Contradictions Collapse/None

Meshuggah | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 8, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nuclear Blast Americ
• ASIN: B000007U9I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,694 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #80 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Progressive

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3.5-star average? Oh, hell no!, October 23, 2003

By 

Wheelchair Assassin (The Great Concavity) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contradictions Collapse/None (Audio CD)

Maybe it's hard for me to be objective since Meshuggah are my idols and all, but I don't think this release gets enough credit. First of all, it combines their debut album "Contradictions Collapse" and the jaw-dropping EP "None" for about an hour of solid destruction, but you knew that already. This reissue lets you hear how Meshuggah evolved from a hugely talented band of Bay Area Thrash impersonators to a hugely talented band with a sound and vision all their own. However, I recommend this album unreservedly for way more than any historical value. I recommend it because it rules, especially the concluding four songs that comprise "None."

"Contradictions Collapse," the band's first full-length release, starts things off with nine tracks from Meshuggah's early days. Although this album's sound is nowhere near as distinctive as that of "Destroy Erase Improve" or "Chaosphere," as it displays more than a little influence from the likes of Metallica, it still rocks as hard as anything they've ever done. It actually features some of their more memorable riffs, and at times it's even *gasp* catchy. Still, though, you can see Meshuggah starting to trace the path that would eventually become their own through such devices as call-and-response vocals, complex arrangements, and the occasional wacky time signature.

It's on "None" that you can hear Meshuggah really developing into the greatest band of all time. Even before looking at the CD case, I could tell that "Contradictions Collapse" ended after track nine because there was such a dramatic change in the overall sound. With "None," the riffs became tighter, the drumming more technical, the song structures more complex and less predictable, and Jens Kidman's growls much more powerful and assured. Those polyrhythms that you hear so much about? They started here. The songs become less catchy, but far more inventive and substantial.

In the end, I find this CD to be almost as essential as everything that came after it. You get about an hour of tunes, you get some background on a great band, and, well, it's Meshuggah. Need I say more? If you consider yourself a Meshuggah fan, this album is an essential purchase.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for everyone, July 25, 2004

By 

Tom Z "Crucible Of Steel" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contradictions Collapse/None (Audio CD)

When I saw this I was confused at first, only 3 1/2 stars for Meshuggah? After reading all the reviews I began to understand what the problem was. People like Meshuggah for alot of different reasons and some of those reasons aren't apparent on Contradictions Collapse. If you like Meshuggah solely for the complexity, Melodicness, or Weirdness of their later albums you should probably steer clear of this. If you enjoy the heavyness and intensity of Meshuggah or are just a thrash fan in genral I recommend picking this up today. Jens Kidman rules with his kind of James-Hetfeild-meets-death-metal vox. The guitars are crushingly heavy and hold your interest unlike alot of thrash stuff. The drums are some of the best I've heard and the bass is cool too. Basically, as long as you recognize that this is thrash and not cyber-futuristic-million polyrhythem stuff like their later efforts you will like this as long as this kind of music is your thing. 4 stars for what this is, 5 stars to counter the undue negative press.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too bad the reissue is terrible..., October 3, 2002

By 

"pkummerfeldt" (Miami, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contradictions Collapse/None (Audio CD)

This album is spectacullar. Heavy as ..., catchy, technical and just makes you proud you listen to metal. This release contains the debut full length "Contradictions Collapse" which displays the band at their thrashiest, it is also thir most straighforward release (by no means does this imply that the album is "accesible", it is still Meshuggah and their crazy rythms, riffs and drums!). The second part of this release is the "None" e.p., but whithout the closing song (Aztec Two Step), but that song was just weird industrial noise, so you won't miss it.

Every song on this album is awesome, from the brutal openner "Paralysing Ignorance", with its catchy chorus and awesome lyrical content. The next song "Erroneous Manipulation" is very heavy, with a slow paced groove. Next highlight is "Internal Evidence", which has one of the best verse riffs i've ever heard, and the riff is complemented by Thomas Haake's wierd dumming, sounds like the band are completely out of pace, but close listening proves you the awkward sounding rythm is a deliberate attempt to play with your min!, and they aren't out of synch!! The fifth song "Qualms of reality" breaks into an all out assault on your senses near the ending, this song also has some huge backup vocals (think huge choruses ala 80's). Excellent debut. The same goes with the "bonues tracks", which are from None, and sound like their follow-up release, "Destroy Erase Improve"

The reason I gave this 1 star is because the reissuing is ..., you get no liner notes, no lyrics, no info on the line-up (they were a 4 piece, and the picture they show on the packaging, is a picture of a different line-up!!!!). It is also a digipack, and those things decompose and deteriorate very fast. I appreciate Nuclear Blast reissuing these long out of print releases, but they can do a better job. BEWARE: almost every NB re-release is a ... digipack, this goes for the Hypocrisy reissues, the Therion reissues, Sinister reissues etc. etc. whiuch I think is an embarasment to metal fans and consumers! , ... metal fans who never purchased the originals, and instead are forced to buy unproper and mediocre re-releases .