# Bands that sound like Meshuggah



## FortePenance (Jun 3, 2008)

Love them or hate them?

Meshuggah's my favourite band yet when I listen to bands with extreme amounts of 'shuggah influence, more often than not, I just think "this is dull"

I guess this applies to other bands too. This band called Intolerant from the Phllipines are coming to Hong Kong, and they sound so much like Pantera and I didn't dig that much at all. My friend on the other fan (big Pantera fan) loved it.


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## Mr. S (Jun 3, 2008)

I really enjoy alot of Meshuggah but there really are too many bands these days that to my ears just sound like they're trying to replicate them, it gets awfully boring after a while


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## dpm (Jun 3, 2008)

Wouldn't be surprised if this thread gets closed down , but for what it's worth I can't answer the question without the option "I like _some _Meshuggah but dislike Meshuggah clones". I think a big part of that is all the Mesh' clones (or bands that incorporate a distinctly Meshuggah-esque sound) I've heard are ripping off the elements of that sound that I don't enjoy. Consider also the line between paying homage to an influence and blatantly cloning a band's sound.


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## D-EJ915 (Jun 3, 2008)

Meshuggah with a different singer would be awesome imo, if anybody has any recommendations throw them to me, lol.


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## Naren (Jun 3, 2008)

I dislike Meshuggah, but like SOME Meshuggah clones (like Periphery - although "clone" is an insulting term).

In fact, in the actual meaning of the word "clone," I hate all clones of anything. But if you just mean "bands that are similar to and influenced by Meshuggah," then I like some of them.

There are very few Meshuggah songs I like, but I do like a few.


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## John_Strychnine (Jun 3, 2008)

D-EJ915 said:


> Meshuggah with a different singer would be awesome imo, if anybody has any recommendations throw them to me, lol.



Sorry but Jens kidman IS Meshuggah.
His voice is incredible, but yeh, he has sounded rather dull on the later albums.

I like some meshuggah clone bands, it's more if the music is different i.e adding other elements like ambience e.g TesseracT
Then again i play in a meshuggah influenced band so of course im gonna be a little biased.

Thing is though, the moment anyone hears a groovey polyrhtyhmic riff, you're automatically Meshuggah.

Meshuggah-core should be a genre in itself really, it's extended to the point where their sound isnt just a band any more, but it's a style. my opinion of course.

The biggest clone mesh band is Fragment. They even had Thordendal produce it and play on their record.


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## loktide (Jun 3, 2008)

i love meshuggah but dislike most mesh-clones i've heard except Textures.

it's the vocals on most bands that just don't do it for me, like for example on periphery, sikth, mnemic. They all have awesome to godlike riffing and instrumental parts, but i just can't live with their vocals.

Jens kidman is a perfect match for meshuggah's music, IMO.


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## Lozek (Jun 3, 2008)

How weird, I was pondering the other day whether to start a thread like this but decided against it. Yep, I know exactly what you mean, Meshuggah or (or were) great, but we only need one of them as no-one will ever beat them in their own arena.


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## dpm (Jun 3, 2008)

There seem to be two distinct opinions on Jens' vocals, does anyone feel indifferent towards him  I'm definitely in the 'dislike the vocals' camp


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## John_Strychnine (Jun 3, 2008)

Textures new stuff isn't meshuggah at all.


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## elrrek (Jun 3, 2008)

Jens is the second most dispensable element of Meshuggah, the first being the bass player.

If you look at the writing credits on the album I often wonder exactly what he is doing and his vocal delivery really could do with some variation on the last 4 records.


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## Naren (Jun 3, 2008)

dpm said:


> There seem to be two distinct opinions on Jens' vocals, does anyone feel indifferent towards him  I'm definitely in the 'dislike the vocals' camp



I'm indifferent to his vocals. I don't really like them or dislike them.

What I really dislike is how every single song on an album sounds the same. I was flipping through live clips on Youtube a few months ago and while each song was titled differently, it just sounded like the exact same song. 

