Loudside.com had the opportunity to sit down with Meshuggah skinsman Tomas Haake a few months ago, when the band took part in Ministry's final tour, dubbed 'C U LaTour'. In the interview, Tomas discusses the band's latest album, 'ObZen', why the band doesn't include early material in their sets these days, what the band has planned for the remainder of this year, and how things can get blown way out of proportion online....

Loudside.com: So how did you guys get involved with this tour?

Tomas: We were actually asked to do it through our bookers I think. We got word that Ministry were asking us if we wanted to join them, and we of course accepted. Not only because of the tour itself, with it being Ministry's last tour, but also the timing was perfect for us as well with the record just being released and all, so it was a no brainer.

Loudside.com: And you guys knew from the gate that it was their last tour?

Tomas: We actually didn't know that off the top. I think we heard that a few weeks into talking about it.

Loudside.com: Ok, and so far, how has the crowd respnse been?

Tomas: The response has been great. Absolutely! We've had quite a few decent shows, no doubt. Even though it's kind of a mixed bill, and we have some of the more industrial rock people coming out to see Ministry of course. But it seems to be a good mix of crowds. I think we go over fairly well with their crowd, ya know. I guess and I hope that we have some kind of energy that carries across, so that you might be intrigued by it even if you're not a fan already.

Loudside.com: That's what I was going to get into, is that you guys are a pretty different band on this line up. I know you guys do have your own fans that are coming out to see you, but is the response good to where you feel you're winning new people over, or do you feel that this is definitely more of a Ministry crowd overall?

Tomas: Oh yeah, I think we do manage to win people over, but of course it's still Ministry's tour, no doubt. They're a big name and they've been around for a long time. They've got all their gear and their whole set up and all that. It's definitely their tour, no mistake about that.

Loudside.com: Now in regards to a set list, you guys have alot of material to choose from. How varied is it for this tour?

Tomas: We play from a few different albums. We play stuff from 'Destroy Erase Improve', which would be just one track, but still. We also play one track off of 'Chaosphere', a few tracks off the 'Nothing' album, and then three tracks off 'ObZen'. So it's a pretty good mix I think.

Loudside.com: And is that set list solid?

Tomas: Yeah, it's pretty much solid, at least as far as the three new songs go. Because when we go into the studio to record something, we haven't like played it together as a band yet. Usually the demos are programmed drums, and I emulate that in the studio. Whoever wrote that specific song tracks the guitars and stuff for that, so we usually don't start rehearsing the stuff as a band until after the album is already done. And that's the case this time around too, so we kind of focused on these three songs from 'ObZen'. So at least that's not gonna change. We might swap out one or two of the other ones, but as far as new stuff, those are the only ones that we're doing.

Loudside.com: Ok, and as far as the stuff from further back in the band's catalogue, is anything from 'Contradictions Collapse' or 'None' gonna make it into the set?

Tomas: No, not really. I mean, the 'Contradictions Collapse' stuff, we stopped playing that years and years ago. It's just been such a long time, and we play a different style of music now almost. Even though you can kind of find similar elements in there, but it's just a totally different way of playing. And we're not really accustomed to playing that kind of stuff anymore, ya know. It's really tricky to play that earlier stuff. It wasn't as complex in the same way things are complex now. It's just a totally different kind of thing, and it's hard to get back into those songs. We've tried it a couple of times like in the rehearsal space, just fucking around playing old stuff. First of all, we'd forgotten all of it pretty much, and and then when it comes to playing it, I had to stop and kinda scratch my head and think like 'How did I do that?' It's just not there in muscle memory anymore you know, so you have to really try to learn it again. So I don't really think that's gonna happen. (laughing)

Loudside.com: (laughing) Ok, cool. Now you said you're playing three songs from ObZen, and the album's been out for a little while now, so how are those songs in particular going over with the crowd?

