoy what you enjoy.
@@BaldHeadedMETAL glad to hear man! hope you'll love going the rabbit hole, there are sooooooo many badass bands that i got to know after getting into shuggah
This is easily their least accesible album. Whoever recommended that was only thinking of their own enjoyment. ObZen is a way better starting point, if not the best. This album is an aquired taste within an aquired taste band :D There are tons of catchy meshuggah songs, but you are still at the beginning of your journey so don't worry. It's totally possible that they are just not for you. But i think you just haven't found your song yet where it all clicks. For this album, the fun comes when you can follow along all riffs and rythms in your head, feeling all the shifts and different accents. Yes, after some time you can *feel* this. It stops being a head thing and becomes a feeling. And then you will experience emotion coming from hearing certain riffs and rythms. All in all, don't worry ! Keep getting used to them at your own pace, and try some other albums/songs. ObZen has tons of accesible songs, as does Koloss. For me it took like half year between hearing a song from them for the first time and actually liking it suddenly. It's like you discovering the taste of coffee, beer, mustard and so on. The first taste if often bitter, harsh, bland or whatever, but you can still find good things in these after some time.
Catch 33 is easily their best and most accessible album. If you like this album then you understand Meshuggah, if you don't like the album, the band isn't for you. Whoever recommended it was right and justified in doing so.
@@CanadianBean28 Sorry but you are way off, Catch 33 is a really hard listen. When I first started with meshuggah I couldn’t get past the first song. I was more into Nothing and Koloss. Now I love this album, but it took me a very long time to get into it. Extremely hard album to understand. Even Meshuggah don’t consider this album to be a legit part of their collection. It’s a concept album.
There actually is a reason for those simple sections musically. They're there to build tension, but they're also built in so that the musicians have some time to rest when they're playing the thing all the way through. Think of them as intermissions in a movie or theater production.
@@BaldHeadedMETAL I have a weird experience with this band, since this was my first experience with them. It might be worth a shot. A lot of the other commenters saying this is their least accessible album is probably right, but it does 'read' a little differently after you've gotten an ear for it.
I think this is their most experimental and unique album. You can see that they put A LOT of deep thought on this one. Even though I am a Meshuggah fan myself I never really listen to this particular album. I personally have to be in that certain mind set. It really does sound something what genious would write which most people can't understand and to this day I certainly still don't have a clue what was going in their minds writing this album. 😄 Their most accessable album probably for you would be "Destroy Erase Improve". It is trashy yet still has that traditional Meshuggah twist. You also thought they must be weird people writing this kind of music. Well based on what I have seen on interviews they are highly intelligent yet very humble cool guys.
Whenever I meet people who are new to Meshuggah, they try to head-bang to the drums. When I explain they should try head-banging to the symbols they find the groove almost instantly. I think a lot of people are just used to drums being used simply to keep the tempo and gallop along under the other instruments, but with Meshuggah they are almost melodic and rhythmic playing in conjunction with the other instruments.
