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Composer & Air Drummer reacts to MESHUGGAH: Bleed (live drum-cam) | The Daily Doug Ep. 639
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- Опубликовано: 16 авг 2024
- #meshuggah #meshuggahreaction #drumcam
In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm diving into the music of Meshuggah for the first time. This extreme metal band from Sweden has been requested for quite some time, and today's finally the day. Watch as I attempt to figure out just what these guys are doing and saying. It's a wild ride!
Reference Video: • Meshuggah - Bleed - To...
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The song 'Clockworks ' also has a drum cam and it has a more clean audio track, seeing Thomas playing that song is an absolute journey, what a beast of a drummer! \m/
Second that, the clockworks playthrough is fantastic.
Definitely Clockworks should be next!
Up for this, clockworks was my introduction with Meshuggah
Great recommendations! Thumbs up!
I've watched that video so many times and it never gets old. That part where it cuts out for a second then comes thundering back with that heavy groove is so badass.
The important thing to remember about Meshuggah is that every member of the band are playing percussion.
There are 6 men in Meshuggah.
Including the lights guy, he's legit the second drummer. I had an over the shoulder look at him in action and dude blew my mind.
Including Jens. His voice is an instrument
He's not playing triplets, those are hertas. Hard enough to play on guitar, just insane to do it on your feet while holding down 4/4 on top, Tomas is a monster!
The hertas are actually pretty easy with the right hand. The issue is fretting the correct notes to hit at exactly the note they need to and not one note early or late
@@chadmarx7718 high speed hertas are not easy, they require a very specific technique to be developed, usually metal riffs are played with downstrokes but to hold on with bleed and play it cleanly you have to play very economic alternate picking that offsets where the initial downstroke strikes, which is very awkward at the begining. of course once you mastered the techinque you'll be fine.
@@Harbinger835 took me like 2-3 days to get the pattern up to speed, and i don't consider myself a fast learner or even a decent guitarist. It's just not too demanding for the right hand based on my experience
may be you learned guitar with a modern approach, most modern guitarist are used to play alternate picking like that, old school folks have a tendency to do downstrokes. hertas alone are easy but Meshuggah's Bleed is a high speed Herta that lasts for 7 minutes almost non stop with different patterns, I'm not a virtuous guitarist but I'm able to play moderately intricate riffs and Bleed fucked me over because I needed to retrain how I picked those patterns, now it's a warmup for me, but it was not easy to change it. @@chadmarx7718
We all tried it first with both hands 😂
Doug, Meshuggah is surely a difficult spoonful to swallow, but when you start understanding mainly the rythmical intricacies behind their music, you discover a gold mine. I suggest you to react to Yogev Gabay's rythmic analysis alongside listening to Meshuggah: he explains better than everyone what they are all about. At first I struggled too, but one day I opened my mind and understood!
Loved those videos! Made me wish I took music theory 😂
Please don't swallow a spoon. A pill on the other hand...
I second this. His visualisations of the rhythm sections are on another level and it helps you appreciate (maybe not necessarily like) meshuggah much better.
@@whatdothlife4660 aackshually, "spoonful" isn't referring to the actual spoon but rather what's in it.
I vouch for this comment 100%
Meshuggah will often consider themselves where EVERYONE in the band is a percussionist--and "Bleed" is one of their best examples of them doing this. Once you consider the vocals to be a percussive instrument, it's much easier to absorb.
Also, this is where their polymeter usage blows your mind: the guitars & bass play in some other (usually odd) meter, but (some fraction of) the drums stay in 4/4. What they do is magical!
The impenetrable composer mind meets an unstoppable relentless kick.
Composer survived, kick was great. 1:1 ❤
I don't think Meshuggah's kick is that relentless, it's not an endurance contest as in many death metal bands.
@@pin-upmariposa412it's actually 4:3
@theyescapedtheweightofdarkness I agree with you. I appreciate the drummer and composer equal, but Doug win this time. It was better than I expected.
