Meshuggah - Contradictions Collapse (1991)^{Release ID: 2599}

I feel that I was probably a little fortunate to stumble over Swedish djent phenomenon Meshuggah very early on in their recording career after taking in the first of Nuclear Blast’s “Death… Is Just The Beginning” video compilations & finding their video clip for “Abnegating Cecity” to be very interesting. It was the sheer complexity of the song & riff structures, the incredible ability of front man Jens Kidman to deliver his vocals while playing such obscure time signatures on his guitar & the ground-breaking use of Allan Holdsworth style jazz fusion guitar solos that really got me & I immediately proceeded to pick the “Contradictions Collapse” album up through the tape trading scene. I think it’s fair to say that I found it to be generally entertaining too but the song-writing hasn't proven to be consistently engaging enough to see me making regular return visits over the years & it wouldn’t be until 1995’s “Destroy Erase Improve” sophomore album that I’d become truly convinced of Meshuggah’s credentials as a genuine star of the global metal scene. “Contradictions Collapse” is a very different record to that one though to be fair.

I think one of the limiting factors in just how much appeal a record like “Contradictions Collapse” can offer is the production job as the rhythm guitar tone is quite dry & the snare sound isn’t the heaviest but the performances are nothing short of spectacular for a debut full-length. This music is as complex as metal came at the time with drummer Tomas Haake already proving himself to be an absolute machine. The unusual time signature changes fly past with high regularity but the whole band somehow manages to keep everything sounding tight & precise. The guitar solos I mentioned are exquisitely composed too, despite sounding pretty random at times. That style of lead work requires a lot of training & practice to perfect so I’ve been very impressed with how well it’s been presented for such a young band.

Kidman’s vocals aren’t as aggressive as you’re probably used to from him these days & he sounds a fair bit like a gruffer James Hetfield a lot of the time. He does a reasonable job of it but I definitely prefer his later work if I'm being honest. It’s the instrumental side of Meshuggah’s sound that was the most dramatically different to the signature djent sound they’d create shortly afterwards though & I’m not sure I heard anything that sounds like “Contradictions Collapse” during the early 1990’s. It really was one of a kind. A lot of people tend to tag it as a technical thrash metal release but I’ve always found that to be a little dubious… until now that is. When examined closely it soon becomes apparent that a lot of the riffs are extremely technical variations on themes that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Metallica or Anthrax record so I’ve had to change my tune a bit. That’s not to say that there’s not a lot more to this album than thrash though as I’d suggest that a good portion of it fits comfortably under the progressive metal tag, not the djent variety however as Meshuggah hadn’t yet homed in on that sound regularly enough to warrant the creation of a new subgenre at this early stage of their evolution. There are quite a few odd-timed, groove-oriented riffs scattered across the tracklisting too & this is where Meshuggah’s chances of achieving my higher scores start to diminish as I certainly find the thrashier material to be superior to the chuggier stuff which tends to sound a touch flat in comparison.

It's pretty hard to see why “Contradictions Collapse” is so poorly regarded these days to tell you the truth as it’s a very consistent record that sounds like no one else & contains no genuinely weak moments. It also highlights an inspired, talented & ambitious group of musicians with tracks like opener “Paralyzing Ignorance” (my personal favourite), “Internal Evidence” & “Greed” being very solid examples of where Meshuggah were up to in their evolution. Sure, it may be the band’s least impressive album overall but that’s more of a reflection on what a consistent band they are than an indication of any failure on this record’s part as it still holds up well today & should be of interest to fans of bands like Stam1na, Obliveon & Watchtower.

Ah Meshuggah, the inventors of djent, a genre that is extremely laughable by the metal community. Some of those people don't think it's a valid genre, let alone a metal genre. Even the Metal Archives don't consider djent metal enough to be on that website, and the only reason this band is in that site is because of this album. EXCUSE ME!? Djent is a direct descendant of progressive metal! Are down-tuned guitar chords, syncopated riffs, and poly-metric soloing "not metal" to you? Or is it because of the majority of metalcore bands (instead of progressive metal) using the djent sound? I don't know... But for this album, Contradictions Collapse, the band did not invent djent yet and had more of a technical thrash style. I never really consider Contradictions Collapse the worst, it's actually a pretty fun listen. Creative solos, cool lyrics, and heavy moments that can be achieved without having to use breakdowns. Some of the most fun 90s thrash I've heard in a while!

Within the upward spiral-bound sound is the vocal style of Jens Kidman (NOT to be confused with that hot YouTube guitarist Lens Kidman, A.K.A. Elena Verrier). Shouting is kind of a necessary benefit in the rougher side of metal, and Jens does a really good job keeping his shouts in the same level as a drill sergeant and the Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. With Jens getting a lot better at shouting and hardcore-screaming, if the band moved on without any of the djent they invented, they would pretty much just be a technical death/hardcore band. Jens' vocals at that time really accompany the album really well. They're not totally bad, but the album's old-school feel can really cover up anything that would go wrong in a newer album. He can still hold up his screams well. Not bad, not bad...

"Paralyzing Ignorance" kicks off the album and the band in a catchy start, with charging riffs and an explosive chorus. "Erroneous Manipulation" is another infectious piece with literally the last minute of it being a triumphant harmonized guitar melody, one more shouting verse, and a glorious scream to end the song. But the lyrics there are absolutely ridiculous, and they're not even what is actually being sung. Lots of absurd animal metaphors!! What do they even mean!? But the lyrics in "Abnegating Cecity" are way better, having some possible references to heroin. The solos in that song along with "Internal Evidence" really establish a unique guitar blueprint, even back then.

"Qualms of Reality" has a perfect acoustic break, a smooth move before leading into the explosive mosh-inducing finale with more gang shouts. "We'll Never See the Day" has a killer headbanging riff in the first 30 seconds that can hit harder than a battering ram in the b*lls. But that sitar near the end though, like WHAT!?! "Greed" is an OK song, but it almost served as the album's title track, because the album was originally going to be titled "(All This Because of) Greed" before settling on its current name.

The acoustic intro in "Choirs of Devastation" sounds a little out of place, along with the spoken monotone of drummer Tomas Haake. But at least that's a more experimental song than the others here, with what may be some of the earliest examples of the djent sound that was yet to come. "Cadaverous Mastication" is a great final track, re-recorded from the band's 1989 demo EP. A thrashy example of proto-extreme metal, viciously hacking in with gang shouts and hammering riffs before a melodic ethereal solo. Then more speed and aggression picks up and finally the main melodic riff keeps playing until the song fades out. Probably the best Meshuggah song from that era!

Good vocals, bass, and guitars, with the drumming almost reaching its pinnacle! Mixing is a little grimy, giving the album more somewhat industrial production. Lyrics are good, but more lyrical assembly required. Overall, not a totally bad record at all! It's the thrashy calm before the djent storm....

Favorites: Paralyzing Ignorance, Qualms of Reality, Cadaverous Mastication