Motif development in Meshuggahs 'I Am Colossus'

[@lefeesh938]

By far my favorite track on Koloss, it’s so ambient and groovy

[@coloripple]

Agreed! Especially that middle part with how much it plays with groupings of 4 at 8:56 , can give you a false sence of a different 4:4 (or kinda 2:4) to follow. And how accented every triplet is at 10:34 (which makes following that false 4:4 quite intuitive at times), makes that realisation of "Oh that's the 4:4" so satisfying at the whale solo of 13:29

[@BackflipsBen]

Koloss IS SERIOUSLY underrated

[@Sol_1nvictus5813]

Koloss from top to bottom is my favorite album. One groovy banger after another ending with Demiurge. Demiurge live is something to behold. 🤘🤘

[@Chronic_meshuggah_face]

You and Riccardo nailed this one! The reason they didn't end the song with a complete 192 beats is so that you don't accidentally play the full cycle three times in a row, which will actually summon Colossus. Pretty sure it was their label that made the ultimate decision, purely from a legal point of view.

[@ricky.groppi]

Thanks a lot! It was a fun one;)

[@YogevGabay]

Ohh that makes sense yes. They care about us so much !!

[@zetterstroemaudio]

:D

[@crownjewel555]

You know the band is crazy when you need to invent a calculator to understand their rhythms

[@solidground2024]

Meshuggah ironically also translates to crazy

[@Jalabhar_Xho]

You know the band is even crazier when they convince you that you need a calculator to understand their rhythms, but it's actually all 4/4

[@Toxoplasmosis679]

The music video for this song is also fucking incredible

[@Flaeron1]

fr

[@tarkenton3895]

Anything will be better than the one for I Am That Thirst lmao But yeah I Am Colossus is amazing

[@JunkieMonkey321]

one of their best tracks ever. “i am that thirst” is also sick. that whole last section where they go through like 5-6 different mini riffs is too sick

[@Sol_1nvictus5813]

Breaking down these song makes me love Meshuggah even more. Pure metal genius!

[@lallomes]

Awesome! Btw, in that 'messy' riff (10:00): the 5+3+3 can be written as 5+4+2, and then you get a nicely repeating 5+4+2+4 pattern throughout. The guitars match this too, the higher accented notes follow this pattern not 5+3+3

[@YogevGabay]

OHHH you're right !!!!

[@mariohelbig9877]

Thank you for this one. Probably the one Meshuggah song that grew most on me. What a mons... äh Koloss.

[@Wojacksamillion]

Day 2 of requesting ObZen

[@josephtattum6365]

Yeah that’s a good idea

[@Wojacksamillion]

@@josephtattum6365 DUGUDUN DUUN DUUN DUGUDUN DUGUDUN DUGUDUN

[@josephtattum6365]

@@Wojacksamillion lmao I heard it in my head immediately

[@EthanMckennaMusic]

Oh baby!!!

[@cclark3564]

OBzEN, I second this! It's criminally underrated as a song, and my 2-3rd favorite song! Plz Yogev.

[@OlmezDrums]

At this point Yogev is a band member of Meshuggah as far as I'm concerned 🤘🏼

[@YogevGabay]

hahahahahaha

[@dan.j.boydzkreationz]

Nice T00L hoodie

[@AidanMmusic96]

I hope there's more from you on KZbin this year after this, Yogev! Thanks so much for this year's Mayshuggah! *Please discuss God He Sees In Mirrors...! ❤ *

[@YogevGabay]

hmmmmm it might be the next video coming out. maybe

[@AidanMmusic96]

@@YogevGabay 👀👀👀👀

[@peaceindarkness.darknessis3494]

I’m so ready for yogev’s breakdown of kaleidoscope!

[@YogevGabay]

uhhhhh interesting

[@tobiasschmuecking4958]

Thank you again, Yogev! And the very ending is priceless! (Thank you, Riccardo!)

[@ricky.groppi]

Thank you for watching :)))

[@l.a.s8274]

Meshuggah is so good. It took years to its musics "click" in my head and since them i love this band

[@thomasreuter1614]

Thanks for the shoutout Yogev/Ricky! Great analysis :)

[@YogevGabay]

UUUHHHHHHHH yeahhhhh

[@CFChristian]

Admiral Angry is a great example of less being more.

