Mårten Hagström
Encyclopedia
Mårten Hagström, is the rhythm guitar
ist for the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah
. He joined the band after the release of their first album, which allowed Jens Kidman
to focus on his vocal performances. He is known for his strong and complex rhythm guitar
playing. Hagström has cited Rush
, James Hetfield
, Squarepusher
, Autechre
, Strapping Young Lad
and GISM
as influences.
In a Metal Injection interview he has said, "You can't play an instrument for the technicality of it. It's a tool you use it to get what's in here and here [heart and mind] out there." He has also said when he was growing up, everybody in Sweden was trying to be a guitar virtuoso. This made him want to be solely a rhythm guitarist.
Although fellow Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal
plays most of Meshuggah's guitar solos, the two of them share songwriting duties more or less equally, with Hagström notably contributing "Nebulous" from Nothing, "Acrid Placidity
" from Destroy Erase Improve
, and "Neurotica" from Chaosphere
. Hagström has also stepped out of his role of playing rhythm guitar with the release of Meshuggah's obZen
album by playing the slower, melodic leads on the songs that he wrote, such as "Electric Red" and "Pravus".
In addition to this, he has contributed lyrics to some of the bands later releases, co-writing Catch 33
with Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake
and penning the entirety of the words for their abstract EP I
. Hagström and Haake have been playing music together since they were nine years old.
Hagström, along with Fredrik Thordendal, were rated #35 by Guitar World
as the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarist of all-time.
model with an alder
body, a maple neck (30.5"/750mm scale length), a rosewood fingerboard without inlays, a fixed Ibanez FX-Edge bridge, one volume control, one tone control, and one Lundgren
Model 8 pickup. He uses .9-.70 gauge strings, tuned down half a step. Up until the late '90s, both Hagström and Thordendal used Ibanez 7-string guitars (initially Universe
models, then single-pickup variations of the RG7620 and RG7621 for Thordendal and Hagström respectively) before moving to Nevborn 8-string guitars during the Nothing era. The group found the Nevborns to be somewhat unstable while touring and when Ibanez communicated a desire to try building them 8-string guitars they accepted the offer.
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist for the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah
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 joined the band after the release of their first album, which allowed Jens Kidman
Jens Kidman
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.-Musical career and style:...
to focus on his vocal performances. He is known for his strong and complex rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
playing. Hagström has cited Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, James Hetfield
James Hetfield
James Alan Hetfield is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler,...
, Squarepusher
Squarepusher
Squarepusher is the performing pseudonym of Tom Jenkinson, an English electronic music artist signed to Warp Records. He specialises in the electronic music genres of drum and bass and acid, with a significant jazz and musique concrète influence....
, Autechre
Autechre
Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
, Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad
Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...
and GISM
GISM
was a Japanese hardcore punk band formed in Tokyo, Japan in 1980. Even though the guitar style resembled heavy metal style riffs and solos, GISM were one of the first Japanese hardcore bands, while at the same time drawing influence from the early industrial/avant-garde music scene; something...
as influences.
In a Metal Injection interview he has said, "You can't play an instrument for the technicality of it. It's a tool you use it to get what's in here and here [heart and mind] out there." He has also said when he was growing up, everybody in Sweden was trying to be a guitar virtuoso. This made him want to be solely a rhythm guitarist.
Although fellow Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal
Fredrik 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...
plays most of Meshuggah's guitar solos, the two of them share songwriting duties more or less equally, with Hagström notably contributing "Nebulous" from Nothing, "Acrid Placidity
Acrid Placidity
"Acrid Placidity" is an instrumental by the heavy metal group Meshuggah from the 1995 album Destroy Erase Improve. This instrumental showcases Meshuggah's jazz fusion influences...
" from 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 "Neurotica" from Chaosphere
Chaosphere
-Re-release bonus tracks:-Personnel:Meshuggah* Jens Kidman - lead vocals* Gustaf Hielm - bass* Tomas Haake - drums, vocals * Mårten Hagström - rhythm guitar...
