Old Composer REACTS to Meshuggah BLEED | Tomas Haake Drum Cam 

"The drum goes like... BRRTA BRRTA BRRTA BRRTA BRRTA..." ‐Bill Burr

My legs herta just listening.

>hits play >immediately goes into djent trance yeah seems about right

The reason for the no-shoes thing, from a drummer. When you're playing this fast, the weight of your shoes matters. Every gram of extra weight on your feet is more work your muscles have to do to keep it precise, and when you're doing this for 30, 60, 90 minutes, that can mean the difference in endurance between doing an encore and not doing an encore, or even finishing the set. And then once you're used to that, as a pro like Tomas is, it just becomes easier to play without them. To put it another way - if you're training for a marathon, you might put on weighted anklets to help your endurance in the lead-up. But when you go to do the actual race, you take them off to get your maximum endurance potential. Same deal here - he's basically running a marathon with those bass drums!

Its almost impossible to believe how technically precise this band is.

This song inspired me to never touch drum sticks again.

For what it's worth, this song is supposed to represent someone dying from an aneurysm. That context makes the song structure even more fascinating.

drummers - "blast beats are difficult" Tomas Haake - "hold my skull full of mead"

Didn't see anyone mention the fact that it took Tomas 6 months just to learn this song versus 6 months for the rest of the album. He's on record saying that he had to change his drumming style to learn to play this properly

As a drummer of 33 years experience, I can honestly say that this is the most difficult song I have ever learned, it got to the point where I had to leave it alone for a few months, the timing was so hard to nail, but once I had learned it ,well it was certainly an accomplishment.

I am a professional drummer and speaking from experience, his ghost notes are immaculately placed and he set the bar for drummers in general. Just sick stuff.

When he reached ghost notes he got me. Dude’s actually digesting Bleed. Great reaction vid.

CLOCKWORKS drum cam is a must too!

Your face trying to figure out what time signature the song is in is the same as when I'm doing my physics exam.

20 year old me would have never listened to this. The 50 year old me can’t get enough. I’m a music lover and can’t play any instruments. You’re explanations of what and why are perfect for me. Thank you for doing one of my favorite songs.

I urge EVERYONE to see Meshuggah live if you get the chance. It is Mesmerising and beautiful and the most powerful thing you will witness on a stage!

What blows me away is Tomas was recovering from an ankle injury and he called this performance sloppy

"I don't know if they are actually bending the string..." Yeah, they are bending the strings! TO THEIR WILL!

I'm a drummer and I learned to play a couple of their songs. This band is on another level, experts at their instruments. They change time signature like the wind changes direction.

Me: How many calories do you consume on concert days? Thomas Haake: Yes.

if you've never heard Bill Burr talk about this song and Meshuggah, check it out, it's hilarious.

This band has the best lights too, watching the lighting guy 'play' the lights is up there with the rest of the band. Seeing them live is like aliens have arrived.

I imagine, after the concert, they just carry the drummer to the tour bus under an IV.

6 minutes in and I'm subscribed. Finally a reaction channel with some substance.

My man’s having an existential crisis listening to this 😂

I saw Meshuggah open for Tool, and Tomas came back out and played percussion with Tool on one song. So good.

In fairness "bitchen" saw a brief resurgence in the 90's.

I have watched a ton of REACTS!!!?!! videos of heavy bands. Yours is by far the most thoughtful analysis upon a first listen than I have seen yet. You're picking out things I didn't hear until the umpteenth listen, you articulate what you heard concisely and explain what's happening in accessible detail for the lay listener. I mean, you're really listening and thinking, not just REACTING???? It's wonderful, and I hope you continue in that vein regardless of what you choose to analyze. -OCL

Headbanging at a Meshuggah gig is like the hardest thing I’ve ever done

If you enjoyed this I recommend a candidate for their most impressive song, Clockworks. They recorded this album, "The Violent Sleep of Reason" live, to give it a more wild feel. There's a drum cam of Tomas playing this song. Do check it out, you won't regret it!

As a metal head and huge Meshuggah fan I have to give you serious respect for your analysis. Absolutely nailed it. Often metal is misunderstood but you absolutely get it.

