Destroy. Erase. Improve. Spell this out and you get Dei = God. That's right, Meshuggah were at the Sound Academy Thursday night and Tuco was there to take it in.
Being that it was the Sound Academy, I drove down just to save a little time, despite the outrageous $20 parking fee (Can anyone tell me if they tow/ticket at the T&T lot?). Avoided driving into a crack hoe that wandered into the street at Church and Carleton - a good omen.
Consulting the set times, I decided to miss out on the first act, Decapitated - I mean the name is enough to put me off. The second act, however, was Baroness, a label-mate of Mastodon, which I was stoked to see. Got there in time to settle in with a brew and a quick look around. Decided to try my luck on the house right side of the action and got a decent spot near the bar.
Good size crowd and young. Not as young as C.O.B. but still youthful. Of note were the T-shirts the fans were wearing. Alot of Meshuggah Ts from several different concerts. And of the remainder that weren't Meshuggah, I didn't know half of them; There's so much out there.
Also interesting was that they had security organizing the Meshuggah merchandise line because there were so many people. For the ENTIRE NIGHT, the line ALWAYS had people. I've never seen that before - the band must have sold Tons of merch.
So Baroness gets started and they are mellower than my memory recalls. They employ a neat flanger effect in their opening track but the "groove" is missing a bit. Something seems off. The second track has some bite to it with a decent riff. The vocals feature two singers, one lead and the other accenting the first. Quite melodic at times with some quieter passages.
The audience is focussed and appreciative. Baroness takes their sound through a wider dynamic range and also has some longer four and even eight bar phrases. a lyrical sound. They've got a swimmy guitar effect going. When they aren't stringing together riffs and melodies, they pause in a swimmy stew of guitar effects/noise.
One thing Baroness does well is transition between songs. It's always a clean one that adds a little bit of structure to a performance that is more than just a collection of riffs. Near the end of the set, they finally throw down a nice groove and I'm happy.
Interlude music goes on: it's Rod Stewart - Do you think I'm Sexy. On repeat. I beat the line up and grab a Meshuggah T-shirt only now I don't have enough for food. I'm hungry but the fare at the Sound Academy does not inspire.
I relocate to house left for Meshuggah. There's noticeably more people now and sightlines are at a premium. All the bud-smokers start their ritual and one can see plumes of smoke issuing from the middle of the floor - the most inaccessible place for security of course. There's a whole science on how to smoke at a concert that deserves some words.
Meshuggah hit the stage and the launch into a ferocious first track, Demiurge. The sound is great; the track is both eerie and groovy. Meshuggah are known for their 7 string guitar work and the low end is coming through really really well. The second track, Pravus, is quicker and the crowd reaction is intense.
I'm not a big fan of metal vocals but so far these are passable featuring classic death metal growl. What really stands out is the band's great sense of timing and rhythm. Meshuggah are known for using all kinds of odd time signatures and it's something to see the band operate live and never miss a change or a beat. Phenomenal stuff.
There's quite a bit going on down in front as a steady stream of guys entering and exiting the pit stream past. One attractive young lady has a red rose in her hair and is flitting around the back of the crowd. Someone's beer goes flying. One crowd surfer makes it a few rows but this is more of a slamdancing/moshing kind of crowd.
I feel like I'm in a machine with the droning two stroke drumming and rhythm. The low end is hypnotic. The band has got the crowd on a leash. More tracks follow with no filler. A brief respite and the encore.
A slower track, Future Breed Machine, from the early days has the crowd back into it and the final crazy thrashing beat of Dancers to a Discordant System has all the kids racing to the pit (the metal version of Dancing Queen?!).
Concert ends. A guy emerges from the pit, goes up to the bar and turns in someone's shoe. Time to do a head count and collect the bodies.
Here's the setlist
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