meshuggah - chaosphere

i really do love those original artwork re-issues for meshuggah albums that atomic fire records does recently. of course i had to get 'chaosphere' on this neat marble edition.

meshuggah - obzen (og cover)

another vinyl re-issue of a meshuggah album with original cover artwork? count me in! 500 copies made. originally released in 2008 via nuclear blast. atomic fire records. 2023.

meshuggah - nothing (og cover)

had to have this because of the use of the original cover artwork. initially released in 2002 through nuclear blast. this is the atomic fire re-issue. 2023.

meshuggah - immutable

i can hang with every album of any of their creative periods and "immutable" is surely no different. "nothing" will probably forever be my favourite but this one is a banger start to finish as well. hope to catch them live again at some point because their live shows are breathtaking. 500 copies on this yellow marble double vinyl. atomic fire records. 2022.

meshuggah - koloss

the last record of the nuclear blast meshugah re-issue is their full length studio album from 2012 "koloss". this one completes my studio album collection of the band and i could not be happier. when i obtained "the violent sleep of reason" in late 2016 (it baffles my mind that this is already over two and a half years ago), i wondered how long it may take to get the remaining records on vinyl.

it seemed like an impossible target because at the time most of the records had very few pressings and thus prices were enormous. even though i would have wished for the original cover artworks, i am pleased that nuclear blast made these records available again. especially this version of "koloss" is top notch, probably my favourite of the haul.

not only the layout of the gatefold sleeve is the closest to the original pressings (same cover artwork, different inner gatefold and back) but the actual vinyl is so lovely. in the pre-order process i was a bit disappointed because the mock-ups looked just like the marble variant i have for "destroy erase improve".

but when i held the actual vinyl in hands i discovered the gold in the mix as well as some different coloured streaks like green. a real beauty in my eyes. this is what they call vinyl porn, i guess. musically "koloss" is a masterpiece, i can think of no other word to describe it. 300 copies pressed. nuclear blast. 2012/2019.

meshuggah - obzen

the sixth studio album of meshuggah called "obzen" was originally released in 2008 via nuclear blast and was one of the few pre-2010 meshuggah releases that saw an initial vinyl pressing. back on black pressed a grey double lp set for the european market and the american nuclear blast off-shoot pressed a clear red double lp set for the north american market. understandably over ten years after release date those copies now cost quite some pennies.

another proof that this re-issue series by nuclear blast was long overdue. in this case the new artwork looks pretty good, maybe even better than the original. i snagged the most limited edition of the european run. a nice white with red splatter version. funnily the b- and d-side are almost none splattered. just one or two spots. amittedly the u.s.-version looks a bit nicer with its pink and oxblood merge pattern. anyway, love this edition limited to 300 copies. nuclear blast. 2019.

meshuggah - catch thirtythree

next up in the meshuggah re-issue series is the band's fifth full length from 2005 going by the name "catch thirtythree". it was the only record of the haul that was delivered with a huge corner ding. as none of the other records were damaged and even the cardboard mailer didn't show any sign of bad delivery, the record must have been damaged before it was packed.

things like this can happen but i feared that i had to return the record to get a new one. so what's the problem? well, the limited colour way was already sold out in pre-order stage, so there was no way the label could send me another copy of the marble pressing. that is why i asked if they had spare sleeves and thank god, it was no problem to send me an unharmed gatefold cover as replacement.

of all the re-imagined cover artworks, this is the one i like the least. the original one is not much of a looker as well but still way better than the new art. furthermore i was a bit disappointed that nb chose the same colour way as they did for the "chaosphere" re-issue. lame idea... anyway, the album is a cracker indeed and i feel lucky to have this beast on vinyl after all. 300 copies pressed. nuclear blast. 2019.

meshuggah - nothing

when the second batch of meshuggah re-issues rolled in for pre-order, it was out of the question that i wanted them all. i put in a massive order at nuclear blast and they were kind enough to send me the already available "none" e.p. a bit earlier. two weeks later the box with the four remaining records was delivered to my house and i happily unwrapped the goods. the first of the pile was "nothing" from 2002.

back then nuclear blast didn't feel the urge to produce a vinyl version of the album. it took five years before the metal world world was to receive "nothing" in the ultimate format. infamous italian label night of the vinyl dead pressed a run of 333 copies, all on black vinyl. i don't have to mention that copies fetched insane prices on second hand markets by now. seventeen years after its initial release, nuclear blast finally crafted a re-issue.

the re-imagined artwork is pretty cool this time. still, i think the original looks better but i like the new one almost as much. the vinyl colour pattern is great as well and works really good with the art. the inside gatefold is made in the fashion as all the re-issues are, pictures of the respective times, arranged in this special way. 300 copies made, sounding and looking great. nuclear blast. 2019.

meshuggah - none

when the first batch of meshuggah re-pressings were unleashed by nuclear blast in late 2018, i left out the e.p.'s and just went for the full lengths. it felt like i didn't really need those half-baked ideas of a proper album and thus i walked away. when the second and final batch was up for pre-orders and the e.p.'s were still available in the limited colour variants, i began to reconsider my opinion.

in the end, i gave in and ordered at least one of the mini-lp's. i went for the 1994 release called "none". i don't know why, it was simply the most appealing to me. musically this is the logical link between the full lengths "contradictions collapse" from 1991 and the follow-up "destroy erase improve" from 1995 and it is highly enjoyable too.

