Review: Meshuggah's "Koloss"

Let me preface this review by saying, I am a die-hard fan. Meshuggah to me are one of the most innovative and influential bands in HISTORY, and in my opinion the most important metal band of the last 20 years. As a result, with regard to a new release, the bar for me is set quite high.
 
In an attempt to not make a hasty review and, taking into account the complexity found within a typical Meshuggah song, I deliberately listened to this album 20+ times before coming to a final conclusion and writing a review. That said, this a very good album but when considering Meshuggah’s evolutive nature and overall discography, I find “Koloss” to be a lateral move at best, as opposed to one of progression.
 
Bottom line, it’s a just a boring album. Fantastic musicianship, spot on vocals (as usual) and super-tight production all lend themselves to what is a ultimately very good album, but boring nonetheless.  Im looking for the dissonant chords, the more abrupt tempo and time-shifts, the mathematical song structures and although they are somewhat there, they aren’t coming together in excess…to allow for the intensity and (ultimate originality) that Meshuggah is known for.
 
First off, they’ve made a move away from the super technical riffs of the past, in favor for a more thrashy, straight forward presentation, which just doesn’t do it for me. There’s variety here…from thrash, to tech to groove but it in the end, it feels like the B-sides to Obzen.
When listening to (and analyzing) songs like “The Demons Name is Surveillance”, “The Hurt that Finds you First” and “Swarm”, I appreciate the minimalism but where are the subtle, yet complex structural changes that only Meshuggah can develop? Why aren’t these songs developing and evolving the way I expect them too? Yes, some might (and already have) said that they are going for a more “organic” sound. What does that mean exactly? Do more oddball time-signatures, polyrhythms and poly-metered riffs correlate with an INorganic sound?
 
Secondly, Haake is simply not bringing it the way I expect him too at this point in his career. In my opinion, he is  the most technically proficient drummer alive today (other than maybe Neil Peart) and an absolute prodigy. He just sounds lazy here. I am so accustomed to being blown away by his (off) timing and utterly original compositions that when I hear him play alongside the tempo set by (a) guitar and can actually follow what he is doing, I am left disappointed.
 
Thirdly and, related to the above points, the songs feel under-developed. There is some really solid material here but they are either too short or just forgettable, relative to their previous efforts.
This album doesn’t hold a candle to Obzen; “Electric Red”, “Pineal Gland Optics” and “Dancers to a Discordant System” is some of the best material the band has ever produced and with the exception of the beautifully complex (yet frustratingly short) “Demiurge” and the crushing and brooding atmospherics of “Behind the Sun”, not a single track can hold up to anything on the aforementioned album.  Its quite possible that they deliberately moved away from complexity and focused purely on groove-laden thrash, but considering that there is some of the former here, it feels incomplete…almost like a tease.
 
In sum…a very good metal album, but just a good Meshuggah release. In a perfect world, they would take this album back into the studio and develop it into the beast that it could/should be.

Hold on, I was under the impression from the interviews I've read that Haake doesn't write the drum parts, they're written by the rest of the band, and he just plays them? could be wrong, but that was what various interviews with the band have said?

I do agree that it lacks a sense of progression which is disappointing, but I enjoy listening to it nonetheless.

+2. It isn't progressive at all, but I gotta say, this might be one of my favs.

 
Quote:

pleasantnoise said:

Hold on, I was under the impression from the interviews I've read that Haake doesn't write the drum parts, they're written by the rest of the band, and he just plays them? could be wrong, but that was what various interviews with the band have said?

I do agree that it lacks a sense of progression which is disappointing, but I enjoy listening to it nonetheless.

Click to expand...

 

For me, approaching un-listenable.
An incredibly disappointing release; apparently this new method of recording has not worked out for them.
 
Nearly every Meshuggah release gets better with time...revealing more and more layering and complexity with each listen.
On Koloss I keep waiting for something to reveal itself, but it never does.
Just a boring, uninspired album.

I almost totally agree with your review. I was suprised at how slow and uninspired it seemed compared to anything else they've done. I still like it, but I expected more. I sort of think of it as a slowed-down Nothing but not as interesting. I just listened to Koloss, then ObZen, then Nothing, and even the slow and less interesting songs on Nothing are more interesting than most of the ones on Koloss. I imagine Thordendal and Haake are just slowing down or this is their anti-djent album.