@@pin-upmariposa412 i was just making a joke lol
In music like this, "color" does not come from the variety of notes in the vocals. It comes from the "level of aggression" and the rhythmic patterns. It's definitely a different way of thinking about things, but it's just as valid.
nice
i think a lot of harsh vocalists have no color to them, but jens is not one of them imo
This is (imo) an exercise in futility…it may be appeal to many, but (to me) lacks musicality…they’ve hammered the soul out of it…that may have been the intent…I don’t get it…
@@MarioJMunoz-cw8bf I tend to agree. I appreciate it for the skill of the musicians and for what the loyal fans get out of it, but I've been trying for years to like Meshuggah and I just can't. The droning syncopation of the drums and guitars, and the monotone scream vocals just have no melodic or redeeming quality to my ears. That said, Haake is a beast, just not the beast that I care to listen to a lot. After a couple songs I'm very ready for something else.
I love this style of metal, but it was someone else (I think here on RUclips in the comments) who described death metal/brutal death metal vocals the best: "In this style of metal, the vocals aren't there for singing per se, they are used like just another instrument", and I do think this is the best description of them, and the best mentality to listen to songs like this.
I legitimately don't know if there is a metal head alive that WASN'T turned off by extreme vocals the first time they heard them. All of my friends and I all were extremely put off by them at first and only later grew to appreciate them. So no worries, Doug. We might still get ya!
Now You know him, I WASN'T.
Naaa, for me vocals were the best part and they still are
I wasn´t.
you know, i think you're right. Never thought about that
Same here. It’s a taste that is acquired over years of listening. My gateway bands were bullet for my valentine and slipknot then I started them I started listening to melodic death metal. Mainly just arch enemy since they have a lot of rock style riffs with metal vocals. Then pretty much the whole metal world slowly opened to me. Now I like it all!
Oh boy. What a ride, for sure! Doug is stepping into dangerous realms of no return...
And he survived, that's awesome
What a ride? Thomas uses it as a crash.
Doug, I've listened to this song hundreds of times. I don't know a single word of the song and I don't care because the music is just so damn good and speaks to me deep in my soul.
Just absorb the vocals. Just accept it. It's integral to the whole.
Yep, think of harsh vocals as an instrument instead of singing.
You gotta be fair though, Jens' vocals have a certain ugliness to it, which can be cool, but for the noobs it can be off-putting.
@@raz0rcarich99 I concur! It took me a few years to finally warm up to harsh vocals. I loved the music so I kept listening then one day I realized I get it and like them. Now I love them as well as clean singing.
@@raz0rcarich99 yes, the same way the guitars are extremely ugly and paint an atmosphere of rot and sulfur. If you're already able to take in the instruments, my guess is with little effort you can acclimate to the vocals.
i cringe when he complains
Along with Opeth and Dream Theater, probably the most influential metal band of the last 30 years. Completely invented their own unique style/genre that's become known as "djent" (named after the onomatopoeia of the sound made when chugging on an 8-string guitar), but, more importantly, completely revolutionized metal rhythm. This song got famous because it's so straight-forwardly aggressive (one of their most traditionally thrashy), and because the kick-drum part is one of the most notoriously difficult ever written (it required months work of Haake to perfect). I think they have so many other songs that better show off their rhythmic complexity like Clockworks (which there's also a drum cam version for).
The vocals I think fit the aesthetic of Meshuggah being a band of emotionless terminators. I've always likened Meshuggah to trying to do calculus while under heavy enemy fire. The combination of relentless, colorless aggression and the intricacy of what they're doing technically/rhythmically is such a potent combination that tickles both the animalistic and intellectual sides of my brain. It does get a bit tiring after long stretches because of the lack of color, but it's such an utterly unique aesthetic. Even the bands that have blatantly ripped them off haven't really replicated their unique sound/style.
😮 holy s... this comment...
"Dream Theater", cut of
Perfectly said.
"Trying to do calculus while under heavy enemy fire."
Nicely done. 👍
Very well said
Bleed is great but “Dancers to a Discordant system” is better. Hopefully you check that one out.
It's gonna make his head spin for sure :)))))
I think Meshuggah has a lot songs better than Bleed, this one is just the most popular (and also very good, obviously).