Don't know whoe recommended this, this isn't really an album of songs, it's a concept album. One big thing they've split up. Not the best for someone who likes a little bit of Meshuggah let alone someone who can't get into them. In terms of albums, Contradictions Collapse is more thrashier and different riffs/ some lighter sections going on with the guitars. Destroy Erase Improve has a mix of some of the thrashier and lighter stuff. Chaosphere is chuggy riffs repeated. Nothing is groovy chuggy riffs repeated. Obzen is the same riffs changing ever so slightly, more of a build up element. Koloss is more constant sound and more louder in your face. Violent Sleep of Reason is more low toned chuggy riffs but they are changing and there are build ups. Personally I think you should do 1: "Obzen" 2: "Nothing" 3: "Chaosphere" 4: Either go later or earlier so either "Violent Sleep Of Reason or "Destroy Erase Improve" 5: if you chose "Destroy" last time then do "Violent Sleep Of Reason" and "Koloss" or go back to "Contradictions collapse" and do "VSOR" and "Koloss" after." Respect from The UK, 0121! 🤘🏼
@@BaldHeadedMETAL No worries man! Meshuggah and Lamb Of God have been my 2 favourite bands for a while now. LoG(since 2008) Meshuggah(since 2010) Yeah I'd do ObZen if I was you! Combustion, Bleed, and Pravus are faster tunes more of a constant with the kicks and snares. ObZen is not as fast, lots of triplets, and got some groove especially towards the end. Pineal Gland Optics is again not quite as fast but probably the grooviest sounding on the album. Lethargica is a slow heavy chugging tune. Electric Red and Spiteful Snake are quite toned down, lots of work on the toms, the songs themselves are more about the build up to the breakdown than anything. Dancers To A Discordent System is another toned down song during the verses, lots of toms but a good chorus, another one that builds to a good breakdown! Also at some point you want to start reading the lyrics. Some of the songs have great writing and good themes they touch on, which got me more into them! Also it's ok not to enjoy them and stop trying to get into them if you don't want to haha I know a lot of us are hoping you get into them but you like what you like, and don't like what you don't like. You don't have to waste your time on a band for other people. People aren't going to hate you for it, each to their own! Anyway, respect from The UK, 0121! 🤘🏼
Maybe other people said this or you already got over this hurdle since releasing this video, but the simplest way to explain the 'magic' at work is 1) to follow the quarter notes and, 2) remember that no matter what you're hearing it's all in 4/4 (very rare exceptions), even if they're hiding it from you. Catch 33 is 1 tempo in 4/4 the entire 47 minutes until maybe the very very end outro, including during quieter passages where there's no apparent beat. A mentronone proves it. The guitars/syncopation *can* be analyzed in other time signatures, but they don't feel it that way. They feel it in 4-, 8-, 16-bar etc rhythmic phrases, comparable to jazz musicians feeling harmonic phrases. Fun vid! Keep it up!
As you love Meshuggah like you are in Shed you start to appreciate what they were trying to do in songs you may not have liked before, first time I click on New Millennium I was like nah. But then heard it live and was like wait hold on, I can appreciate this. Now I could listen to any Meshuggah track whenever and just love it, and I mean everything even DEI. Favorite band ever, when you reproduce this live that’s why people love them.
100% revisit this album, once you lock into the riff’s rhythm it gets real groovy, there’s just so many notes in the riffs it’s impossible to catch onto any sort of groove on the first listen.
Listening to Catch 33 to introduce Meshuggah, even if you are already a metalhead, is like starting to experience FPS games with Arma 3. Its just too much to grapple, this album is a multilayered rightfully pretentious masterpiece. That "it overstates its welcome" comment begins to fade with every listen and when you realize that this album is raw as hell and thats an integral part of it. Anyway, liked the video nonetheless because its just so rare to listening Catch 33 of all their other albums head first, fun experiment to see. Subbed king, a warm hug from Chile. And please listen to it without a camera, just you and some headphones, its truly something
This is an album I'll put on while programming at work more than an album that I'll completely focus on listening to tbh. Once you're into meshuggah it's just an energy booster and trancelike state perfect for working to, but for really listening, especially for someone not into them yet it's not what I would recommend. With exceptions of course, sometimes you just wanna put this album on and lean back.
I think this album isn’t just a jam album, it’s a concept album so I think not diving into the lyrics really hurt your experience. As well as not know how to head bang to it. For future reference just follow the cymbals, they’re always in 4/4. So find that crash or high hat and head bang along. Works 90 percent of meshuggah songs.
To me Minds Mirrors is a build of suspense. Its not on there for the musical aspect, its for atmosphere. This whole album is like watching a movie to me. Minds mirrors its like the build up to something big which comes in the form of In Death - Is Life. Shed Is the build up to the climax which is dehumanization. Sum is the falling out or the credits.
In my interpretation the whole album is about depression and Mind's mirror is like a poem mocking and warning us about the traps of conciousness and reductionism, ans also answering how to break free of it hence the energetic part in the song.
