Editing Meshuggah (section)

=== ''Chaosphere'' and ''Nothing'' (1998–2002) ===
[[File:Meshuggah - Mårten Hagström 2 - 2008 Melbourne.jpg|thumb|upright|Guitarist [[Mårten Hagström]] with a custom built [[Ibanez]] eight-string guitar]]

Hielm officially joined the band in January&nbsp;1998 after more than two years as a session member. Nuclear Blast re-released ''Contradictions Collapse'' with the addition of songs from the ''None'' EP. In May&nbsp;1998, the title of the next album, ''[[Chaosphere]]'', was reported and recording was done throughout May and June. Immediately after recording the album, Meshuggah went on a short US tour, and the album was released later in November 1998. Chaosphere's sound is an almost complete departure from the thrash metal style of the band's previous releases. Shortly after the release, Meshuggah toured Scandinavia with [[Entombed (band)|Entombed]].<ref name="Official Bio + Rockdetector Bio"/>

In early 1999, Meshuggah joined [[Slayer]] on their U.S. tour.<ref name="Decibel story" /><ref name="Rockdetector Bio" /> After the new album and the live performances, Meshuggah was beginning to be recognized by mainstream music, guitar, drum and metal magazines.<ref name="Allmusic Bio + Rockdetector Bio"/> In mid-1999, Meshuggah performed in several Swedish concerts. The band started to write some new material but reported in mid-2000 that "songwriting isn't that dramatic, but we're getting there slowly".<ref name="Official bio" /> While fans were waiting for the next album, a collection of demos (from the ''Psykisk Testbild'' EP), remixes and unreleased songs from the ''Chaosphere'' sessions were released as the ''[[Rare Trax]]'' album.<ref name="AMG bio" /><ref name="Official bio" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=4&fid1=543&csid1=23 |magazine=[[Exclaim!]] |title=Meshuggah Are Breaking the Silence |author=Greg Pratt |access-date=5 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220114801/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=4&fid1=543&csid1=23 |archive-date=20 December 2008 }}</ref> Hielm left the band in July 2001 for unclear reasons.<ref name="Official Bio + Rockdetector Bio"/> Meshuggah joined [[Tool (band)|Tool]] on a lengthy tour, playing for more than 100,000 people total.<ref name="Decibel story" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=219 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Archive News - Oct. 5, 2001 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050327085250/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=219 |archive-date=27 March 2005 }}</ref>

In March 2002, Meshuggah recorded three-track demos with programmed drums in their home studio, which were based on Haake's sample ''Drumkit from Hell''. The upcoming album was recorded in five to six weeks in May<ref name="Official bio" /> and was produced by the band at Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala and at its home studio in Stockholm.<ref name="MTV Jack Osbourne's Favorite Metallists Meshuggah Prepare For Nothing">{{cite web|url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1454009/20020516/meshuggah.jhtml|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020611065739/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1454009/20020516/meshuggah.jhtml|url-status = dead|archive-date = 11 June 2002|publisher = [[MTV.com]]|title = Jack Osbourne's Favorite Metallists Meshuggah Prepare For Nothing|author = Jon Wiederhorn|access-date = 27 August 2008}}</ref> The last-minute decision to join 2002's [[Ozzfest]] tour forced the band to mix the album in two days and master it in one.<ref name="Stylus Nothing">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/meshuggah/nothing.htm |magazine=[[Stylus Magazine]] |title=Meshuggah Nothing |author=Cosmo Lee |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617111314/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/meshuggah/nothing.htm |archive-date=17 June 2008 }}</ref> Meshuggah immediately went on another US tour after finishing the recording.<ref name="Official bio" /><ref name="MTV Jack Osbourne's Favorite Metallists Meshuggah Prepare For Nothing"/>

The album ''[[Nothing (Meshuggah album)|Nothing]]'' was released in August 2002,<ref name="AMG Nothing">{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r598953|pure_url=yes}}|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = Nothing review|author = John Serba|access-date = 10 June 2008}}</ref> selling 6,525 copies during its first week in the US and reaching No.&nbsp;165 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="Rockdetector Bio" /><ref name="Meshuggah: Nothing First-Week Sales Numbers Revealed - Aug. 14, 2002">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5431 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah: "Nothing" First-Week Sales Numbers Revealed - Aug. 14, 2002 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000501/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5431 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref> With this album, Meshuggah became the first band in the history of Nuclear Blast Records to crack the ''Billboard'' 200 and also became the first band signed to Nuclear Blast to be reviewed in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5941 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Breaking New Ground With 'Nothing' - Sep. 8, 2002 |access-date=6 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505163456/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5941 |archive-date=5 May 2009 }}</ref> Meshuggah's previous two releases, 1998's ''Chaosphere'' and 1995's ''Destroy Erase Improve'', had sold 38,773 and 30,712 copies to that date, respectively.<ref name="Meshuggah: Nothing First-Week Sales Numbers Revealed - Aug. 14, 2002"/> The CD booklet of ''Nothing'' has no liner notes, lyrics, or credits, only a hint of one word: ''ingenting'', which is Swedish for ''nothing''. All of this information is available on the CD-ROM.<ref name="Popmatters Nothing">{{cite magazine|url = http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/m/meshuggah-nothing.shtml
|magazine = [[PopMatters]]|title = Organized Chaos|author = Adrien Begrand |access-date = 10 June 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=4399 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Complete Work On "Nothing", August Release Expected - June 26, 2002 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000702/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=4399 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref> At the end of 2002, the band went on another US tour with Tool<ref name="Official bio" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5374 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah To Open For Tool In The Fall - Aug. 11, 2002 |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000353/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5374 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5635 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Confirmed For Next Leg Of Tool Tour - Aug. 24, 2002 |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000358/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5635 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref> and a headlining tour of its own.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=9548 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Prepare For Scandinavian Tour - Feb. 8, 2003 |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031106200534/http://roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=9548 |archive-date=6 November 2003 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=10424 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah, Strapping Young Lad: U.S. Dates Announced - Mar. 11, 2003 |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000333/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=10424 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref>