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@Psyroptic: Of course, de gustibus as always, but I still believe that 2 days is too little, even if you listen to an album 15 times a day. This is a general statement, not just referring to Meshuggah. In the past, I was a die-hard fan of various bands (like Dream Theater), but I certainly didn't expect to understand everything that such or such band wanted to communicate with a new work in just 2 days. If in such a short time you think you've dissected everything this album has to offer, well, you might find yourself reassessing your judgment in a few months... Or maybe not. Peace/Love.

I immediately withdraw my support for Rivoli, heaven forbid! As for the Korn, I'm not budging; not only is the album horrendous, but the band as a whole is one of the most useless to ever appear on the planet. Regarding the Maiden, I can say that no one is infallible, and that the two albums with Blaze Bailey, through no fault of his own, were not inspired at all, unlike other previous works, and not even compared to the subsequent ones... Calling "The X Factor" an absolute masterpiece seems frankly excessive, considering the quality of some Maidenian works.

Attention! Attention! On the Korn album and on "The X Factor" I must admit that Rivoli is right this time... But only about that, let's be clear!

In my opinion, two days is a bit too short to make a judgment, let alone a balanced one, on an album, unless you are: a) a music critic with urgent editorial deadlines or b) a passionate (I avoid the term fanatical) follower of the band in question, eager to promote your idols to the ignorant masses who don't understand the true art that the band spreads generously over humanity.
Regarding the "technique yes, technique no" discussion, I don’t want to dwell too much; I’ll just add that I listened to several Meshuggah albums during my Metal phase, and while I found them innovative, they were also a bit boring; the immense violence expressed by many tracks seemed forced and was then diluted by atmospheric sections that felt somewhat out of place. "Destroy Erase Improve" impressed me quite a bit, but their subsequent works much, much less.
I don’t dispute the originality of the band, but the fact that “originality does not always equal quality.”

Clarification: I don't think Thordendal is better or worse than Petrucci, Vai, or Satriani (of the three, definitely the last one is the best), I think he is different and that, given his undeniable abilities, he could do better... Not faster, not heavier, just better.

@Justice: I don't think I've compared Thordendal to any of the three gentlemen you mentioned, whom I know and (at least in part) appreciate; I find it pretentious for someone to position themselves (or to be placed) as a monster of the instrument and then declare that they don't need to play 1000 notes per second to convey emotions, only to churn out 10-minute tracks with the same loop of 5 notes repeated endlessly. To avoid controversy, I'll say right away that I don't claim to have absolute truth, but only to support what I say with years of listening and reading often conflicting opinions; I've listened to a lot, and I've read both good and bad about everything, and I've formed an idea, which I am now presenting here. Peace.

Some (not all) great songs and a singer with a beautiful voice are the main features of this album, maybe not a masterpiece but still much better than much of the direct competition of the time, as well as a lot of the roots-alt.country-rock fluff that is still pushed on us today.
An album definitely better than what may come across from the good reviews.
Don't overlook the subsequent "Congratulations! I'm Sorry," certainly a more calculated album but full of great energy and excellent melodies.

Many consider them geniuses, but they've always annoyed the hell out of me (and my eardrums) with their ultra-heavy and often a-melodic rants; there's no doubt they know how to play, but technique for its own sake gets tiresome after a while, especially if you don't have good musical ideas to back it up. I obviously haven't listened to the album, nor will I, so I'm only rating the review.

Captain, I would give 10 nice de-baserian fans (and 14500 Valeriorivoli) for just one like you, even if you’re unfriendly; you write in Italian and there's no need for Enigma to decipher your reviews (unlike what happens with some pseudo-intellectuals), you argue appropriately what you write and your posts are always enlightening and open to dialogue, not to insults.