Meshuggah streaming 2 songs off new LP
Meshuggah will release their new LP The Violent Sleep of Reason on October 7, and so far they’ve shared two songs from it. One is called “Born in Dissonance,” and the band’s drummer/lyricist Tomas Haake talked to Rolling Stone about that one:
“It ties in with the Biblical Apocalypse, the idea of a deity coming back to undo it all and taking to heaven the ones who are righteous,” he tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about a monster that’s coming for us, or maybe an asteroid hurtling towards the earth. It’s always been a weird conundrum for me how some people, even devout people, fear the Apocalypse whilst others welcome it. I’ve never understood that.” Haake laughs.
While both songs have a older-school, Chaosphere-era feel to them, “Born in Dissonance” has a bit more of a straight-ahead (or as straight-ahead as these guys are capable of) banger quality. Their signature rhythmic mind-fuckery is on full display here, as the song evolves into a true headbanger over its running time with a climactic riff that kicks as directly as anything they’ve ever written.
But the more recently shared song, “Nostrum” is easily my favorite of the two. First of all it’s a showcase for Haake’s incredible drumming, built around an jaw-dropping, jazzy snare pattern. It’s a furiously energetic song, rocketing from one set-piece to the next with a fury and a nimbleness that only this band can provide. And the outro brings a rare note of conventional melody into the proceedings for a split-second. It’s a stunner on pretty much every level.
Meshuggah have that big tour with High on Fire coming up. They’ll be in NYC at the Playstation Theater on November 3 and in NJ at the Starland Ballroom on November 3. Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
Listen to “Born in Dissonance” and “Nostrum”:
