Editing Meshuggah (section)

== Musical style ==
[[File:Jens Kidman Meshuggah Live at Getaway Rock Festival 2012.jpg|thumb|right|Frontman Jens Kidman in 2012]]
[[File:Meshuggah 2016 Gear Fortin Amp.jpg|thumb|Custom made amplifier]]
Meshuggah's experimentation, stylistic variation and changes during its career cross several musical subgenres. Heavy metal subgenres [[experimental metal]] or [[avant-garde metal]] are umbrella terms that enable description of the career of the band in general.{{ref label|a|a|none}} [[Extreme metal]] crosses both [[thrash metal]] and [[death metal]] (or [[technical death metal]]), which are at root of the sound of Meshuggah's music, which has also been described as [[groove metal]].{{ref label|b|b|none}} The band has also been labelled as math metal and [[progressive metal]].{{ref label|c|c|none}} Meshuggah also incorporates elements of [[free jazz|experimental jazz]].<ref name="AMG bio" /> In its review of ''Nothing'', [[AllMusic]] describes Meshuggah as "masterminds of cosmic calculus metal—call it Einstein metal if you want".<ref name="AMG Nothing" /> Meshuggah's early output was also considered [[alternative metal]].<ref>{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000239585|pure_url=yes}}|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = Contradictions Collapse/Nothing Overview|author = Huey, Steve|access-date=10 March 2013}}</ref> Meshuggah creates a recognizable sonic imprint<ref name="AMG Catch-33">{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r742522|pure_url=yes}}|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = Catch Thirty-Three review|author = Rivadavia, Eduardo|access-date = 10 June 2008}}</ref> and distinct style.<ref name="Exclaim! Meshuggah's One-Track Mind">{{cite magazine
 |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=4&fid1=3907&csid1=70 
 |magazine=[[Exclaim!]] 
 |title=Meshuggah's One-Track Mind 
 |author=Jill Mikkelson 
 |access-date=5 July 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220114927/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=4&fid1=3907&csid1=70 
 |archive-date=20 December 2008 
}}</ref>

Trademarks and characteristics that define Meshuggah's sound and songwriting include [[polyrhythm]]s, [[polymeter]]ed riff cycles, rhythmic [[syncopation]], rapid [[Key (music)|key]] and [[tempo]] changes and neo-[[jazz]] [[Diatonic and chromatic|chromatics]].{{ref label|d|d|none}} Hagström notes that "it doesn't really matter if something is hard to play or not. The thing is, what does it do to your mind when you listen to it? Where does it take you?"<ref name="Decibel story" /> A trademark of Thordendal is [[jazz fusion]]-like soloing and improvisation. He is also known for the usage of a "breath controller" device. Haake is known for his [[cross-rhythm]] drumming with "jazzlike cadence".{{ref label|e|e|none}} The vocal style of Jens Kidman varies between [[hardcore punk|hardcore]]-style shouts<ref name="AMG DEI" /> and "robotic" [[Death growl|death metal vocals]].<ref name="AMG Nothing" /><ref name="Blender obZen" />

In polymeters typically used by Meshuggah, the guitars might play in odd meters such as 5/16 or 17/16, while drums play in 4/4.<ref name="Stylus Nothing" /> One particular example of Haake's use of polymeter is 4/4 against 23/16 bimeter, in which he keeps the [[Hi-hat (instrument)|hi-hat]] or [[china cymbal]] in 4/4 time but uses the [[Snare drum|snare]] and [[Bass drum#Double bass drum|double bass drums]] in 23/16 time.<ref name="Rockdetector Bio" /><ref name="PopMatters I" /> On "Rational Gaze" (from ''Nothing''), Haake plays simple 4/4 time, hitting the snare on each third beat, for 16 bars. At the same time, the guitars and bass are playing the same quarter notes, albeit in a different time signature; eventually both sides meet up again at the 64th beat.<ref name="Popmatters Nothing" /> Hagström notes about the polymeters, "We've never really been into the odd time signatures we get accused of using. Everything we do is based around a 4/4 core. It's just that we arrange parts differently around that center to make it seem like something else is going on."<ref name="Decibel story" />

