Swedish metal pioneers Meshuggah play the Beacham

Photo by Anthony Dubois

The immensity of technical skill involved in writing and playing metal music is a done-to-death observation that's been made more often than your bed, but one word that finds itself frequently estranged from the expansive genre is restraint. Swedish metal pioneers Meshuggah, whose music draws from experimental jazz, math rock and metal – so it has every excuse to go balls to the wall – were so meticulous in their breed of progressive metal that they coined a sub-genre, djent, which by now includes such massive creative forces in its fold as Periphery, Chimp Spanner, Ion Dissonance and Textures, among many, many notable others.

These bands weren't just influenced by Meshuggah, who – if you haven't already guessed – is in town this week. Frequently, it's more apt to say they've been heavily influenced by not only their palm-muted guitar sound but also their minimalistic songwriting approach and intriguing tempo shifts that combat the predictable inclination of lesser bands to charge swiftly and crescendo madly, on into infinity. Other adjectives you'll hear a lot in Meshuggah discussions: genius, intellectual, uncharted, odd – but don't worry, it's still, above all else, evil.

Opening for Meshuggah are Animals as Leaders and Intronaut, both of which have their own substantial contributions to this particular sub-genre. But it also could've been cool to see a local band pulled into the lineup, as it's almost an inescapable facet of modern metal for bands to churn out admirable Meshuggah-influenced material. Reference the almighty DeLand sludge metal band Junior Bruce for a solid example of brilliantly off-putting tempo shifts, especially on the track "Warriors of the Son" from last year's release, The Headless King. Or check out a newer band I only recently came across, thanks to Orlandooom's knowledgeable show curator Jared Oates, called the Reset. They only have a handful of songs so far, but the mathy-est moments bellow the calling card of impending djent greatness to come from this town.