I love that you caught onto the HUGE and Important rhythmic part played by the vocalist here. It's something a lot of people miss when they are getting into the heavier of the metal bands. Vocalists are like the lead drummer.

Probably 15 years ago I was reading an interview in Revolver Magazine with one of the guitarists from Meshuggah and they were asked about their writing process. Whichever guitarist it was responded, "First we smoke the blunt, then we write the music."

I think Tomas uses the ghost notes here to help him stay "in the pocket". Lots of drummers do that to help keep the groove even though they know that they can't be heard in the mix.

That mellow break in the middle is so cool. On the album you can't hear a count-in so it really does surprise you when the band kicks back in. First time I heard this song that part genuinely startled me. Like a good scare in a horror movie.

Was so lucky to meet the band twice. Unbelievably awesome and humble lads. First time I met them, some arse hole parked in front of the gates at nottingham rock city. My buddy Toe, said to to Tomas, 'Youre a big guy, cmon and well move it' To this day its one of my best memories. Watching my good friend and tomas haake lifting a ford fiesta at the rear axils and rotating it 45 degrees was so surreal. The bouncers came and were like, what the fuck are you doing? shrugs everywhere lol

MORE MESHUGGAHHHHHH! "Future breed machine" "Break those bones whose sinew gives them motion" "Rational Gaze" "Demons name is surveillance" 🤘🤘🤘

"if anybody is not synched it sounds like sneakers in a drier" that's the phrase i used back in my engineering days.

Meshuggah is one of the best bands in history.

The way he just nails that crash symbol so slowly and clearly while his feet are almost too fast to even hear is so powerful. He's got a real great connection with that lead guitarist, they literally didn't miss a single note together.

The thing that kills me, is the fact that he looks like he's just chillin'.

An interesting thing about them: Everything is depending on a midi signal. So they are "hard coded" :D The guitarists don't have any pedals to control, one midi signal switches all their gear, pans them, turn effects on/off etc. It is also recorded, as it's full digital, they don't use any cabs or mics. They get it to their ear monitors too, so they sound the same every night, and don't depend much on the gear of the venue. The midi track is also sent to Thomas so he does play to a "click", it just changes even mid song if necessary. It is extremely difficult to do, especially on this level.

Meshuggah are absolute masters of rhythmic displacement. You'll notice that the main beat turns around on a 4 count. You can count 1-2-3-4 and it comes back together. But the riffs themselves are usually in an odd time signature. So the rhythm of the guitars and accented by the bass drums turn around in 5 or 7 or whatever it may be, meaning that the two rhythms are criss crossing over one another and don't combine for a long time. If the guitar riff is in 7, then it doesn't meet back up with the main 4 beat for a full 28 counts. You'll also notice that the secondary riff changes at every section of the song, and sometimes within each phrase of said section. It is extremely complex and is akin to musical quantum trigonometry. Is that even a thing? I don't know, but you get my point. They take poly-meters within a song to much more extreme heights and it's just incredible to see. Especially from Thomas, who is handling the 4/4 beat with hi hat and snare and the secondary rhythm with his bass drum, while also accenting it with cymbal hits and backbeat hits on his snare. The limb independence and coordination needed for that is unfathomable (this coming from an experienced prog metal drummer). Just an insane display of human capabilities. Beautiful!

Seeing them live for a full show in real life is quite the experience. Its quite tranquilizing after a while

If you want to hear Tomas Haake's ghost notes, you should do a video for their song "Clockworks". There is an awesome drumcam vid (from their recording of the album, which was recorded in live conditions FYI).

During that atmospheric break Thomas actually changed to a different pair of socks

Do the song "I". It's a short, easy listen at 21 minutes long-

THANK YOU for noticing the ghost notes on the snare!! That's huge! This band is FACTUALLY one of the greatest to ever assemble and your review of this song is the example of why that is a fact. Loved the trance you went into at the beginning too when you hit play LOL

If you're bored look up Meshuggah's lighting guy on youtube. There's no click so he has to manually trigger scenes and it's something else.

You should check out The Woven Web by Animals as Leaders, you'd dig that.

Remember they play a whole concert, not just this track.... the stamina is incredible. a human metronome!

This has to be one of the hardest songs to play. They sound so tight shit's crazy.

