Drummer gets brain melted by Meshuggah

[@gangalo68]

Favorite quote about Thomas Haake must be “he’s your favorite drummer’s favorite drummer”.

[@avd1697]

I’m guessing bill burr said that?

[@footingball5566]

@@avd1697I might be wrong but I don’t think it was. I think it’s just a saying among Meshuggah fans that pop up in every comment section. It is probably a pretty accurate statement nontheless lol.

[@Desecrator6]

Gene Hoglan is where I've heard that about more

[@AndresSanchez-pp3ho]

Originally that term was used for Neil peart but bill burr said something like that where Danny Carey , Dave Ellich and others were geeking out over him live

[@majimasmajimemes1156]

That's Kenny Grohowski. As in, that's one of Thomas Haake's favorite drummers.

[@zhesion7036]

When NASA need to calibrate their atomic clocks, they set them to Tomas drumming

[@SteveOGRock]

Hahaaaa! Love this.

[@JakobStrand]

Legs never skip Tomas Haake day.

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@Pencil-Eating]

Cannot fathom the limb independence needed to do this so precisely. I think given some time I could get my brain to follow, but I don’t think my limbs would ever be able to do this with that level of consistency and clarity. Thomas is truly a master of this domain.

[@farn451]

They'll be dissecting and analysing Meshuggah's music for generations...

[@Mutant1988]

It did look like you were on the verge of crying for a bit there. Meshuggah is insane.

[@SteveOGRock]

Haha, crying tears of salty sadness that despite spending years playing drums I’ll never be as good as that man 😭😆

[@zer0c8l]

"This song has a million drum hits in it." Yes... Yes.

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@wesleykorisky8600]

Yea dude when I saw them last year they played a 2 hour set. Absolutely unbelievable they are live, best live show I've ever seen, and it isn't even close. When they come through again I hope I have the funds to drop $1000.00 on tickets and take as many of my friends as I can, because just fuckin wow.

[@rl2699]

I've been into Meshuggah for around 18 years now and they have been a staple in my musical choice since and still are. The song that turned me on to them that many years ago was "Rational Gaze". I also listen to Opeth which those band members are all friends with Meshuggah. Ever since Opeth went strictly melodic instead of their typical dry vocals a lot of fans talked shit about them but Meshuggah stepped up and stood beside them and and stuck up for them and there new path they are taking. Even with Opeth taking the more melodic route they still sound awesome.

[@7judas77]

I've seen a few vids discussing their timing and the drummer's skill. What is Meshuggah about?

[@RockinAfr0]

Little known facts: when Switzerland invented the atomic clock, Sweden retaliated by giving the world Thomas Haake!

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@magicbirch7406]

My favorite song by them. It's so awesome. I can listen to this endlessly. I must have listened to this song 800+ times by now

[@thqp]

They did clockworks and bleed in their setlist, both near the end ofc, for a pretty long while.

[@florentmartiniere]

Bleed + Clockworks amount to about 2 million hits I guess Gold stuff : )

[@Egoblivion]

Yep, i was just about to comment that those two songs are probably their most physically demanding songs, and maybe “Demon’s Name is Surveillance” at least for Haake as well as “The Hurt that Finds You First.” “Abysmal Eye” and “Armies of the Preposterous” are up there but “God He Sees in Mirrors” seems ridiculous. Not that hard stamina or speed-wise but the groove doesn’t repeat once and Meshuggah hasn’t played live yet. Something like “Ligature Marks” is slow but super-awkward to learn to play but so badass…

[@nathan_von]

First requirement to drum in Meshuga: NO RIDE. The evolution of the human being in a unique expression.

[@jessebenpierce4977]

If by now you aren't aware of Yogev Gabay's YT channel, he has devoted many hours of his life to breaking down Meshuggah songs into content that helps you learn the rhythms. I recommend his channel, if you were to have any interest. He even dedicates the month of May to May-shuggah; the whole month of May dedicated to breaking down beats and rhythms of Meshuggah songs. In general, though, most Meshuggah songs are in 4/4

[@papaemeritus5842]

Check out the drum play for "NOSTRUM" also mind melting!

[@elevenAD]

he such a unique drummer! These are the only guitar players he has ever jammed with so his mind was warped from day one, he started jamming with Marten at12 years old.

[@i_never_asked_for_an_alias]

Great stuff.

[@impossivel2006]

It's actually quite easy, you do this with the right hand (⬆⬇⬆⬆↕) and this with the left (⬆⬆⬆⬇⬇⬇↘➡↘↙⬅) in alternate times and at the end of each bar you add a (⤵🔃⤵⤴). The feet play this (⬇⬇↕↕↕↔⤴↪⤴⤵⬆✖⏬⏬🔽⏫) and you add some (🔺🔻🔻🔺🔺🔻❌🚫🚫🔃🔄⤵⤵↗⬆➡) avery bar that ends on an offbeat or a ➰. Quite easy once you get it.

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@aaronsetzer9247]

SOOO COOL !!!!! You said my name on KZbin ........IM A STAR NOW !!! thanks Steve😜

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@Dustin_Platt]

1 and 2 anda 3 andaandanda 4 andandnandannda 19

[@NicklasNylander87]

Meshuggah means "insane" in hebrew, I believe. So your on point there.

[@Mark-iv6yg]

All the KZbin drummers wanna cover Bleed, don’t nobody wanna cover Clockworks 😂

[@luizz_k]

Clockworks

[@Sacred_Silence]

One does not simply just follow along to Meshuggah.

[@liosscip]

wanna get your head even more f*ed up ? look for "infant annihilator c crusher drum playthrough" (;

[@hazardeur]

dude, that's lame crap and it's programmed on top of it. who still cares about that fad?

[@mjolnir3504]

Its literally a complex count pattern with 4/4 hat most of the time. Y'know, easy enough noone else can do it.

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@aaronsetzer9247]

Ok Steve , the next meshuggah song I have to bug the shit out of you to react to is demiurge it's more straight forward than this one was it's got a hell of a groove to it

[@SteveOGRock]

Haha

[@353darkesthour]

You should check out the 6th member of the band, the light guy.

[@xzeke666x]

when then metronome needs a tuneup he gets a hold of thomas haake..

[@seanaustin9971]

There are many times where the drums follow the guitar and vice versa in a lot of meshiggah songs

[@seanaustin9971]

Clockworks is one of my favorite songs along with nostrum

[@seanaustin9971]

And Obzen

[@alakablam7901]

Check out Stengah. That beat is amazing.

[@SteveOGRock]

Thanks, will do!

[@benhur933]

the drums are the lead

[@sheldonwright8770]

NOBODY grooves polyrhythms like haake! It’s a massage & a maths problem all rolled up in one

[@janneliiti8898]

Super technical but mainly find mesuggah really booring to listen so it kind of diminishes the highly technical playing. More or less waste of beating. But yeah its always subjective.

[@WebsterA]

I am glad to see the Meshuggah video on your channel is doing literally 84× better than all the others. A real testament to their fandom. I'll unsub fot now tho. I don't think you're going down the rabbit hole

[@fabienlamour3644]

Only drums are interesting in this shit.

[@RogerHurlburt-ym7wi]

Less is more sometimes. Even in heavy music. Boring to me.

[@DJSoledrifter]

A word of advice for the metal bands just starting out. Whatever you do, do not watch or listen to Meshuggah for it will not inspire you. It will absolutely crush your confidence and you’ll end up being miserable and depressed considering a different career path like becoming an accountant 😀😀😀. It’s a joke, of course but then again ,is it?🙄🤣🤣

[@DrewFortune97]

Got to see Meshuggah do their sound check when they came to Dublin last year - still the pinnacle moment of my KZbin ‘Career’ so far. Absolutely insane experience. Him & Mario Duplantier are an absolute joy to listen to live 😅

[@florentmartiniere]

Drew

[@smokejc]

was able to see Gojira last year and can confirm. seeing Meshuggah in June for the first time and to say I'm extremely pumped is an understatement.

[@WishMount]

Saw Gojira in December and was basically just starting at Mario for 90minutes

[@florentmartiniere]

@@smokejc man you're in for a threat, enjoy ...

[@SteveOGRock]

Ah very cool man! I can’t imagine what this stuff sounds like at full volume. Must be insane.

[@chazz911234]

Everyone gushes over "bleed", but I have always felt that "clockworks" is a much better example of Tomas Haake's genius. 😁

[@RatSewage]

After watching this, I definitely agree that it is just as great of an example to recommend.

[@larbremord]

If we go with what song is in the S tier: Bleed, The Abysmal Eye and Clockwork are equally insane

[@larbremord]

Combustion, Obzen and Demiurge are also pretty damn good

[@vintagemetal]

Can't go wrong with Rational Gaze either!

[@miscito666]

for sure. Bleed is a fine song, but I have no clue why that is their meme track. They have countless more interesting tracks.