[@tkachenko9584]

Awesome as usual! No, even more so with these isolated guitars

[@honk1419]

one of my favorite meshuggah tracks ever thank you the atmosphere feels so real

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@ryanpetriello3461]

The heaviest Meshuggah songs are the ones in 12/8, sorry I don't make the rules.

[@davpcot]

or 36/32 in that one case

[@lucasradeuil4888]

You finaly did it ! Awesome work as always =)

[@SullyShreds]

This is my favourite music channel on this platform. Thank you for your hard work!

[@YogevGabay]

Thanks !!

[@efdempe]

Awesome video

[@slimefudge]

Boy, you've got me trippin'. I love this. I never knew how this song was to be counted, but I could bang my head and hum the rhythm by heart cause it's too groovey. And here you come with a perfectly clean counting of the parameters, and it's all making sense, and life is good, and butterflies are flying, and gondor is westfall when they needed aid, and holymoly.. This is just too good. Thanks for being such a great deconstructor and explainer! Salute 👏👏👏

[@slimefudge]

Also, definitely time for you to make a video deconstructing your own songs. Give us a dumbdown of Methylene Blue :D

[@YogevGabay]

Bro. Anything for Gondor !!!

[@smokejc]

that section in the middle with the ebow is one of my favorite Meshuggah moments ever

[@sheldonwright8770]

Didn’t know Fredrik used an ebow on this track!

[@smokejc]

@@sheldonwright8770 that's what I'm guessing it is, but I could be wrong

[@sheldonwright8770]

@@smokejcsounds like it but watching Fred’s play through of it seems his not.. possibly in studio he did tho

[@milanimilani]

Hey Yogev, Nice video as always, so accessible for those like me who don't know music theory, and with luxurious material. As someone said below, I hope your come back will not end after May. After all, I am still hoping for those analysis of Tigran's "Ara Ressurected" and a lot of songs of Koenji Hiakey and Car Bomb... 😭 It was a bit of difficult for me to ear the song when you were counting. I don't know if it's just me, but it sounded not perfectly balanced (like the song volume seems to be too low, comparing to your voice). Not a great problem for me, because I know the song and more or less my memories filled that difficulty by just remembering the song, but have a check on it, because it may be crucial for those who still don't love Meshuggah (yes, this exist). Btw, just to mention that not only this song is one of their heaviest, precisely thanks to how they managed this rhythmic structure, but also the video clip is really beautiful and very disturbing at the same time (maybe my favorite clip of Meshuggah).

[@guitaristssuck8979]

You should print and sell as merch all those little paper pieces 😁

[@YogevGabay]

Not sure if you're joking or not, but someone actually suggested that a few years back hahaa

[@guitaristssuck8979]

@@YogevGabay I was expecting it 😁

[@NoStickTricks]

This is one of my ABSOLUTE all time favourites my Meshuggah! It grooves so damn hard. I can't count how many times I found myself dancing and twitching to it obsessively! The lyrics are just so very uncompromisingly crushing. I love how it keeps escalating towards the middle and than just collapses into that big beautiful void before the final verse. And all that while being entirely accessible since, as you're pointing out, it is actually not very complicated. It's that song you feel like you got from the first listening (even if you surely don't, haha..) This song is super close to my heart and just a few weeks I shot a drum cover of it, where I try to release all that emotion this track evokes in me. God I love Meshuggah..!

[@YogevGabay]

Thanks ! And yes, same ! This track always stands out to me, it just SLAPS

[@lerk.]

Finally, I needed this. One of the most confusing Meshuggah songs imo.

[@Peemanufacture]

So glad I got to see this song live while it was still in the rotation

[@NemoK]

YEEEES my favourite Meshuggah song

[@maxyboy9648]

Ive listened to this song hundreds of times of times and i never noticed that they truncated the opening riff into the ambient guitar section

[@stanislawrybinski]

absolute mammoth of a song, just rips your head off

[@prathameshkulkarni226]

This is one of the greatest piece of music ever written period. Pure art!

[@maudjito]

When you play a string strongly it sounds sharper

[@Metallicainjection]

Hmmm...i pretend to understand your videos and I'm a happy man :D

[@goatman3057]

Great summary of one of my favorite tracks! You ever listen to Gran Hechicero, he also blows my mind with timings

[@kennyagoplease3621]

Thank you for this content, it's really interesting. Groove is really something Meshuggah championed imo. Could you do ObZen also?

[@bigpleys2688]

Yoga wtf, so many videos in a row! Bless you.