And that's why I like Periphery. While it's the same general style, each song sounds different. And interesting.

Meshuggah bores me to tears 90% of the time (there are a few songs I like or find interesting).


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## Nick (Jun 3, 2008)

what exactly is a meshuggah clone?

how many bands are clones of bands like at the gates using that logic?

Iv never heard a band that sounds like meshuggah.

If your talking about using wierd patterns and rythms etc and low tuned guitars then you may well say every band that plays mostly in 4/4 and 6/8 and in B standard is a clone of at the gates. Which clearly isnt the case.


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## Ze Kink (Jun 3, 2008)

elrrek said:


> Jens is the second most dispensable element of Meshuggah, the first being the bass player.
> 
> If you look at the writing credits on the album I often wonder exactly what he is doing and his vocal delivery really could do with some variation on the last 4 records.



I agree with the bass player part, because Frerik and Mårten play the bass on the new Meshuggah records, even though they've got Dick now, who is an awesome player.

I however do not agree that Jens is disposable. He was originally the second guitarist of Meshuggah, and apparently he still does some guitar stuff (Catch 33 lists him as one of the bassists and guitarists if I remember correctly). He's awesome live as well, IMO the reason why his vocals aren't too good on the new stuff is because of burying them into the mix instead of making them stand out.


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## Nick (Jun 3, 2008)

I like his vocal style it fits the music well.


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## DDDorian (Jun 3, 2008)

Nick said:


> what exactly is a meshuggah clone?
> 
> how many bands are clones of bands like at the gates using that logic?



Have you been living under a rock the past five years? Every second band is an At The Gates clone these days, and there's no shortage of diet-Meshuggah bands getting around. It's more a watering down of that band's unique style rather than a direct note-for-note copy. There are hundreds upon hundreds of bands like this in every conceivable genre. The Meshuggah ones wouldn't bother me so much if the latest Meshuggah album didn't sound so much like all the clone bands, what a letdown that was.


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## FortePenance (Jun 3, 2008)

Naren said:


> I dislike Meshuggah, but like SOME Meshuggah clones (like Periphery - although "clone" is an insulting term).



Yeah, i didn't know how to describe similar bands without using more than 1 word, so I just opted for clone. 



John_Strychnine said:


> Textures new stuff isn't meshuggah at all.



I've only heard 2 songs, Old Days Born Anew and Storm Warning. ODBA didn't sound incredibly like Meshuggah but the first part of Storm Warning did IMO.


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## neon_black88 (Jun 3, 2008)

I havent really heard any band that has goten anywhere that is a meshuggah "clone", I mean Periphery really sounds nothing like meshuggah. I've heard alot of Bulb/Periphery clones but they're mostly people messing around in there own home with a Pod XT so who cares.

Jens Owns. The new album owns.


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## GuitarG2 (Jun 3, 2008)

neon_black88 said:


> Jens Owns. The new album owns.


 
+1

TesseracT are sort of a meshuggah clone at times, but they've got a great singer (not that Jens is bad, but he doesn't 'sing') and they have really nice ambient bits as well. Other than that, there aren't too many clones that I like.

Funny, I remember Kirk Hammett blogging that their new album (at the time 'St. Anger') sounded like Meshuggah. No wonder it was horrible.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jun 3, 2008)

I voted "Like Mesh, Like Clones" but I'd like to get a bit more specific. I like mesh and people who have a mesh influence, but I'm not so hot baout the clones, I don't really dislike/hate them, but it's definantly not my favorite thing. The tag 'Diet Meshuggah' is an adaquet description.

I like jens vocals, and interesting contrast to the philosophical lyrics. Hmm... it would be neat to hear what would happen if Tool decided to cover meshuggah stuff.

Textures is cool but the vocals are TERRIBLE.



Lozek said:


> no-one will ever beat them in their own arena.


