Meshuggah will be releasing The Violent Sleep Of Reason on October 7th via Nuclear Blast, and the Swedish metal giants have outdone themselves. With each album they continue to push the limits of their sound, and their eighth full length proves that they are only getting better with age. There are only a few bands on this planet that continue to release ground breaking material to the masses on such a consistent level, and The Violent Sleep Of Reason proves, once again, that Meshuggah is one of those bands.
The Violent Sleep Of Reason is the first record that Meshuggah has ever recorded live in the studio, and you can hear the difference right from the beginning. ‘Clockworks’ opens the record with a ferocious barrage of riffs backed by an insane rhythm attack, and right away, the rawness of the record jumps out at you. This isn’t a band trading back riffs and parts to each other through a computer anymore, they are together in the same room, and completely killing it with a precision that is out of this world. As the record moves on to tracks like ‘Born in Dissonance’, ‘MonstroCity’ and ‘By the Ton,’ you get a reminder of why Meshuggah has become one of the most important bands of our generation. The crazy time signatures are there, and while we’ve come to accustomed to hearing this from this band, they are still the only ones to make them sound so heavy, and just so perfect. Once the title track hits your speakers, you are completely hooked on this album. This swirling, magnificent track is the purest example of why they’ve come to influence so many bands in the scenes. You can call it whatever genre you want, but Meshuggah created it, and continues to push its boundaries to levels no one ever thought was possible. As you make your way through the next four tracks, the pure power of the riffs and drums will overwhelm you, but in the best way possible. I can’t stress enough that the power of this record is simply mind-blowing. Somehow they’ve gotten heavier. Somehow they’ve gotten better. Someone they are still human. Thankfully, ‘Into Decay’ ends the madness with a reduced tempo, that allows you to catch your breath, step back, and realize the awesomeness that is and was The Violent Sleep Of Reason.
I’ve been a fan of Meshuggah since I first heard them back in 1999. Since then they’ve released such classics as Nothing, obZen, and Koloss, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but The Violent Sleep Of Reason might be their best album yet. To hear Jens Kidman, Fredrik Thordendal, Tomas Haake, Mårten Hagström and Dick Lövgren at this level is just astonishing. Jens has perfected his vocal range, Fredrik and Mårten continue to write riffs that will baffle guitarists for decades, and Tomas continues to master the drums unlike anyone has before him. They are truly masters of their craft, and have made it more real by recording it live in the studio for the first time ever. The Violent Sleep Of Reason is as raw as we’ve ever heard Meshuggah, but in my opinion, it’s also as perfect as we’ve ever heard them. Order The Violent Sleep of Reason today!
10/10
METAL MARK