Do more Meshuggah, bleed is the tip of the iceberg It’s refreshing to see someone who really knows what they’re talking about react and explain incredible musicians and bands like Meshuggah

Watching them play this live standing front and centre of the mosh pit was one of my favourite live music experiences ever

The pause in the song is there specifically to give the band a breather.

I just love watching your emotions as the music reverberates to your expressions. Your positive attitude and humility are equally awesome and inspiring. Thank you for the engaging commentary and the great work that you do. You are bitchin'!

One of the most precise bands in history. Gig after gig, show after show. Absolute Mastery.

"Bleed" is like the "Giant Steps" of metal.

Aaaand subscribed. As a studio musician I've come to appreciate everything and a serious cat like this guy treating this type of music with the respect it deserves won me over immediately great job dude. And this band is just outrageously precise it's inspiring when people take this much pride in their craft. Love Meshuggah it should be called Jazz core LOL

I was today at the concert in Berlin and I can confirm... Tomas Haake STILL is a frickin' machine. And they were tight as hell!

Thomas “Hawkee”. The rudiment he is playing with his feet is called “Herta”. It is hard enough to play it properly with your hands. Thomas Haake plays a two hour concert like this. He definitely earns his paycheck. Considering how technical and powerful he is, he is in the top three drummers in the world. Also, the lights are programmed to the beat - crazy.

rational gaze is a must you know what, bill burr talking about meshuggah is a must watch/listen

God, I love your channel so much. It's so validating for all of my favorite parts of these songs to get picked up by you as well. I laugh every time because it's just so much joy to see someone share that moment of "omg I can't believe they did that" or "wow that was really killer". This channel is a gem.

Just want to say that I very much appreciate this channel and the good energy it puts out. Every video feels like I'm visiting with a friend and I mean that.

Pronunciation: Hawk-eh. I’ve been studying the drums to this song for a bit. There are at least seven different variations to learn in this song. The patterns are evolving all over the place, yet some patterns repeat and others don’t, so it’s all deliberate to an insanely precise level. The footwork is predicated on the herta, which uses 16th note triplets with offset eighth notes, but it’s polyrhythmic with the hands, which are phrased in 4/4 throughout the song, which means the snare is landing in three different places before resolving again on the same kick beat - despite the patterns changing as the snare remains constant, except when he goes into double-time based on the 2:3 polyrhythm (two snares for every three crashes). The ability to follow this arrangement, keep the “ones,” stay in tempo, and TRANSITION into the different parts - let alone throw in the dynamics (ghost notes) - is impossible to appreciate fully until trying to play even 30 seconds of one part. I can’t emphasize how daunting of a song this would be to play. I can play the intro and first verse, but then the patterns start to change, which is before two minutes of the song. It’s unreal they can play this live at the flawless level they do. These guys are at the top of the top tier in music.

I appreciate how you don’t judge the content how most would. You really hear more than most. This is intense. You handled this one nicely. You’ve taken on some crazy music in a short amount of time. Thank you.

I was waiting for this.......enjoy!

A great reaction and explanation as of why I've loved and always followed them. A truly magnificent beast to see live.

Hell. Yes. Meshuggah is life. I’d love to see you cover more Devin Townsend. Being a DEcomposer you’d really appreciate his quarantine performance of Why? It’s incredible. Also I’m bringing back the word bitchin. 😆

When he bent over like you were talking about I believe it was to put on socks. Lol, I think his feet were moving so fast they were generating their own climate.

What a great reaction/breakdown, thank you (i saw it when you just released it, but came back to hear it again). Great stuff .

Bruh... SO sick!! That's dedication, meticulous practice (on his own & w/the band), & a ton of natural ability = TALENT! By all members of Meshuggah. Using odd time signatures, screaming tempos, polyrhythmic layers everywhere & insanely precise playing. Mind blown 🤯. Glad your channel came up on my recommended, this is my first video of yours but I've subbed & am diving into your back catalog. Its great listening to a knowledgeable guy thats also humble, has a sense of humor and is likeable. Great content bossman 🤟😎👍

My understanding is that this song was originally called Aneurysm, and the song is making you feel like your dying that way. Sick

"Hey, Tomas! How many hertas do you want to play with your feet in this track?" "Yes."

