Band:	Meshuggah
Album:	Koloss
Style:	Math metal, Progressive metal, Technical thrash metal
Release date:	March 23, 2012
Guest review by:	flightoficarus

01. I Am Colossus
02. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
03. Do Not Look Down
04. Behind The Sun
05. The Hurt That Finds You First
06. Marrow
07. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
08. Swarm
09. Demiurge
10. The Last Vigil

The most common complaint I hear about Meshuggah, from the monotone vocals to the djent-spawning guitar crunch, is repetitiveness. It is true that a passing listen yields a surface-level of uniformity that some may find unappealing. However, there was an interview with the band stating something that has stuck with me: every instrument is treated as percussion. Considering this fact helped everything resonate on a deeper level with me. The drums, of course, are technical beyond measure with their polyrhythms and constant changes, but the guitars and the vocal cadence are given equal attention in their meticulous placement within the time signatures. Nothing is left to chance with Meshuggah.

Technical prowess aside, I would argue that Koloss is not repetitive at all. In fact, I consider this to be Meshuggah's most differentiated album since Nothing. Each track has its own unique riff structure while maintaining an overall flow throughout the album. Certain tracks like "I Am Colossus" and "Do Not Look Down" sport a slower groove while others like "Swarm," "Marrow," and "Demiurge" are faster onslaughts more akin to "Bleed" and "Combustion" from ObZen. Drumming ranges from measured, machine-like industrial beats to downright tribal onslaughts.

Even if you lack respect for the amount of work that goes into playing the deceptively simple-sounding riffs, one has to acknowledge their ability to evoke a visceral reaction. I cannot sit through this album without the impulse to move. I have tried. At best, I can keep it to a very enthusiastic bass-drum kick in my leg; but more often than not, it's a full body lurch. The aforementioned "Demiurge" has threatened many a car accident (and plenty dirty looks) with my behind-the-wheel convulsions. It seems that the band recognized the potential cardiovascular risks by including a cool down of sorts in the uncharacteristically tranquil "The Last Vigil."

I have to say, even after 12 or so years listening, and experiencing a second puberty via my introduction to "Future Breed Machine," Koloss has quickly become my favorite Meshuggah album. While Nothing and Chaosphere are still in regular rotation, there is something about the consistently testosterone-inducing intensity and shifting tectonic plates of each track that yields a stronger end result. There will never be one album that all fans agree is the best, but I can still safely say that Koloss shows no signs of these aging Swedes falling into decline.