Easily their most compositionally complete track outside of Catch 33. Definitely would appreciate Doug giving it a listen.
That song is a good example of meshuggah being too melodic. But it still melody that are cave man level.
I can understand the popularity of Bleed, especially considering all the crazy footwork from Tomas, but they have lots of better material imo, including in obZen (not that Bleed is bad by any means, anyway).
Thanks Doug. Meshuggah fills a void that not many can. My own experience of their sound is quite meditative, once you let go and go beyond the harshness. My experience of it is like swimming in the ocean when the waves to shore are rough. Initially the waves are alarming and one almost senses annihilation. Yet, in time, as you interact with it and ride them, there is a rhythm, or should I say multiple overlaid rhythms which buffet and thrash against you, almost constantly, to the point you find the peace within it. That's where, to me, their genius lies. It's in looking deeply past their harshness to find what is always there in each of us. That peaceful shining light unchanging upon which their music rests. You can sense it initially in their quiet passages. Yet it's in the depth of the seeming chaos and intensity that the deepest experience of inner quiet is achieved. Thanks for expanding your experience to include them. Maybe next you could do, "In Death Is Life" and "In Death is Death", my favorite dichotomy. How that moves into "Shed" is pure magic. Love ya!
There is a great video of comedian Bill Burr (himself a drummer) who talks about watching them play this song live and his description of the drum part and just how intricate and hard it is. It gave me a whole new appreciation for Meshuggah.
Tomas is an absolute monster of endurance, Meshuggah routinely does 2-3 hour gigs with this kind of drumming all throughout. The man's in his 50s too!
Growls as a vocal style are definitely an acquired taste and not one that most people will ever be able to acquire. Tonality isn't even a point in those kinds of vocals anymore, they shift vocals more into the rhythm section so that guitars/keyboards/etc. can have the driver's seat in terms of melody (or in the case of Meshuggah, dissonance.) The lyrics are often as harsh as the vocals. Just another magically bizarre way you can express emotion through music, even if it does subvert a lot of people's notion of what music "should" be like.
Thanks for the interesting take (I'm definitely one of those "most people"!)
To be fair though, most (if any) of their songs are not as double kick heavy as Bleed. I remember reading Tomas say in an interview, that he sometimes has problems with one of his legs getting numb during performance. But yeah, Tomas is a true drum giant.
I can't stand these vocals and I have no problem with growling. There's not much of a rhythm going on, just "wraaaaar" in front of the music.
@@scypheNo, there is actually s really cool arangement of the vocals, even Tomas said in an interview that they arrange the lyrics in a rythmical way, in this song you can hear a 5 over 4 section polyrythm where Tomas is playing 4 on the cymbal and the vocals are on 5. It sounds really groovy, so cool.
Stop criticizing if you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
@@ir0n_bb170 Ooh, I hit a nerve there. Dude, don't get so defensive just because someone has a different opinion.
I cannot believe this is your first exposure to Meshuggah. Some comments are saying Clockwork (great song btw), but apart from Bleed the two other "Represent" type tracks from them is "New Millennium Cyanide Christ", and "Future Breed machine". Fredrik Thordendal is a music nerd for sure. Cheers Doug
Thomas is an insane drummer - doing 4 different rythyms at the same time... crazy - even Danny Carey said after seeing them live that he was a killer on the drums 😎🤘
Respect & Peace ☘
Meshuggah has inspired countless bands and accidentally inspired the entire Djent style of music. The vocals are like a rhythmic instrument, the lyrics are so complicated and meaningful, this style of delivery fits the intensity of the music. Guitar player has some reslly great melodic solos, doesn't just shred scales.
Closed Eye Visuals, Rational Gaze, and Demiurge are great songs to check out.
Once you get a taste for this band there's no going back, they have a special quality that is often replicated, but never duplicated.
@@cryptoholica72 This song is from 2008, and Meshuggah were doing djenty or proto-djent riffs even earlier than that.
