With its jackhammer drumming and manic guitar work,
I will immediately sit well with fans who long ago came to expect virtuosity and machine precision from
Meshuggah. Those who haven't been following extreme metal or
Meshuggah in particular will find
I an excellent introduction. It may only be an EP, but it's an ambitious one that packs a dizzying array of changes and styles in its single epic 21-minute track. Over a bed of heavy thrash metal sludge comes a runaway train of spidery jazz riffs, eerie doom-laden atmospherics, and enough quick turns and hiccupping changes to fill a few albums.
I is relentless and those unaccustomed to
Meshuggah may be put off by it, but those who stick with it will be duly rewarded. ~ Wade Kergan