"Before I even begin the review, I should ask you: Do you like Meshuggah? If the answer is a whole-hearted “NO,” then you need not read the rest of the review, as no matter what is written, Aleph won’t be part of your essential listening group.Why is this? Well, Aleph is almost the album Meshuggah forgot to release. It has all the trimmings of a Meshuggah album, too: The bottom-string riffs, the stop/start songwriting, the polyrhythms twisting and weaving their magic (or hell, as others may describe), the shouted vocals, the warped drumming style. It’s all there. To compare, it’s closest to Meshuggah’s Nothing…there are no sections of music here that reach any speeds beyond mid-paced. My understanding of this is that Four Question Marks wanted the listener to focus on the polyrhythms moreso than the speed and ferocity, which makes sense to me because this is filled to capacity with winding, headache-inducing polyrhythms.
So, is Aleph as good as anything Meshuggah have released? I think so.
The guitars don’t ever leave the bottom string of the guitar. Whether they used 7 strings, 8, or the regular 6, is something I don’t quite have an ear for, but needless to say, every riff is played using that low string. I can’t recall any instances where the other guitar strings are used – if they simply used one-string guitars, they could’ve pulled off the same music! I’m not saying this is a bad thing, though, because what they lack in note variety, they make up for in riffs. There are no solos here at all, and I guess that fits with the theme of the album. The vocals are your standard Jens Kidman sound-alike shouts and yells. Nothing too spectacular there, except for the fact he’s got a very cool French accent. Basically, if you’re not a fan of Jens Kidman’s voice, then you won’t like Sebastien’s version.
The big highlight here is, of course, the insane drumming. It’s tight as all hell, with every snare hit having a lot of meaning. On the surface, it might not seem too difficult to play, although I urge anyone to reciprocate the beginning of “Beyond Tragic Words” perfectly. That is just one example of how complex the drumming is, yet it’s all kept in time and proves to be a stabilising instrument, keeping the polyrhythmic riffs in time. This aspect alone is why Aleph is as enjoyable as it is.
The production is crystal clear, yet not completely triggered/computerised like Beneath The Massacre or such bands. Everything (except the bass guitar, unfortunately) can be heard precisely, making the album that much more enjoyable. Basically, if you’re a fan of Meshuggah and what they do, Aleph should be a part of the collection, almost like an honorary member of their discography. More importantly, though, Aleph is a fantastic album that will keep fans of this style of music occupied for a long time."
Great Band...Great Album...R.I.P. ????
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