Swedish metal legends Meshuggah are returning to North America later this month for a headlining tour with special guests Cannibal Corpse and Carcass. With such an incredible lineup, this is a trek you won’t want to miss. The tour kicks off on March 28 in Quebec City, QC, and runs through April 24. For a full list of tour dates, check out this location. As the tour approaches, Metal Insider will celebrate Meshuggah’s masterful catalog by featuring various artists sharing their favorite Meshuggah tracks. Each week leading up to the tour, a different artist will reveal their top picks. Our next guest column features a video entry from Cyhra drummer Alex Landenburg, who discusses the album and songs that defined a new era for drummers, highlighting Tomas Haake’s masterful influence.
Choose your format: Read our transcription or watch Landenburg’s insights in the video below:
“Hey, guys. Alex Landenburg here from Cyhra. And today, I was asked to talk a little bit about Meshuggah and their influence on, you know, us as a band or me as a musician, rather, and obviously me being a drummer. You know, this might be very obvious, but, especially going back to 2008 when, Obzen came out, that was a real game changer.
I remember, you know, even like the opening track, like “Combustion.” Oh, it’s such a great track already, and, and you kind of knew what you were in for, but then “Bleed,” obviously, is the thing we’re talking about today. And like I said, it’s super obvious. But, you know, in the, in the history of metal drumming, especially there, there have always been great players who, you know, we’re upping the game and, you know, adding a 30 second note to a 16 note pattern, for example, is something that that even back in the 80s, somebody like Scott Travis, you know, of Judas Priest fame, back in the day with Racer X with Paul Gilbert.
He would do that already or, you know, famously, Vinnie Paul with Pantera, “Becoming.” You know, people were doing these things already, but then, you know, Tomas Haake took that to another level by really playing an ostinato, like a, you know, reoccurring figure with the herta and the bass from herta being like… You know, having that as a repetitive figure and even changing it up a little bit, playing the backbeat on top of it, everything.
I mean, that was unheard of. And even to this day, it’s still something that that’s just, you know, magnificent. You know, it’s it’s it’s, you know, it’s hard to play. You can’t just play it just like that. Everybody who’s who’s tried it will know that. And, you know, it’s just something that you really, really have to practice.
And I think it really opened up, you know, doors for us drummers. And it kind of showed us, you know, what’s possible and where drumming that eventually would go and the and the decades after that. So yeah, obvious pick, I know. But you know, Obzen 2008 and you know, specifically “Bleed” has been super, super amazingly important for me as a drummer and for countless others, I’m sure.
All right. Thank you very much.”
As for the melodic metal outfit Cyhra, the group has recently unveiled a lyric video for their latest single, “Skin From Bones,” marking their second release through Reigning Phoenix Music. Following “Superman,” this track features a blend of hard-hitting riffs and explosive breakdowns. A year short from celebrating ten years since their 2016 formation, the group are currently gearing towards their fourth album, a follow-up to 2023’s The Vertigo Trigger.