@cryptoholica7220 not sure what you mean, but I'll elaborate anyways. They used giant gauge strings on their guitars way back when to make meaty riffs. People like Misha Mansoor heard that, tried to replicate, and the phenomenon known as "djent" started. Not saying they are djent at all, just saying they have inspired a ton of bands, Volumes, Erra, Gojira, Periphery, Animals As Leaders, etc.
@@cryptoholica72 god damn troll, stop spamming your comments. You say its nothing new? Well Meshuggah were first in all this, they created what you say is nothing new.
Doug you should react to any Death song (the band). They're incredible when it comes to complex compositions.
He wouldn't get past Chuck's vocals, let alone appreciate that Chuck is doing it while playing leads. Symbolic....any song off that album would be a good place for him to start, but.......
This dude HATES heavy music and all vocalists gotta sound like Jewel or Beyonce to be considered legit.
Fk this dude and his opinion. Fake composer who never done squat musically that anyone can find or point to
What.. Pain .. .. .. Must we ... Satisfy... To Doug .. Listen to it!
Death: it's all about! I suggest the title track of the masterpiece "Symbolic" (1995). In my opinion, much more interesting than Meshuggah, although this swedish band has a unique sound, but with a lot of jazz fusion influence in reality...
As for Death, I also suggest the analysis, reaction to the title track of another masterful album by this band: "Spiritual Healing"...
Another suggestion: [Drum Cam] Eloy Casagrande - Means To An End (Sepultura). A drummer as or more "monstrous" than Tomas Haake from Meshuggah. And a Metal also maybe more interesting than Meshuggah...Another outstanding Sepultura song for analysis, reaction: Desperate Cry...
the fact that this song is about a stroke caused by an anheurysm just makes SO MUCH SENSE.
Seeing it life honestly felt somewhere between hypnotic and seizure inducing.
Hahaha don't wanna miss this!
Doug is stepping into deep water!
🤘🏻
The drummer, Tomas, writes most of the lyrics if I'm not mistaken. More specifically, you might be interested to listen to the vocals from a percussion standpoint, because the rhythms do some fun things against what the drums are doing.
@@cryptoholica72Plenty of people can understand the lyrics. I hear this argument all the time, mostly from people who don’t listen to this kind of music. Which is fine, this music isn’t for everyone. But it’s not that the lyrics aren’t understandable, it’s just that YOU can’t understand them. Just like other aspects of music take a trained ear to hear, so do harsh vocals.
@cryptoholica7220 think if the vocals as an instrument, also we can understand
The song took Thomas Haake "pronounced HUL-KA" 6 months to get right during recording, 3 more months to record the remainder of the album. Most bands cut an album in a few weeks at most. Nickelback only needs a weekend. The skill required to lay down these tracks is beast level.
I would argue that the colour is still there it's changed from what you might expect, but most folks into heavy music can identify the vocalist by just their unique vocal sound.
This is the only band I can listen to with lyrics like this. I mean what else are you gonna do to match the sheer brutality of this music? And nobody does it better imo.
Same
I learned to appreciate what Jens does with his vocals more once i started thinking of the vocals as being part of the percussion for the songs. That's especially true on the more syncopated songs. Bleed is relatively straightforward in terms of the rhythm (despite how insanely technical Haake's foot hertas are, and how difficult that is to play). On a song like Spasm off of the Nothing album it's much harder to anticipate what the rhythm is because they are breaking the bar everywhere. The syncopations and accents key off of the rhythm of the lyrics, rather than off of a numeric count. Jens is holding the band together in time with his vocal performance like a conductor's baton. The sections where there are no lyrics are more rhythmically predictable because they are harder to remember without the lyrics there to guide the rhythm.
The rudiment Thomas uses in his feet is called the Herta and it's not only the speed, but it's also the endurance along with playing a straight 4/4 on top of this that makes this drum pattern so unique.
Meshuggah uses the vocals as an rhythmical instrument.
I would say a large amount of metal bands that use harsh vocals use them like that. It's just a different way of looking at vocals which takes time to grasp and might not click at all for plenty of people. It took a while for me as well when I started getting into metal. You will also understand them better after getting used to harsh vocals.
