Meshuggah

Few bands have altered the vocabulary of heavy music as fundamentally as Meshuggah. Since forming in Umeå, Sweden, in the late ‘80s, the band has continually pushed the boundaries of metal, developing a sound built on complex rhythms, dissonance, repetition and crushing physicality that has influenced generations of musicians. Landmark albums including Destroy Erase Improve, Chaosphere, and Nothing helped redefine the possibilities of the genre, while songs such as “Future Breed Machine,” “Rational Gaze,” and “Bleed” have become touchstones for generations of musicians.

Meshuggah’s influence can he heard across progressive and technical metal, as well as in the work of countless artists inspired by their approach. Yet their music has always stood apart from the movements they helped shape. A 2018 GRAMMY-Award nomination for Best Metal Performance for “Clockworks” recognized their impact, while 2022’s Immutable reaffirmed their place at the forefront of modern metal, topping both the U.K. Rock & Metal Albums chart and Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart.