meshuggah the ophidian trek

• Cast & crew

Meshuggah: The Ophidian Trek

Celebrating over a quarter of a century as one of the spearheads of their genre, Meshuggah are now treating their fans to the release of a new DVD entitled »The Ophidian Trek«. Celebrating over a quarter of a century as one of the spearheads of their genre, Meshuggah are now treating their fans to the release of a new DVD entitled »The Ophidian Trek«. Celebrating over a quarter of a century as one of the spearheads of their genre, Meshuggah are now treating their fans to the release of a new DVD entitled »The Ophidian Trek«.

• Anthony Dubois
• Tomas Haake
• Mårten Hagström
• Jens Kidman

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews

• September 26, 2014 (Germany)
• Nuclear Blast
• Wacken Open Air, Wacken, Germany (in concert)
• Nuclear Blast Records
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 38 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

ALBUM REVIEW: THE OPHIDIAN TREK – MESHUGGAH

Meshuggah – the ophidian trek.

• Rational Gaze
• Do Not Look Down
• I am Colossus
• New Millennium Cyanide Christ
• Dancers To A Discordant System
• Mind’s Mirrors – In Death – Is Life – In Death – Is Death
• The Last Vigil

The Ophidian Trek is Meshuggah’s 2nd live DVD and it comes in celebration of the band’s 25 years of existence.

This CD/DVD package brings the band’s biggest hits from the past and present like “New Millennium Cyanide Christ”, “Bleed”, “Rational Gaze”, “I Am Colossus” and many others.

The taped live experience starts with “Swarmer” which features organic, yet industrial, insectile noises from beginning until the end. Followed by “Swarm” and “Combustion”, songs which start with soft and slow riffs seep into the unprepared ears of the audience who were expecting something heavier, until the softness is pierced with violent guitar. This effective musical “drama” doesn’t fail its purpose in terms of making it sound even more brutal than it would without it.

“Rational Gaze” follows, having first been released on the album, Nothing (2002), the song employs guttural vocals from the very inception. The instrumental pieces start heavy and as the song continues, the song progressively adjusts a balance between savage and tame.

The intro to “obZen” gets the spotlight as the bass becomes a  which makes an awesome compilation of bass and guitar riffs+drumming.

“Lethargica and Mind’s Mirrors, In Death – Is Life / In Death” are the trippiest songs you can get from Meshuggah. “obZen” is a close second, as we journey to a better place before the anger manifested comes along.

“Do Not Look Down” can be compared vocally and instrumentally to a few new bands whose music style is similar (for instance, Islander). This song is definitely not their usual music style. It sounds like a reach, but the final product is definitely worth listening to and once you do, prepare for the headbanging.

In “On The Hurt That Finds You First” and “Bleed” the drummer’s potential is definitely tested in this fast atmosphere song with almost no breaks for slower and easier turns.

Live Review, Photos: Mastodon with Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles

“I Am Colossus” is lyric focused, and when the riffs fall in, they never overpower, giving the vocalist more freedom to say what he wants to say.

The beginning of “Demiurge” sounds like a Siren call, attracting your attention. It’s soft and executed with vocal perfection. The pure and almost innocent atmosphere is soon corrupted by an eminent revolt. This brutal song is one of the most addictive songs to listen to on a daily basis.

“Dancers To A Discordant System” brings the energy that new bands have and a fresh chaos only seasoned bands who have been on this path could bring.

“New Millennium Cyanide Christ” from the time signature, to the lyrics and the guitar+drums all in conjunction make this one of the most aggressive songs featured on this album!

The last song is “The Last Vigil” and this soft all-instrumental song ends the album perfectly, calming the excessively destructive environment created by the show. This song can also be compared to “Lethargica’s and Mind’s Mirrors / In Death – Is Life / In Death – Is Death”’s trippy style, but this time, with no anger manifested afterwards.

Connect With MESHUGGAH:

Webpage  |   twitter  |   facebook, by victoria oliveira,  rockrevolt magazine journalist.

This article needs proof-reading. But I am so overpowered by wanting the album I don’t care.

It’s a language barrier issue with this one. We will definitely get on it! Thanks for the heads up! 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.

