Meshuggah /məˈʃʊɡə/ is a Swedish extreme metal band from Umeå, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up consists of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992 and bassist Dick Lövgren since 2004.
Meshuggah first attracted international attention with the 1995 release Destroy Erase Improve for its fusion of fast-tempo death metal, thrash metal and progressive metal elements. Since its 2002 album Nothing, Meshuggah has switched from seven-string to downtuned eight-string guitars. Meshuggah has become known for their innovative musical style, complex, polymetered song structures and polyrhythms. Meshuggah was labelled as one of the ten most important hard rock and heavy metal bands by Rolling Stone and as the most important band in metal by Alternative Press. Meshuggah has found little mainstream success as yet, but is a significant act in extreme underground music. Nevertheless, Meshuggah has begun to gain attention and respect among more mainstream audiences since the late 2000s, having also inspired the djent movement within progressive metal.
Meshuggah, also known as Psykisk Testbild (Pronounced "syh-kisk test-build") is the first recording released by Swedish metal band Meshuggah. The three tracks on this EP were later reissued on the compilation Rare Trax. Although the EP is known as Psykisk Testbild ("mental test pattern"), this title is not to be found anywhere on the cover itself. It was released as a 12" vinyl record, limited to 1000 copies, by local record store Garageland in Umeå. This is the only Meshuggah record featuring drummer Niclas Lundgren. Tomas Haake later replaced Lundgren on drums.
Carelessly you sentence. How indifferently you kill
The prophecies of mans corruption fulfilled
Arbitrarily you harm. Snap your fingers, cue demise
Murder on impulse. Your evil inclinations wrapped in lies
Divine man. Appointed. Claiming the stern voice of god
Absolute judgments passed from where you cowards hide
- The lair of snakes. Your dark haven
Where you and your ophidian partisans abide
The doctrine of your unholy trinity
- The violence, the spite and the enslavement
You awesome monarch, you man of dominance
All shall be as you decide
Illustrious ruler of all things
Wield your razors, cut the flesh of man
Control, govern and lead us
Into the nightmare of your wishes fulfilled
Grab the reins, you awesome puppeteer, you conductor of chains
Redeemer. Unbreakable strings. Damnation leashes
Remote cords extend, the trusses they run
They stretch all the way behind the sun
So vain our attempts, the useless tugging
This meaningless gnawing at restraints by which we're bound
Hail the tyrant saint, the great bereaver