Meshuggah Riffs: The hardest 3 note riffs you’ll ever learn

This whole album "Nothing" is out of this world.

Let me point out one of the oldest Meshuggah memes at 5:29 "i like juice, energy of truth, filtered vitamin substance".

For me "Nothing" was THE Meshuggah album that got me into that rabbit hole.

I like juice...it is a true, filtered vitamin substance...

Meshuggah was 1 of the first bands to drag me into complex musical compositions. The beauty is in how they dance around the 4/4 so you can still bang your head like a pro. Legends.

These guys don’t neglect lyrics, they put just as much thought into their lyrics as they do their music A lyrical review would be an even further eye opener to the talent and pride they put into their music Great job reviewing the original edition of Rational Gaze and not the remastered 👍👍

I can't unhear: I like juice! Amazing live band, looked like most of the audience went into a trance.

Just after the first pause "I like juice, finish your juice, filtered vitamin substance" Cannot unhear

Lethargica and Demiurge are great Meshuggah songs Their grooves are one of a kind

It's what you do on this channel : Everything examined , seperated one thing at a time 🤘😂❤️

Straws Pulled at Random. Unreal tune and one of the coolest things they've ever done.

despite my constant nagging for “The Wolf is Loose”, I feel obliged to join the chorus for Mastodon’s “The Last Baron” (“Divinations” though…)

You have to check out "straws pulled at random" out of that Album!

Yeh one of the reasons I love meshuggah is because Jens actually yells full throttle into the mic. It matches the intensity of the music. And you were right in being confused about what to call that, because no one in metal really screams like that, in that style, besides Gojira. Most vocalists go into that low growl pocket or shriek like tortured hyenas.

Some songs from meshuggah you might enjoy reacting to. Future breed machine ( a must ) Beneath Suffer in truth New millennium cyanide Christ ( a must) Corridor of Chameleons ( a must ) Neurotica Stengah Straws pulled at random ( a must ) Nebulous I ( a must ) Combustion Electric Red Lethargica Obzen Pineal Gland Optics ( this one is a must) Dancers to discordant system (this one is also a must, IMO the best they have ever made) I am colossus Do not look down ( great song, I guess the grooviest song I ever heard ) Marrow Break those Bones Whose Sinews gave it motion Demiurge ( a must ) Born in Dissonance ( a must ) Violent sleep of reason Nostrum ( a must ) Pretty sure you’re going to enjoy all of this songs. One of my top bands for a long time now. I could have put much more songs, but I guess this ones will give you a better comprehension of what a phenomenon meshuggah is. Cheers🤟🏽🤟🏽.

I recently discovered Devin Townsends old band, Strapping Young Lad, and they have some pretty amazing songs. I would recommend listening to Skesis from their Alien album.

Meshuggah may be the greatest band to work out to. You should listen to the remastered version of this song with the blue album cover. They re-recorded the guitars with their 8 string guitars instead of this version which had down-tuned 7 string guitars. I definitely prefer it. Great analysis man🤘

My absolute favorite part of all of your videos is watching you analyze the music; one can always see it in your eyes and body language (the solo for exmaple). You give everything an ACTUAL listen and I really enjoy your breakdowns.

Im pretty sure anyone that wasnt massive into Meshuggah that heard this album. It changed their entire life, 100%. It took me a long time to appreciate this album because I was a thrash head at the time. Hearing the slow droning riffs and chugs was hard for me to get into, but once I started to understand and appreciate it, it is the reason why I have an 8 string :). I LIKE JUICE, FINISH YOUR JUICE, FILTERED VITAMIN SUBSTANCEEEE

Please do a lyric analysis on this song. The drummer actually writes the lyrics and they are GENIUS

I clicked on this so damn quickly, your a godsend Geebz!

Man oh man, you’ve gotta check out Swarm by these guys. The way it builds, the themes they build percussively and musically. It’s so great. It feels like an anthem of the wasps, the marching drums of a hive mind. So so good.

I like juice, it Is a true filtered vitamin substance.

Check out their other tracks: Sickening, Neurotica, Stengah, Perpetual Black Second, and Demiurge. This band opened up a whole new world of technical metal to me.

