Description
LABEL: Atomic Fire
VINYL RELEASE DATE: 3/31/2023
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: 2008
VARIANT: 15th Anniversary, Remastered, White, Blue, & Black Vinyl LP
Meshuggah had invented the djent sound long before obZen, but their 2008 album ushered in the djent movement. Here, the Swedish band returned to the decimating form they perfected on 1998’s Chaosphere, while also adding in subtle notes of catchiness in the leads and chord progressions, thereby providing an accessible gateway into their catalog for a whole new generation of listeners. Songs like “Bleed” and “Dancers to a Discordant System” are utterly lethal, and obZen just might be their greatest record yet.
Formed in 1987 in Umeå, Sweden, Meshuggah have gone on to be called “one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands” by Rolling Stone and have earned the respect and admiration from fans and musicians alike. It is impossible to talk about experimental or avantgarde metal without mentioning this truly groundbreaking act: MESHUGGAH mix ultra-complicated rhythmic patterns with massive riffs and aggressive growls, combining Death Metal, Mathcore, Thrash and Progressive Metal to create their unique style. The year 2023 now marks the 15th anniversary of the band’s milestone: "ObZen". Yet another masterpiece of diversity and surprises as a whole, the album contains the band’s absolute massive hit, “Bleed” – the song that tore through the industry like a shockwave and had fans and musician peers alike completely speechless. You could say that "ObZen" is some sort of a best of album of the band’s early works combined with fresh, new songs at that moment in time – but that´s only half the truth. Compared to some of the gloomy lava realm of subconcious terror of previous releases, "ObZen" is a big butt kick. Some parts are still slo mo-groove infernos, but others, like the opener "Combustion", are high speed-massacres like the band never did before. Pure technical ass-kicking mayhem! The band only released classic albums since their debut in 1991, but it´s not wrong to say that "ObZen" was their most mature accomplishment up to the date of its original release in 2008.