Tomas: It's going over pretty well man. I mean, for me as a drummer, it's kinda hard cause I'm usually staring straight down or I have my eyes closed. So I'm the least aware in the band of how the crowd responds or reacts. But it's going good, ya know.

Loudside.com: Now also on the subject of ObZen, who came up with the whole concept and the title?

Tomas: That was me. It was just one of those ideas...actually I don't even know what came first anymore. I think the word ObZen came before the actual idea. Like the zen lotus position, but with the blood and the play on words with Obscene and Zen, and also with 'Ob' Meaning Anti in latin. So it's kinda like Anti-Zen at the same time. And you know, just kind of suggesting there's some kind of inherent evil in man, you know. Just look aroud. So that's where that whole idea came from. It turned out pretty good. It's the first cover in ten years that I didn't do, like fiddling around on photoshop or whatever. What I wanted, the idea and the vision that I had in my mind was that we had to get like an artist that's also a photographer, because I don't know photography worth a shit, ya know. So we had to go with someone who kinda knew how to, and it turned out kinda neat I think. It's kind of a different one, cause it's kind of light or bright for a metal cover, but I kinda like it.

Loudside.com: Well, it does have the blood though, which is pretty metal...

Tomas: Yeah, for sure.

Loudside.com: And as far as the artist, did you kind of just hand it over to him with the idea, or did you work hand in hand with him on it?

Tomas: No not really. He was down in Switzerland, and I just kind of wrote him a long letter as to what I wanted to do with the lotus position and the hands, the three arms, the blood and the title. And I kind of just explained it all to him. And then he did two different photo shoots with different models, because it's kind of hard to find someone who can actually do a lotus when you put your feet up and all that. So the bottom of the cover is actually from a female, and the upper part is an Androgynous dude, ya know.

Loudside.com: Oh ok. Yeah, the cover looks like just artwork, as opposed to an actual photo. I mean, it's just more 'artsy' in it's scope.

Tomas: Oh yeah I know! Alot of people initially thought it was like a 3d program thing, like the person had sculpted it with a 3d program....but it's not, it's actually photos.

Loudside.com: Ok. In regards to the sound and style of 'ObZen', I've read a few postings online where you said it was good to actually be playing drums again....

Tomas: Oh yeah yeah...

Loudside.com: What made you guys decide to go and bring in more of the technicality and less of the droning repetition that you had on previous albums like 'Nothing'?

Tomas: I don't know. I mean, for us it doesn't really feel like going back. I mean, for 'Catch 33' we used some programmed drums, but recording the live drums has always been the case execpt for that one. So that was kind of the step away from things, and now we're kind of back on track. And as far as the material on the album, the only guidelines that we kind of set up for ourselves was that we all felt that we wanted to have more live related material, ya know. We didn't wanna do another one track album, of course. And we wanted to get back to more live related stuff, hence the live drums. And just putting up those guidelines was what helped us to write like this. I mean, I see it as a pretty varied album, where we tried deliberately to give each song like a very individual kind of vibe to it. So I think it's a good mix of different vibes on the album. You get kind of a lot of styles within the Meshuggah style, if you will. But yeah, we just went for something that sounded more like live songs, 5 and 6 minute songs, and stuff that's easier to utilize in the live setting.

Loudside.com: Gotcha. Now a lot of people ask about the odd time shifts that are signature to Meshuggah. But you guys have stated in many interviews that the majority of your songs are actually in standard 4/4 timing. How does that work itself out?

Tomas: Yeah, that's always kind of hard to explain, but yeah, for example, this album is all in 4/4. You got a 6/8 feel to the last track, but apart from that, it's all 4/4. And pretty much every album that we've done. I mean, there are a few songs like 'Sane' off of the 'Chaosphere' album, it has like a 7/8 time signature in it at one point. And the same goes for 'Future Breed Machine', during the chorus or refrain, that one also has an odd time signature. But apart from that, we really don't do that. But it's more of a....the riffs together with the bass drums and sometimes the snare permutes....so it's like a permutation, it's ongoing. And that cycle of the riff might be an odd numbered cycle, but that's not how we hear it. We hear the straight going like hi-hat or the cymbal, and that's the time signature for the track. And doing it like that, it helps us to maintain a certain type of flow. Even though the music is tricky, there is that flow to it. And a lot of bands that do tricky stuff, like a lot of off time signatures and stuff and mix a lot of time signatures, it's really hard to follow it and to get into the groove of the music because there's too much stop/start going on. And we just aren't really into that, ya know. So we do it this way, and the way we see it is that we can maintain a certain flow, even though the music is kind of complex underneath.

