Meshuggah Shares a Remastered Version of “Neurotica” from their Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition of “Chaosphere”


 

It is impossible to talk about experimental or avant-garde metal without mentioning long-running metal icons, Meshuggah . Since forming in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah has developed into one of the most technically complex and virtuosic groups of players the metal realm has ever encountered, their distinctly unique brand of progressive, groove‐infused extreme metal inadvertently launching an entirely new subgenre. Crowned “one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands,” by Rolling Stone, the band has earned the respect and admiration from fans and musicians alike. 2023 now marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the band’s earliest milestones: Chaosphere. Originally released on November 9th, 1998, Meshuggah’s third full-length studio album shows the band toning down some of the thrashier sounds of previous releases in favor of the more technical, polyrhythmic, groove-oriented sound they would go to explore on subsequent albums. The record contains the songs “New Millennium Cyanide Christ,” “Corridor Of Chameleons,” and “Neurotica,” some of the band’s most streamed tracks, among other highlights. Listen to a remastered version of “Neurotica” right now and pre-order the album:

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Meshuggah Shares a Remastered Version of “Sane” from their Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition of “Chaosphere”


 

It is impossible to talk about experimental or avant-garde metal without mentioning long-running metal icons, Meshuggah . Since forming in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah has developed into one of the most technically complex and virtuosic groups of players the metal realm has ever encountered, their distinctly unique brand of progressive, groove‐infused extreme metal inadvertently launching an entirely new subgenre. Crowned “one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands,” by Rolling Stone, the band has earned the respect and admiration from fans and musicians alike. 2023 now marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the band’s earliest milestones: Chaosphere. Originally released on November 9th, 1998, Meshuggah’s third full-length studio album shows the band toning down some of the thrashier sounds of previous releases in favor of the more technical, polyrhythmic, groove-oriented sound they would go to explore on subsequent albums. The record contains the songs “New Millennium Cyanide Christ,” “Corridor Of Chameleons,” and “Neurotica,” some of the band’s most streamed tracks, among other highlights. Listen to a remastered version of “Sane” right now and pre-order the album:

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Meshuggah to Re-Issue a Remastered Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition of “Chaosphere”


 

It is impossible to talk about experimental or avant-garde metal without mentioning long-running metal icons, Meshuggah . Since forming in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah has developed into one of the most technically complex and virtuosic groups of players the metal realm has ever encountered, their distinctly unique brand of progressive, groove‐infused extreme metal inadvertently launching an entirely new subgenre. Crowned “one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands,” by Rolling Stone, the band has earned the respect and admiration from fans and musicians alike. 2023 now marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of one of the band’s earliest milestones: Chaosphere. Originally released on November 9th, 1998, Meshuggah’s third full-length studio album shows the band toning down some of the thrashier sounds of previous releases in favor of the more technical, polyrhythmic, groove-oriented sound they would go to explore on subsequent albums. The record contains the songs “New Millennium Cyanide Christ,” “Corridor Of Chameleons,” and “Neurotica,” some of the band’s most streamed tracks, among other highlights.

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Meshuggah – I (Remastered EP)


Meshuggah - I - Special Edition

 

Meshuggah. I can just end the review at the end of that first sentence, right? The name speaks for itself as easily the most revered and analyzed band of the decade and a half of extreme metal. They certainly have lovers and haters, but they have clearly set themselves apart from any other band. Many bands want to sound like them, but few can really do it. As the band continues to celebrate their 25th Anniversary with a Concert DVD and now this Special Edition remastered EP (Nuclear Blast) coming ten years later, now is as good a time as ever to expend a few more brain cells revisiting this creative and crushing release.

If Chaosphere established the bands footing in the underground, and Nothing foisted them into the consciousness of mainstream metal fans, I was made for unabashed, fan-boying worship. Arriving on the scene as a one-off release from Jason Popson’s (Mushroomhead) Fractured Transmitter label, this unassuming 21-minute plus singular track comprises in it everything great about Meshuggah. ‘I’ has insane time signatures, crushing, mechanical riffing, stellar drumming and the classic ranting vocals of Jens Kidman. The track was a flat-out masterpiece, certainly worthy of the best the group had to offer up to that point. Several movements and expansiveness of themes was a portend of future proggy tracks on releases such as Obzen and Koloss.

But hey, let’s not let our admiration totally blind us to a hole in the original version. The mix, especially up front in the first few minutes of the track was muddy sounding. Once the intro was over and the track really kicked in, it evened out sonically, the adjustment of which is audible with headphones. So audiophiles rejoice! The new re-master is crystal clear, upon A-B-ing the two versions.

As an added bonus to ‘I’, The release includes kickass versions of ‘Bleed’ and ‘Dancers To A Discordant System’ live, and a new version of the ‘Pitch Black’ single from 2013.

Worth picking up for fans and completists.

 

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9.0/10

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KEITH (KEEFY) CHACHKES