"I won't say I like it or dislike it, it's like an experience " Thats what this album is all about . Its a concept album about the paradoxes of life and death(very philosophical lyrics). It is meant to sound weird and strange like its concept, life and death. This is my favorite album of them but like others said, not a great intro into Meshuggah
listen to the Obzen Album next. its their crowning achievement and honestly their best most streamlined album. if your not impressed with Obzen and every song on it, then this band isn’t for you ✌️ you are one of those “millenials with shorter attention span” types. you are what id call a “metal normie” and take no offense to that, your just not into the depths yet 🙂. i love bolt thrower too but i could just as easily say they are too simple, too streamlined, too mid tempo and boneheaded and caveman-ish for me to listen to daily and get excited for each time. their music is like a juicy hamburger. what you missed out on Catch33 was reading the lyrics along with the music. they are more of a tough to digest but delicious wine that you appreciate more than the instant gratification of the hamburger lyrics. all the lyrics of this band on all their albums are written by the drummer and they are some of the deepest darkest soul filled meaningful ones in metal. on par or all better than Tool’s. you could read the lyrics alone without the music and think on them deeply. my point is there was a story and theme to go along with Catch 33: that life is cyclical and can be meaningless once you’ve figured it out. the long interludes are to build that mood up. its a lot like Pink Floyd’s the wall: theres a general theme throughout the whole “song” and every weird turn plays into it. this band is not just heavy to be heavy like any generic brutal death metal band with gore filled lyrics, it actually has a real message that you have to read and maybe re-read into, hence the nerdy fans like myself that “get them”. kudos to you for giving this one a try. i think you’ll really like obzen a lot better! after that maybe your interest in this band will be greater who knows!
You couldn’t have said it any better then you did. The lyrics are an absolute massive part of their musical and artistic genius. When I read lyrics from other metal bands, I get very turned off quickly by how generic and meaningless they are, compared to meshuggah.
@@SayBiird gore can get very boring after awhile much like b horror and action movies. and likewise so do the emotional lyrics of a lot of the metalcore bands. meshuggah is “weird” bc it takes a solid couples reads of each song’s lyrics and then comes the comprehension(maybe) of what each song is about. that might sound pretentious to a lot of people, but they really do have something to say. i don’t always like his monotonal yelling but Jens is still a beast and not showing any signs of losing his voice. they are the best live band I’ve seen bc the lighting alone is incredible!
Definitely late to the party but the album is broken down because selling it as a single song or rather ep gives the label and group less money due to how they’re sold.
"I" is still their most accessible album for a newbie IMO, even after hearing your thoughts on Catch 33. It is faster, half as long, and has 7 string guitars as opposed to 8. For a traditional album, ObZen is probably a safe bet too for most newbies.
Hmm. It's very disquieting and interesting at the same time. The differing time signatures sound chaotic and incredibly organized at the same time. It sort has a Tool vibe if they had taken it a couple steps further. Great reaction!
@@BaldHeadedMETAL for me the difference is at least catch 33 has riffs. Fear innoculum felt like it had no riffs. I love tool but I miss when they had riffs.
If I had to pick a single album, Obzen is probably the one. Full discography is cool too, though. You'll be able to see their progression from "Meshuggica" to the amazingly weird rhythmic beasts they've become today. Cheers to your stubbornness!
Catch Thirtythree over the years went from my least favorite album in their discography to by far favorite one.
It definitely takes a while to fully appreciate, at first I'd only relisten to the "fun" tracks like In Death - Is Life and Shed, but once you get into those you'll be inclined to venture out to the rest of the album, and then listening to the full thing start to finish becomes an incredible experience.
Also, whoever suggested this as your first Meshuggah album is a dick.
Yeah I tried obzen and immutable after and those I liked right off the bat. Actually related to full albums there!
@@BaldHeadedMETAL I suggest going in order of their release so you really get how their sound evolved. The change from their 90s stuff to their modern albums is insane
listening to this at whole length is like meditation
Bro that feeling of knowing there’s magic there but you can access it yet. That’s exactly how I felt. Theyre my favorite band now and this is my least listened to album even though it’s still fantastic. It’s just a big undertaking
In my opinion with the issue you're having of getting into them this is not the right album to go to. I would say Obzen is their most accessible and traditional album. Just a good pack of well written songs that groove from here to Mars and beyond. Keep going.