Meshuggah: The Ophidian Trek

A spectacular live show from these true heavyweights..

You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.

That hoary ‘prog metal’ tag can be as much of a millstone as an accolade for a band, but Meshuggah are perhaps the best of even the elite in this area.

A quarter of a century in and they’ve found a way of sounding complex and intricate while never losing their innate fury. These qualities come across brilliantly on The Ophidian Trek . Recorded during their last US and European tour, this concert film has so much creative punch that every song here is taken to another dimension when compared to what the band have previously delivered on the studio versions. Much of this has to do with the manner in which the audience is involved in the music. The footage of people’s reactions here is enthralling, and instructive. While so many bands make the mistake of filming fans for a DVD as if they’re no more than mere extras, Meshuggah have made them part of the experience. In doing so, they have released something that really does justice to the whole idea of a live album. This is a climactic package that works from both the visual and audio viewpoint. It might well be the best live release of the year, and it’s a true spectacle.

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for  Record Mirror  magazine in the late 70s and  Metal Fury  in the early 80s before joining  Kerrang!  at its launch in 1981. His first book,  Encyclopedia Metallica , published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the  Anthrax  song  Metal Thrashing Mad  in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021 . 

“There’s going to be a feeling of loss but a huge sense of relief… I’ve had my time with them. I’m finding new friends now and they can move on”: When David Gilmour auctioned 123 of his guitars for charity

Richard Thompson replaces Trevor Horn at Cropredy Festival

Listen to Meer's uplifting new single Chains Of Changes here...

Most Popular

The Ophidian Trek

STREAM OR BUY:

Release Date

Recording date, recording location, discography timeline, user reviews, track listing, similar albums.

• Meet the Team
• Join the Team

(((O))) : Meshuggah – The Ophidian Trek

By:  geoff topley, meshuggah |  website |   facebook |   twitter |   .

Released on September 26, 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records

Occasionally I find myself with an overpowering urge to listen to crushingly heavy music that manages to channel any frustration, or anger, into a corner of my head that basically becomes the no-go zone. One of the bands that fits perfectly into this realm is Sweden’s extreme metallers Meshuggah . I first encountered the band when Rory Friers of ASIWYFA mentioned them to me, the conversation was about tempos, riffs and detuned guitars if I recall correctly. At the time I was obsessing over detuning my guitars for that extra low end. Meshuggah, if you didn’t know it already, play detuned 8 string guitars custom built for their incredible and unique style of playing.

The Ophidian Trek is a live DVD/CD package which pulls together 15 tracks from their back catalogue. Lasting over 90 minutes in length, I have to admit I couldn’t possibly digest this entire album in one sitting. In fact, any more than a few songs in a row is tantamount to pushing me over the edge. So, why am I reviewing it you ask? Well, because I’m interested in musical extremes and listening to music that I couldn’t possibly emulate. In fact, there are few people in this world who could possibly generate the kind of mathematical polyrhythms and grooves contained in a Meshuggah album.

To the untrained ear, this music is pure cacophonous noise, unexplainable, seriously impenetrable, deranged, horrific and just plain fucked up. But listen closely and it is also stunning, incredible, amazing, intricate, unbelievable and superbly recreated in the live setting. Not that you would know this as the audio version of this show has been edited so that the minimal crowd noise, which only appears at the beginning or end of tracks, sounds like the audience are possibly not in the venue.

The suitably named ‘Swarm’ opens the album/show, its rolling drums and menacing droning riff reminiscent of bees, probably killer bees too. The guitar ‘solo’, like many of Fredrik Thordendal’s is devoid of melody and is mainly a frenzied stabbing attack. It’s noteworthy, that any soloing in this type of extreme metal probably just wouldn’t fit, so the kind that Thordendal plays works. ‘Combustion’ is an impossible collision of complex riffing and superhuman drumming. It’s always a marvel how this band conjure up such technical playing on the studio albums, to hear it played out live is confounding and truly amazing.

The groove and two-note guitar lines in ‘Rational Gaze’ bring little hooks, when the music is so relentless you find yourself clinging onto any semblance of melody. The timing on this track really is off the scale, drums and guitars pulling in different directions, the ability Meshuggah have to switch instantaneously from one to another extremely complex pattern is astonishing. How the fuck do they manage to remember everything? Their ability to make sounds that are more akin to industrial machinery is also hard to explain. ‘Obzen’ is an absurd mix of chugging riffage and machine gun kick drums.

