Jens Kidman
Encyclopedia
Jens Kidman is the vocalist and former guitarist for the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah
. He is famous for his very aggressive shouts and screams and for his "mean" stage presence.
first created Meshuggah, he originally handled both vocal and rhythm guitar duties. He later abandoned his role as a rhythm guitarist, although he contributed guitar
, bass
, and drum programming on Meshuggah's 2005 studio album Catch Thirtythree
.
His vocal style consist of growls, hardcore shouts and aggressive screams. Kidman's vocal style has distinctly evolved over Meshuggah's career: earlier Meshuggah albums like Destroy Erase Improve
and Chaosphere
showcase Kidman's aggressive shouts and growls. In later albums such as Nothing and Catch Thirtythree, Kidman's vocals were more of a monotone, almost robotic quality.
Kidman works with the rest of the band to make sure that his vocals take on a near-rhythmic quality when set to the music, sometimes even re-writing lyrics entirely for this purpose. The only time he is heard singing clean vocals on a Meshuggah recording is on the song "Ritual" from the EP None
. He occasionally double tracks his vocals as well. He sometimes writes lyrics for Meshuggah, for example on the tracks "Terminal Illusions" and "Suffer in Truth" from Destroy Erase Improve.
He contributed vocals on the track "The Dream Is Over" from the album XIII
by American alternative metal
/industrial metal
band Mushroomhead
.
Meshuggah
Meshuggah is an extreme metal band from Umeå, Sweden, formed in 1987. Meshuggah's line-up has primarily consisted of founding members vocalist Jens Kidman and lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, drummer Tomas Haake, who joined in 1990, and rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, who joined in 1992...
. He is famous for his very aggressive shouts and screams and for his "mean" stage presence.
Musical career and style
When Kidman and bandmate/lead guitarist Fredrik ThordendalFredrik Thordendal
Fredrik Thordendal is the lead guitarist and a founding member of the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah.He, along with Meshuggah's rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström were rated #35 by Guitar World in the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists of all-time.-Musical career:Under the name...
first created Meshuggah, he originally handled both vocal and rhythm guitar duties. He later abandoned his role as a rhythm guitarist, although he contributed guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and drum programming on Meshuggah's 2005 studio album Catch Thirtythree
Catch Thirtythree
-Meshuggah:* Jens Kidman – vocals, guitar, bass, drum programming, mixing* Fredrik Thordendal – guitar, bass, drum programming, mixing* Mårten Hagström – guitar, bass, drum programming, mixing...
.
His vocal style consist of growls, hardcore shouts and aggressive screams. Kidman's vocal style has distinctly evolved over Meshuggah's career: earlier Meshuggah albums like Destroy Erase Improve
Destroy Erase Improve
-Personnel:Meshuggah* Jens Kidman – lead vocals* Fredrik Thordendal – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, synthesizers * Mårten Hagström – rhythm guitar* Tomas Haake – drums, voices...
and Chaosphere
Chaosphere
-Re-release bonus tracks:-Personnel:Meshuggah* Jens Kidman - lead vocals* Gustaf Hielm - bass* Tomas Haake - drums, vocals * Mårten Hagström - rhythm guitar...
showcase Kidman's aggressive shouts and growls. In later albums such as Nothing and Catch Thirtythree, Kidman's vocals were more of a monotone, almost robotic quality.
Kidman works with the rest of the band to make sure that his vocals take on a near-rhythmic quality when set to the music, sometimes even re-writing lyrics entirely for this purpose. The only time he is heard singing clean vocals on a Meshuggah recording is on the song "Ritual" from the EP None
None (EP)
-Credits:* Jens Kidman – vocals* Tomas Haake – drums* Peter Nordin – bass* Fredrik Thordendal – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals* Mårten Hagström – rhythm guitar, backing vocals...
. He occasionally double tracks his vocals as well. He sometimes writes lyrics for Meshuggah, for example on the tracks "Terminal Illusions" and "Suffer in Truth" from Destroy Erase Improve.
He contributed vocals on the track "The Dream Is Over" from the album XIII
XIII (album)
XIII is the fifth major label album by industrial metal band Mushroomhead, released in 2003. The album debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard 200 and sold 400,000 copies worldwide...
by American alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
/industrial metal
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
band Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead
Mushroomhead is an American industrial metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in Cleveland Warehouse District, the band's music can be described as a synthesis of alternative music, heavy metal, and electro-industrial...
.
External links
- Meshuggah official website
- Meshuggah at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Meshuggah at Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
Europe - Meshuggah at Nuclear BlastNuclear BlastNuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
USA