02.06.2018 Meshuggah

Fortarock

Goffertpark Nijmegen (Netherlands)

After Alestorm emptied my physical batteries quite a lot I first had to recharge them. So, let’s head for the chip stand (the best ones I have ever had). To the relaxed sounds of Opeth I got a drink (as they only have a very minimalistic stage show it is enough to only listen to them) and then it was time for the finish. That started with the Swedes of Meshuggah.
Their music is very diverse and not so simple to classify but I think the best way is progressive metal with varied influences of jazz and thrash. Comparable to Opeth the action on stage is quite negligible but apart from that a real musical tornado is sweeping across one supported by the great illuminated stage and a unique sound. Growler Jens Kidmann was giving one’s all and that so impressively that you were having goosebumps. There were not many interactions between band and audience despite that the tent was completely filled and an unbelievable good mood was there. In more than 30 years that their band already exists there was a huge bunch of material that had been generated. The last album was released already some time ago (“The Violent Sleep Of Reason” in the year 2016) but from that they directly opened their set with the two first tracks “Clockworks” and “Born In Dissonance” before they continued with the older ones. Besides Kidmann and his allies Per Nilsson (who subs Frederik Thorendal on tour) and Mårten Hagström on guitars as well as Dick Lövgren on bass and Tomas Haake on drums were ensuring incredibly exciting grooves and changes in rhythm. Really exciting listening to that and for me considerably interesting compared to Opeth epical effusions whereas it is actually quite unfair to compare these two with each other.
I liked it as much as the other visitors at the tent did and would like to watch once in a while a little bit longer gig of them. Unfortunately, I wanted to have a quite good stand place at Nightwish so that I did not watch the concert of Meshuggah until the end. But who likes very variable and interesting rhythms of tougher pace is completely should in each case have a listen to Meshuggah.