I love this guy he appreciates all kind of music and gives everything ago keep it up man

Meshuggah is just built different. Tomas had to re learn the way he plays the drum for this track.

My Favorite part about Meshuggah is that when they record their albums, they dont record each part individually and layer them. They record the full band at once for each song on every album. Its amazing. They are so in tune with each other after playing with each other for so long.

I know this might sound crazy but to me this song is so fast that it feels like it's slow in a way. I can't explain why.

Love that you just GET it brother, this song and this band is a spiritual experience. Amazing stuff, keep it up 🤘

Just found your reaction videos. Love you takes :). I just wanted to add that watching these guys live is an experience. I love watching musicians up close. All 5 have a different timing tick and are all following different timings but yet all of them are in sync like the planets aligning. Tomas has the head twitch, Jens (vocalist) taps his timing with his right hand on his leg while singing, Dick (bassist) has a slow head bob that takes a full 8 count, and Fredrick and Marten have different head banging nods but both with different timings. They don't move around the stage because their timing has to be so precise. It took the band 9 months to practice the songs from the Obzen album before they took any of those songs to stage.

My nominations for future listens: "CAFO" by Animals as Leaders "Ghosts of Perdition" by Opeth Sol Niger Within by Fredrik Thordendal's Special Defects IN ITS ENTIRETY :D

Best mosh pit of my life.

Geebz....I've been watching u for awhile now & I just can't get enough. I love listening to u break down & review all kinds of music. Good stuff man.👍👍😎😎. Please keep em coming!!

I loved hearing your insight as you listened this track. I could tell you were truly actively listening and taking everything in. My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing them play this live right after Obzen came out and they played it flawlessly of course lol. Awesome reaction!

“Feels like somebody dumping clips.” That sounds like Meshuggah alright.

I fucking love this, dude. Keep doing what you're doing.

Tomas Ha-Kay. He said they used to play this as a warm up. And decided to make it into a song. He changed the world with one song. And that energetic drive you feel is what draws all metal heads to metal!!

This is probably the best analysis of 'Bleed' I've ever saw on youtube. Thank you, sir, and hats off to you

The John Bonham bit you’re talking about is “Good times Bad times” haha I know because I too have tried playing it as a drummer. Love your videos man 🤘🏼

I’ve seen these guys 3 times live. Nothing will ever compare to the power, skill and stage presence. My god.

When you're listening I feel like I can see the gears in your mind turning haha you're awesome! Your channel helps me describe what's going on in my own mind when I'm listening to other bands if that makes sense. Thanks man.

one of the best reactions.. cuz you actually give a lot of information

A word about Jens Kidman, Meshuggah's singer. He's got one of the most powerful voices in this style of singing, but also has such incredible sense of timing. His vocal lines go over the top of all the timings/polyrhythms going on from the instruments without 'following' any of them. He basically does his own rhythm/timing, over all the instruments, and he never seems to ever lose the beat. A lot of times with odd time sigs the singing will be the most obvious part and easiest to follow but with Jens/'Shuggah, his timings are just as "odd" as the music. I've seen them play live only 1 time(Ozzfest '02 so a short set, Nothing album had just came out) but I've seen many live vids, and his voice always sounds strong.

They weren't sure to put this song on their album, because it was so hard to play this live together. Tomas said he needed a few weeks to actually practice this. He said he really needed to change his way to approach playing the drums. I am so glad he reinvented himself into this style, because I wouldn't want to have missed this song in my live! 🤘 I once hear someone say that Tomas Haake is your favorite drummer's favorite drummer. 😁

To every metal band this good - always drum cam!! World needs more drum cams!!!!

Bro, you are truly one of the best if not the top dawg for reactions.

fun fact, Tomas was recovering from a back injury that caused problems with his foot/leg when this was recorded.

Thomas actually writes the lyrics as well, and they've spoken about how it's an entire involved collaborative process between him & Jens (the singer) to figure out exactly how to place the vocals and how to weave & sync it into & with the instrumentals.

I just subscribed today to your channel tonight because you appreciate this kind of stuff...there is so much to explore in so many genres. Your analysis is spot on

Just caught wind of your channel and ill be subscribing. The fact that he's using both sides of his brain in this capacity is astounding. Thanks for the breakdown