ZEN AND MESHUGGAH

Anthony Read

"Do we want a dry concept...the theory, the explanation, the idea behind a piece of music, rather than the music itself?" - Discuss and evaluate aspects of Zen in relation to the music and lyrics of Meshuggah. How is the Zen double game used in their music?

The general idea of Zen is to live as one with the Tao: the nameless way of life (Miller 2008, pp. 1). Through the voiding of thought and reason we can come to this equilibrium and Te (spontaneous wellbeing) arises. However, Zen masters also realise these thoughts can be used playfully, in a kind of double game. Meshuggah utilise the ideas of Zen throughout their music and lyrics, but at times they also contradict those ideas. They are playing the Zen double game with our minds and ears. Squint your eyes to see clearly; Blur reality to make it real. Let focus go from your deceiving eyes To know whats been concealed. Rational Gaze Rational Gaze addresses the issue of mankind being obsessed with thought and reason, to the point that the Tao is lost and filtered blank of its substance. This clearly resonates with the idea of mankind being enthralled to logos (Miller, pp. 2). We are so caught up in our ideas and rational conclusions about everything that the true beauty of being is forgotten in the noise. To void logos is to get rid of all the voices inside your head and just be. Meshuggahs main lyricist, Tomas Haake, repeats these themes throughout many of their songs. But instead of a rosy outlook on life, he seems to prefer the Manichean view that life sucks, which will be addressed later. The struggle to free myself from restraints Becomes my very shackles. Disenchantment Disenchantment speaks on two levels about Zen. Firstly, the title suggests not a state of enchantment, nor a state of non-enchantment. Being disenchanted is to be freed from illusion (Dictionary.com 2008): hence, in a Zen state and playing the double game. To be in this state demands that one recognises the illusion of reality, but can playfully interact with it at the same time. While Zen asks us to void thought (the shackles Haake refers to), we must also be able to play along with our game of the real. Also, the quoted lyric above stands out for illuminating another Zen aspect. This lyric reflects Zens idea that by struggling with the knot of thought, we further complicate it. Haake means that to truly free ourselves, we must recognise our restraints, accept them and find a way to cut through them directly. Decay, disgrace, disgust: our state of Zen obZen While Meshuggahs lyrics can be widely related to Zen, they can be completely contradictory as well. When talking about their latest record, obZen (an amalgamation of Zen and obscene), Haake refers to the lyrics as a form of social commentary: Man has found its harmony and balance in bloodshed and violenceIts political,

to some extent. (Metal Injection 2008). Haake is referring to the current socio-political climate as inherently evil, but seems to forget the true meaning of Zen. To find the Tao in life is well and good, but what should spring from that is Te: spontaneous happiness and wellbeing. It is hardly likely that Te can come from a society that is constantly fighting and in conflict, as Haake suggests. He thinks society is in Zen through decay, and this is precisely his downfall: Existence is only imperfect if we think it is (Miller, pp. 10). This issue crops up again in other songs, particularly This Spiteful Snake and Lethargica. Both songs deal with the nature of our reality; yet use certain metaphors to illuminate their meaning. Reality this spiteful snake Shedding its smothering veil. A shroud to asphyxiate Exterminate, eradicate. This Spiteful Snake

The void clenches its determined jaws Its molars grind and shatter The undoer of all. Lethargica While Haake is again referring to the inherent evil of reality (which itself is quite a Manichean view), he has forgotten the main idea of the Tao. The Tao that can be spoken is not the TaoIt has to be suggested by saying what it is not (Miller). By making connections between reality and these metaphors, Haake is engaging in a language game that involves thought. An instant predicament. Meshuggah are using the Zen double game throughout their collective lyrics playing by the conventional rules of society and language while being able to ignore them and be at one with the Tao. First time listeners of Meshuggah are taken aback by the seemingly impossible complexity of their music. Zen has a large role to play in this overwhelming style. To cut through the knot of thought (Miller, pp. 5) sounds easy enough, but how can we truly void logos? Meshuggah do this through using anti-rhythms. They are not rhythms in the normal sense, yet they are also not non-rhythms (for they would be simply droning sounds). Anti-rhythms are designed to throw the listener off balance, to tip the equilibrium of the mind. Some people grow too attached to the beat of music, so Meshuggah dont allow you to become attached. They are using the idea of the sudden school of enlightenment (Miller, pp. 2): voiding all other thoughts by utilising harsh

