Meshuggah

Catch Thirtythree
Nuclear Blast Records

7/10, Well executed, but strangely divided

13 tracks, 47:17, Technical Thrash/Math

This album is actually my first experience with Meshuggah. I've heard good things from many different people about their past work, and I was impressed by the technical skill they display here. They're like a Progressive Fear Factory: they carry just as much heft, but with the addition of some very complicated rhythmic passages and switches. However, putting their musical skill aside, they have managed to confuse me with this one-song album, broken up into 13 different tracks. First of all, what is the point? What is the Catch Thirty Three? The song titles give no real indication, because they are all pretty cliché at this point. "Dehumanization", "Entrapment", "Autonomy Lost", and "Mind's Mirrors" are just examples. One could argue that a lot of bands have cliché titles, so why pick on Meshuggah? My response is because I'm reviewing them. In 2005, nobody should be calling their song "Dehumanization". The idea of using titles with "De" in them has been trampled to death by bands like Fear Factory and Front Line Assembly.

To move on, my other criticism is that they did a very strange job with splitting up the tracks. Places that shouldn't have been split up were, and excellent spots for segues were ignored. As I was listening to the album, I worked out an alternate track listing (for no real reason other than to satisfy my own curiosity), and came up with a possible 11 tracks out of the 13 they present here. The point is moot now anyways, because the album has been released, but I can't help but wonder why they didn't take the obvious route when dividing up the album? Either way, the music contained in the 13 tracks is damn decent, so I'm not complaining too much. I would like to make a special note of the synthetically-enhanced vocals on "Mind's Mirrors", because they really come out of nowhere. After an epic six tracks of heaviness and growls, they stop to throw in these. I half expected the song to break out into a mighty Trance track, but my thoughts were squashed by the atmospheric guitar passage that followed. They get extra kudos for the atmospherics, since they were handled so well. They help to give the listener a bit of a rest after the pummelling assault that surrounds them. The album is worth having, especially if you are a Meshuggah fan, but I imagine that this makes a poor starting point for someone who's new to their sound. It perks my interest, though.

Stu Patterson