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## TimSE (Jun 3, 2008)

Im not massivly into shuggah but i love bands like Tesseract, Textures, Bulb/periphery etc


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jun 3, 2008)

Anything meshuggah wins me


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## dougsteele (Jun 3, 2008)

I haven't heard too many metal bands these days not rip off Meshuggah. Hell, Flatstick even do it in one song, but just one goddammit!!!!

Rock and Roll ain't noise pollution!!


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## bigheadood (Jun 4, 2008)

I don't like Mesh, and the clones suck too.
I like Periphery, but they're totally different.

I don't think the Poly-rhythmic thing is very well done, in most cases.
Tool is the primary exception to that IMO.


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## toolsound (Jun 4, 2008)

I like Meshuggah, but the so called "clones" are really not clones at all if you ask me.  In fact, I tend to like the "clones" better than the original (Meshuggah). Periphery, for example, is often considered a "clone" when they in fact have a completely different sound and are much more listenable than Meshuggah (in my opinion).


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## nine squares (Jun 4, 2008)

toolsound said:


> I like Meshuggah, but the so called "clones" are really not clones at all if you ask me. In fact, I tend to like the "clones" better than the original (Meshuggah). Periphery, for example, is often considered a "clone" when they in fact have a completely different sound and are much more listenable than Meshuggah (in my opinion).



word to that!


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## auxioluck (Jun 4, 2008)

It's not a Meshuggah or Non-Meshuggah thing to me....I just love polyrhythms. No matter who, or where. I don't hear polyrhyhthms and go...."Meshuggah"...I hear polyrhythms and go..."Okay, that's X/X over X/X". I just love awkward sounding things.


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## John_Strychnine (Jun 4, 2008)

All_¥our_Bass;1067355 said:


> I voted "Like Mesh, Like Clones" but I'd like to get a bit more specific. I like mesh and people who have a mesh influence, but I'm not so hot baout the clones, I don't really dislike/hate them, but it's definantly not my favorite thing. The tag 'Diet Meshuggah' is an adaquet description.
> 
> I like jens vocals, and interesting contrast to the philosophical lyrics. Hmm... it would be neat to hear what would happen if Tool decided to cover meshuggah stuff.
> *
> Textures is cool but the vocals are TERRIBLE.*



you seriously have to be fucking joking? Eric is fucking incredible and the best live vocalist i've ever seen!


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## Apex1rg7x (Jun 4, 2008)

John_Strychnine said:


> you seriously have to be fucking joking? Eric is fucking incredible and the best live vocalist i've ever seen!



 Yeah man his vocals are badass and i actually like his better than Jens most of the time. They both are insane vocalists though


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jun 5, 2008)

John_Strychnine said:


> you seriously have to be fucking joking? Eric is fucking incredible and the best live vocalist i've ever seen!


 
I'm not saying he's a bad vocalist. But his voice has this nasal quality to it that I just don't dig.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jun 5, 2008)

All_¥our_Bass;1069723 said:


> I'm not saying he's a bad vocalist. But his voice has this nasal quality to it that I just don't dig.



A good example is the guy from mudvayne hes the worst


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## Mattayus (Jun 5, 2008)

Nick said:


> what exactly is a meshuggah clone?
> 
> how many bands are clones of bands like at the gates using that logic?
> 
> ...



Couldn't agree more.

It's a real shame that now you can't tune any lower than Bb and use some prog approaches before gettin labeled a rip-off. I'm not even a fan of Meshuggah yet i've been told my stuff sounds like them.

My first proper metal band, when i was about 16, was all about groovy, bluesy headbangin metal, but heavy as hell, quite old school, and cause we had that sound we were constantly told we were 'ripping off' Pantera. I mean, i've always been heavily influenced by Pantera, and bands of that era, they're my favourite band of all time and Dimebag inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place. But now, just because i do it on a 7 string, i'm told it sounds like Meshuggah, when in my opinion... it really doesn't, at all. I just happen to use low tunings. But i add a sense of melody, which probably means i'll be lumped in with Tesseract and Periphery next!