The riffs of ‘Lethargica’ are so broken and intricately started/stopped that it sounds as if the industrial machine is about to grind to a deathly halt. ‘Do Not Look Down’ retains a slower groove but is no less intense and the riffs are still as twisted. ‘The Hurt’ is a full on thrasher with incredible drumming that constantly shifts timing and rhythm. There appears to be two drummers on ‘Bleed’, such is the staggering combination of insane kick drumming and separate rhythms by hand, that appear to be at a different time signature.

Outstanding track ‘Demiurge’ is a barrage of riffs constantly changing but yet managing to retain a consistent level of droning fury, like a raging sea engulfing you. The solos are certainly the most melodic and add a ghostly feel to the track. The end section of ‘Dancers to a Discordant System’ manages to settle into a superb bouncing rhythm, showcasing how the band aren’t just about blood and thunder. There’s also a variance to be heard in closer ‘The Last vigil’, with chiming ethereal guitars throughout, it’s hard to believe the band are capable of such quiet beauty after such intense brutality. Surely this must be the music over the end credits on the DVD, they don’t end their shows with this do they?

Ever increasing in size, the Meshuggah fan base will thoroughly enjoy this set. As I mentioned already, this is music I dip into on occasion rather than frequently, but I can still appreciate the energy and ability it takes to create this incredible kind of sound. Right now, I’m off for a lie down in a darkened room.

If you liked that, you might like these...

R.J.F. – Strange Going

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss

Full Earth – Cloud Sculptors

Gavran / Svjetlost – Ocean of Silence

(((o))) on the web, (((o))) support the site.

Regular visitor? Please consider a small subscription to help us keep the site running. As little as £1 a month could make all the difference. Click here for more details.

(((O))) WHY NOT TRY…

The Chameleons – Where Are You?

My Dying Bride – A Mortal Binding

Malini Sridharan – Tombeaux

Eamon Ivri – In The Red Eye of the Evening

K’mono – Mind Out of Mind

(((o))) recommended gigs.

If you’ve enjoyed reading our site please consider supporting our Patreon and help ensure we can keep up the good work in to the future. More Info

Pin It on Pinterest

• CDs & Vinyl

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Return this item for free

We offer easy, convenient returns with at least one free return option: no shipping charges. All returns must comply with our returns policy.

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select your preferred free shipping option
• Drop off and leave!

Image Unavailable

• Sorry, this item is not available in
• Image not available
• To view this video download Flash Player

The Ophidian Trek

• Streaming Unlimited MP3 $10.49 Listen with our Free App
• Audio CD $22.99 3 Used from $24.50 3 New from $22.99
• Vinyl $29.77 2 Used from $8.74 10 New from $29.77 1 Collectible from $168.44

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Track Listings

Editorial reviews.

With Blu-ray. Formed in the college town of Umea in northern Sweden in 1987, Meshuggah have spent the last twenty seven years and cumulative fourteen releases developing, exploring, and redefining their complex, inimitable approach on the art of expressing the music they hear in their heads. A group that has not sounded like anyone else in over two decades, Meshuggah is one of the few purely and honestly lateral-thinking forces, genuinely dedicated to pushing the boundaries of extreme music, simply because doing so comes naturally to them.

Product details

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.96 x 5.6 x 0.39 inches; 4.16 ounces
• Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Atomic Fire
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 12986373
• Original Release Date ‏ : ‎ 2014
• Date First Available ‏ : ‎ August 7, 2014
• Label ‏ : ‎ Atomic Fire
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ME6KWRE
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 3
• #3,729 in Hard Rock (CDs & Vinyl)
• #12,144 in Metal

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

High-quality Music Downloads

The Ophidian Trek

• 16-bit FLAC

Atomic Fire Records

• 320kbps MP3 + 320kbps M4A €10,49
• 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC €13,49

Also by Meshuggah

• 24-bit FLAC

You might also like...

We - and our partners - use cookies to deliver our services to you in a faster more efficient manner. By using our website you agree to the use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy .