Artist: MESHUGGAH
Album: CONTRADICTIONS COLLAPSE RELOADED (CD)

Release date: 1991-1994/
EAN/UPS: 727361220228
Media type: CD

Meshuggah was formed in 1987 in Umea, Sweden. I do not know anything about the personnel of that time, but guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, bassist Peter Nordin and vocalist Jens Kidman all played on their debut EP of 1989. At that time, Jens Kidman played the guitar as well. Umeе has a healthy scene, and a lot of people are involved in rock music. According to Jens Kidman there are a lot of good bands from Umea, "probably because there is not a lot to do". The fact that there is a university in Umeе might also strengthen the rock scene. A lot of people play in bands, but few of these are known outside the town. The majority of the musicians wanting to get anywhere with their music leave town. Many of the session musicians in Stockholm are from Umeе, according to Mеrten Hagstrom.

It is quite easy to hear some of Meshuggah's early influences on their first release, "Psykisk Testbild" from 1989. (The title translates to something like "Psychological Test-Picture".) I would mention Metallica more.... as a major influence. The music of this EP is simpler and more straight-forward" than their more recent material, but some of their more progressive elements are present in the form of time-changes and polyrhythmics, and Fredrik Thordendal's lead playing stands out.

Tomas Haake joined on drums before Meshuggah recorded their first LP, "Contradictions Collapse," which was released in 1991. The band had signed a recording deal with the German record label Nuclar Blast, which specializes in metal releases. The songs on this record are much longer and more complicated in both structure and rhythmics. The record company did nothing to promote the album, which consequently sold badly. Between this record and the next one, guitarist/vocalist Jens Kidman decided to concentrate on the singing and left the guitar duties to Mеrten Hagstrцm. Hagstrцm had played in a band with drummer Tomas Haake way back when they were in the sixth grade! He feels that the song title "Building a Big Building" from that time accurately characterizes that band...

TRACKLIST:

1. Paralyzing Ignorance
2. Erroneous Manipulation
3. Abnegating Cecity
4. Internal Evidence
5. Qualms Of Reality
6. We’ll Never See The Day
7. Greed
8. Choirs Of Devastation
9. Cadaverous Mastication

“NONE EP” :

10. Humiliative
11. Sickening
12. Ritual
13. Gods Of Rapture