[@danielemmanuel6261]

This was way more complex than I thought. I swear they really try to fuck with musicians trying to break down the music and end up writing some of the best songs I've ever heard.

[@Morphnoz]

I think the DING sound is too loud in your videos, it makes me turn down the volume and then I have trouble hearing everything else. I love your content, keep it up dude!

[@YogevGabay]

Oh ! Noted ! Thanks !!!! You mean the high bell thing?

[@Morphnoz]

@@YogevGabay Exactly, at 6:06 for example :)

[@YogevGabay]

@@Morphnoz Yup yup, noted ! I'll be uploading another vid soon, let me know if it's a better volume setting !

[@josephtattum6365]

Yogev I love your videos even though they make me think about the numbers in Meshuggah songs when I would rather just try and feel them lol

[@SamBrockmann]

I don't believe in "Less Is More", and I don't think any band that created timeless hits, such as Meshuggah, does either. That said, yes, this song is an perfect example of restraint. Also, as a guitar player, this song uses a lot of upstrokes. Typically, as guitar players, we use a lot of downstrokes. This entire song **could have been** played with downstrokes. But it wasn't, which creates an interesting tonal difference compared to most metal songs.

[@ricky.groppi]

I agree, the original song sounds great as it is, but I’m always an advocate of trying stuff out, and changing parts if necessary to get different sounds! Not saying down picking is better, just different:)

[@A.B.H_da-goat]

סרטון 🔥🔥

[@dasczwo]

ok: more is more and less is less. period. if you have to much, less is better. if you aint have enough more is better. fantastic break down. those round cutouts: theres a nice tool in the hardware store called "punch" . like a circular stencil you hit with a hammer. will give you dozens of nice circles in seconds. Cheers!

[@YogevGabay]

OH BOY THAT'LL SAVE ME SO MUCH TIME

[@lucalorenzo]

Great keep it up man! Love your vids, even if I'm more confused afterwards than before

[@muddydave01]

That was colossal.

[@shelveDEMO]

This is one of the hardest songs of theirs for me to feel the 4/4 (the chorus and bridge).

[@jamespacia8610]

Crazy shit 🔥

[@le0_fx]

This is such good analysis, but bro, I, a guitarist who covers meshuggah, too, misses all those 'melodic' patterns I found in their music. They are so intense and add a whole new and much more complex layer to the rhythmic patterns you depict here.

[@YogevGabay]

True true, i do indeed want and need to discuss that as well. And lyrics too !

[@TheAllAroundMan]

What was the best subdivision 32 years ago?

[@HerbalistGuybrush]

12/8 is the best since at least the 40s

[@YogevGabay]

Indeed !

[@g0ze879]

Could you do a number version of Colossus just like you did with Marrow? Pls :))

[@YogevGabay]

I'm making one for Patreon subscribers !

[@ywenp]

I am really trying but for this one I can't feel the regular quarter note pulse, the metronome added on top kinda feels weird to me... The first verse e.g. doesn't sound like triplets in 4/4 to me, it sounds like straight 4th and 8th notes in alternating bars of 4/4 and 3/8... Drums (besides the kick) are mixed pretty low compared to guitar & kick so it doesn't help.

[@drumkidstu]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKevqX-Zm9ZkkJIsi=TxPX96L4LzvS7dJk the snare is always on beat 3.

[@casinosquare8169]

Feel the same. It sounds to me like a 4 subdivision, with a slower bpm...but I'm only a guitar payer...so 😅

[@HerbalistGuybrush]

How about an matt gaugustka month?

[@iwaer]

New Millennium Cyanide Christ please, if it wasn't analysed yet

[@Onamorata]

Meshuggah is the best band of all time Lmao

[@galielkarmi995]

Yessssss

[@gluonpa6878]

Can you please do something about Vildhjarta ? It's my favorite band but just don't understand anything about there time pattern. I like "Kaos2" song btw.

[@YogevGabay]

Will check it out ! I hope I can dissect it, they have some REALLY challenging stuff

[@davpcot]

What song's gonna be next? I hope it's Straws Pulled at Random

[@raresbibire6855]

Can you do also Car Bomb?

[@milanimilani]

He actually did The Sentinel, if you haven't watched it. But yes, it's not enough, the entire album deserves an analysis...

[@YogevGabay]

I wanna do more yeh yeh, stay tuned !

