Album Review: Meshuggah - Immutable

Album Review: Meshuggah - Immutable

Immutable; adjective: “unchanging over time or unable to be changed”

The fact that Meshuggah have named their 9th studio album ‘Immutable‘ is somewhat of an oxymoron; if the band has demonstrated anything over their almost 35 year tenure, it’s that they have consistently pushed the boundaries and evolved their sound, albeit maintaining the core of their foundations.

Meshuggah are continuing to pave the way with their aggressively groovy and technically progressive djent metal proving nigh-on impossible to keep up with. ‘Immutable‘ consists of 13 tracks at just over an hour long and packs an abrasively dense punch.

The record opens with ‘Broken Cog,’ an unexpectantly slower build-up with repetitive drumming and a drawn-out guitar riff accompanied by Jens Kidman’s menacing whispers. It isn’t until the latter part of the track that Kidman’s signature growl really kicks things off. This track proves to be a dramatic entrance and sets the theme for the rest of the record.

Next up we have ‘The Abysmal Eye,’ ‘Light The Shortening Fuse’ and ‘Phantoms; each technically complex and showcasing the band’s flawless musicianship and prowess. With crunching riffs and thunderous blast beats, these tracks are vibrant in energy and deafening in aggression. ‘Ligature Marks’ changes the tone with it’s eerie synthesizers breaking the pace of the technicality.

Immutable’ consists of 3 separate instrumentals. The sprawling ‘They Move Below‘ stands out the most by demonstrating the band’s ability to slow their progression right down to a more hauntingly ambient sound before descending in to thunderous drumming and a modern twist to the classic Meshuggah riffage.

Meshuggah are titans of the technical/djent metal world and are masters of their craft. Technically complex with impossible guitar riffage and a thunderous rhythm section, the band continue to run rings around those who have followed them. Where they go from here is a mystery but rest assured, it’s easy to say they will continue to set a precedent and then nuke that in to orbit with each and every record. I vibed with this record and give it 8/10.

Released By: Atomic Fire

Release Date: 1st April 2022

For Fans Of: Mastodon, Gojira

Favourite Track(s): The Abysmal Eye, Phantoms, Ligature Marks

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