I’m thinking between obzen and kokossos seem to be the most accessible albums
@@BaldHeadedMETAL Obzen is probably their best production, but is very brutal (in a heavy way). Koloss is great, not as game changing as Obzen but definitely more accessible
"Destroy Erase Improve" did it for me, but yea, back then Catch33 was their newest album. That's about the era when they completely abandoned their old "trashy" style (with the guitar solos and stuff), and went with a more machine like approach instead, with fascinating patterns and mostly brutal heavyness
Obzen, Nothing and Koloss are their most accessible albums. I would also recommend you see them live. Badass band 🤘🤘
Great band. Destroy, Nothing, Obzen and Koloss are their most accessible albums in my opinion. Not an easy band to get into but once you get used to the mind bending craziness and brilliance, you realize these geniuses are operating on another level.
What resonates so with me with Meshuggah is their creativity. It's just so inspiring to listen to. Whether youre painting, writing music or a novel, they get the juices flowing for sure.
That was a big undertaking. I wanna thank you for giving the Meshuggah fans that much of your time. Especially since you could basically do like 10 other reactions with that time.
I get your qualms with the spacey avant garde parts of this album. It's up to you if the payoff at the end is worth it. Keep in mind that it's not typical of their later work. As you know its a concept album and basically one song, but yeah it's weird and it's difficult and it's not fun the first time.
That being said you've done the work and now 90% of their catalog will seem approachable to you 🤣.
I called it in my comment on your Rational Gaze video that you would really love In Death is Life. From here I would still suggest Koloss, it's approachable and you'll just be into it sonically I think.
Again I wanna say thanks for giving your time and giving us content.
That song is so good!
Hi, I’ve been a Meshuggah fan for some time now, and yeah I was doubtful about this being your first full length to listen to. Everything that you struggled with in this video is totally valid, I struggled with it too. I can promise however that the meaning is there and is worth the work. Keep revisiting it occasionally, and as you do you want to try to immerse yourself in it as much as possible, let it guide you, and purely follow it instead of mentally auditing it. A little cryptic I know, but I only have so much I can say in a limited youtube comment.
As a first album, I’d personally suggest Obzen or Koloss, they have more accessible songs that just hit like a truck.
I recognize what you say about listening to the albums as the artists intend and giving them a full playthrough, but they are very dense and have a lot to digest, so personally i reccommend taking it one track at a time, and occasionally a whole album.
I’d point you to: Break Those Bones, I am Colossus, Marrow, Behind the Sun, and Demiurge on the Koloss album;
and Electric Red, Bleed, Obzen, Pravus, and Dancers on the Obzen album.
Good luck! Don’t give up! The work pays off!
I ended up listening to obzen and loved it and then the new album and loved that. Kolossos was good but didn’t fully click yet.
Thank you for the encouragement!
Yeah very well said, it took me years to get fully into meshuggah
But when I first heard Demiurge i knew my life wouldn't be the same anymore
I took a good 6-7 months before I listened to all the songs on Immutable
For what it's worth, I feel bad for recommending this album to a new listener lol. It's NOW one of my all time favorites, but when I was new to Meshuggah, I listened to this album once and didn't listen to it again for almost 2 years. I think ObZen would be a better album to start with since it's definitely more traditionally structured and has actual hooks. It's the album that Bleed is on. And if you do start to warm up to Meshuggah after listening to their easier stuff, maybe you'll venture back to this album again, maybe not. I wouldn't focus on the "complexity"; the beauty of Meshuggah is that is can sound both complex or simple depending on how you listen to it.
Also, *ALIEN MUSIC.* Yes! That's what I've always thought about Meshuggah. I've never heard anything like it. It sounds like some apathetic, relentless alien mechanical behemoth. I recommend watching some of their songs played live--it looks like an alien abduction. It's what really got me into them despite being unsure of their music. The light show is insane and perfectly matches each individual beat being played.
You seem to have little patience for slow stuff which is fair. I used to get really bored with that kind of stuff. I think it depends on the setting. I LOVE listening to the quiet repetitive atmospheric parts of Opeth's Blackwater Park if I'm in a dark room and lying down. But if I'm listening to music to get amped up, I don't listen to that song. Same thing with Catch 33. I listen to it in bed at night and while I'm working. But if I'm listening to music to get energized and headbang, I'll listen to ObZen of Koloss instead.
