What do you think about Iconoclast?

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

The guitar player in my old band thinks Meshuggah are the greatest thing since sliced bread. I've tried listening to them a few times at his request, but I end up just tuning out and doing something else after about a minute. They sound like a machine malfunctioning. The lack of any melody whatsoever is just not my thing.

It's a shame that they play this noise garbage, since they obviously have talent considering they play in all those odd-ass meters.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

There really is zero melody. I do appreciate certain aspects of their style, but as a whole, they lack way too much for my tastes.

 

[Sauna]

It's a shame that they play this noise garbage, since they obviously have talent considering they play in all those odd-ass meters.

Yes, what a shame it is indeed that they chose waste their talent creating something original, something that has deeply influenced an untold number of bands and the genre of progressive metal in general. What they should have done, obviously, is imitate others to cater to your personal tastes more effectively.

 

[Krondor]

We need another DT!!!!1


but seriously, naturally meoldy plays a big part in music, but I do like some noise stuff also...

 

[donKyle]

I would consider melody the most important part in music. It can't work with melody alone, but it definitely has priority.

 

[Krondor]

There are also some great music with just percussions, that really get your head banging and stuff, and I still consider it music. But music without rhythm is harder for me to enjoy..

 

[Prog is King]

Lately my daughter has been listening to a band called Break Of Reality. 3 cellos and a drummer.
They're very interesting.

 

[ABQShredHead]

You know, Roxette is proof positive that you can have platinum-sales success with not only lyrics that don't go anywhere but lyrics that make no sense at all... Maybe that's what SymX is shooting for these days.

 

[Progbass]

I thought I could never like meshuggah, untill few years back I started listening to them, now I like them. I agree it gets a bit annoying if u listen to them too much but especially obzen album has some interesting ideas.

 

[Postulate]

Yes, what a shame it is indeed that they chose waste their talent creating something original, something that has deeply influenced an untold number of bands and the genre of progressive metal in general. What they should have done, obviously, is imitate others to cater to your personal tastes more effectively.

Messhugah is not original.

If you want creative tech metal (that's actually "technical" in an interesting way), Spastic Ink eats Messhugah alive.

I posted this before but it merits reposting:

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

^ I just ordered a Blotted Science album. It's on its way

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

Yes, what a shame it is indeed that they chose waste their talent creating something original, something that has deeply influenced an untold number of bands and the genre of progressive metal in general. What they should have done, obviously, is imitate others to cater to your personal tastes more effectively.

This is unfortunate, yet true. I forget the name of the sub-genre of metal Meshuggah supposedly "created," but to me it just sounds like typical non-melodic hardcore garbage where they bang the shit out of dissonant cords and scream a lot. The lack of singing and (once again) melody makes it sound unappealing to me. You don't have to like my opinion. I don't care if what they did is new, fresh, and innovating. It still sounds like shit.

Also, I don't understand people who think 8-string guitars are the greatest thing ever. "But it's so heavy!" I've heard far heavier songs on 6-strings; heavy is an attitude, not the depth of the notes played.

I do like Kiaus, though.

 

[Sauna]

Messhugah is not original.

Since you seem so confident, perhaps you can point me to another band that sounded like this in or before 1995:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoHa48lqsqE&feature=related[/ame]

If you want creative tech metal (that's actually "technical" in an interesting way), Spastic Ink eats Messhugah alive.

How generous of you to introduce me to a band I'm already fully aware of. I don't really get what you're trying to accomplish by writing that, though. We both like Spastic Ink, you don't like Meshuggah. So?

This is unfortunate, yet true. I forget the name of the sub-genre of metal Meshuggah supposedly "created," but to me it just sounds like typical non-melodic hardcore garbage where they bang the shit out of dissonant cords and scream a lot. The lack of singing and (once again) melody makes it sound unappealing to me. You don't have to like my opinion. I don't care if what they did is new, fresh, and innovating. It still sounds like shit.

There are these bands that call themselves "djent" and try to imitate the guitar sound and riffing style of Meshuggah. I would guess that's what you mean. I don't really like that stuff either.

Meshuggah by no means invented technical metal, but it is the influence of their style of technical metal that's notable. You don't have guys like Devin Townsend saying "we all rip off Meshuggah" for nothing.

