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Koloss
2012 studio album by Meshuggah

Koloss is the seventh studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Meshuggah, released on 23 March 2012 in Germany, on 26 March in the rest of Europe, and on March 27 in North America, by Nuclear Blast.

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Background

Tomas Haake stated, "As always, we try to take our music in a slightly different direction with each album and with Koloss, we feel that we really nailed what we were going for. Organic brutality, viscera and groove all crammed into a 54-minute metalicious treat, best avoided by the faint of heart!!"2

The Koloss album was different from others in terms of cooperation and making music together. Fredrik and Mårten worked together in creating a couple of songs together. Jens Kidman who retired from guitar playing since the album Contradictions Collapse composed "Behind the Sun".

Release

The album was released on 23 March 2012 in Germany, 26 March in the rest of Europe and on March 27 in North America. It was released as a standard compact disc, as a digipak version featuring a bonus DVD, as a limited edition boxed set "magic cube" (a mock-Rubik's Cube featuring the album artwork, available only through Nuclear Blast mail-order), and a double-LP pressed on brown vinyl.3

The album debuted at number 17 in the United States, with first week sales of 18,342 copies, the band's and record label's highest position on the charts.4 Koloss also debuted at number 27 on the Canadian Albums Chart.5

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/1006
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic7
Alternative Press8
The A.V. ClubB+9
Decibel8/1010
Drowned in Sound11
Exclaim!favourable12
Spin Magazine9/1013
Sputnikmusic14
Pitchfork8.2/1015

Koloss received generally favorable reviews.16 Kory Grow of Spin Magazine called it "the first real contender for the genre's album of the year".17

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."I Am Colossus"Tomas HaakeMårten Hagström, Fredrik Thordendal4:43
2."The Demon's Name Is Surveillance"HaakeThordendal4:39
3."Do Not Look Down"HaakeHaake, Hagström, Thordendal4:43
4."Behind the Sun"HaakeKidman6:14
5."The Hurt That Finds You First"HagströmHagström5:33
6."Marrow"HaakeHaake, Hagström, Thordendal5:35
7."Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion"HaakeHagström6:55
8."Swarm"HaakeHaake, Hagström, Thordendal5:26
9."Demiurge"HagströmHagström6:12
10."The Last Vigil"(instrumental)Hagström4:32
Total length:54:32
Limited edition DVD
No.TitleLength
1."Konstrukting the Koloss" (Making of "Koloss")25:00
2."Meshuggah in India" (Live in India)26:25

I Am Colossus EP

"I Am Colossus" was released as a two-track EP. The stop-motion video for the song was compared to similar videos created by the band Tool.18

No.TitleLength
1."I Am Colossus"4:43
2."I Am Colossus" (Engine-EarZ & Foreign Beggars Remix)4:44

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)1936
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)2048
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)2189
Canadian Albums (Billboard)2224
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)237
French Albums (SNEP)24120
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)2548
Japanese Albums (Oricon)2688
Scottish Albums (OCC)2778
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)2812
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)2939
UK Albums (OCC)3093
US Billboard 2003117

Further reading

References

  1. "Meshuggah Drummer Says 'Koloss' Is A '54-Minute Metalicious Treat'". Blabbermouth.net. January 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/meshuggah-drummer-says-koloss-is-a-54-minute-metalicious-treat ↩

  2. "Meshuggah Drummer Says 'Koloss' Is A '54-Minute Metalicious Treat'". Blabbermouth.net. January 16, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/meshuggah-drummer-says-koloss-is-a-54-minute-metalicious-treat ↩

  3. "Meshuggah: New Album Cover Artwork, Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. January 17, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2013. http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/meshuggah-new-album-cover-artwork-track-listing-revealed ↩

  4. "Meshuggah's new album, Koloss, has given Nuclear Blast USA their highest sales and Billboard 200 debuts ever". lambgoat.com. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012. http://lambgoat.com/bits/6145/Meshuggah-Koloss-first-week-sales-Billboard-chart ↩

  5. "CANOE -- JAM! Music SoundScan Charts". Archived from the original on April 17, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2014. http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050417041937/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html ↩

  6. "Koloss by Meshuggah". Metacritic. Retrieved October 16, 2016. https://www.metacritic.com/music/koloss/meshuggah ↩

  7. Heaney, Gregory. "Koloss - Meshuggah – Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 29, 2012. http://www.allmusic.com/album/koloss-mw0002311245 ↩

  8. Schreurs, Jason (March 26, 2012). "Alternative Press – Reviews – Meshuggah – Koloss". Alternative Press. Retrieved March 27, 2012. http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/meshuggah_koloss ↩

  9. Heller, Jason (March 27, 2012). "Meshuggah: Koloss – Music – Music Review – The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 27, 2012. https://www.avclub.com/meshuggah-koloss-1798172123 ↩

  10. Stewart-Panko, Kevin (April 2012). "Towering Achievement". Decibel Magazine (90). ↩

  11. Smith, Patrick (March 23, 2012). "Meshuggah Koloss". Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120329061739/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16900/reviews/4144684 ↩

  12. Falzon, Denise (March 25, 2012). "Meshuggah – Koloss – Metal Reviews – exclaim.ca". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 27, 2012. http://exclaim.ca/Reviews/Metal/meshuggah-koloss ↩

  13. Grow, Kory (March 26, 2012). "Meshuggah, 'Koloss' (Nuclear Blast) – SPIN". Retrieved March 29, 2012. http://www.spin.com/reviews/meshuggah-koloss-nuclear-blast ↩

  14. Thomas, Adam (March 20, 2012). "Meshuggah Koloss". Retrieved April 13, 2012. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/48716/Meshuggah-Koloss/ ↩

  15. Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (August 1, 2016). "Meshuggah - 25 Years of Musical Deviance". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22142-25-years-of-musical-deviance/ ↩

  16. "Koloss by Meshuggah". Metacritic. Retrieved October 16, 2016. https://www.metacritic.com/music/koloss/meshuggah ↩

  17. Grow, Kory (March 26, 2012). "Meshuggah, 'Koloss' (Nuclear Blast) – SPIN". Retrieved March 29, 2012. http://www.spin.com/reviews/meshuggah-koloss-nuclear-blast ↩

  18. Rosenberg, Axl (April 4, 2013). "'I Am Colossus': Meshuggah Release Toolish New Video". Metal Sucks. Retrieved June 3, 2014. http://www.metalsucks.net/2013/04/04/i-am-colossus-meshuggah-release-toolish-new-video/ ↩

  19. "Australiancharts.com – Meshuggah – Koloss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  20. "Austriancharts.at – Meshuggah – Koloss" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  21. "Ultratop.be – Meshuggah – Koloss" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  22. "Meshuggah Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Meshuggah/chart-history/CNA ↩

  23. "Meshuggah: Koloss" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.ifpi.fi/lista/artistit/Meshuggah/Koloss ↩

  24. "Lescharts.com – Meshuggah – Koloss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  25. "Offiziellecharts.de – Meshuggah – Koloss" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-191943 ↩

  26. "伏魔殿 | メシュガー" [Koloss | Meshuggah]. Oricon. Retrieved November 16, 2021. https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/168504/products/956842/1/ ↩

  27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20120401/40/ ↩

  28. "Swedishcharts.com – Meshuggah – Koloss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  29. "Swisscharts.com – Meshuggah – Koloss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 November 2021. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Meshuggah&titel=Koloss&cat=a ↩

  30. "Meshuggah | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/7344/meshuggah/ ↩

  31. "Meshuggah Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2021. https://www.billboard.com/artist/Meshuggah/chart-history/TLP ↩