Kudos for making it through the album!
Hah no worries i dont give up so easily
As someone who regularly listens to this album in its entirety, I use the complex metal-driven sections as a means to sort of test my musical knowledge, as I'm learning this album fully on guitar, and getting the sections right in my head is very satisfying. The atmospheric sections of the album are where I am able to see my emotions through the lens of the music. The way that the music makes me feel helps me understand my own emotions. That's just me though.
Great reaction and a bold move to dive into this album for sure!
I hope you'll dare to check out the guitarist of Meshuggah's solo album, "Fredrik Thordendahl's Sol niger within" in the future! (reaction or not)
It has some similarity to this, a long song divided into parts, it features the famous jazz drummer "Morgan Ågren" (played with Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend etc" (I read somewhere that if Tomas Haake has a drum question he goes to Morgan!)
Its much more trippy than this imo, but showcase some of the coolest guitarsolos I've ever heard, still 20 years after realease to this day! Have a nice day!
I would agree with a lot of comments here. This album in my opinion is more for seasoned Meshuggah fans. Obzen would be their best album for newer listeners, followed by Koloss, and Nothing.
I myself thought the same way about Meshuggah roughly 10 years ago. I only liked a few of their songs such as Rational Gaze / Demiurge / Bleed / Break Those Bones etc. After a while I learned to love so much more, and they for the most part have made me now think that most other metal (most but not all) is very played out and dull.
Great reaction video you’re honest and not just hyping up the music. I also recommend checking the lyrics after or even as you listen, most of their lyrics could have been written by a poet or philosopher. Just another cherry on top IMO.
I did full obzen reaction as well and there you were right
@@BaldHeadedMETAL I didn’t even realize! I will check it out, thanks for the honest reactions
19:13 meshuggah used to be a band i really couldn't enjoy whatsoever, no matter how much i was into extreme metal, rock, pop, bossa, romantic, so be it, meshuggah was like some of the other things i love thoroughly this day. its not that i hated them, but to have so many other people worshipping them, and then me not feeling the same, really made me dislike the music even more.
i did a full 180 on them a few years ago, i just so happened to be listening to obzen and some of their older stuff, and it just clicked for some reason. they arent this obtuse and sorta "forcefully quirky" band to me anymore, they feel genuine and badass. this shit goes so hard i cant even explain how it manages to hypnotize and fascinate me at the same time, its just something i fell into. and more especifically this album dude, i listened it at the right time, at the right mindset, and it felt like everything aligned perfectly for me to get sucked into this.
but to be very honest, do not feel like you *need* to get into anything, there's no such thing as an obligation to enjoy x thing because people and musicians you admire say its the best thing ever, i do really think that people who listen to meshuggah will eventually "get it", but its not something you need to force or anticipate, just enjoy what you enjoy.
I did the full obzen and that happen to me lol
@@BaldHeadedMETAL glad to hear man! hope you'll love going the rabbit hole, there are sooooooo many badass bands that i got to know after getting into shuggah
This is easily their least accesible album. Whoever recommended that was only thinking of their own enjoyment. ObZen is a way better starting point, if not the best.
This album is an aquired taste within an aquired taste band :D There are tons of catchy meshuggah songs, but you are still at the beginning of your journey so don't worry.
It's totally possible that they are just not for you. But i think you just haven't found your song yet where it all clicks.
For this album, the fun comes when you can follow along all riffs and rythms in your head, feeling all the shifts and different accents. Yes, after some time you can *feel* this. It stops being a head thing and becomes a feeling. And then you will experience emotion coming from hearing certain riffs and rythms.
All in all, don't worry ! Keep getting used to them at your own pace, and try some other albums/songs. ObZen has tons of accesible songs, as does Koloss. For me it took like half year between hearing a song from them for the first time and actually liking it suddenly. It's like you discovering the taste of coffee, beer, mustard and so on. The first taste if often bitter, harsh, bland or whatever, but you can still find good things in these after some time.
