Which Meshuggah album should I buy?

[Yaow!]

I have heard a lot about Meshuggah and it's reputation for highly complex music. I've never really listened to much of it though, and I am interested in doing so.
To any Meshuggah fans out there, which is the best album for me to start out with, to get into the band. I have heard that obZen is not the greatest album to start out with.
Anyways, any insight would be appreciated.

 

[Hox]

IMHO "Chaosphere" is their best album, but I'm not sure if it's the best to start with. I'd go for "Destroy Erase Improve" or the "I" EP.

 

[Tubbs]

Chaosphere and Nothing are definitely their two best iyam. Nothing is a bit more groove oriented though, while Chaosphere is straight brutality. DEP is also very good. Actually, except for the newest and oldest album, everything they've made is incredibly good.

 

[Hox]

As a sidenote, I don't see why obZen isn't a good starter. It contains elements from all of Meshuggah's different "periods."

 

[EkstatikParataxis]

Depends on what music you are into at the moment...
If you come from the thrash movement or at least like this sound (Or if 8-Strings are too low for you ), you should try older albums like destroy erase improve or contradictions collapse...
But if you like jazz and experimental unconventional music you could like nothing or chaosphere (the heavier one)...
In obZen all those different meshuggah styles are melted together in a way...you should first get into the "basic meshuggah".
I came into Meshuggah with "Corridor of Chameleons" on Chaosphere (which i think represents the groovyness of meshuggah very well )
To get into Meshuggah i would recommend to put attention on the bassdrum/rhythm guitar interaction.
Just nod along with your head to the 4/4 rhythm on top of the groove and let the rhythmic patterns on the BD/RG kick you through space and time, accompanied by the abstract/outterspace/toxic sounding leads of Fredrik Thordendal on Guitar.

Hell ya, Meshuggah grooves as Fuck!!

 

[Luann]

Help them, buy obzen
or, buy destroy erase improve, chaosphere or none.

 

[Alex78]

Obzen

Chaosphere was very difficult to get into for me

 

[GSRbass_89]

Destroy Erase Improve for sure. Nothing (remixed) ain't bad and definatley look into Obzen. It's a friggen good album!

 

[Yaow!]

Alright well i think ill start off with chaosphere.
the only track from obzen i've heard is bleed, which i don't really like at all, the entire song consists of two different picking patterns. Although i must admit i enjoy the cool little keyboard interlude.

 

[Perdido]

Catch 33 is their best (even though most people hate the repetitiveness of the beginning few minutes/tracks), but obZen is probably a good starter too. At least, it would be if you started with the 2nd half of the album (which is pure gold). The first half pales in comparison.

Also, if you ever download or buy Nothing, get the 2002 version (orange cover), not the lifeless 2006 (blue cover) remix with rerecorded guitars, programmed drums, and vocal effects, and enjoy tribal witch dance voodoo metal goodness.

 

[Ekinflog]

Definitely ObZen and then Destroy, Erase, Improve.

 

[GSRbass_89]

Also, if you ever download or buy Nothing, get the 2002 version (orange cover), not the lifeless 2006 (blue cover) remix with rerecorded guitars, programmed drums, and vocal effects, and enjoy tribal witch dance voodoo metal goodness.

But the remixed version of the album sounds much better. The production sound on the guitars sound much more polished and less muddy sounding, somethin i can't stand hearing on the original album.

 

[harmonic_minor_shred]

Nothing or Chaosphere. Catch 33 was my introdution to them, (and I loved it!) but it might be too much as an introduction.

 

[Superior]

Alright well i think ill start off with chaosphere.
the only track from obzen i've heard is bleed, which i don't really like at all, the entire song consists of two different picking patterns. Although i must admit i enjoy the cool little keyboard interlude.

ummm you might want to listen again, the pattern changes every verse,

1st verse is just 000 0 000 0 000 0 etc

2nd is 000 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 000 etc with some variation

3rd verse I can't really write cause the 000 drops more irregularly

Theme and variation is the main form of this song.

and theres no keyboard thats just a guitar.

 

[Noel]

ummm you might want to listen again, the pattern changes every verse,

1st verse is just 000 0 000 0 000 0 etc

2nd is 000 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 000 etc with some variation

3rd verse I can't really write cause the 000 drops more irregularly

Theme and variation is the main form of this song.

and theres no keyboard thats just a guitar.

Yeah if you can't hear all the variations and weird stuff that this band does maybe you should listen a bit harder or you won't like them at all because you will think they're just a boring band.

 

[Indrid Cold]

The only one I like is Catch-33. Good shit.

 

[isolation_years]

destroy erase improve, i also like nothing

 

[Yaow!]

Oops i meant to say clean guitar, really have no idea why i typed keyboard, maybe something else on my mind.

I dunno, are alot of the songs similar in construction to bleed? cuz inded i do find it boring, even ifi do play close attention to the picking patterns, they are still just open note picking. No melody or anything.
hmm... maybe this is not the band for me.

 

[Obtuse]

Destroy Erase Improve or obZen. Then Catch-33.

 

[wut wut]

Destroy Erase Improve
Nothing
obZen

Those 3 albums sum up Meshuggah's career pretty well. If you don't like any of those albums, you won't like any Meshuggah period.

Of course, many people don't consider their first album to be 'Meshuggah' in style.