. Hagström has also stepped out of his role of playing rhythm guitar with the release of Meshuggah's obZen
ObZen
obZen is the sixth full-length studio album by Swedish band Meshuggah. It was released in Europe on March 7, 2008, and in the U.S. on March 11, 2008. It contains nine tracks, and a total length of 52 minutes and 25 seconds...
album by playing the slower, melodic leads on the songs that he wrote, such as "Electric Red" and "Pravus".
In addition to this, he has contributed lyrics to some of the bands later releases, co-writing Catch 33
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...
with Meshuggah drummer Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake
Tomas Haake is the drummer and main lyricist for the Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah.-Musical career:Haake is noted for his technical abilities; his drumming style is characterized by heavy use of polyrhythms while often maintaining a steady 4/4 beat. This signature style has become one...
and penning the entirety of the words for their abstract EP I
I (EP)
-Personnel:* Tomas Haake – drums* Mårten Hagström – electric guitar* Jens Kidman – vocals* Fredrik Thordendal – guitar, bass guitar...
. Hagström and Haake have been playing music together since they were nine years old.
Hagström, along with Fredrik Thordendal, were rated #35 by Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
as the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarist of all-time.
Guitars
Hagström's main guitar is a custom 8-string Ibanez RGIbanez RG
The Ibanez RG series has the maximum subtypes of guitars under the Ibanez Electric Guitar catalog and a popular series of Ibanez electric guitars produced by Hoshino Gakki. The Ibanez RG was originally designed as a derivative of Steve Vai's JEM\Universe series and released in 1987. Manufacture of...
model with an alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
body, a maple neck (30.5"/750mm scale length), a rosewood fingerboard without inlays, a fixed Ibanez FX-Edge bridge, one volume control, one tone control, and one Lundgren
Lundgren guitar pickups
Lundgren Guitar Pickup's is a Swedish manufacturer of guitar and bass guitar pickups formed in 1990 by Johan Lundgren and situated in Jönköping. The company provides pickups for companies and luthiers such as the Ibanez's Custom Shop, Halkan Guitars, Conklin Guitars, Nevborn Guitars, Crimson...
Model 8 pickup. He uses .9-.70 gauge strings, tuned down half a step. Up until the late '90s, both Hagström and Thordendal used Ibanez 7-string guitars (initially Universe
Ibanez Universe
The Ibanez Universe is the world's first modern, commercial seven-string electric guitar, developed by Steve Vai and manufactured by Ibanez. The Universe is a seven-string version of the Ibanez JEM series, Vai's signature model...
models, then single-pickup variations of the RG7620 and RG7621 for Thordendal and Hagström respectively) before moving to Nevborn 8-string guitars during the Nothing era. The group found the Nevborns to be somewhat unstable while touring and when Ibanez communicated a desire to try building them 8-string guitars they accepted the offer.
Amplifiers and effects
- Fractal Audio Axe-Fx UltraFractal Audio Axe-FXFractal Audio Axe-Fx is an all in one electric guitar preamplifier/effects processor made by Fractal Audio Systems LLC., in Plaistow, New Hampshire. The processor is a two-space rack unit. The first version, called simply Axe-Fx, was introduced in 2006. Axe-Fx Ultra was introduced in 2008...
(As of the obZen tour) - Line 6 Vetta II Head Units
- T.C. Electronic effects
- Mesa BoogieMesa BoogieMesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....
.50 Calibre (None era) - Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (Detroy Erase Improve and Chaosphere era)
- Line 6 Pod ProPod (amp modeler)Pod is a series of digital guitar amplifier modelers from Line 6. Pods are designed to digitally simulate amplifiers. Most Pods also include cabinet models, and all Pods include effects models. All Pod variants include headphone ports and recording ports, and can be used to feed a signal into an...
(Nothing, I and Catch 33 era)
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