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## Naren (Jun 5, 2008)

Mattayus said:


> Couldn't agree more.
> 
> It's a real shame that now you can't tune any lower than Bb and use some prog approaches before gettin labeled a rip-off. I'm not even a fan of Meshuggah yet i've been told my stuff sounds like them.
> 
> My first proper metal band, when i was about 16, was all about groovy, bluesy headbangin metal, but heavy as hell, quite old school, and cause we had that sound we were constantly told we were 'ripping off' Pantera. I mean, i've always been heavily influenced by Pantera, and bands of that era, they're my favourite band of all time and Dimebag inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place. But now, just because i do it on a 7 string, i'm told it sounds like Meshuggah, when in my opinion... it really doesn't, at all. I just happen to use low tunings. But i add a sense of melody, which probably means i'll be lumped in with Tesseract and Periphery next!



Personally I would feel a little offended if someone told me that my band sounded like Meshuggah (it doesn't even remotely) because I don't really like Meshuggah. In fact, I would even laugh at the idea.

In all actuality, I've never actually heard a band that sounds like a "clone" of Meshuggah. I have, however, heard a lot of bands that sound influenced by them.

For example, I love Periphery and I think they sound heavily influenced by Meshuggah, but they do not sound like "clones" and they also do not sound like they are "ripping them off."

And fuck those people who told you you were ripping off Pantera. Anyone who tells you you're ripping someone off is just trying to insult you (unless you actually copied a riff note-for-note or a lyric word-for-word -- which I seriously doubt you did). Luckily I've never been told I ripped anyone off, but I have been told that I'm clearly influenced by <insert band here> and I have always answered either "Yes, I am influenced by them" or "Who? I've never heard of that band before."


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## Mattayus (Jun 5, 2008)

Yeah i've never once ripped off a riff, but may have been influenced by a riff to write one of a similar vein, but it's always my own work. We really didn't sound like a clone of anybody, it's only because the person in question clearly didn't know what else to say. They probably meant influenced


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## Durero (Jun 5, 2008)

dpm said:


> There seem to be two distinct opinions on Jens' vocals, does anyone feel indifferent towards him  I'm definitely in the 'dislike the vocals' camp


 the vocals don't do much for me, but they're still my favorite band (if I had to pick just one.)


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## Drage (Jun 5, 2008)

Coprofago, and ????.


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## Omnitopia (Jun 5, 2008)

My whole career in Periphery is a SHAM! HELP ME GOD!


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## nuclearvoodoo (Jun 6, 2008)

D-EJ915 said:


> Meshuggah with a different singer would be awesome imo, if anybody has any recommendations throw them to me, lol.



My project sounds kinda similar to meshuggah in parts but mainly because of the use of an 8 string. MySpace.com - Stop Laughing At Me - Melbourne, AU - Metal / Experimental / Hardcore - www.myspace.com/stoplaughingatmeband if you wanna listen to the samples. Currently recording a demo. Bands like Periphery, Tesseract, Monuments have strong meshuggah influences because of low tuning/polyrhythms etc but I still love that style music, and each band has their own qualities.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Jun 9, 2008)

i like meshuggah just ok, i dont get why they are as popular as they are. I think lots and lots of bands have used meshuggah style stuff these days, but i personally wouldnt say any of them are clones. People keep naming bulb and perphery on here, I think they are a great example to talk about. Bulb CLEARLY is influanced by meshuggah, but mesh are just average players. I dont think that technically they are very good personally, where as bulb took it to the next level. There is no way that either of the mesh guys could play a bulb song honostly. He's not cloning their sound, i think that he evolved the sound into the next level, raised the technical bar, and filled in a lot of the dead space that meshuggah leaves in their songs.


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## WillingWell (Jun 9, 2008)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> i like meshuggah just ok, i dont get why they are as popular as they are. I think lots and lots of bands have used meshuggah style stuff these days, but i personally wouldnt say any of them are clones. People keep naming bulb and perphery on here, I think they are a great example to talk about. Bulb CLEARLY is influanced by meshuggah, but mesh are just average players. I dont think that technically they are very good personally, where as bulb took it to the next level. There is no way that either of the mesh guys could play a bulb song honostly. He's not cloning their sound, i think that he evolved the sound into the next level, raised the technical bar, and filled in a lot of the dead space that meshuggah leaves in their songs.




I don't think you've listened to Fredrik Thordendal enough then. The man is just awesome at guitar and can play some really fusion-y stuff. He has a real thing for dissonance but he's no slouch on guitar fo sho.


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## Randy (Jun 9, 2008)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> i like meshuggah just ok, i dont get why they are as popular as they are. I think lots and lots of bands have used meshuggah style stuff these days, but i personally wouldnt say any of them are clones. People keep naming bulb and perphery on here, I think they are a great example to talk about. Bulb CLEARLY is influanced by meshuggah, but mesh are just average players. I dont think that technically they are very good personally, where as bulb took it to the next level. There is no way that either of the mesh guys could play a bulb song honostly. He's not cloning their sound, i think that he evolved the sound into the next level, raised the technical bar, and filled in a lot of the dead space that meshuggah leaves in their songs.



I get your point, and I agree to _some_ degree. Meshuggah are somewhat of a "one trick pony", however, I have an appreciation for their style and their consistency. 

As for Bulb, well, the partwork is more complex and layered much deeper to the point that it's pretty much a different genre from Mesh. altogether. The real similarity is in the odd times, and the polyrhythms, which you'll find in 1,000,000 dissimilar acts anyways.  



WillingWell said:


> I don't think you've listened to Fredrik Thordendal enough then. The man is just awesome at guitar and can play some really fusion-y stuff. He has a real thing for dissonance but he's no slouch on guitar fo sho.


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## Makelele (Jun 9, 2008)

I feel kind of the same as Naren about Meshuggah, I like a few songs, but overall I find them kind of boring. I don't see how anyone can doubt their technical abilities, though.


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## bulb (Jun 9, 2008)

WillingWell said:


> I don't think you've listened to Fredrik Thordendal enough then. The man is just awesome at guitar and can play some really fusion-y stuff. He has a real thing for dissonance but he's no slouch on guitar fo sho.



interestingly enough i would say the special defects album is more of an influence on my stuff then meshuggah is, and fredrik is about 34839489 times better at guitar than i will ever be, the solos on zeta 1 reticuli and bouncing in a bottomless pit are perfect in every way.


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## Ishan (Jun 9, 2008)

Meshuggah is a love/hate thing really. I consider myself a fan, and at my age (31) that means quite a lot as I'm not a teenager anymore  Many people ditch them technically mainly because they choose not to be ultra shreddy/technical, but they are, in all honesty, very good musicians (every one of them).
Their music talk to me deeply because they are unconventional, they do something rarely heard in "rock" music like those rotating rhythms. If you think about it it's a very simple concept but it keeps things interesting as besides that their music (besides the leads) is very straight forward and voluntarily minimalistic (Meshuggah is all about keeping things to a minimum for me, efficiency is their key word). I should add they are all about the groove, just listening to Rational Gaze confirm that 
I don't think there's any "clones" of Meshuggah, I've NEVER found any band approching them in term of style, they are alone in their own style (which is pretty rare) and the few attempts at mimicking them I've found were VERY bad (like Four Question Marks , laughable attempt at a Nothing like kind of music, certainly fun to play but they are FAR from what nothing is. No groove at all) but there's some very good Meshuggah/Sol Niger Within influenced bands (I can't name much but Periphery, Tesseract, Mnemic, and many others come to mind).

That's my 2 cents...