=== ''Contradictions Collapse'', ''Destroy Erase Improve'' and ''Chaosphere'' ===
{{listen|filename=Meshuggah - Future Breed Machine (solo).ogg|title="Future Breed Machine" (1995)|description="Future Breed Machine" demonstrates the jazzlike soloing of Fredrik Thordendal. He also uses his "breath controller" device on this song.}}

The early work of Meshuggah, influenced mainly by [[Metallica]], is "simpler and more straightforward than their more recent material, but some of their more progressive elements are present in the form of time-changes and polyrhythmics, and Fredrik Thordendal's lead playing stands out".<ref name="Decibel story" /><ref name="Official bio" /> According to [[AllMusic]], their [[Contradictions Collapse|debut album]] is a relatively immature, but original, release.<ref name="AMG DEI" /> [[Bass drum#Double bass drum|Double bass drums]] and "angular" riffing also defined the early work of Meshuggah.<ref name="Blabbermouth.net - Meshuggah: Prague Concert Footage Available">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=76586 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah: Prague Concert Footage Available - July 11, 2007 |access-date=8 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000523/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=76586 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref>

With the groundbreaking ''Destroy Erase Improve'', Meshuggah showed [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] of death metal, thrash metal, progressive metal.<ref name="Rockdetector Bio" /><ref name="AMG DEI" /><ref name="PopMatters Catch 33">{{cite magazine|url = http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/m/meshuggah-catch.shtml|magazine = [[PopMatters]]|title = Meshuggah Catch Thirtythree
|author = Adrien Begrand|access-date = 10 June 2008}}</ref> AllMusic describes the style as "weaving hardcore-style shouts amongst deceptively (and deviously) simple [[staccato]] guitar riffs and insanely precise drumming—often with all three components acting in different time signatures".<ref name="AMG DEI" /> Thordendal adds the melodic element with his typical lead guitar<ref name="AMG DEI" /> and uses his "[[Vocoder#Vocoder applications|breath controller]]" device most famously on the opening track "Future Breed Machine".<ref name="PopMatters I" /><ref>{{cite magazine
| url = http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/43732-meshuggah-the-garage-8-sep
| magazine = [[The Skinny (magazine)|The Skinny]]
| title = Meshuggah @ The Garage, 8 Sep (15 Sep 2008)
| author = Ryan Drever
| access-date = 30 January 2009
}}</ref>

''Chaosphere'' incorporates typically fast,<ref name="PopMatters I" /> still tempo changing death metal. AllMusic compares the genre also with [[grindcore]] fathers [[Napalm Death]].<ref name="AMG Chaosphere">{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r382654|pure_url=yes}}
|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = Chaosphere review|author = Mike DaRonco|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref><ref name="AMG Napalm Death">{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4990|pure_url=yes}}|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = Napalm Death Biography|author = Jason Ankeny|access-date = 11 May 2008}}</ref> Rockdetector states: "Whilst fans reveled in the maze like meanderings, critics struggled to dissect and analyze, hailing Haake's unconventional use of dual 4/4 and 23/16 rhythm, Kidman's mechanical staccato bark and Thordendal's liberal usage of avant-garde jazz".<ref name="Rockdetector Bio" />

=== ''Nothing'', ''I'' and ''Catch Thirtythree'' ===
{{listen|filename=Meshuggah - Straws Pulled At Random.ogg|title="Straws Pulled at Random" (2006)|description="Straws Pulled at Random" (''Nothing'' rerelease) demonstrating the slow tempos, [[Musical tuning|tuned down]], low notes of Meshuggah's eight-string guitars, meter change and a polyrhythm.}}