This was the first Meshuggah song I ever listened to, it blew my mind as a 13 year old kid.

Such a mind bending album. I’ve been listening to it for about.. what 15 years now? I still don’t fully grasp it.

You'd love Catch 33, whole album is a journey. Also nothing got re-recorded an in my opinion sounds way better, look for the blue version of this album cover

Tool and Meshuggah were huge fans of each other. When Tool's 10,000 Days came out in 2006, it had a few Meshuggah-esque riffs. When Meshuggah's Obzen album released in 2008, it had a very Tool-esque riff towards the end of the album. Truly masters of their craft. :D

Love this song! And every since I saw the misheard lyrics version, I can never not hear "I like juice, finish your juice, filtered vitamin substance" hahaha.

You sir, would really enjoy the band Car Bomb. I recommend the songs “Scattered Sprites” or “Dissect Yourself”. Off their newest release. Maybe start there since those seem to be slightly more accessible, however their time changes, and sudden drops into a groove, I guarantee, will fascinate you!

I was aware of Meshuggah back in the early 00's but wasn't a huge fan, that all changed after i watched them live in 2004-05. The live experience made me a fan then and to this day.

Rational Gaze was my introduction to Meshuggah back in 2002. I still get chills every time I listen to it AND the urge to smash everything around me lol.

What really makes Meshuggah work is that, no matter how complex their arrangements get, there's always an even count at the foundation. It may be a struggle to keep it all the way through, it's often buried, but it's always there.

Hahahaha "man, that is dissonant" it sure is Geebz...it sure is

I know it might shock many, but Meshuggah's influence on Metal and Heavy Music is comparable to Sabbath, Metallica, Maiden, ... Yes their (commercial) success is not comparable but they are among the bands who defined a whole new way of playing guitar and composing songs. Nobody dared to tune their guitars that low before them, the use of 8 strings guitars was almost inexistant, this heavy use of polyrhythm and polymeter was marginal and nobody sounded like them when they eventually decided to adopt their style around the mid/end 90's. It took roughly 10 years for the Metal scene to digest what Meshuggah was doing and now even some mainstream rock songs use 8 strings guitar, and maybe even more impressive they influence some contemporary Jazz musicians. Their legacy is just incredible when you think about it. This song (and album) is the birth act of Djent. One of my favourite songs by them, one of the best riffs to headbang to despite its oddity! And the guitar tone was just so unusual at the time! Please check out: Dir En Grey - Vinushka :) And if you come back to Meshuggah, please check out Nostrum, one of their most underrated songs with some absolutely mindblowing drumming

Would love to see a Meshuggah lyrical reaction from you! The lyrics from this band made me like them even more! Dancers To A Discordant System would be a good one.

The song that started my Meshuggah obsession. Should do something from Catch 33... the first six parts are kind of like one song and a good stopping point imo

I've always loved the part of the verse sections/pre-choruses where they drop down a semitone. Makes my head bob every single time I hear it. What you said about it being in 4/4 is accurate. Most of Meshuggah's more-loved tracks are in 4/4, utilizing metric-displacement to achieve the ebb-and-flow of it. 'Shuggah doesn't use polymeters nearly as often as most people think. If you split your foot tapping into eighths, and lock into the cymbal that's smashing away on the 1's and 3's, it makes it a lot easier to "see" what they're doing, and how everything fits together logically. The main reason why Meshuggah is "your favorite Metal band's favorite metal band" is their clever use of metric-displacement over a standard groove; And also the main reason why most of the bands who try to rip them off fail. 'Tis not the kind of thing that over-analyzing will get one anywhere with lol. It's more of a feel than a technique, IMO, which is what makes it so great. Couple that with their Holdsworthian melodic-sense (like the dissonant lead you mentioned; It's got Allan Holdsworth all over it), and you've got a real tour-de-force.

When u get used to this song its imposible to not make the last scream

This is the song that got me into Meshuggah. Other great songs from this album: Stengah Perpetual Black Second Closed Eye Visuals Glints Collide Straws Pulled At Random

I really enjoyed this reaction. Its always lovely to see one of your favourite tracks get some love and appreciation. If you ever feel like it, Future Breed Machine from their Destroy Erase Improve album is the first track of theirs I heard and cemented my love for them immediately. Id never heard anything quite like it. Like a fearsome engine running at its peak.

