Meshuggah – “I” (Special Edition) [EP] [Album Review]

Meshuggah has had such an incredible influence on modern metal. This EP is a remastered release of their 2004 EP, I, which according to their drummer Tomas Haake, was written first as a jam session that was later rehashed and tracked. It’s 21 minutes of groove and polyrhythms that will make your vertebrae bob on different beats.

During the 21 minutes, you visit several different musical realms, but it progresses continuously, and as odd as it may seem, perfectly fits the one-track format. The best parts of this 1 track cake are the frantic breaks. Guitars may chug an odd rhythm while the drums follow with a tom-driven sequence, hold chord uncomfortably… then repeat the odd rhythm chug, hold… frantic time. Snare hits on every beat while lead guitars play chromatic lines that make me think of the Incy-Wincy spider walking up and down the water spout as if he’s on crack, not knowing which way is up or down. “AHHHH, SO MUCH RAIN!!!”

And, before you know it, the wild ride of Swedish meat balls is over. But, oh, wait. It’s not! This release features live versions of “Bleed,” probably the most recognized Meshuggah song, “Dancers To A Discordant System,” and a re-release of “Pitch Black,” which previously was only available on vinyl. So, consider this an early Christmas, or as the mangs in Meshuggah probably refer to it as, Julafton.

Track Listing:

01. I (Remastered)
02. Bleed (Live)
03. Dancers To A Discordant System (Live)
04. Pitch Black

Run Time: 44:22
Release Date: September 26, 2014

Check out the ‘I: Remastered’ album trailer