review by: Matt Smith

I've been a big fan of Meshuggah since I first listened to Destroy, Erase, Improve - their mechanical, grinding style has always kept me interested enough to try to count the beats in every groove. That's why I like Nothing so much - it's more groove-oriented than their past albums, leaving out much of the whining guitar solo. Like past work, Nothing is full of time changes and confusing riffs that you have to listen to several times before you know when to expect a beat with any certainty.

Meshuggah's instrumentation is excellent, and the production highlights it well. Thick vocals sit on deep, rich guitars and a crisp but "thuddy" drum sound. They try to draw attention to certain aspects of the sound at certain times, but nothing really gets drowned out - you can follow any particular line all the way through the album.

Although they've changed their focus slightly to emphasize more of their unpredictable grooves, Meshuggah sounds like they always have, and they've got no reason to change. I've heard their riffs (or something strikingly similar) in the work of many others, but no one can do it quite as well. Nothing is another good set of songs from this great band.