MESHUGGAH

Progression is a relative term when it comes to MESHUGGAH, at least within the context of the band's own class-of-its-own style. Cutting edge and experimental from the start, the Swedes nonetheless have a tendency to reel it back in when things start to get too far "out there", even if that means the movement from the polarizing "Nothing" to an album that was at least more varied in "Catch Thirtythree". The point is that challenging themselves as musicians is always a significant part of the mix, but the push outward is never so extreme that the core elements (the angularity, the tuning, the lead guitar trips, etc.) are forgotten, thereby alienating even the most devoted of fans in the process. That's one reason the band could return to styles more familiar on 2008's "ObZen" without sounding as though forward progress was abandoned. Now comes "Koloss". It is album with no dangerously sharp left turns, yet one that contains some pleasantly surprising twists.

"Koloss" is not a leap into the unknown by any means, sharing some similarities with its processor while freshening up some elements and rewinding to an era that pre-dated the formation of MESHUGGAH in other areas. Right in the thick of what one could call the core of the muscular, recognizably rhythmic MESHUGGAH style are songs like opener "I Colossus", "Do Not Look Down", and "Demiurge", all of which are pleasingly familiar as opposed to retreaded. Even then the "soloing" stands apart for the manner in which the jazz-inflected and the melodically odd merge into something that captures the attention every time through. Aside from spacey instrumental closer "The Last Vigil", atmospherics are integrated in a way that contributes to the whole. "Behind the Sun" with its eerie touches is one example. The Albert Schweitzer-quoted "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave it Motion", which was originally written for "ObZen" and then retooled for this album, is another. "Swarm" sticks out for Tomas Haake's tribal-slivered drum patterns, effective guitar kind-of-melodies, and accenting that is just plain cool.

Then there are those pleasant surprises mentioned earlier, namely the delving into some more traditional metal/rock tunings and some outright thrash aggressiveness. The second track on the disc, "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" is not only an album highlight. It is also one of the most straight forward and aggressive songs MESHUGGAH has ever written, yet another stellar display of tripped out lead guitar work notwithstanding. The only aspect more surprising than the up-tempo thrashiness is the aforementioned guitar tuning that bucks the trend of tones that seemingly emanated from the center of the earth. The approach taken on "The Hurt that Finds You First" is similar. "Marrow" lands somewhere in the middle; a halting riff and some great changeups included. Also of note is a drum mix that is a bit different from what we've heard in the past; so crisp and rather organic in tone.

What better way to state it than that "Koloss" is another magnificent album from MESHUGGAH? It is neither a creative pinnacle nor a journey into the absurd. It is a slight push forward in some respects, a classic example of a patented style in others, and a return to the roots in a way that is somehow familiar and fresh. Doing wrong just isn't in the cards for MESHUGGAH. What comes next is anybody's guess.