On ''Nothing'', Meshuggah abandons the fast tempos of ''Chaosphere'' and concentrates on slow, [[Musical tuning|tuned down]] tempos<ref name="PopMatters I" /><ref name="PopMatters Shining in its Evil Splendor">{{cite magazine|url = http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/shining-in-its-evil-splendor|magazine = [[PopMatters]]|title = Shining in its Evil Splendor|author = Adrien Begrand|access-date = 5 July 2008}}</ref> and [[Groove (music)|grooves]].<ref name="Stylus Nothing" /> The album was intended to be recorded using custom-made Nevborn [[eight-string guitar]]s, but the prototypes were faulty so Thordendal and Hagström used down tuned [[Ibanez]] [[seven-string guitar]]s instead. This technique caused the instruments to slip out of tune during the sessions, which created additional problems.<ref name="Popmatters Nothing2" /><ref name="Official gear">{{cite web|url = http://www.meshuggah.net/gear/|publisher = meshuggah.net|title = Gear|access-date = 9 October 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071008092843/http://www.meshuggah.net/gear/ |archive-date = 8 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> When Ibanez provided Meshuggah with special eight-string guitars with two extra-low strings that worked properly after the initial release, the band re-recorded the guitar parts for ''Nothing'' and re-released it in 2006.<ref name="Rockdetector Bio" /><ref name="Popmatters Nothing2" /> Hagström notes that this allowed the band to go lower sonically and to attain bass sounds on guitars.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/Blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5262 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Showcase "Ballsier" Sound On "Nothing" - Aug. 6, 2002 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030915181212/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=5262 |archive-date=15 September 2003 }}</ref>

The ''I'' EP contains a single, 21-minute song<ref name="PopMatters I" /><ref name="AMG Catch-33" /> of complex arrangements and was a hint of the forthcoming album, 2005's ''Catch Thirtythree''.<ref name="AMG bio" /> The EP, which has never been played live by the band, was written and recorded during jamming sessions of Haake and Thordendal.<ref name="The Aquarian: Challenges Collapse"/> On ''Catch Thirtythree'', Meshuggah again used eight-string guitars,<ref name="Decibel story" /> but utilized programmed drums for the first time also for the release,<ref name="nuclear blast" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=36907 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah To Return To 'More Traditional' Songwriting Approach On Next Album - May 19, 2005 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000807/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=36907 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref> with the exception of two songs from 2001's compilation ''Rare Trax''.<ref name="rare trax">{{cite web|url = http://www.meshuggah.net/disco/rare/|publisher = meshuggah.net|title = Rare Trax - 2001|access-date = 9 October 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071014043521/http://www.meshuggah.net/disco/rare/ |archive-date = 14 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> The album was self-produced by the band and was recorded at the studio that Meshuggah shares with Clawfinger. Hagström notes, "The eight-strings really have given us a whole new musical vocabulary to work with. Part of it is the restrictions they impose: you really can't play power chords with them; the sound just turns to mush. Instead, we concentrated on coming up with really unusual single-note parts, new tunings and chord voicings. We wanted to get as far away from any kind of conventions and traditions as we could on the album, so the guitars worked out beautifully."<ref name="Decibel story" />

''Catch Thirtythree'' is one 47-minute song divided into 13 sections.<ref name="AMG Catch-33" /> It is more mid-tempo guitar riff based, and a more straightforward and experimental full-length album than ''Chaosphere'' or ''Nothing''.<ref name="PopMatters Catch 33" /><ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=30372 
 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] 
 |title=Meshuggah: 'Catch 33' Tentatively Scheduled For Release In April - Dec. 14, 2004 
 |access-date=8 June 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000756/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=30372 
 |archive-date=26 December 2008 
}}</ref> Nick Terry of ''Decibel Magazine'' describes the album as a four-[[Movement (music)|movement]] [[symphony]].<ref name="Decibel catch 33">{{cite journal |last=Terry |first=Nick |date=July 2005 |title=Meshuggah, catch 33, A futurist symphony in the key of Sleep |journal=Decibel Magazine}}</ref> Some songs still use Meshuggah's "familiar template combining harsh vocals and nightmarish melodies over coarse, mechanically advancing, oddball tempos", while others explore ambient sounds and quieter dynamics.<ref name="AMG Catch-33" /> The first part of ''Catch Thirtythree'' centers around two simple riffs.<ref name="PopMatters Catch 33" /> In the song "In Death - Is Death", the band uses a combination of noise and silence, which is in contrast with the atypical melodies on "Dehumanization". On "Mind's Mirrors", Meshuggah used electronics, programming and "robotic voices". "Shed" incorporates tribal percussion and whispered vocals.<ref name="AMG Catch-33" />