I've been into Meshuggah for over ten years and I still can't get over how good they are. Every single time I listen to this song it's like listening to it for the first time!

Excellent choice, Geebz. Prob my most played Meshuggah track of all time since i was introduced to them in the early '00s. I vote New Milleneum Cyanide Christ or Dancers to a Discordant System for lyrical breakdown!

PLEASE react to Alcest, they're amazing and you'd like them. I'd recommend Protection, Ouiseaux de proie or Percees de lumiere

This Album Amazed me ... Looking at their discography this was a hint of what is to come from the albums that followed and was a nod at their old sounds as well ... Now they have a more defined sound and have really crafted their own niche ... so many bands now you can tell they have inspired so many ... Headbanging to this is so much fun ...

Nothing is by far the best album they found absolute new essence with this album

Ben waiting for this🙌🏻🙌🏻

The fact you reacted to this song, just made my day. First Meshuggah song I discovered when Nothing first came out years ago. Picked it up at the Virgin Megastore in Denver, was instantly hooked!

Def look into their lyrics. As always so interesting to hear someone who knows what their talking about go over songs I’ve listened to countless times.

Hey man. So glad to see you reacting to more Meshuggah. Most of the suggestions to them have already been mentioned, so in case you want to hear some of their more challenging stuff, which delves even Deeper into letting the riff have its stay to form an apocalyptic thunder of a broken cold groove, check their 2005 concept album Catch 33, which actually is one continuous 45 minute track just split with 13 timecodes (and it could totally work as a 3 mega lengthy track EP, I guess, if we are talking about splitting it in some reasonable manner). Its definitely something to experience.

this whole album is one of my top favorites. the feeling front to back is just on another level.

One does not simply just catch the groove of Meshuggah, but you found it. Well played Sir well played!

Their live shows are absolutely incredible. Less of a performance than an experience. Also, just for shits and giggles, watch the short "Face of Wall Street" clip on YT. It's a bit from this song perfectly synced to an excerpt of Wolf of Wall Street and funny as hell.

More Meshuggah! Nice! This song is in straight 4/4 Geebz, you're correct. You talked about the way they arrange groupings and its important to emphasize that crossing the bar line (especially in this song) is really what makes a Meshuggah riff super difficult to follow. Also, check out Cynic- How Could I?

you should do "The Last Baron" by Mastodon next! you'll be mindblown!

Well spotted on the timing of the vocals. I remember watching some interview with ..I think it was one of the guitarists, where he talked about their songwriting process and how they treat all instruments (vocals included) as percussion instruments.

same album, same feel; spasm would be a crazy reaction. cheers from the land down under geebz!

Meshuggah the Djent Gods. So glad you're doing more. Can you do their amazing track Behind The Sun next? Oh and the singer uses his voice as a percussion instrument in all their tracks. So unique.

Be interested to know what Geebs thoughts would be on comparing the original Nothing recording with the re-recorded version of Nothing after they got their newer guitars. Also would suggest listening to Straws Pulled at Random. I would choose the re-recorded version but that’s me. The ending to that songs is actually one of my favorite pieces of music ever. So amazing to hear the brutality cleanse away into the sheer majesty and beauty of that ending.

Just listened to this album in the gym at 6 AM. That woke me up allright

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO REVIEW THIS SINCE SUBSCRIBING BACK IN MAY! THANK YOUUUUU!

Just came here via your Queens of the Stone Age video and talking about bands whose influence blew up I would suggest you check out Kyuss who almost single-handedly invented stoner rock out of Palm Springs, LA in the early 90s and was how Josh Homme started his musical career. Specifically, I would suggest the songs "Gardenia" or Whitewater" from their album "Welcome to Sky Valley". Thanks so much for keeping us company here!

A video of Meshuggah - "I" would be soooooo cool!

you're absolutely right, the whole song is in 4/4, most of their songs are. 6:25 is one of my favorite riffs in metal, it's incredible

the lyrics for this track are awesome I highly recommend a lyrical breakdown

4x4 sickness and how sick one can distroy the standard 4x4 rhythm in the most BRUTAL and elegant fashion!

