Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 24, 2009



Meshuggah is a Swedish five-piece experimental metal band formed in 1987. Its line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1994. The band has gone through several bassists, but the spot has been held by 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. Since their 2002 album Nothing, it uses eight-string guitars and downtuned, groovy riffs. Meshuggah has become known for its complex, innovative and precise songwriting and musicianship, and polyrhythmic song structures. It has been labeled as one of the ten most important hard and heavy bands by Rolling Stone and as the most important band in metal by Alternative Press. Meshuggah has found little mainstream success but is a significant act in extreme underground music. In 2006, the band was nominated for a Swedish Grammy Award. Meshuggah's most commercially successful album, 2008's obZen, peaked at No. 59 and sold 11,400 copies in the first week and 50,000 copies six months after its release. (more...)

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