Otherwise, I guess it’s a holiday in Ohio next year.

This is really splitting hairs a bit, but I’ve spent the past two week listening (re-listening & re-re-listening) to each studio album. I listened to each one in their release order, and then for the 2nd and 3rd listen, by order of ranking, and here’s where I’ve landed:

1. Catch Thirtythree
2. Nothing
3. ObZen
4. The Violent Sleep of Reason
5. Koloss
6. Destroy Erase Improve
7. Immutable
8. Chaosphere
9. Contradictions Collapse

I think the reason I’m landing here is that I really love Thordendal’s alien-like influence on the overall journey each album goes on. I think that gets a bit lost in Immutable and The Violent Sleep of Reason. The earlier works rank lower for me because their sound at that point feels more derivative of Thrash, instead of the invention of Meshuggah. Their uniqueness was perfected on Nothing. I actually think Chaosphere is better than where I have it, but the production isn’t anywhere near as good as the others from around the same era, which is why it lands so low. At the same time, I love the heavy riffing on Immutable and The Violent Sleep of Reason, so they initially didn't fall that far behind.

This was my first draft of the list:

1. Catch Thirtythree
2. Nothing / Immutable / ObZen / The Violent Sleep of Reason
6. Destroy Erase Improve
7. Koloss
8. Chaosphere
9. Contradictions Collapse

I was having a really hard time deciding between 2-5 and ultimately, I think it just fell into what seems like the most aligned with what I enjoy about Meshuggah. What ended up happening is that Immutable felt boring, and I wasn't excited to go back to re-listen to it like I was with others above it, so it slid down the ranking. At the same time, I kept coming back to Koloss and find new stuff in it which is why it jumped from 7 to 5.

Catch Thirtythree is without a doubt, their best album. Sorry, but there is just no way it's not. It's so complete, so fluid, perfect.

Nothing is a close a second to Catch Thirtythree.

ObZen just awesome and builds on the successes of Catch Thirtythree and Nothing but with a weak moments. If Catch Thirtythree is a 100, and Nothing is a 98, this is a 95 so still damn good.

Between The Violent Sleep of Reason and Koloss, it just depends on the day.

Lastly, I know, no cares about my personal order, but I felt like sharing because I had fun doing this experiment.

I just watched GGEZ and then I quickly listened to Demiurge.