Meshuggah

Mavericks. Pioneers. Unique. Immutable. Meshuggah stand alone. The most inventive and creative metal band of the last 30 years and one of the most widely revered, Meshuggah have been standard bearers for forward thinking creativity in heavy music throughout their illustrious careers. First conjured from the ether in Umeå, Sweden, by guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, frontman Jens Kidman in 1987 and bassist Peter Nordin, early incarnations of the band took a blowtorch to established rules for modern metal, warping the essence of Bay Area thrash to their own ends, and hurling countless seemingly disparate influences into the resultant brew. Signing with Nuclear Blast Records as the ‘90s clicked into gear, Meshuggah released their debut album Contradictions Collapse in 1991, garnering solid reviews but limited commercial impact.