This was the song that got me into meshuggah in 2015. Have been stuck ever since

The re-recorded/remastered version of "Nothing" is even better than the original! They recorded the songs using 8 string guitars. You should check it out!

It's finally happening!!! Yes, Geebs!!!

Them: Meshuggah: Dominates with no remorse

I love how Geebz cant help but snarl when he listens to the real heavy shit.

I love that he makes “the face” we ALL make when listening to Meshuggah. Hell yea!

Meshuggah live was absolutely fantastic. One of the more polite moshpits I've been in actually

The vast majority of Meshuggah songs are in 4/4, with polyrhythms and syncopation that cycles loops on top. The drummer Tomas Haake will often keep the 4 meter on the hat or cymbal. Counting music...Great as ever Geebz!

I’d recommend Obzen for the meter changes, panning, & drumwork with a great breakdown, and Nostrum for the insane drumwork too. Also new Millenium cyanide christ is a great old song by them, really good breakdown on there too

I love how long you take to get into this. I'm watching your reaction as you get it the groove. You get it. It takes a few loops, but you get it. Watching you discuss what all us Meshuggah fans love is bliss. I've had the discussions with others as to what makes this band amazing.

I so love your reactions to challenging rhythms. You're the man Geebs!

i love watching people listen to meshuggah. it looks like their brain is melting.

Man these guys first couple albums was what got me into them. So iconic for djent and metal in general.

Got this song on a multi track magazine CD many years ago and was hooked ever since. Watching them live is another experience altogether!!!!!🤯

"Corridor of Chameleons" by Meshuggah for your 1 year countdown!

The closed captions do the meme of this tune’s lyrics justice

You should check out “Blood Eagle” by Periphery. This was on the top of my mind and wanted to get it submitted somewhere before I forgot. Haha. Love the content man! Keep up the great work!

Yes, I love Meshuggah. Years ago I showed this band to a former bandmate of mine who actually studied some drumming in university, turns out he hated it because of the time signatures and beats. He said it sounded like the drummer was just being sloppy while taking advantage of the listener and thinking the drummer in Meshuggah himself, was being unique. Lol. It’s funny, but I’ve always loved this band 👍🏼👍🏼

IF you do a lyrical review of meshuggah, i would suggest ''break those bones whose sinews gave them motion'' - very poetic take on revenge and its violence

I am colossus, stengah and straws pulled at random are a must!

Hey Geebz, if you're interested in more metal and want to hear something more melodic, Job For a Cowboy has a track called The Stone Cross. Great musicianship and songwriting. Little tech and prog in there

Dude. Soul burn is so funky.. By MESSHUGAH.. GREAT UPLOAD

I love that you have discovered the groove in our field of metal!! It's never too late to find the groove!!

I LOVE how the outro riff is the same with the intro riff....but they are different if you pay attention

My second favorite band out of my top 5 of all time. Always will be. Meshuggah is astonishing. Thomas Haake is the best drummer of all time, always will be.

I’m so thrilled to see all these meshuggah critiques

I just love your channel so much.🔥 You are amazing dude. Keep it up🎶

The meter is straight time for sure, that's one of my favorite things about them. I only compose in 4/4 or free meter anymore because with polyrhythms and syncopation time signatures become practically meaningless once you hit a certain level of complexity.

Like your idea for a lyrical analysis. I like how meshuggah approaches lyrics. Their lyrics actually have a lot of substance, however they seem to put more emphasis on how the vocals are rhythmically and sonically arranged as part of the music rather than the meaning of the words being immediately clear and obvious. Very cool group of musicians. So much energy! Lyric analysis requests.. maybe “I am colossus” “the demons name is surveillance” “straws pulled at random” “dancers to a discordant system”

Man, what a banger!

You mentioned how powerful they must be live..I can't recommend their live show enough! You have an idea before going, but the assault on your senses is truly unfathomable until you experience it

Meshuggah live is an out of body experience. I was front row in front of Jens. I'm 50 and have seen hundreds of shows. Meshuggah live is in my top 3 all time shows to see.

Yes! One of my fav Meshuggah tracks. I was hoping you'd dissect this one.