I tend to tune out Jens’ vocals and lock into the rhythm. That’s what they want, he’s just there to extend his syllables to add to the groove. A good example of that is Perpetual Black Second or Neurotica. It sounds like he’s rapping when he follows those crazy rhythms.
No, that's not just what he's there for. The way Meshuggah operate is to use everything as a percussion instrument. Jens vocals absolutely fit in perfectly and drive the music along as much as every other instrument. The song would sound incomplete without Jens vocals.
@@darrynmccartney1118absolutely, jens fills every gap in their instrumentals perfectly well because a majority of his vocal patterns and rhythms are written by the other bandmates. he's the emotion of the band, without him they'd just be instrumental prog metal.
Every "extreme" voice has its own color, too.
I always drum barefoot. I can feel the pedals and make sure I'm on the right spot.
It's hertas on the feet (which is a type of triplet), 7/4 mostly with his right hand and mostly 4/4 with his left. Tomas' process is to write his parts on a drum machine, then figure out how to play them on a live kit. I've heard him say this song took him 6 months to learn and master.
Lastly the feet (aside from endurance) are the easy part. Like Ron Popeil, just set it and forget it. Straight hertas (2 right kicks for every left kick, or 2 left one right, if that's your preference).
The vocals in heavy music is actually quite varied, and it is actually heavily unique to each person, while still allowing for changing your sound by activating different vocal techniques/shaping your tongue or mouth. Also, in a metal show the vocalists don't have to be as clear as they would when in the recording booth, since they are acting as the frontman and the fans, being fans, have already memorized all those lyrics. If you want an easier time with the vocals I would recommend the studio recording, but also I get that it just doesn't sit right with some people. I just felt that metal vocals are misunderstood, and that people need to understand that it's still a form of singing, even if it doesn't sound like notes
The vocals are used just like another instrument, creating another pattern, and after a while you will see it like that.
I am into heavy music and it took me a while to warm up to Jens's vocals. Now I can't imagine anyone else in his place.
Also, after some listening you can totally start to understand the lyrics ahaha
I love how objective you are, that you can criticize it even if you dont prefer the certain type of music. This channel has come so far. remember when it was still maybe ay 20k. Such a great channel
Sooooo good! 🤘🤘 It creates so much bubbling emotions when I listen. I wanna laugh, cry and just feel everything permeating and percolating beneath the surface ready to snap. Lose your mind in Meshuggah.
Jens Kidman gets nowhere near the appreciation he should. Hes a machine too
Exactly!
Oooh, you've added Octatonic to my scale library. Thanks, Doug :)
I’ve never seen a reaction channel who knew nothing about Meshuggah going in pinpoint as many things correctly as you have. All their songs are in 4/4 and you nailed it. Even songs or sections of songs that sound like you’re in a trash truck tumbling down a mountain are in 4/4. I’m a rhythm section guy so your analysis on harmony and scales loses me a bit. And you’re the first reviewer who pronounced Tomas’ name correctly. Meshuggah is the grandfather of an entire genre, and in my opinion no group does it better. There are some great ones out there, but you can’t deny the chaotic and calculated power of the Norse gods upon which those many houses were built. One last thought- Jens’ voice in a acquired taste. I’m not a metal head. There are only three or four metal artists I give my time to. No issue from my end if you’re not into the vocal style, but I n my opinion, he sounds like fear and desperation rather than cocky aggression like I hear in a lot of other vocalists. Listen like you can hear his fear and maybe you’ll start to understand the appeal. Maybe not. They are describing hell as victims- not executing its punishments. That’s how I make it make sense to me anyway.
Tom does the guitar rhythm pattern with the legs (you need to watch a video explaining this, it's too complicated to explain 😁) and the arms do something else with a completely different metric. Since his legs are always working, he even has 2 hi-hats, one opened and one closed. This guy is like god level.
As Devin once said:
"While we all have lots of bands who influence still, we all rip off Meshuggah!"
If you know Devin, you’re a friend of mine by default. Been a fan since ‘99. Cheers.