=== ''obZen'' and ''Koloss'' ===
{{listen|filename=Meshuggah - Bleed.ogg|title="Bleed" (2008)|description=Tomas Haake's drumming on the song "Bleed" from 2008's ''obZen'' attracted the attention of music journalists. Adrien Begrand from [[PopMatters]] states about the song: "It's a spectacular display of metal percussion."<ref name="PopMatters Shining in its Evil Splendor"/>}}
[[File:Meshuggah - Rock am Ring 2018-6296.jpg|thumb|upright|Lövgren in 2018]]
With 2008's ''obZen'', Meshuggah moved away from the experimentation of 2002's ''Nothing'' and 2005's ''Catch Thirtythree'' to return to the musical style of its previous albums, such as ''Contradictions Collapse'', ''Destroy Erase Improve'' and ''Chaosphere'',<ref name="AMG obZen">{{cite web
|url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1314680|pure_url=yes}}|website = [[AllMusic]]|title = obZen review|author = Thom Jurek|access-date = 10 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="Decibel story2">{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Rod |date=April 2008 |title=obZen and the Art of Happiness, Tomas Haake and Mårten Hagström's experimental wisdom takes Meshuggah to higher ground |journal=Decibel Magazine}}</ref><ref name="RS obZen">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/meshuggah/albums/album/18493454/review/20532937/obzen |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |title=Meshuggah – obZen |author=Chris Steffen |access-date=9 October 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081230211447/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/meshuggah/albums/album/18493454/review/20532937/obzen |archive-date=30 December 2008 }}</ref> while still maintaining its focus on musical and technical innovation. The album loses some of the quick, mathematical rhythmic changes of past releases and the melodic orchestration of ''Catch Thirty-Three''<ref name="AMG obZen" /> and uses "angular" riffs,<ref name="The A.V. Club obZen">{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/music/meshuggah |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |title=Meshuggah Obzen (Nuclear Blast) |author=Aaron Burgess |access-date=5 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617090224/http://www.avclub.com/content/music/meshuggah |archive-date=17 June 2008 }}</ref> mid-tempo and common 4/4 beats.<ref name="PopMatters Shining in its Evil Splendor"/> The album is a culmination of the band's previous work.<ref name="AMG obZen" /><ref name="Exclaim! obZen Max Deneau">{{cite magazine
 |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=30305&csid1=121 
 |magazine=[[Exclaim!]] 
 |title=obZen 
 |author=Max Deneau 
 |access-date=5 July 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220114822/http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=30305&csid1=121 
 |archive-date=20 December 2008 
}}</ref> Meshuggah decided to self-produce because it sought to retain artistic control over the recording and mixing process.<ref name="MTV.com Jan 18 2008">{{cite web
|url = http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579871/20080117/meshuggah.jhtml|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080129101421/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579871/20080117/meshuggah.jhtml|url-status = dead|archive-date = 29 January 2008|publisher = [[MTV.com]]|title = Meshuggah Chugging Along With 2008 Plans; Plus Queensryche, Papa Roach & More News That Rules, In Metal File|author = Chris Harris and Jon Wiederhorn|access-date = 6 July 2008}}</ref>

For ''obZen'', Haake returned to the drum kit most notably with his performance on the song "Bleed".<ref name="AMG obZen" /><ref name="RS obZen" /> In an interview for Gravemusic.com, Haake stated, "['Bleed'] was a big effort for me to learn, I had to find a totally new approach to playing the double bass drums to be able to do that stuff. I had never really done anything like that before like the fast bursts that go all the way through the song basically. So I actually spent as much time practicing that track alone as I did with all of the other tracks combined. It's kind of a big feat to change your approach like that and I'm glad we were able to nail it for the album. For a while though we didn't even know if it was going to make it to the album."<ref name="Blabbermouth Bleed" /> Hagström also stated, "''obZen'' is one of the most highly technical offerings the band has ever put to tape".<ref name="MTV.com Jan 18 2008"/> ''Revolver Magazine'' confirms this statement: "At first listen, ''obZen'' seems less challenging to the listener than some of the band's other records, and most of the songs flow smoothly from one syncopated passage to the next. However, careful examination reveals that the material is some of the group's most complicated".<ref name="Revolver Meshuggah"/>