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## Esp Griffyn (Jun 9, 2008)

7 Strings of Hate said:


> i like meshuggah just ok, i dont get why they are as popular as they are. I think lots and lots of bands have used meshuggah style stuff these days, but i personally wouldnt say any of them are clones. People keep naming bulb and perphery on here, I think they are a great example to talk about. Bulb CLEARLY is influanced by meshuggah, but mesh are just average players. I dont think that technically they are very good personally, where as bulb took it to the next level. *There is no way that either of the mesh guys could play a bulb song honostly*. He's not cloning their sound, i think that he evolved the sound into the next level, raised the technical bar, and filled in a lot of the dead space that meshuggah leaves in their songs.



What the hell are you on about?

Either way, I love Meshuggah, they invented a completely original style and yeah, loads of people have tried (badly) to rip it off. I like Bulb, but he isn't really a clone, so much as taking the thing Meshuggah invented in a different direction.

In short, there is only, and will only ever be one Meshuggah.


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## Apex1rg7x (Jun 9, 2008)

I agree with alot thats being said here. I personally dont find Bulb to be a Mesh clone. They are totally different sounding to my ears, but because they both use polyrythms Bulb will get lumped as a Mesh clone unfortunately. Bulb is an amzing guitar player and so is Fredrik but to say that Fredrik couldnt play a Bulb song is a pretty strong statement. I can see how bulb is influenced by Fredrik from his special defects album just like he stated but not so much from a Meshuggah album. Let them both be who they are and not labeled as clones, its not fair to them at all.


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## kiLP12 (Jun 10, 2008)

any1 ever heard of Tandjent or Materia. Tandjent sounds like from the DEI era while Materia have a completely different sound that makes them unique. Materia has some amazing grooves same goes for Tandjent.

MySpace.com - Tandjent - Silvis, Illinois - Metal / Progressive / Thrash - www.myspace.com/tandjent
MySpace.com - MateriA - - Metal / Hardcore / Grindcore - www.myspace.com/materiaband


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## thesimo (Jun 10, 2008)

Many have called Threat Signal a Meshuggah clone. I personally love them



give it a look 

they do do the classic melodic/metal thing (i dont like the melodic parts of this song), but some of their other songs have really amazing solos. make of it what you will


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## tbird11 (Nov 13, 2008)

DDDorian said:


> Have you been living under a rock the past five years? Every second band is an At The Gates clone these days, and there's no shortage of diet-Meshuggah bands getting around. It's more a watering down of that band's unique style rather than a direct note-for-note copy. There are hundreds upon hundreds of bands like this in every conceivable genre. The Meshuggah ones wouldn't bother me so much if the latest Meshuggah album didn't sound so much like all the clone bands, what a letdown that was.


 
obzen IMO is a worthy addition to the mesh catalogue. For me it was not a letdown at all. sure it has some textual differences from their early stuff but all in all it is a triumphant return to normal song structures after the full on experimentation of the "I" EP and "Catch 33". 

Any band that wears their inflluences on their sleeve is not a "clone" or a "diet" anything. Any music influenced by "at the gates" or "meshuggah" in my book is a positive in a world where the metal industry in constantly being corroded by piles of shit! It is not realistic to think that every band is going to re-invent a new sound like the shuggs have. We should be thankful that meshuggah are actually having an effect on new bands around the world so once that they are gone hopefully, some really cool acts are left to carry the torch.


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## Daemoniac (Nov 13, 2008)

dpm said:


> There seem to be two distinct opinions on Jens' vocals, does anyone feel indifferent towards him  I'm definitely in the 'dislike the vocals' camp


 
Im pretty indifferent. It suits it ok, but it really doesnt phase me too much.


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## Mattayus (Nov 13, 2008)

thesimo said:


> Many have called Threat Signal a Meshuggah clone. I personally love them
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Yeah man they were actually quite cool  Didn't think much to the melodic parts. Not that I dislike melodic parts, they just don't seem to do it very well


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