Loudside.com: Ok. Now it's a common thing these days for bands to release DVD's in between cd's. Are there any plans for a live concert DVD or anything?

Tomas: Yeah, there are plans for it, but nothing set in stone for as far as when we're gonna record it or when it would be released. We're probably looking at recording it either during the Headline European run this fall around September, or when we come back to the States in November. So either one of those two tours, I'd say. And it also depends on what kind of venues we're playing. Of course it's always cooler to shoot it at a cool venue, and we might actually shoot it at several shows, and just pick whichever songs we think were great at any show. So we'll see about that. But hopefully before the end of next year. If we don't have one out, we'll have one in the works. So hopefully early 2009, we'll be putting one out.

Loudside.com: Ok, and after this tour, what do you guys have going on?

Tomas: After this tour, we're home for like four weeks, then we do the European Festivals during the summer. The first week of that we do a couple of Festivals, and in between that we're doing shows with The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Between The Buried And Me opening. Then we have somewhat of a gap in July, then we continue. It's like the weekends basically, during August. And then the last few days of August, we start the European tour and that goes through September, and then we do like two weeks in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Go back home, and we're home for a couple weeks, then we head back here to the States and do a run before Christmas.

Loudside.com: Right on. And if you had the chance to tour with any band out there that's still active, who would it be and why?

Tomas: That's always a tough question, but I'd say Rush. Just because I'm a big fan of theirs. I started listening to them when I was a kid, and Neil Peart was always like the House God at home you know, growing up. So yeah, that would be neat. I know there'd never be any offers with them, because they play like fucking three and a half hours. So it's not gonna happen, you know, but it would be great, right. (laughing)

Loudside.com: (laughing) Sure! And real quick, I read another bit online about this surgery that you might be having...

Tomas: Oh that! Yeah, that rumor is getting pretty crazy right now. Actually, in January, or around Christmas/New Year, I had this shoulder impingement, and for a while I thought that I might have to have the surgery. And at one point I was even throwing hooks out to see whether like Dirk (Verbeuren) of Soilwork or someone like that...in case like it would go bad on this tour and I would have to like leave and go have the surgery....to see if he could fill in for me. But he couldn't because Soilwork are really busy, and I don't really know...it's some really hard music to just jump into, it's not the easiest thing. But that wasn't like an official letter or anything. That was just something I sent to him, and I sent to our booking agents and people involved in the tour basically. A week later, I wrote back and said, 'Guys, forget it, I'm not having the surgery.' I started doing this work out routine, and actually in one week, I got so much better. And so now I do this everyday, it's like this weird...where you have a rubberband and you strenghthen your Rotator Cuff, like the whole area. And I haven't felt like one single bit of pain on this tour so far. So I feel very very good, and the shoulder's not an issue, ya know.

Loudside.com: So it's just something that got blown out of proportion online?

Tomas: Yeah, yeah, but that's how it goes you know....fucking Blabbermouth man! But seriously, unless something really weird were to happen...I mean, down the road I MIGHT still have to have the surgery, and I can never really stop doing this exercise. But that's like ten minutes a day, maybe fifteen, so it's not a problem. But at least I'll be doing the entire tour for this album before I go and try and do something like that. Because if you do the surgery, to be able to play the drums again on that kind of level, hitting like that...You're looking at like four to five months before you're back in the game, you know. So I wouldn't do that. Not at this time, ya know.No way....