like all the other re-issues "none" also got a re-vised artwork by artist luminokaya. can't say i like it more than the original though. the inner gatefold shows some funny pictures of the band back in the day. ah yes, the nineties... the colour-way, clear red with black smoke, is rad as well. 300 copies made. nuclear blast. 2018.

meshuggah - chaosphere

the last meshuggah full length for this first run of re-issues. the third album from 1998 released on nuclear blast. on this album the band strayed almost completely from their thrash roots. they really began to evolve their groove-laden and polyrhythmic progressive metal for which meshuggah is known and loved for. also it is one of the most seeked after in the vinyl format.

there was no vinyl pressing in the first place. it was 1998 and already a dark time for the format. nine years later night of the vinyl dead from italy pressed 333 copies on grey splatter vinyl. a copy on discogs once sold for three hundred goddamn euros. apart from that and the super pricey "25 years of musical deviance" box set, there was simply no alternative if one desired a reasonable priced vinyl copy.

so thankfully for newer and older fans who missed out until now, nuclear blast brought us a fine re-press on which the alternative artwork is closest to the original. for the most limited colour-way of the run, nuclear blast pressed another marble edition. i would probably call it clear orange with black smoke but who cares anyway? housed in a gatefold sleeve and looking sharp. 300 copies pressed. nuclear blast. 1998/2018.

meshuggah - destroy erase improve

the second installment of the nuclear blast re-issue campaign on early meshuggah releases. well, actually it is just my second piece of vinyl from the haul. nuclear blast did also re-issues of the of the self-titled e.p. and the "none" e.p. but i didn't bother with them. maybe i'll regret that move but right now i don't feel like they are essential to me.

on this second full length meshuggah took the musical ingredients of the first record and worked them into the next level. the experimental force and the will to wander new paths were and still are remarkable. an album that is rightfully placed among the best progressive rock albums of all time by the rolling stone magazine. check out the record in its full glory here.

again the original artwork was re-worked by artist keerych luminokaya who also did the original artwork for "koloss". usually i am always a fan of the original artwork, as ugly as it might be. but in this case, i think luminokaya did a great job. reminds me a bit of the terminator. the vinyl colour is so lovely as well. gorgeous grey marble on slick 180g double vinyl lp's. the whole package is limited to 300 copies. nuclear blast. 1995/2018.

meshuggah - contradictions collapse

merry christmas, my fellow vinyl nerds. before i will post my vinyl related christmas gifts (obviously there had been a few), i will take some time and honour a band i really began to appreciate with their last full length called "the violent sleep of reason". meshuggah from sweden is the band in question. after i got my copy of the aforementioned record and was blown away by it, i actually wanted to grab some more vinyl of these progressive metal masters.

little did i know that this was going to be a real pricey path i planned to walk down so vividly in the first place. just after the first steps, which meant to see what options were available on discogs, disillusion settled in. even lesser limted colour versions of "koloss" or "obzen" sell for high double digit, sometimes even triple digit amounts. so i threw in the towel, hoping for lucky ebay finds of re-issues. nuclear blast heard my prayers and came up with what i hope to be the start for a re-issue campaign of all the meshuggah full lengths.

i bought the first three records of the band, starting with "contradictions collapse" from 1991. what a killer record this is. i was worried beforehand because it is often referred to as thrash metal. but man this term is such a limitation for this progressive masterpiece. the polyrhythms are already there and i love the hardcore-esque gang shouts throughout the album. fantastic debut! a shame nuclear blast re-issued this with a re-vised artwork but beggars can't be choosers. 300 copies pressed on clear with white and black splatter vinyl. nuclear blast. 1991/2018.

meshuggah - the violent sleep of reason

meshuggah. a name that promises great deeds. i am on a little djent metal trip recently. animals as leaders' "weightless" record set the ball rolling. i always had a soft spot for this metal sub-genre and bands like born of osiris, cynic or veil of maya are constantly recurring guests on my turntable. as a sympathiser of such progressive sounds, it was almost inevitable to not hear of the band meshuggah. may it be via some comparisons in reviews or references in ebay search results. so when nuclear blast announced the release of the new meshuggah album two months ago, i got curious.

frankly, i didn't know just one song of the band but after i watched the lyric video to "born in dissonance", i knew i had a new addition to the collection. the only question was, what record version should i pre-order? nuclear blast offered a few but the only really interesting colour configurations to me were the turquoise and the bi-coloured version. the turquoise one was a bit more limited but deep down in my heart, i knew there could only be one valid answer to that question. i simply love split colour vinyl and everytime i pull this baby out of the sleeve, i wouldn't have it any other way.

musically this is challenging stuff. meshuggah doesn't give a damn about catchy arrangements. if it is not tricky to play, it is not their business. i didn't understand "the violent sleep of reason" by the first listen, not even by the second or third but the attraction never let off. after repeated spins i pierced through the complexity and can now see the whole beauty of each song. check out the videos to "clockworks" and "nostrum". can't wait to see them live in early december in hamburg together with high on fire. killing two birds with one stone.

what did nuclear blast do to the physical appearance? just the right thing. the double record is housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve coming with spot gloss print on front and back. the artwork is pretty sinister and fits the mood the music transports to one hundred percent. i love the choice of the two vinyl colours. not only because they look sharp in combination but if you look closely, you will see that these are the colours subtly used in the artwork. very nice. all thumbs up for nb returning to 180gr vinyl! 500 copies made. nuclear blast. 2016.