SHOW REVIEW: MESHUGGAH AND THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER (LIVE IN ATLANTA, MAY 6, 2019)

May 172019

(Our Atlanta-Based contributor Tør attended the performance of Meshuggah and The Black Dahlia Murder on May 6th at Buckhead Theater, and provided us with these impressions and many of his photos of the performances, most of which follow the text below.)

It is a rather peculiar scene: a bunch of metal fans lined up on the sidewalk of one the trendiest parts of the city waiting for Meshuggah and The Black Dahlia Murder to perform. The Buckhead Theater is a wonderful venue for all kinds of live music and I am glad I can finally catch a show there for the first time after six years of living in Atlanta.

I make my way to the photo pit and it looks like it was designed to fit an elf. But it’s all good because The Black Dahlia Murder are on.

The energy is unbelievable—the band get through the setlist with gradual brutality. TBDM are one of a handful of American melodeath bands that can match anything coming out of the Swedish scene, and seeing them live illustrates this clearly.

Headliners Meshuggah are next and Buckhead Theater is almost jam-packed. This is my first time seeing Meshuggah without Fredrik Thordendal and they are still awesome as ever. Per Nilsson of Scar Symmetry has taken over the role on stage and made it his own.

I am standing about a foot and a half from Jens Kidman when the band kicks in with “Pravus” and “Born In Dissonance”. I lose my shit when I hear the moody part of “The Hurt That Finds You First”, as do the crowd. “Rational Gaze”, “Future Breed Machine”, and “Stengah” are next. The night ends with “Bleed” and “Demiurge”.

I wake up the next morning with the main riff to “Rational Gaze” playing in my head repeatedly. I know the only cure to this condition will be listening to Meshuggah on shuffle for the next few weeks.

More photos below.