death metal to focus our attention, then not allowing us to find a foothold, eventually bringing us to the great death (Heggie 2008). Meshuggahs album Catch Thirty-Three is itself an exercise in bringing the listener to enlightenment, through the above-mentioned anti-rhythms. Those trying to keep track of where tracks begin and end will be confused, as all the tracks join together into one 47-minute song. The anti-rhythms change subtly from moment to moment; meaning those trying to keep track of them will not be able to find a foothold. Even when one thinks they have found a beat, it is changed to further confuse us. This concept is similar to those of the Zen masters, who used to answer questions with something unexpected, like pulling your nose or hitting you over the head with a staff (Miller, pp. 10). The idea of confusing someone to the point of enlightenment is apparent in those actions as well as the album-puzzle, and can be best summed up as taking away the realty of the problem (Miller, pp. 10). Vision will blind. Severance ties. Median am I. True are all lies. Sum Just like the lyrics for Sum, Meshuggah (and Zen) are never content to simply give a definition for reality. The true way to practice Zen is through the double game of voidance and playfulness, and at times this seems quite contradictory. Meshuggah play this game within their lyrics, and they also practice it within their music. One must remember that these are not machines: Meshuggah are human, and have physical and mental boundaries. The rhythms they use may seem complex, but they are essentially simple. One can (if one chooses to) break down each rhythm, and most of the time it will yield a basic four-beat time signature. It shows that the songwriters in Meshuggah have extensive mathematical knowledge and apply much thought to make something so complex out of something simple. This may not be apparent to those without extensive musical knowledge, but breaking down and analysing Meshuggahs music can yield a better grasp of their direction. However, isnt this exactly what Zen asks us not to do? The opening quote states, Do we want a dry conceptrather than the music itself? (Miller, pp. 3) and Zen asks us to recognise the concept but be able to void it at will. In essence, Meshuggah asks the same question. Do we want to over-analyse the music to gain a better idea of it, or do we want to be like the fans at their concerts that sway, nod their heads or simply close their eyes (Invisible Oranges 2008)?

Meshuggah embody many Zen aspects through their music and lyrics. They address the way of the Tao and humanitys unwillingness to accept it as is. Then they seem to contradict themselves by introducing social commentary and abstract metaphors to the fold. Their music is a heady mix of anti-rhythms and subtle changes in songwriting, which can be overwhelming to most. But again, the music is much simpler than it seems, and the amount of thought that goes into it simply goes against the general voidance idea of Zen. Where Meshuggah differ is they are aware of, and play, the double game. They can play by the rules at times, but know how to void and ignore all conventional thought when necessary. Zen is clearly at work in Meshuggahs music.

Or is it at play?

Reference List
viewed 27/5/08. Heggie H, 2008, Zen and Buddha.

Anthony Read

Dictionary.com, Definition for Disenchantment, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disenchantment,

Invisible Oranges, 2008, Meshuggah obZen, http://invisibleoranges.com/2008/05/meshuggah-obzen.html, viewed 27/5/08. Meshuggah, 2002, Nothing, Nuclear Blast Records. Rational Gaze, music by Fredrik Thorndendal, lyrics by Tomas Haake. Meshuggah, 2005, Catch Thirty-Three, Nuclear Blast Records. Disenchantment / Sum, music by Meshuggah, lyrics by Tomas Haake and Mart en Hagstrom. Meshuggah, 2008, obZen, Nuclear Blast Records. Lethargica, music by Marten Hagstrom, lyrics by Tomas Haake. obZen, music by Marten Hagstrom, lyrics by Tomas Haake. This Spiteful Snake, music by Marten Hagstrom and Tomas Haake, lyrics by Tomas Haake. Metal Injection, 2008, Exclusive Interview with Tomas Haake of MESSSHHUGGGAAHHHHHH!!,

http://metalinjection.net/2008/05/06/exclusive-interview-with-tomas-haake-of-messshhugggaahhhhhh, viewed 28/5/08. Miller R, 2008, East Meets West: Taoist Zen and Postmodernism.

Meshuggah and Zen

Anthony Read

Tracklist for CD

Anthony Read