[@hallamalla98]

03:49 And there you perfectly summed up Meshuggah's guitar solos "What a weird selection of notes".

[@-darrell]

His solos remind me of a snake charmers flute or something like that.

[@-xHALx-]

check Allan Holdsworth solos - one of the best instrumentalists in jazz fusion was a great inspiration to the sound of Fredrik's

[@WebsterA]

Meshuggah is such a rhythmic shifting trip. I love watching drummers wrap their head around it. You could do a whole series of Meshuggah, man and I'm here for it

[@boomerwithatumor4624]

same.

[@marcusderailious]

wrap our heads around it you say! i just focus on that right hand and prey for my sanity...

[@brentos5001]

Meshuggah

[@UnlatchedMind]

"Meshuggah are the quantum physics of music as far as I'm concerned." - Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) So true...

[@photonpilot__]

Fun fact, almost all Meshuggah music, including Clockworks, are in 4/4. The layered polyrhythms trick your brain into thinking it's not 4/4. Yogev Gabay has some great explanations on how they use polyrhythms to create their sound.

[@DazsdWTP]

those gabay videos hurt my brain but i love them

[@JL-ql2jo]

Yeah! They have a couple in 3/4, namely The Demon’s Name is Surveillance and Armies of the Preposterous

[@Fraeg]

used to work with a jazz cat guitarist in a shop. Meshuggah Chaosphere, Catch-33, and Fredericks special defects where the only things I ever played in 2 years of working together where he ever had a visibly amazed reaction. Black metal, technical death metal, thrash, etc. at best I would get a "they are able to play technically very well" comment. The Meshuggah stuff and Frederick's solo stuff blew him away.

[@protopigeon]

I'm no metal fan but I went to see Meshuggah recently and the whole show was just incredible. Lights and all. Essential if you get the chance to see them do!

[@crmsn_]

Thaaank you for not pausing the video every five seconds and just grooving to it. I very much appreciated that haha if you ever get a chance to catch them live, I HIGHLY recommend it. They're a bunch of super great dudes. Cheers! 💀🖤🤖

[@SteveOGRock]

Glad you appreciate the lack of pauses! It’s one of my guiding principles for reactions. Songs are meant to be enjoyed from start to finish in one go. 🤘🏻

[@crmsn_]

You're goddamn right.

[@SteveOGRock]

“Say my name…” What an epic tv series that was!

[@JBPVFL]

Meshuggah has so much off beat stuff added in, really makes them unique to a lot of bands I feel like. But i'm also a novice when it comes to the science behind music so this is just my layman's opinion on it. :p

[@SteveOGRock]

Yeah seems they really lean into that

[@wingsoficarus1139]

Yep. Drums are written in 4/4 whereas Guitars are doing some polyrhythmic stuff. What makes it even more insane is that the Bass drums are following the guitars which means that this drummer is playing both a polyrhythm AND in 4/4 at the same time!

[@tobasama]

Brain melt is the only viable reaction. Welcome to the club! Also, that giggle at 7:00, I feel it everytime I listen to this song.

[@stevevargo]

Imagine the synaptic network firing in Tomas’ brain while playing this song. Absolutely incredible performance and control

[@thehairygull]

4:58 hears the greatest breakdown in metal - alright I’m getting into this now lol I love it. Subbed

[@SteveOGRock]

Hahah! 😅

[@amjan]

Nahhhh, it's mediocre. Not even close to say Electric Red or Humiliative.

[@chrisheist652]

While clockworks has one of their greatest breakdowns, and others might say the ones in future breed machine or new millennium cyanide christ are better.. I still think their best is at 2:11 of concatenation: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip-lfoFjZ9yDgck

[@RARDingo]

What people don't get is that Meshuggah isn't really a metal band, they're the world's heaviest jazz band.

[@kevinsiegel]

What will really melt your brain is to watch "Bleed" and "Clockworks" back to back and *really* focus on the guitars and drums: In "Bleed", the guitars are mirrored by the bass drum pattern. That repeated herta is what propels the song. But in "Clockworks", the guitars are mirrored by Thomas' hands. The bass drum patterns are the filler. Watch, focus on the hands, and listen. You'll hear and see it.

[@MadailinBurnhope]

an absolutely unrivalled band

[@MadailinBurnhope]

"how do you end that song with just a snare flam?" lol

[@SteveOGRock]

Perfect ending

[@eyemoeba]

this is a masterful display of a mindmeltingly complex piece of music. a maths quiz is about right with these boys, and humility in front of such greatness is a virtue.