 

[donKyle]

This is unfortunate, yet true. I forget the name of the sub-genre of metal Meshuggah supposedly "created," but to me it just sounds like typical non-melodic hardcore garbage where they bang the shit out of dissonant cords and scream a lot. The lack of singing and (once again) melody makes it sound unappealing to me. You don't have to like my opinion. I don't care if what they did is new, fresh, and innovating. It still sounds like shit.

Also, I don't understand people who think 8-string guitars are the greatest thing ever. "But it's so heavy!" I've heard far heavier songs on 6-strings; heavy is an attitude, not the depth of the notes played.

I do like Kiaus, though.

It makes me think of nu metal. uke:

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

There are these bands that call themselves "djent" and try to imitate the guitar sound and riffing style of Meshuggah. I would guess that's what you mean. I don't really like that stuff either.

That's it... "Djent." Some friends of mine went to a show by a band called Periphery a month or so ago and I decided to go with (I had no idea what they sounded like). Worst mistake ever. Ugh. The music all sounded like Meshuggah, with the three guitarists playing 8-strings and banging diminished chords all night. It was a muddled sonic clusterfuck. To their credit, though, at least the vocalist sang sometimes (although it wasn't my kind of vocals).

I just don't like screaming; the only thing close that I do enjoy are Opeth's growls. As for the dissonant chords, it seems like Meshuggah and these "Djent" bands rarely play "normal" chords. To me, music that is nothing but dissonant chords has no feeling; I like feeling in music.

I just listened to a Meshuggah song called "Straws Pulled At Random," and while I can't say I enjoyed it, it was far from the worst thing I've ever heard. At least there was some semblance of melody in the instrumental section near the end. Are there any more songs like this, preferably without vocals?

Meshuggah by no means invented technical metal, but it is the influence of their style of technical metal that's notable. You don't have guys like Devin Townsend saying "we all rip off Meshuggah" for nothing.

Symphony X even "ripped off" Meshuggah (in my opinion) for a riff in the middle of "The Lords of Chaos." I'm pretty sure Russell is a fan.

It makes me think of nu metal. uke:

It's all the same to me. I remember when some of my friends back in high school were into the nu-metal garbage, and most of this stuff sounds identical to me (with the exception of the odd meters). A bunch of detuned riffs with no melody.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I love dissonance. Can't stand Meshuggah.

 

[Postulate]

Since you seem so confident, perhaps you can point me to another band that sounded like this in or before 1995:

I don't get it. A metal band that went chuggity chug before 1995? Can I just lay down a bunch of names like Watchtower, Thought Industry, Cynic, and Atheist and be done with it? What is new or interesting by 1995 standards in what you posted?

 

[Progbass]

I just listened to a Meshuggah song called "Straws Pulled At Random," and while I can't say I enjoyed it, it was far from the worst thing I've ever heard. At least there was some semblance of melody in the instrumental section near the end. Are there any more songs like this, preferably without vocals?

This one should meet your requirements.

 

[Sauna]

I just listened to a Meshuggah song called "Straws Pulled At Random," and while I can't say I enjoyed it, it was far from the worst thing I've ever heard.

That's good to hear, since I consider it to be one of the greatest songs in existence.

I don't get it. A metal band that went chuggity chug before 1995? Can I just lay down a bunch of names like Watchtower, Thought Industry, Cynic, and Atheist and be done with it? What is new or interesting by 1995 standards in what you posted?

What's interesting is that none of those bands sound like Meshuggah at all. Surely you can hear it. I can't think of a single passage of music in the catalogue of any of those bands that would sound like it could be from a Meshuggah song, even if it were played by them. You wouldn't hate Meshuggah so much if they wrote in the same style as the bands you mentioned. If they were jazzier and not so much about writing dissonant riffs in "weird-ass meters". Also the vocals are usually structured in a distinctively different way from the bands you mentioned.

Whether Meshuggah's music is enjoyable or not is up for debate, obviously, but there's no denying their influence on metal. You don't land on The Rolling Stone's list of the top ten most important metal bands of all time for nothing.

 

[Wander]

Meshuggah are pioneers and definitely created something unique when they started; a style that has since influenced dozens of modern metal bands, but I generally can't listen to Meshuggah for more than a couple of minutes before getting a headache.