Sometimes I like art that's a little challenging.
Doug is the epitome of politeness and restrained objectivity. He tries to see the positives in everything he listens to, but is never derogatory even when he doesn’t like something he hears.
I’m with him on this. Meshuggah are a challenging listen but have interesting things to say musically , but the vocals are always going to alienate a lot of listeners.
Meshuggah really excels at rhythms. Bleed is really one of their most "straight forward" songs in a sense that it's mostly just exploring different iterations of the Herta rhythm. At least it feels like that to me. I think you would really enjoy songs like Clockworks, Rational Gaze or Stengah if you can get past the vocals. I think of one note growling vocals like these as yet another rhythm; it's less a way to deliver lyrics and more just another piece in the "puzzle of aggression" that is extreme metal.
Tomas Haake ... Excellent - Genius Drummer 👍🤘
Nice vocals by Beelzebub.
Yeah XD
If you're not interested in hearing Jens' vocals (which I don't get, but hey, to each their own! 😉), they have an instrumental from their newest album Immutable, called 'They Move Below', which is - IMO - absolutely incredible!
It is cool that you took this on. Your don't have to like every element of it, but you gave it an honest, open minded shot. You were honest without being condescending or claiming any of it is "wrong" in a sense. I appreciate that about your analysis. (always, not just on this one)
I wish I could listen to music the same way, that is why you are a great teacher!
Most of their songs are in 4/4, with a few exceptions. There are usually a lot of shenanigans happening around it, however.
The popular saying how to "follow along" is to listen to Haake's china/hihat, which normally follows the 4/4 beat.
The thing that just blows my mind is the base and guitar are matching the kicks and visa versa. Crazy
I live the vocals, guttural rhythmical blasts and pulses of texture and emotion.
I like the comment about the vocals, I get that point. The same have been said about distorted guitars, that the natural sound of the guitar doesn't show, when it's all distorted. Which is also true, still when you are able to hear, you can hear the players individual touch, both guitar and vocal.
Yes they use that octatonic scale quite a lot, especially on lead guitar.
13:57 as a singer without perfect pitch, I hear that octatonic passage as (with arrows pointing up or down to note the voices) ^4 v3 ^2 v5 ^3 v#5 ^5 v4 : repeat. So yeah, within an octatonic scale.
I use #5 instead of b6 because I always hear a #9 chord quality (rooted on scale degree 3 assuming a major key like the notes I wrote earlier, so like E#9 assuming "C major") that technically makes the top note scale degree x4 instead of 5, but the proper notation is cursed in some.way no matter what enharmonic spellings you choose. My modus operandi for #9 chords is to act like the #9 is actually just the minor 3rd over the major 3rd with the m7th in-between to make them play a bit nicer together. Root is optional but nice, and 5th is super optional.
Finally Meshuggah reached The Daily Doug! 😄🤘
a fun idea maybe; your comment about losing a person's colour with this vocal style is completely valid, and I think what has made it so easy to attach to for fans is if we take the colour term into analogy of painting. Imagine that these vocalists picked up the paint brush and pushed it through the canvas. Now'a days people play with the idea of not just pushing the brush through, but also bringing attention to the kind of brush, the materials of the canvas, and if any flavour was mixed in, such as blue oil paint versus grey water paints.
I think that once we change our temporary viewpoints of rendered art, not only do we come to understand other kinds of arts, but understand the artist without meeting them.
Love this reaction: Focusing on the songwriting and meaning. Picking up on the octatonic scale stuff. Most reactions just focus on the drum pattern and how 'hard' it is.
I like how Doug immediately figured out that this song is in 4/4.
Dear Doug, Meshuggah live is something you should try someday. It's a level of intensity beyond words.
