Album of the Week - Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three

So I wanted to start doing an album of the week post.  I got the idea while listening to this record.  I don't really know why but I just was like I want to talk about this record a little, and shed some light on it, but I didn't want it to be like an album review so I thought of this.  Now I'll do a new one every week, and the albums may be new, or really old.  They also maybe stuff I'm not really liking but gave it a shot through out the week.  So not all will be praising the record, but for the most part they will be.  So this is the first official album of the week post and what better one start it with other than Meshuggah's monsterously awsome Catch Thirty-Three.

Meshuggah - Catch Thirty-Three

Now this wasn't the first record I discovered from the crazy progressive death metal masterminds Meshuggah.  The first record was Obzen which is their sixth studio release.  So I came into liking Mushuggah much later in their career.  I'll tell you though ever since I've looked at progressive beat structures in a whole new way.  These guys are the masters of abstract time signatures, and strange guitar articulations through out their records.  I discovered Catch Thirty-Three after Obzen because I loved Obzen and wanted more from them.  Catch Thirty-Three stands alone from the rest of Meshuggah's material.  It's a wonderful album that has flawless flow that keeps you interested through out the entire record.  It is their fifth studio record and was released in 2005.  Even though there are 13 individual tracks on the record it flows continuous from start to finish.  There aren't any pauses from track to track, and each grows into the next without you even knowing you've moved on to the next track.  You start the record and soon after listening a little you look at the track number and wow your're already on six but it seemed to flow timelessly.  The lyrics are stunning.  The album is a concept album focused around different paradoxes.  It's really interesting to read and fallow along while you listen.  The guitar tones are really pulling from their Nothing record that was released in 2002, and I in 2004.  There is less Thrash elements in this one like their earlier material had, and more of the heavy groove textures, and some of the jazzy elements to Meshuggah.  Although the structures favor a jazz tempo in some of the songs the record is still very heavy and sounds like Meshuggah at their best.  This album was also a very interesting turning point in their career as it marked the first time all of the drums were programmed rather than performed by the wonderful Tomas Haake.  Tomas was featured in my Top 20 Drummers of All Time.  He is unlike any other player out there.  With his uncanny ability to control his time signatures and do so many abstract progressions.  His range of styles really is something to be desired.  He plays every rhythm in the book of drumming.  So with his massive reputation on the drums in the metal community it was a big step for him to try something like this.  Now I know what you're thinking the drums are going to sound very prosthetic, and digital, and I totally understand that assumption.  I'd think the same thing if I heard that as well.  The software used for the drum recording was called Drumkit From Hell.  Which actually uses Tomas's actual drum sounds and cymbal sounds.  So it is an authentic sound and sounds very real.  I didn't find that out until way after I first listened to the record.  I couldn't tell the difference at all, and when I found that out it almost made me respect it even more.  For these drums to sound so real and clear sounding, and be a synthesizer effects machine it really kind of blows my mind.  

   So this record is by far my favorite Meshuggah record.  I can put this record on and listen to it over and over again.  It never gets old, and I love it.  This record will live on for me as one of my essential records to always have in my array of music I carry around with me on my I-Pod.  I highly highly recommend this record for any metal fan that loves strange time signatures, cool guitar melodies, great intensity, flawless flow, and a great concept.  This record is for you.  So I hope this had shed some much needed light on this record so go out and get it.  I command you to.  So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.

So here are a few tracks from the record.  It's hard to get it in order because it flows as one track on the record but can't here on youtube.  That's why you need to check this record out and give it a listen.  It's one of a kind.