[@mcAzcrew]

No one: ".." Yogev in 3:06 "Paaaaumb"

[@pbish89]

Huge fan here Yogev! Thank you for all your knowledge. I’m a solo artist that has roughly 6 songs in the working. I would be honored to send you my musical sheets on these songs. I really don’t have any like minded individuals to get feedback from. No pressure at all, but I think you’d enjoy some of these. It would fill my heart to hear your thoughts on them, good or bad. Much love!

[@YogevGabay]

Sure I'd love to !

[@pbish89]

@@YogevGabay You are amazing! Where should I send them? Is there an email or something? Thank you so much!

[@YogevGabay]

​@@pbish89 send here: [e-mail]

[@pbish89]

@@YogevGabay Thank you Yogev! I just sent them over to you. Titled Original Content - Musical Sheets - Patrick From KZbin lol

[@louisdattin2345]

Did you only choose the triplet time signature because the math checks out, or did you have other clues ? I must say for once, I really don’t feel it, even the click track seems wrong to me haha. To me it just sounds like an odd and uneven time signature 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@YogevGabay]

hahahaha no no. The triplet feel is definitely the subdivision here and I think once you get used to it, it feels so good !

[@louisdattin2345]

Haha i’m not saying you are wrong, just that I have for once a hard time feeling it and the click track is not helping at all 😅

[@YogevGabay]

@@louisdattin2345 hahaha no no, I didn't take it that way hahaha

[@louisdattin2345]

Anyways thanks a lot for your videos and your answers, I really like what you do as a KZbinr and musician, and you made me discover some really good songs and bands

[@YogevGabay]

Oh man I'm happy!​@@louisdattin2345

[@bobbydigital8111]

Another day at the office

[@GabiBrooks]

Day 2 asking for a Ritual analysis.

[@Garagieraryhir]

I always wanted to ask you that question: Who cuts out all this little circles with numbers for you?

[@YogevGabay]

HAHAHAHAHAAH it's just me and a shit ton of podcasts

[@simonlatendresse2229]

I guess notes don't really matter in Meshuggah anyway... There are only drummers in Meshuggah.

[@galielkarmi995]

Is this a Tool Sweatshirt I see?

[@YogevGabay]

..... NO ...... Yes it is hahaha

[@hakkenarsk]

As a non-musician I find it completely hopeless to follow 4/4 in this song, this video didn't help me, haha. It's still one of my favourite Meshuggah songs, but man ...

[@EugeneChooms]

As an Israeli, can you please publicly state your position on your country's genocide of the Palestinian people so I can know whether or not to keep supporting this channel? Thank you.

[@derluke9674]

That was much 1234 1234 1234 1234 12 1234 .... 123 12345😮 good recovery for your mouth for that much time consuning and vomiting

[@YogevGabay]

HAHAHAHHAHA YOU HEARD THAT

[@OBGynKenobi]

Love your channel brother, but would it hurt to get away from Meshuggah? How about Mahavishnu Orchestra, or Tool, or DT, etc...

[@ChairFoldersUnited]

You don't love it enough to know he already has done videos on Tool and DT I guess..

[@lukesorensen9432]

Bro does not understand mayshuggah

[@A.B.H_da-goat]

I wholeheartedly agree with that statement

[@AmrddH]

It's literally Mayshuggah, and he has done other bands 😅

[@YogevGabay]

HAHHA yes yes. May was always dedicated to Meshuggah so there's one more to go and then I have some more videos that you might like ! I have one coming that is surprisingly close to Mahavishnu !

[@drayne3750]

I like farts

[@robdubent]

LOL This is LITERALLY 4/4 the entire song and I love the serious comments thanking you for explaining polyrhythms in such a complicated, unnecessary way 😂😂😂😂 This goes WAY over their heads lol

[@LxE9799]

For understanding the guitar parts, that fall asymmetrically on the 4/4 beat, these explanations are actually very helpful. There's more to rhythm than just what the drums are playing

[@ricky.groppi]

@@LxE9799the voice of reason

[@LxE9799]

@@ricky.groppi your guitar tone is great man :) very close to the original

[@ricky.groppi]

@@LxE9799 thank you! :)

[@noahjones2545]

hey, Yogev! love the video but the background music sort of took me out the immersion. there's something about hearing you break down the song and only being immersed in those two things that make your videos so unique. though it was relatively brief, I just like it better without. hope it doesn't sound rude...

[@YogevGabay]

NO not at all ! I love hearing feedback. I always wonder about background music. Sometimes it feels like it's "boring" without it, but maybe you're right and I'm overthinking. Again hahahaa