Meshuggah is one of those bands that had several "eras" where they've experimented in many different ways while keeping a certain core sound. Their current vibe has a certain droning quality to it, a sound they have completely mastered, but you may wish to check out some of their earlier albums to hear some of those jazz and progressive influences. I am biased as my internet moniker attests to and would recommend finding the track "Soul Burn" from "Destroy Erase Improve", but honestly I'd probably recommend more the song "Gods of Rapture" from their EP "None" which shows off a wider palette of what the band has to offer. Plus I defy you to figure out what time signature the last riff of that song is in :)
I’ve had the None CD for prolly 20 years now. Got the vinyl for Christmas (for my kids, of course…) and it’s just another dimension. Wonderful experience.
To hear more of the jazz try Dancers to a Discordant System (also a little more vocal coloring there ;) and considered by a lot of people as their magnum opus) or Straws pulled at Random (great relaxing outro). Another interesting one is Do Not Look Down where they play a 17 beat riff over a 4/4 so it shifts and alternates from up to down beat but the tonal modulations stay within the 4/4 and thus happen mid riff and never at the same place.
The vocals in Meshuggah are almost like another rhythm guitar. It's more about the rhythm than the melody.
And yes, Yogev Gabay has great explainers that made me understand what is great about Meshuggah. Another very funny explainer is by Ben Eller called: Stuff Meshuggah Does.
I first discovered Meshugga around 2010 by typing "heaviest song of all time" just to explore and be shocked and heard Catch 33 and was baffled.. Then I decided to give Meshugga another listen after slowly working my way into metal for a few years and absolutely fell in love and have sincve seen them live.
I had the pleasure of seeing them open for Tool back in 2003, i really didn't know who they were at the time. but wow, what an amazing show.
I can easily see why someone could look away from Meshuggah because of the vocals. It took me awhile to appreciate the full band after MULTIPLE listens. Please give this band another shot. They are in my top 5 bands or all time and suggest more palatable songs!
Best Band EVER!!!!!
slaughter to preveil - Demolisher
Hey Doug! Just found your Yes reaction videos and thoroughly enjoying them as they are my favorite band.
As far as Meshuggah goes, I recommend their song called "I". As far as other metal that it doesn't look like you’ve covered on your channel, I recommend Between The Buried And Me. Their song Selkies: The Endless Obsession is a great entry point for the band.
Jens's barky vocals are part of their Eldritch Robot Space Viking vibe.
Tomas is in both meters, playing a 4/4 groove with his hands while his feet match the guitars.
Clockworks is good for next, but my personal favorite of theirs is Dancers to a Discordant System.
I heard in an interview that Thomas spent about 6 months to just learn to play the parts separately (for recording), and another 6 months to play the whole song in one take (for live performances). Almost all Meshuggah songs are in 4/4, but the kick drums, guitars and bass, play in odd meters ("over the bar stuff", as they called it themselves in another interview). They offen use the Half-Whole Diminished Scale, normally in the key of F (F - F# - G# - A - B - C - D - D# - E). I agree that the harsh vocals can be a bit difficullt to digest, but I think it fits their musical style. This was my biggest challange to overcome when I started listening to them, but it grew on me. They have now been my favorite band for at least 15 years.
You could listen to "They Move Below", which is completely instrumental. Or to "Broken Cog", which has vocals but they are for the most part almost whispered, very different style. Both extremely interesting pieces.
I love the intro to 'They Move Below'.
Solid, respectful rundown. Their influence to all genres of music can’t be overstated. Even ‘bleeds’ into competitive marching band. Look for a Mesh/Bluecoats percussion etude of the song Beneath. Roger Carter (their percussion caption lead) is the man.
"I'm worry about not wearing pants in my videos" Best comment ever! 🤣
All MWshuggah songs are in 4/4 as far as I know. Their whole deal is coming up with as many permutations of syncopation as possible, and the vocals are included in that. They're just another percussion instrument. And you're straight up wrong about the loss of an individual's vocal color with harsh vocals. Vocal analysts on youtube have gotten really into them. Jari from Wintersun sounds completely different from Adrienne from Seven Spires who sounds entirely different from Mikael from Opeth. It absolutely takes some time to develop an ear for it, but they are anything but an undifferentiated mass.