[@psychotictactoe]

Tomas is just the boss, he's the Bonham of tech metal.

[@ChintzMusic]

Banging my head to this song makes me feel like I'm inside a turning washing machine

[@SteveOGRock]

😂

[@0bzen22]

Imagine Fredrick's solos plays on a sax or trumpet. It's basically jazz. Anything that crazy is jazz.

[@swancrunch]

there are actually covers of his solos on a flute, trumpet, clarinet and some other instruments. all of them sound absolutely amazing.

[@swancrunch]

there are actually covers of his solos on a flute, trumpet, clarinet and some other instruments. all of them sound absolutely amazing.

[@Liz-cmc313]

Tomas is my favorite drummer. Meshuggah is the quantum mechanics of music....some say physics but technically its mechanics.

[@isaacgreenlees2750]

Fun fact, meshuggah is one of the few bands that play in the time signature of 4/4

[@thehairygull]

2:13 That’s a tasty groove - lol you’re god damn right it is

[@DevilWearsAdidas]

what the hell is this drummer he plays this shit live literally every event he's in. Like how can you possibly? I just do not understand the amount of skill these polyrhythms take. Like I can see this in a jam session or playing by yourself but this dude plays these crazy ass rhythms live. What a monster.

[@whitey211]

"What a weird selection of notes!" hahaha every Meshuggah guitar solo ever. I love Bill Burr's story about watching Tomas for the first time while standing next to Danny Carey. "Oooh, FUCK!" -Danny

[@SteveOGRock]

Yeah that story is cool as fuck. Danny Carey is a god.

[@alexandreperron6106]

Meshuggah ALWAYS play in straight times. like 4/4 SOMETIMES 3/4 but they never go with complex time sigs just to fuck with you, they are simply masters of rhythm.

[@skyhahn3918]

Part where you say "uncomfortable" i was in stitches hahaha but make a valid point, i think meshuggah is great and also as a drummer have my eyeballs popping in and out of what i hear and see, and that is also the "uncomfortable" part i understand and share, cuz i dont really put on any songs often probably because of the many crazy flows my body and ear just cant into, and then almost always they come with many parts that are just as technical but with the "tasty" flow as you mention and am all for it and get very happy and euforic-ish hehe.........i think you have the same steave and if not i was waaay off and just have that myself :D great reaction as always, so enjoyable and sincere, love it thx!

[@SteveOGRock]

Cheers Sky! I love getting my mind blown by drumming like this. It’s a joy.

[@shanegriffin2215]

You know what? I love the expressions on the faces of people when they listen to Tomas’ playing. Different ways of the same thing: Holy Shit!!!!Priceless!😂

[@faselblaDer3te]

You know what they say: drummers need metronomes - metronomes need Thomas Haake.

[@delightbydelusion]

A cool thing to notice is that this is a live recording from the recording of the album, which was done live in the studio, but this isn't the recording used on the album. You can see cymbal hits that aren't in the track and hear ones that aren't on the video, which just makes it even more impressing.

[@markop.1994]

The time signatures in meshuggah songs are typically a polyrhythm with an added odd measure to make a total of 16 or 32 beats. So like 7:4 gives you 28 pulses plus 4 more makes 32. So its like reaalllly long deceptive 4/4. The kick and the low guitar are practically in sync, so the drummer is kicking the riff while holding 44 and doing accents to the polyrhythm

Eargasm everytime I listen to this song. Literally

[@JiTiAr35]

I like it when people try to figure it out, the time signature

[@marcusderailious]

it 'looks' easy because all the effort is being done in his brain, it's why i love being a drummer. It's literally the only time my brain can be purely in the moment. It's the amount of training he would've done over years for that muscle memory that's the part we know we can't do lol

[@brucenatelee]

Here's the rhythm according to Yogev Gabay (kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6jVhKmmn8l-Y9k): 3323332333323 x3 > 3323332 > repeat The numbers is how many notes before you play the next. 3 = 1// (one note, 2 empty notes) 2 = 1/ (one note, 1 empty note) 1//1//1/1/1//1//1/1//1//1//1//1/1// x3 > 1//1//1/1//1//1//1/ > repeat Found his video after YEARS of not hearing it properly. The notes played would throw me off from the rhythm.

[@krookedvulture]

This is the first video of yours I've seen (probably recommended because I watch this drum playthrough a lot). Love the vid! ... your face sums up my feelings every single time I watch this playthrough lol

[@SpicyyChimken]

Great reaction! Meshuggah is definitely an acquired taste I feel and still blows my mind to this day

[@Justin-nq6kf]

If you pay close attention theres cymbal hits and misses that dont exist in some parts in this video so Im skeptical this is actual drum audio from this video. Like at 2:50 he doesn't hit a crash but you hear a crash hit, 2:54 he hits the crash but you dont hear it, 3:28 he misses the hi-hat but you hear a hi-hat. Also the fill at 3:55 definitely not seamless

[@thejtown1]

The video is from the recording of the album. They used the album audio but video from a different take.

[@stanislawrybinski]

just simple Swedish rock music in 4/4

[@burnittotheground108]

Meshuggah won me over in 1995, and now they mean so much to me it goes well beyond just music. And nowadays, every “heavy” band patterns their heavy aspects after Meshuggah. Yes, every one. If you haven’t seen them live, make sure you do so next tour. It might be their last, as they’re approaching their 60s.

[@danp207]

It's so incredible that it sounds like it were all programmed in MIDI & that there were no actual human beings playing any of this. From the guitar to the drums and bass. Out of fucking control. Learning some of these guitar riffs is so freaking hard because the drums throw you off when you listen to the song, on top of the fact that they too, are incorporating some crazy timings AND perfect picking techniques. The guitar riffs for say, Tool, are easier to learn (not all but most) because they aren't played at the speed that Fredrik and Maarten riff at. Danny Carey, I'm sure you are aware of his existence, is another alien drummer.

[@TheUfoProject_]

Dude, 85% of the songs are in 4/4. And even before the guitarsolo when you try to hit the timesignature, its in 4/4. They adjust the beat on the kick or the snare and so on. And they use syncopses alot. But 85% is in 4/4.

[@PMMcIntyre]

I see few people talking about how powerful the choruses are.

[@spartans5952]

check out another youtuber Yogev Gabay he does break downs of a lot of confusing music, especially meshuggah

[@Ixaglet]

The problem with Meshuggah is that every other band sounds LAME af in comparison

[@themankool]

Any chance at you checking out Hear Me from devin townsend? The drum playthrough video Seamus posted

[@trev1978]

Only a few other drummers in the world could play that song perfectly. Gene Hoglan maybe?! Tomas is not human 🤟

[@Neuri]

its 4/4

[@smirch]

He's got perfect pitch but for drumming.

[@planetgame779]

MORE MESHUGGAH

[@andTutin]

this song sounds like fucking train

[@Vikteurable]

He played the drums like an octopus

[@joshuapocalypse]

You spelled his name wrong.

[@andrewmay2889]

Check Car Bomb drum cams, you might like it too

[@thomaskauser8978]

Ghost notes gives me nightmares.

[@deefman123]

NO GHOST NOTES ALL FULL STROKES

[@joshuaboudreau5258]

1 has left the building!

[@afaflutfi]

can i say, Tomas is a jazz drummer on steroid?

[@Arcticun]

One of my favourite comments about Tomas Haake as a drummer is that while other drummers are regarded highly for their ethereal, polyrythmic ability.. Tomas just straight sounds like he's powering some machinery in the depths of hell. Been listening to Meshuggah for so many years now and they don't cease to melt the fuck out of my brain.

[@SteveOGRock]

Haha! “Powering some machinery in the depths of hell” - Yes

[@davecrupel2817]

Thank you for indulging us by subjecting yourself to the machinistic insanity that is Thomas Haake. The drummer for Meshuggah. We apprecuate it very much! 😁 I know i certainly do!

[@aaronsetzer9247]

He never plays "cross handed" ie right hand (high-hat) over the left hand (snare drum) ...Always open playing position ...just a tidbit of info for those who may not have known ...😁

[@SteveOGRock]

Good knowledge!

[@aaronsetzer9247]

@@SteveOGRock well I try ...lol ..but no thank you good sir I may have said it before but I love love love the channel

[@SteveOGRock]

@@aaronsetzer9247 thanks Aaron! It truly means a lot to hear that kind of positive feedback ❤️ So glad you enjoy what I’m doing here!

[@RyTrapp0]

Absolutely LOVE how his kit is setup - 100% ergonomics, everything within close reach, never has to stretch for anything, most of his stick movement comes from a LOT of wrist motion without a lot of arm motion. Cross-over playing today is kinda like traditional grip; yea, you can totally play drums that way, but why if you don't have to? Remote hi-hats FTW! lol But I'm a gear & technique nerd, so...