A common quality in ''Koloss'' identified by multiple critics and outlets is the album's relatively straightforward, more groove-oriented sound, summed up by ''[[Metal Sucks]]'' as the band having "streamlined their compositions to a great extent."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/03/15/review-meshuggahs-koloss-is-a-giant/ |title=Review: Meshuggah's ''Koloss'' is a Giant |last=Rosenberg |first=Axl |date=15 March 2012 |website=Metal Sucks |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> The broad style of the record has been described as "primal" and featuring "less jazzy virtuosity" than the band's previous output.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/meshuggah-koloss-1798172123 |title=Meshuggah: ''Koloss'' |last=Heller |first=Jason |date=27 March 2012 |website=The AV Club |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' noted that the record's rawer production style advanced this "tribal" sound further.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22142-25-years-of-musical-deviance/ |title=Meshuggah: 25 years of Musical Deviance |last=Reyes-Kulkarni |first=Saby |date=1 August 2016 |website=Pitchfork |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> The album invokes a greater sound of menace and "darkness" according to Metal Injection; additionally, Jens Kidman's vocals were described as "exponentially more anguished" than previous works.<ref name=metinject>{{cite web |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/meshuggah-koloss |title=Album Review: MESHUGGAH ''Koloss'' |last=Brown |first=Kit |date=20 March 2012 |website=Metal Injection |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> ''Metal Injection'' further compared the sound of the album's closing track "The Last Vigil" to works by the instrumental band [[Godspeed You! Black Emperor]].<ref name=metinject /> The record's guitar riffs have been noted as deviating somewhat from Meshuggah's earlier catalog, with ''[[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]]'' identifying "an almost bluesy swing" in the playing style.<ref name=spin>{{cite web |url=https://www.spin.com/2012/03/meshuggah-koloss-nuclear-blast/ |title=Meshuggah, 'Koloss' |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=26 March 2012 |website=Spin |access-date=6 November 2018}}</ref> ''SPIN'' further elaborated on the guitar leads, comparing the solos in "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" and "Marrow" to the (non-metal) works of experimental composer [[Philip Glass]] and jazz-guitarist [[Allan Holdsworth]] respectively.<ref name=spin />

===''The Violent Sleep of Reason''===
For their eighth album, the band recorded live in studio, a production style they hadn't pursued in reportedly "20, 25 years".<ref name=blabmouth>{{cite web |url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/meshuggah-recorded-the-violent-sleep-of-reason-live-in-the-studio/ |title=MESHUGGAH Recorded 'The Violent Sleep Of Reason' Live In The Studio |date=19 August 2016 |website=Blabber Mouth |access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> On rejecting the computerized format of recording of their previous albums, Haake said "''Obzen'' and ''Koloss'' are great albums, but, to me, they are a little too perfect. It didn't really capture what we sounded like honestly. But where we recorded live, you get to hear the push and pull, one person might be a little ahead and the other might be a little behind. If you kill that, you can kill the energy."<ref name=blabmouth /> It is the first album to have no writing credit from Thordendal; the majority of the album was written by Haake and Lövgren.