I appreciate the encouragement! I’m stubbornly want to get into them
Catch 33 is easily their best and most accessible album. If you like this album then you understand Meshuggah, if you don't like the album, the band isn't for you. Whoever recommended it was right and justified in doing so.
@@CanadianBean28 Sorry but you are way off, Catch 33 is a really hard listen. When I first started with meshuggah I couldn’t get past the first song. I was more into Nothing and Koloss. Now I love this album, but it took me a very long time to get into it.
Extremely hard album to understand. Even Meshuggah don’t consider this album to be a legit part of their collection. It’s a concept album.
1:03:45
Nailed that one, man!
Absolutely correct there
ill give em another shot with kolossos or obezen
There actually is a reason for those simple sections musically. They're there to build tension, but they're also built in so that the musicians have some time to rest when they're playing the thing all the way through. Think of them as intermissions in a movie or theater production.
I now became a fan of the band so maybe i come back to this album should see if my opnion changed?
@@BaldHeadedMETAL I have a weird experience with this band, since this was my first experience with them. It might be worth a shot. A lot of the other commenters saying this is their least accessible album is probably right, but it does 'read' a little differently after you've gotten an ear for it.
I think this is their most experimental and unique album. You can see that they put A LOT of deep thought on this one. Even though I am a Meshuggah fan myself I never really listen to this particular album. I personally have to be in that certain mind set. It really does sound something what genious would write which most people can't understand and to this day I certainly still don't have a clue what was going in their minds writing this album. 😄 Their most accessable album probably for you would be "Destroy Erase Improve". It is trashy yet still has that traditional Meshuggah twist.
You also thought they must be weird people writing this kind of music. Well based on what I have seen on interviews they are highly intelligent yet very humble cool guys.
Nice first time reaction dude. It was refreshing to see someone go through Catch 33.
Whenever I meet people who are new to Meshuggah, they try to head-bang to the drums. When I explain they should try head-banging to the symbols they find the groove almost instantly. I think a lot of people are just used to drums being used simply to keep the tempo and gallop along under the other instruments, but with Meshuggah they are almost melodic and rhythmic playing in conjunction with the other instruments.
Don't know whoe recommended this, this isn't really an album of songs, it's a concept album. One big thing they've split up. Not the best for someone who likes a little bit of Meshuggah let alone someone who can't get into them.
In terms of albums,
Contradictions Collapse is more thrashier and different riffs/ some lighter sections going on with the guitars.
Destroy Erase Improve has a mix of some of the thrashier and lighter stuff.
Chaosphere is chuggy riffs repeated.
Nothing is groovy chuggy riffs repeated.
Obzen is the same riffs changing ever so slightly, more of a build up element.
Koloss is more constant sound and more louder in your face.
Violent Sleep of Reason is more low toned chuggy riffs but they are changing and there are build ups.
Personally I think you should do
1: "Obzen"
2: "Nothing"
3: "Chaosphere"
4: Either go later or earlier so either "Violent Sleep Of Reason or "Destroy Erase Improve"
5: if you chose "Destroy" last time then do "Violent Sleep Of Reason" and "Koloss" or go back to "Contradictions collapse" and do "VSOR" and "Koloss" after."
Respect from The UK, 0121! 🤘🏼
Thank you! I think i want to do obzen because i got to like bleed alot
@@BaldHeadedMETAL No worries man! Meshuggah and Lamb Of God have been my 2 favourite bands for a while now. LoG(since 2008) Meshuggah(since 2010)
Yeah I'd do ObZen if I was you!
Combustion, Bleed, and Pravus are faster tunes more of a constant with the kicks and snares. ObZen is not as fast, lots of triplets, and got some groove especially towards the end.
Pineal Gland Optics is again not quite as fast but probably the grooviest sounding on the album.
Lethargica is a slow heavy chugging tune.
Electric Red and Spiteful Snake are quite toned down, lots of work on the toms, the songs themselves are more about the build up to the breakdown than anything.
Dancers To A Discordent System is another toned down song during the verses, lots of toms but a good chorus, another one that builds to a good breakdown!
Also at some point you want to start reading the lyrics. Some of the songs have great writing and good themes they touch on, which got me more into them!
