Album
Type:
Live DVD/Blu-Ray/CD
Date
Released:
29/9/2014
Label: Nuclear Blast
“The
Ophidian Trek” track listing:
1. Swarmer (1:58)
2. Swarm (5:22)
3.
Combustion (4:21)
4. Rational
Gaze (5:03)
5. Obzen (5:20)
6.
Lethargica (6:04)
7. Do Not
Look Down (4:56)
8. The Hurt (5:45)
9. I am
Colossus (4:48)
10. Bleed (7:20)
11. Demiurge
(5:18)
12. New
Millennium Cyanide Christ (5:08)
13. Dancers
To A Discordant System (10:14)
14. Mind's
Mirrors - In Death - Is Life - In Death - Is Death (14:10)
15. The Last
Vigil (4:09)
Meshuggah
is:
Jens Kidman I vocals
Mårten Hagström | guitar
Dick Lövgren | bass
Fredrik Thordendal I guitar
Dick Lövgren | bass
Fredrik Thordendal I guitar
Tomas Haake | drums
Review:
Meshuggah.
One of the most influential bands in heavy music releases their second live
album/concert dvd/blu-ray combination. Whenever you throw on a live album the
only real important question is, does it capture the feel of the band live? The
answer here is a resounding yes, having seen Meshuggah personally several
times, their unique blend of polyrhythmic wizardry portrays a fury live that
I've never seen equalled. This album successfully captures the intensity of the
live performance and Jens Kidman's voice sounds almost better then recorded in
a studio. The manic Thordendal solos really shine throughout the album, as well
being a soloist who never shied away from deviating from the studio versions;
his live soloing is as exceptional as his song writing.
The
recording quality is pretty insane for a live album, indeed if you put this on
not knowing it was live you would assume it was recorded in a studio. It
literally sounds that good. This is just another example of Meshuggah pushing
the benchmark of what is expected, other bands take note of the quality of this
release.
A
nice sampling of different stages of Meshuggah's career, “Ophidian Trek” does
skew towards the more recent releases being somewhat ‘Koloss’ and ‘ObZen’
heavy. Including fan favorites “Rational Gaze,” “New Millennium Cyanide
Christ,” and the stellar trio “Mind's Mirrors – In Death – Is Life – In Death –
Is Death”, the glaring omission on this their second live release is “Future
Breed Machine”. It bit of a bummer for
fans that haven't seen Meshuggah live, because it was not included on the
previous live release “Alive” either. It
really is an exceptionally fun song live and I can only hope they include more
from “Catch-33” as well, on future live releases. That being said the
highlights of this album are difficult to pinpoint but I'd say
"Lethargica" and the Catch-33 Medley stand a bit above the rest, the
bridge section of "Lethargica" is a little bit different here and
sounds really good.
Continuing
their now tradition of being the band everyone else is trying to catch up with
“Ophidian Trek” is a great capture of where Meshuggah is in their journey. It
accurately chronicles one of the greatest metal bands of all-time at the peak
of their art and is a fitting substitute for fans who have been unable to see
them live. As we depart the madness of Meshuggah I am left with one unanswered
question. What makes a trek ophidian?
Words
By: Chris Tedor
Available Literally Anywhere Music is Sold
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