=== Method and lyrical themes ===
[[File:Meshuggah - Rock am Ring 2018-5995.jpg|thumb|Haake in 2018]]
Meshuggah's music is written by Thordendal, Hagström and Haake with assistance from Kidman and Lövgren. During songwriting, a member programs the drums, and records the guitar and bass via computer. He presents his idea to the other members as a finished work. Meshuggah typically adheres to the original idea and rarely changes the song afterwards.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=106332 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah Guitarist On Songwriting, Touring And Influencing Younger Bands - Oct. 6, 2008 |access-date=10 October 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007234319/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=106332 |archive-date=7 October 2008 }}</ref> Hagström explains that each member has an idea of what the others are doing conceptually, and nobody thinks exclusively in terms of a particular instrument. Kidman does not play guitar in the band anymore, but he is involved in writing riffs.<ref name="Decibel story" />
Except for when Hagström needs a soloist, he and Thordendal rarely record together. Both play guitar and bass while composing. Haake says about his songwriting, "Sometimes I'll sample guitar parts, cut them up, pitch-shift and tweak them until I've built the riffs I want, just for demoing purposes. But most of the time I'll just present the drums, and explain my ideas for the rest of the song, sing some riffs."<ref name="Decibel story2" /> The band uses [[Cubase]] to record the tracks, and the guitars are routed through software [[amplifier modeling]], because it allows them to change the amp settings even after the song was fully recorded.
[[File:Meshuggah 2016 Gear Guitars.jpg|thumb|upright|Guitars of Meshuggah]]
Approximately once a year, Haake writes most of the band's lyrics, with the exception of finished tracks. His lyrical inspirations are derived from books and films. Aside from their album ''Catch Thirtythree'', Meshuggah does not usually record [[concept album]]s, although the band prefers strong conceptual underpinnings in the background.<ref name="Decibel story" /><ref name="The Aquarian: Challenges Collapse">{{cite news
| url = http://www.theaquarian.com/aq/2008/03/12/meshuggah-challenges-collapse/
| newspaper = [[The Aquarian Weekly|The Aquarian]]
| title = Meshuggah: Challenges Collapse
| author = Patrick Slevin
| access-date = 30 January 2009
}}</ref><ref name="Popmatters Nothing2" /><ref name="Decibel story2" />
Often [[Western esotericism|esoteric]]<ref name="AMG bio" /> and conceptual,<ref name="MTV Jack Osbourne's Favorite Metallists Meshuggah Prepare For Nothing"/> Meshuggah's lyrics explore themes such as [[existentialism]].<ref name="AMG Nothing" /> AllMusic describes ''Destroy Erase Improve''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> lyrical focus as "the integration of machines with organisms as humanity's next logical evolutionary step".<ref name="AMG DEI" /> PopMatters' review of ''Nothing'' singles out the lyrics from "Rational Gaze": "Our light-induced image of truth—filtered blank of its substance / As our eyes won't adhere to intuitive lines / Everything examined. Separated, one thing at a time / The harder we stare the more complete the disintegration."<ref name="Popmatters Nothing2"/> Haake explains that ''Catch Thirtythree''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> cover, title and lyrics deal with "the paradoxes/negations/contradictions of life and death (as we see it in our finest moments of unrestrained metaphoric interpretation)".<ref name="Blabbermouth Catch33 cover">{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=33194 |work=[[Blabbermouth.net]] |title=Meshuggah: 'Catch 33' Cover Art Posted Online - Feb. 21, 2005 |access-date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226000801/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=33194 |archive-date=26 December 2008 }}</ref>
The main theme of ''obZen'' is "human evil", according to Haake. The title is a play on the words "[[obscenity|obscene]]" and "[[Zen]]"; in addition, "ob" means "anti" in Latin. Therefore, the title suggests that the human species has found harmony and balance in warfare and bloodshed.<ref name="Decibel story2" /><ref name="Exclaim! obZen Greg Pratt">{{cite magazine
 |url=http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=30229&csid1=120 
 |magazine=[[Exclaim!]] 
 |title=obZen 
 |author=Greg Pratt 
 |access-date=5 July 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220114817/http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid2=846&fid1=30229&csid1=120 
 |archive-date=20 December 2008 
}}</ref> ''Revolver Magazine'' finds the lyrics of the title track from ''obZen'' representative of the entire album: "Salvation found in vomit and blood/Where depravation, lies, corruption/War and pain is god." However, Haake claims, "We don't dwell on hate and bad feelings as people. But with these songs, I think we really wanted to paint a picture lyrically that might be seen as a cautionary tale. We're going, 'Heads up. Here's what some of the parts of being human are about, and this is what we can be at our worst.' So it's more about being aware of negative feelings than actually living them all the time."<ref name="Revolver Meshuggah"/>