Also it's ok not to enjoy them and stop trying to get into them if you don't want to haha
I know a lot of us are hoping you get into them but you like what you like, and don't like what you don't like.
You don't have to waste your time on a band for other people.
People aren't going to hate you for it, each to their own!
Anyway, respect from The UK, 0121! 🤘🏼
Maybe other people said this or you already got over this hurdle since releasing this video, but the simplest way to explain the 'magic' at work is 1) to follow the quarter notes and, 2) remember that no matter what you're hearing it's all in 4/4 (very rare exceptions), even if they're hiding it from you. Catch 33 is 1 tempo in 4/4 the entire 47 minutes until maybe the very very end outro, including during quieter passages where there's no apparent beat. A mentronone proves it.
The guitars/syncopation *can* be analyzed in other time signatures, but they don't feel it that way. They feel it in 4-, 8-, 16-bar etc rhythmic phrases, comparable to jazz musicians feeling harmonic phrases.
Fun vid! Keep it up!
As you love Meshuggah like you are in Shed you start to appreciate what they were trying to do in songs you may not have liked before, first time I click on New Millennium I was like nah. But then heard it live and was like wait hold on, I can appreciate this. Now I could listen to any Meshuggah track whenever and just love it, and I mean everything even DEI. Favorite band ever, when you reproduce this live that’s why people love them.
100% revisit this album, once you lock into the riff’s rhythm it gets real groovy, there’s just so many notes in the riffs it’s impossible to catch onto any sort of groove on the first listen.
And then you realize there is nothing like this album soundwise. Not even close.
Listening to Catch 33 to introduce Meshuggah, even if you are already a metalhead, is like starting to experience FPS games with Arma 3. Its just too much to grapple, this album is a multilayered rightfully pretentious masterpiece. That "it overstates its welcome" comment begins to fade with every listen and when you realize that this album is raw as hell and thats an integral part of it.
Anyway, liked the video nonetheless because its just so rare to listening Catch 33 of all their other albums head first, fun experiment to see. Subbed king, a warm hug from Chile. And please listen to it without a camera, just you and some headphones, its truly something
This is an album I'll put on while programming at work more than an album that I'll completely focus on listening to tbh. Once you're into meshuggah it's just an energy booster and trancelike state perfect for working to, but for really listening, especially for someone not into them yet it's not what I would recommend. With exceptions of course, sometimes you just wanna put this album on and lean back.
I also thought the same re your commend on excess. It took me some time to understand them.
I think this album isn’t just a jam album, it’s a concept album so I think not diving into the lyrics really hurt your experience. As well as not know how to head bang to it. For future reference just follow the cymbals, they’re always in 4/4. So find that crash or high hat and head bang along. Works 90 percent of meshuggah songs.
I suspect you would prefer Drsttoy Erase Improve. That album has 1 foot in their past 1 foot in their future. Its a perfect transitional album.
26:13 that's exactly what I do sometimes lol
Fucking beautiful reaction. Thank you.
I appreciate that! I did also obzen and the new album as well :D
To me Minds Mirrors is a build of suspense. Its not on there for the musical aspect, its for atmosphere. This whole album is like watching a movie to me. Minds mirrors its like the build up to something big which comes in the form of In Death - Is Life. Shed Is the build up to the climax which is dehumanization. Sum is the falling out or the credits.
In my interpretation the whole album is about depression and Mind's mirror is like a poem mocking and warning us about the traps of conciousness and reductionism, ans also answering how to break free of it hence the energetic part in the song.
In death is death/life is probably my fav song ever. Just so much buildup, groove and creepyness.
If God was in a metal band, it would be meshuggah.
The album "I" is 1 long song by meshuggah, no break ups.
Hardest album out here(least right behind Immutable chaosphere and Violent sleep of reason)
I agree that some parts are a little too drawn out and this is coming from an Opeth fan.
Opeth is guilty of that too but as is with this band or opeth. When it hits it hits hard!
This album is awesome.
"I won't say I like it or dislike it, it's like an experience "
Thats what this album is all about .
Its a concept album about the paradoxes of life and death(very philosophical lyrics). It is meant to sound weird and strange like its concept, life and death.
