Messhugah captures Detroit in war of heavy music

Among the dark urban landscape of Detroit this past Friday night, the first strike of an impending invasion occured. The unanimously feared venue Harpo's was the site of the event. Masquerading it as a maiden American tour, Sweden's Meshuggah came to perform a music set bounds beyond anything American audiences have ever encountered. By the end of the show, the group's true intent of American conquest became ominously transparent.

Prior to Meshuggah's performance at 9:30 p.m., audience members at the venue were continually barraged by a staple of Harpo's, Headbanger's Ball music videos. Although there were a couple of newer videos, such as Korn and Orgy, that made it into the mix, the preceedings were mostly dominated by metal and hair bands of recent past. One could not help but feel a sense of melancholy and longing while watching Sebastian Bach and Skid Row belting out "18 and Life" on the big screen with the music b

Courtesy of Eddie Maliuk Messhugah took Harpo's by storm this past Friday night, claiming U.S. terrority in the heavy music world.

laring loudly through the speakers.

Soon after Exodus finished its "Chemical Waltz" video, the lights were dimmed and the crowd screamed enthusiastically. Slow Strains of strange delay-drenched guitar noise greeted the audience. Sillouettes of the five men of Meshuggah appeared onstage, then with four sudden count-off hits on the hi-hat, the group exploded into its first number, "Future Breed Machine." The sound was amazing for Harpo's. Gutarists Fredrik Thordendal and Marten Hagstrom, bassist Gustaf Heilm, drummer Tomas Hakke and singer Jens Kidman were all clearly capable to deliver a sonic assault.

Meshuggah's musical style, bar none, is easily among the most original and innovative form of heavy music that exists today. With its tasteful usage of heavy riffs, staccato dynamics, shouted vocals and guitarist Fredrik Thordendal's Allan Holdsworthlike solos, the group has unlocked an untapped musical well.

The group's music sounded more amazing performed live than on its albums.

Meshuggah's penchant for complex song structures and polyrhythmic time signatures was illustrated in a tight and aggressive manner. The crowd was well-appreciative as it thrashed about and erupted, complementing the crushing music.

Brash and confident, the group performed awe-inspiring renditions of songs from its "None" EP and its full-length releases "Destroy, Erase, Improve" and "Chaosphere." Meshuggah knew the crowd was eating out of its hands and played with an alarmingly high level of energy and conviction. The intensity between the crowd and the band reached its high point during the night when the group played the song "Sane." The crowd was at its most rowdy and the band did its best to match it in return.

Singer Kidman was thrashing on stage with a clean-shaven head bobbing around, guitarists Thordendal and Hagstrom as well as bassist Heilm shook their respective long hair wildly everywhere as they delivered bruising riffs in tight surgical attacks. The member who easily stole the show, however, was drummer Hakke who anchored the band through the complexities and multiple time changes of its songs with ease and precision.

It was a revelation to behold such mind-boggling drum beats seemingly performed so easily. One could not help but wonder if Hakke was really human or perhaps a Jim Henson Studios robot controlled by someone back stage. Hakke's arms and legs displayed incredible independance from each other as they each seemed to be playing at a different but complementary time signature.

With its final exhilirhating offering, "Soul Burn," Messhugah bode goodnight and farewell and hoped that it would soon encounter the crowd again. The group had delivered an amazing show that was mesmerising and intense. It had won over Detroit and could now scratch the city as another with a pleased crowd under its thumb. Finished with its assault, Meshuggah packed up its instruments and headed to the next city on its itinerary to invade and conquer another audience. Meshuggah's invasion of the U.S.'s heavy music scene is imminent. From this show at Harpo's, it seems there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.

04-19-99