Koloss
| Koloss | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 March 2012 | |||
| Studio | Fear and Loathing Studios (Stockholm, Sweden) | |||
| Genre | Extreme metal, progressive metal, avant-garde metal | |||
| Length | 54:47 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Meshuggah | |||
| Meshuggah chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Koloss | ||||
| ||||
Koloss is the seventh album by Swedish metal band Meshuggah, released on 23 March 2012 in Germany, on 26 March in the rest of Europe, and on March 27 in North America, by Nuclear Blast.[1]
Background
Tomas Haake stated, "As always, we try to take our music in a slightly different direction with each album and with Koloss, we feel that we really nailed what we were going for. Organic brutality, viscera and groove all crammed into a 54-minute metalicious treat, best avoided by the faint of heart!!"[1]
Koloss album was different from other in terms of cooperation and making music together. Fredrik and Marten worked together in creating couple of songs together. Jens Kidman who retired from guitar playing since the album "Contradictions Collapsed" created one song in the album.
Release
The album was released on 23 March 2012 in Germany, 26 March in the rest of Europe and on March 27 in North America. It was released as a standard compact disc, as a digipak version featuring a bonus DVD, as a limited edition boxed set "magic cube" (a mock-Rubik's Cube featuring the album artwork, available only through Nuclear Blast mail-order), and a double-LP pressed on brown vinyl.[2]
The album debuted at number 17 in the United States, with first week sales of 18,342 copies, the band's and record label's highest position on the charts.[3] Koloss also debuted at number 27 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[4]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Alternative Press | [7] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[8] |
| Decibel | 8/10[9] |
| Drowned in Sound |   [10] |
| Exclaim! | favourable[11] |
| Spin Magazine | 9/10[12] |
| Sputnikmusic | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.2/10[14] |
Koloss received generally favorable reviews.[5] Kory Grow of Spin Magazine called it "the first real contender for the genre's album of the year".[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Am Colossus" | Tomas Haake | Mårten Hagström, Fredrik Thordendal | 4:43 |
| 2. | "The Demon's Name Is Surveillance" | Haake | Thordendal | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Do Not Look Down" | Haake | Haake, Hagström, Thordendal | 4:44 |
| 4. | "Behind the Sun" | Haake | Kidman | 6:14 |
| 5. | "The Hurt That Finds You First" | Hagström | Hagström | 5:34 |
| 6. | "Marrow" | Haake | Haake, Hagström, Thordendal | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" | Haake | Hagström | 6:57 |
| 8. | "Swarm" | Haake | Haake, Hagström, Thordendal | 5:28 |
| 9. | "Demiurge" | Hagström | Hagström | 6:16 |
| 10. | "The Last Vigil" | (instrumental) | Hagström | 4:33 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Konstrukting the Koloss" (Making of "Koloss") | 25:00 |
| 2. | "Meshuggah in India" (Live in India) | 26:25 |
I Am Colossus EP
"I Am Colossus" was released as a two-track EP. The stop-motion video for the song was compared to similar videos created by the band Tool.[15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Am Colossus" | 4:43 |
| 2. | "I Am Colossus" (Engine-EarZ & Foreign Beggars Remix) | 4:44 |
Personnel
- Jens Kidman – vocals
- Fredrik Thordendal – lead guitar
- Mårten Hagström – rhythm guitar
- Dick Lövgren – bass
- Tomas Haake – drums, backing vocals
- Luminokaya – artwork
References
- ^ a b "Meshuggah Drummer Says 'Koloss' Is A '54-Minute Metalicious Treat'". Blabbermouth.net. January 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Meshuggah: New Album Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. January 17, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ^ "Meshuggah's new album, Koloss, has given Nuclear Blast USA their highest sales and Billboard 200 debuts ever". lambgoat.com. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 17, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "Koloss by Meshuggah". Metacritic. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Heaney, Gregory. "Koloss - Meshuggah – Allmusic". Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Schreurs, Jason (March 26, 2012). "Alternative Press – Reviews – Meshuggah – Koloss". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ Heller, Jason (March 27, 2012). "Meshuggah: Koloss – Music – Music Review – The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ Stewart-Panko, Kevin (April 2012). "Towering Achievement". Decibel Magazine (90).
- ^ Smith, Patrick (March 23, 2012). "Meshuggah Koloss". Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ Falzon, Denise (March 25, 2012). "Meshuggah – Koloss – Metal Reviews – exclaim.ca". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
- ^ a b Grow, Kory (March 26, 2012). "Meshuggah, 'Koloss' (Nuclear Blast) – SPIN". Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Thomas, Adam (March 20, 2012). "Meshuggah Koloss". Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (August 1, 2016). "Meshuggah - 25 Years of Musical Deviance". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ Rosenberg, Axl (April 4, 2013). "'I Am Colossus': Meshuggah Release Toolish New Video". Metal Sucks. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