This is my favorite album of them but like others said, not a great intro into Meshuggah
minds mirror is a much needed breather.
listen to the Obzen Album next. its their crowning achievement and honestly their best most streamlined album. if your not impressed with Obzen and every song on it, then this band isn’t for you ✌️
you are one of those “millenials with shorter attention span” types. you are what id call a “metal normie” and take no offense to that, your just not into the depths yet 🙂. i love bolt thrower too but i could just as easily say they are too simple, too streamlined, too mid tempo and boneheaded and caveman-ish for me to listen to daily and get excited for each time. their music is like a juicy hamburger.
what you missed out on Catch33 was reading the lyrics along with the music. they are more of a tough to digest but delicious wine that you appreciate more than the instant gratification of the hamburger lyrics. all the lyrics of this band on all their albums are written by the drummer and they are some of the deepest darkest soul filled meaningful ones in metal. on par or all better than Tool’s. you could read the lyrics alone without the music and think on them deeply. my point is there was a story and theme to go along with Catch 33: that life is cyclical and can be meaningless once you’ve figured it out. the long interludes are to build that mood up. its a lot like Pink Floyd’s the wall: theres a general theme throughout the whole “song” and every weird turn plays into it. this band is not just heavy to be heavy like any generic brutal death metal band with gore filled lyrics, it actually has a real message that you have to read and maybe re-read into, hence the nerdy fans like myself that “get them”.
kudos to you for giving this one a try. i think you’ll really like obzen a lot better! after that maybe your interest in this band will be greater who knows!
I think bolt thrower is the catchyness that gets me here itr requires effort which seems like there is a huge pay off for long time fans
You couldn’t have said it any better then you did. The lyrics are an absolute massive part of their musical and artistic genius. When I read lyrics from other metal bands, I get very turned off quickly by how generic and meaningless they are, compared to meshuggah.
@@BaldHeadedMETAL i fully agree 💯 i wish i could’ve seen them play at least once before they broke up
@@SayBiird gore can get very boring after awhile much like b horror and action movies. and likewise so do the emotional lyrics of a lot of the metalcore bands. meshuggah is “weird” bc it takes a solid couples reads of each song’s lyrics and then comes the comprehension(maybe) of what each song is about. that might sound pretentious to a lot of people, but they really do have something to say. i don’t always like his monotonal yelling but Jens is still a beast and not showing any signs of losing his voice. they are the best live band I’ve seen bc the lighting alone is incredible!
@@mattdubya1037 100% spot on
Definitely late to the party but the album is broken down because selling it as a single song or rather ep gives the label and group less money due to how they’re sold.
Best live band to see PERFECT EXECUTION ALWAYS
Cathc-33 is NOT the album to get to know Meshuggah. Unless you're high or drunk. That album is a trip.
"I" is still their most accessible album for a newbie IMO, even after hearing your thoughts on Catch 33. It is faster, half as long, and has 7 string guitars as opposed to 8. For a traditional album, ObZen is probably a safe bet too for most newbies.
Yeah ill try to do it this week!
Hmm. It's very disquieting and interesting at the same time. The differing time signatures sound chaotic and incredibly organized at the same time. It sort has a Tool vibe if they had taken it a couple steps further. Great reaction!
Yeah basically...we understand it the same way i think
@@BaldHeadedMETAL Are you familiar with the folk metal band Grai? They're Russian and I know you follow their metal scene
NO SET LIST?
Where’s the chapters so I can skip to a song?
Fear innoculum was boring.
I personally loved it but i can see why others wont think so
@@BaldHeadedMETAL for me the difference is at least catch 33 has riffs. Fear innoculum felt like it had no riffs. I love tool but I miss when they had riffs.
@@123612100Fear Innoculum brought nothing new to the table. It’s just a recycling of their established sound.
Love every other tool album. Fear innoculum doesn't do anything for me.
If I had to pick a single album, Obzen is probably the one. Full discography is cool too, though. You'll be able to see their progression from "Meshuggica" to the amazingly weird rhythmic beasts they've become today. Cheers to your stubbornness!
First time someone encourages my stubborness...thanks!