MESHUGGAH

Double victory

- But yet not in vain you’re called visionaries. You constantly evolve whereas most artists claim that everything in music has already been said.
Oh, at least I definitely disagree with it (the answer relatively easy to predict – DK). Of course some basis was founded many years ago but music is so vast territory that your life wouldn’t be enough to fully penetrate and discover it. Just in the very context of style – of course so called “MESHUGGAH style” there’s so much to do yet that you can’t imagine. From the place that we are now we can go into almost unlimited directions and choose from infinite possibilities a few alternatives for your further development. It’s a totally open territory and its boundaries exist only in people’s minds. I don’t understand how anyone can state that everything in music has already been said. Everytime we record our new album I get the impression that actually we touch only the surface of what we could penetrate as a band. That’s in fact why we’re still playing together, feeling the thirst for doing the things we haven’t done yet and which are within reach. Additionally, this perception widens along with following albums. It’s like as if you were trying to reach the horizon (laugh). No sooner had we finish working on the new album than our heads were full of fresh ideas on the next album. We’ve already started to work on it. We are currently in a very creative mood. No only we feel good with the music we’ve already created but we feel the pressure to start recording the next stuff as well. It’s a damn good feeling to be in this band (laugh).

- You recorded the album in Fear & Loathing Studio which is the place that you own for some time now. Allowing yourself on such comfort you’re falling into a trap of your over-productivity. “ObZen” recording session took more time than you planned at first and as a result the plan of touring with THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN fell flat…
There are certain pros and cons in every situation. But after all what counts for most is a final result - so the quality of production. It’s a fact that “ObZen” was the hardest album to make, if it comes to recording and mix. Maybe not that hard but the most time-consuming and demanding lot of work to achieve the standards we wanted to. Of course every time there is a feeling of kind of insufficiency but with “ObZen” we maximally reached our ideals and assumptions. Thanks to the comfort of working in our own studio we have as much time to perfect certain things as we really need. Just taking myself – I spent three times more time recording drums than usual. The same relates to others. I think this all is worth it as the effect is incomparably better. The drawback is what you’ve mentioned. Working in your own studio without any time and financial limits it’s very easy to lose the distance, to put on the brakes and tell to yourself – this is it, that’s what I meant. Actually we’re ale crazy about details and you can imagine how it looks like when we don’t have to hurry. The more so as Fear & Loathing Studio is a place when we meet not only during recording sessions. Very often we drop in to drink a couple of beers, have a talk. We feel there at home, it’s a friendly place where there is always a good atmosphere. We really enjoy owning it.

- Is the music still your hobby, a lifestyle or an obsession yet?
Well... it depends what do you mean by “obsession”. If you mean a pack of fellows who never have any time for anything, sit in a studio for months and then go around the world giving concerts for half a year only to start writing a new material after coming back – then yes, we’re obsessed (laugh). And speaking more seriously, today’s MESHUGGAH became practically self-sufficient. Apart from releasing CDs we do everything else, we’re kind of little well-organized and constantly developing company. In fact, in this pressure of duties it’s hard to find time for something else. That’s why being MESHUGGAH member I’ve never had a chance to engage in a side-project. Year by year we all have less free time and still more is going on around the band but we should be only satisfied with it. Other thing is that we really like paying in MESHUGGAH, it’s not only our work but also something that gives us lots of satisfaction by the way.

- No wonder, as the name MESHUGGAH became the quintessence of the highest standards in metal music. What’s your opinion on contemporary scene and what happens on it today? What band or album impressed you lately so much that you said to yourself – shit, I’d like to play like this? Is it possible at all?
There is such a band about which I can definitely say that it’s amazingly inspirational for me. I mean Polish DECAPITATED and especially their latest album „Organic Hallucinosis”. Since its release I haven’t heard anything that would kick me that much. Shit, what a fucking unbelievable tragedy what happened recently! Vitek’s death was a fucking shock for me… Metal society lost one of the best drummers in the history and although I hope that DECAPITATED will continue its activity, they will find it extremely hard to find somebody worthy to be Vitek’s successor. Somebody who’d not only play this material as he did but also a guy that would give them a kick to get over it. After all Vitek was Vogg’s brother, they created this band together. I keep my fingers crossed for them and although they are in very hard situation I’ll wait for their comeback. DECAPITATED is for me the only band which made so great impression on me during recent 10 years. They are exceptional! Look around, there are loads of bands which try to exceed the speed limits only for the speed itself. Most of them are simply dramatically boring. Whereas DECAPITATED not only played fast but also wrote excellent compositions based on remarkably intelligent structures and brilliant music work. Such a phenomenon takes place only one for 10 or more years. Poland – be proud of DECAPITATED!

- It will be nice for them to read your words one day. Now let’s come back to MESHUGGAH for a moment. In a few days you go to the States on a tour with MINISTRY. What do you expect from performing next to the industrial metal legend and incorrigible Al Jourgensen?
It’s going to be almost 8-week tour so we’re in for a great challenge. Later we have a little break and we’ll appear on several European festivals. Later on we plan going to Scandinavia and of course a tour in Europe as a headliner or in a company with a great band. If it comes to MINISTRY tour we obviously enjoy the chance to play with them and I’m sure that MESHUGGAH can only take advantage of it. I’m not interested in politicizing however. Although I have my political convictions I prefer not to merge them with what I do, what we all do in MESHUGGAH. Actually, it’s not fun for us but of course we respect such people as Al – who aren’t afraid of proclaiming such radical beliefs. If anyone thinks we’re going on this tour because of political matters, he must be mad! We’re interested only in music and we hope that after “ObZen’s” release we’ll play lots of gigs. After “Catch 33” episode we have much to make up for….

Line-Up:
Jens Kidman - vocals
Fredrik Thordendal - guitar, vocals
Morten Hagström - guitar
Tomas Haake - drums, vocals
Dick Lövgren - bass

Discography:
Contradictions Collapse (1991)
None (EP 1994)
Selfcaged (EP 1995)
Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
The True Human Design (EP 1997)
Chaosphere (1998)
Nothing (2002)
I (EP 2004)
Catch 33 (2005)
ObZen (2008)

www.meshuggah.net