"Dødheimsgard - Det Tomme Kalde Mørke" is an amazing journey, a different kind of journey
Mr. Helvering, I think Travis Ryan from Cattle Decapitation is the exact opposite of your problem with extreme metal vocals as mentioned in your comment around 12 minutes in. He has some of the biggest range in the genre today. I highly recommend "Death Atlas" or "Just Another Body" from their new album.
It took me a while to get used to the vocals for Messugah. I get it. Just dont let it stop you from looking at other songs by them. Others have said it, but I view the vocals as more a part of the rhythm
Brilliant reaction to the outro lick, there truly is no faking that first-listen bewilderment.
"Composer & Air Drummer"-a good one, Doug! 😁
It took me so long to understand the purpose and attraction behind scream vocals.
Above all I believe it adds an additional rhythmic and percussive sound to bands that focus mostly on rhythmic patterns and technical virtuosity. So instead of the vocals being another tonal instrument they are basically another type of percussion instrument.
And now I love harsh vocals😈
Man I hated meshuggah at first, but I sat down and really listened to them… genius, I love them now.
It's mind-blowing how fast this guy's channel has blown up. I remember only a year ago or so his channel only having 33k or something like that.
Harsh vocals are an acquired taste for sure. But Meshuggah just wouldn't hit so hard without them. Love this band.
Something you have to understand is how dominating influential this one song was. Before this song, most metal was inspired by the gliding virtuoso style sound. After this song, every band and his dog went djent sound. All this from a band that has never been that popular or well known in regular society.
i would love to see your take on their song straws pulled at random
meshuggah aren't known as much for their complex harmnic ideas but that song is one of the most beatufiul pieces of music i have ever heard and really showcase what meshuggah can do
The transformation of Doug.
Doug 2021: Ewww double kicks
Doug 2023: Listens to and appreciates the definitive double bass anthem
Doug 2023: Ewww harsh vocals
Doug 2024: I love Infant Annihilator!
Yes, Messhugah has spent multiple decades now mastering the half/whole diminished scale (among others). Awesome reaction!
It's interesting that you mention Jens' vocals, because he's actually the one that got me into harsh vocals (and one of the few that I really like). As others have mentioned, there's the entire "vocals as another percussive instrument" thing, but his style also matches a lot their intensity and their lyrics.
And the whole story of Tomas having to basically relearn how to play drums just because of this song (and spending more time to record just this one than all other obZen tracks combined) is really one for the records. And for that I understand why this song is so (in)famous, but they have more interesting material in this album (Combustion, Pravus, Dancers To A Discordant System), let alone their catalogue.
guitar riff and kick drums are locked in!!
It's all in 4/4. The rhythm he (and the guitarists) are doing consists of 16th and 32nd notes. In terms of drumming, it's like playing 16th notes with a diddle on every 3rd note. It's essentially a triplet pattern but in a 16th note context
Please do more Meshuggah! This is my new favorite initial reaction I've seen to my favorite metal band. Stick it out through the vocal style for the drums (and it might even grow on you the more you read along).
Seconding "Clockworks," or "Nostrum." Both have drum cams.
Everyone's saying it, but I'll repeat it: listen to the vocals first and foremost as an instrument. Dont stress about understanding the lyrics. You'll enjoy it more.
And it'll come with time anyway just takes a min
The entire Obzen album is an amazing revolution.
On one hand, I totally agree with Doug on the vocals. I've never been into that style despite being a lifelong metal head.
On the other hand, I don't know what other style would work with this music.
I imagine you would find Panzerballett intriguing. They are an instrumental jazz metal band, which has "covered" such songs as Take Five and the Pink Panther theme. I put covered in quotes since they put a unique spin on them :)
So fun to see you watch this! I'm best friends with Mårtens son, and we have been friends for like the past 10 years. Will prob tell him to watch this!
i have waiting for this day for a long time.
I happen to enjoy these vocals. A lot.
more meshuggah please, great band
I did not love Jens vocals at first either, but Meshuggah is so good and so incredibly talented, I was eventually able to just listen to him as another instrument and beat in the grand scheme. I love Meshuggah.
Someone recommend the Radio Disney version of the song for calmer vocals 🤣