MESHUGGAH Guitarist: If People Say That We Have Inspired Them In Any Way, I Think It's Awesome

Joe Charupakorn of PremierGuitar.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Mårten Hagström of Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

PremierGuitar.com: What was the writing process for [the new MESHUGGAH album] "Koloss"?

Mårten: It started the way it always does: messing around with a couple of ideas here and there. We normally write stuff on the computer by ourselves and then, kind of, show it to the other guys as a "demo." After a while, things start rolling and all of a sudden we find ourselves in a state of pure chaos where we thrash out ideas, re-arrange and modify. The general concept or approach hasn't really changed that much. The tools have, but not the approach. We usually run through the stages — writing, arranging, recording, and mixing — separately. It's obviously been different in many ways from album to album but the "modus operandi" has been similar if we are talking about writing. The ideas, however, have hopefully evolved a little through the years.

PremierGuitar.com: Earlier you said that your ideas have evolved over the years. Can you tell us more about what advances you've made to your signature sound?

Mårten: With every release, we've always tried to tweak and experiment with our musical expression. I guess it's been kind of this ungodly symbiosis between a bunch of stubborn, fucked-up individuals from the northern part of Sweden sharing the same view on what's cool about playing in a band — weird and eerie is the goal. We are all rooted in the composing of music rather than being instrumentalists to some degree. So I guess trying to craft a voice of our own has been the goal. Not to be mistaken for trying to be as complex or technical as possible, as many seem to think.

PremierGuitar.com: It seems that for many of the countless bands that have been obviously influenced by you guys, the goal is to make things as complex as possible. They're approaching the music primarily from a technical point of view.

Mårten: That in and of itself is utterly pointless, in my opinion. Our approach has always been about the general expression — and we like weird stuff. The technical aspect is just a by-product.

PremierGuitar.com: Speaking about the many MESHUGGAH-inflenced bands, are you flattered or irritated when you hear them?

Mårten: I guess flattered would be more appropriate. I mean, I'm really out of touch with what bands are considered to have done that. But if people say that we have inspired them in any way, I think it's awesome. It must mean that we probably did a few things right along the way.

PremierGuitar.com: Yeah, some of these bands are quite amazing. Have you also taken inspiration from a band that may have started out as a MESHUGGAH disciple?

Mårten: Not that I know of. Like I said, I'm not very in touch with the scene right now. Mostly because the band has been eating so much focus. And I really wouldn't know who you consider a MESHUGGAH disciple, so I guess the answer really is: I don't know.

Read the entire interview from PremierGuitar.com.

"Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" lyric video: