Very few metal bands can boast the kind of critical accolades that Meshuggah have received in their triumphant career. Their unorthodox, polyrhythmic style has baffled and amazed critics and fans alike for over twenty years now. You would be hard pressed to find a negative, or even, tepid review for any of their many releases.
Alternative Press called them “The Most Important Band In Metal” while Guitar World ranked the band’s guitar team of Mårten Hagström and Fredrik Thordendal the #35 on their list of “100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.” The musician community has also sung the band’s praises. Members of Tool, Dream Theater, Metallica and countless other bands have talked up the band in interviews.
With their new album, obZen, hitting stores this month, Ultimate-Guitar’s very own Carlos Ramirez had a chance to speak with Hagström about 80’s shred, his affinity for rhythm guitar and all of the incorrect Meshuggah tablatures out there.
Ultimate-Guitar: Which guitarists influenced your style the most when you first started playing guitar?
Mårten Hagström: I first started playing, at least seriously, when I was 12 years old. Alex Lifeson from Rush was huge for me. He played really interesting things melodically and put all kinds of cool things in his arrangements but it never sounded bloated. He approached it from a songwriting standpoint and that’s what I loved about him. James Hetfield was another guy I admired. His rhythm chops are incredible.
In the mid-80s, ultra-technical, speedy guitar guitarists were all the rage. Why did you decide to concentrate on rhythm guitar instead of going the lead route?
First off, I’m allergic to major conformity. A lot of those guitarists could play a million notes a second but what did it matter? They couldn’t write a fucking song! I didn’t give a shit about being some kind of “guitar hero” or whatever. I was aiming to be a songwriter who played guitar and not the other way around. I think a lot of those people who tried to follow the trend back then didn’t get it. There were guys like Eddie Van Halen who were the exception but it was rare. Some of these guys could play so fast and play all of these complicated scales but you put them on stage and they can’t play a fucking simple blues!
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| "I do write stuff on my own that is a little more traditional." |
Where there any lead players that really moved you who came from that mold?
Sure, I obviously love Alan Holdsworth and he can play very fast solo stuff. I know Fredrik (Thordendal: Meshuggah’s other guitarist) is a big fan of his too. But the players that have a place in my heart always have a very unique yet recognizable sound and style.
Do you mean someone like Carlos Santana?
That is a great example actually! Although I’m not a big fan of his, he does have a very distinct way of playing. You know it’s him from the first note. Tony Iommi is another guy who comes to mind. His tone is easy to identify. But I really was drawn to guitarists who were great songwriters more than anything else when I was coming up and I still feel the same way.
Which rhythm guys did you look up to the most?
I think James Hetfield is one of the best in terms of the metal world. His precision is untouchable. Scott Ian is another fantastic rhythm guitarist! A lot of the Bay Area thrash (Vio-Lence, Testament etc.) guys were very good with their rhythms too. But one that most people don’t talk about Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad) who I think is one of the best rhythm players around today. He’s killer!
Meshuggah is known for your complex time signatures and tricky arrangements. Do you ever long to play in a straight-up, 4/4 style metal?
Yes and no actually. Since 1995, only a few songs of ours aren’t in 4/4. It’s just that we shift things around tempo-wise and it throws people off. That is one of the things people always talk about when they mention our band but most of our material is in 4/4. I do write stuff on my own that is a little more traditional.
Is it “traditional” in the Dio sense or something all-together different?
Haha! I wouldn’t say it was like Dio but it was definitely more classic sounding. But it isn’t too-rudimentary or anything.
With the intense structural nature of the arrangements, do you find yourself keeping a rigorous practice schedule when you are not in a recording or touring cycle? Or at this point, is a just a matter of just prepping before you hit the road?
I know this is for a guitar site but I have to say I hardly ever practice anymore. I used to when I was starting out obviously, a lot, but I hardly pick up the guitar when I’m at home. Please know that I do not endorse this for anyone else out there but it is the truth for me. I demo my songs at home with Cubase (a music sequencer and digital audio editing program) and then I play it for the rest of the guys. I like this because it shows them the exact way I have the song in my mind. But in terms of practice, I’m not into it. I’m far too lazy!
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| "I didn't give a shit about being some kind of "guitar hero" or whatever." |
On your new album, obZen, the songs are more linear, at least for Meshuggah standards, compared to the material on Catch 33. Was this a conscious decision for the band?
Yes and no actually. I think you are correct in saying that these songs are more streamlined than the stuff on the last record. For example, the first song on the new album, “Combustion,” has a very different feel and expression than anything else on the record. Most of the songs stand alone feel-wise in that regard. The last album was more of one thought as a piece. So yeah, things are different this time. But Fredrik and I still have the sound we’re known for.
I know that your bassist, Dick Lovgren, didn’t record on the new album. How did you handle that in the studio?
Like I was saying earlier, I record the stuff I write at home. I track all of my ideas onto my computer with drums and bass done by me. So I know the bass lines I want to accompany my riffs. Because I write them anyway, when it comes to heading into the studio, I record them. Fredrik does the same thing. It works quite well actually.
Since this will run on Ultimate-Guitar, have you ever gone online and seen a Meshuggah tablature? Are they anywhere near accurate?
I’ve only seen a couple in all-honesty. They weren’t correct either. The thing is me and Fredrik do a lot of little things that don’t always come through too clearly. They got lost in the mix sometimes but they are important to the songs. We play 8 stringed guitars too so that throws people off I guess.
There are a lot of songs tabbed by our readers on the site. You should take a couple of minutes and check it out.
Haha! Really? That is so cool man! I’ve only seen a few songs of ours tabbed a few years ago. I will definitely check it out and see what they have to say!
Interview by Carlos Ramirez
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