Meshuggah – Capitol – 16/10/08 – www.myspace.com/meshuggah
As the masses filled club capitol you could feel the energy build as an ocean of skinheads and black t-shirts revved themselves up for what some had been waiting almost 10 years for. Being Meshuggah’s first visit to Australia, the fans were uncontrollably excited to see what they’ve been hearing about for so long in magazines and online about their mighty live experience. As drummer, Thomas Haake, took the stage just before the rest of the band, the crowd erupted. You could tell the majority of the crowd were there to see him in action, being one of the most talked about drummers in the metal scene over the past few years. The crowd was frothing at the mouth from the first chord and Meshuggah were about to show them something that had never been seen before in Perth. As they punched into their second track, Bleed, the crowd went mental, this being the current single from their latest offering obZen. The brutal tones coming from their 8 string guitars and the chopped up poly rhythms being masterfully executed by Thomas Haake had the punters in a frenzy, with all jaws on the floor. The set was flawless musically as well as performed to perfection, meshuggah creating a stage presence unlike any other. At the end of their 1-hour set, they left the stage, leaving the crowd screaming for more, but to the crowds’ disappointment, no encore was granted. But after a performance as energetic as this, who could blame them. No doubt, they will be back to our shores again to unleash more of their blend of math metal in the near future.
Jason Robb.
