TOMAS HAAKE On Musicians From Other Bands Publicly Voicing Their Love For MESHUGGAH: ‘That’s Something We Are Deeply Grateful For’

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie‘s syndicated radio show, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake was asked what it’s like to have so many other musicians, including MAMMOTH WVH‘s Wolfgang Van Halen and NICKELBACK‘s Mike Kroeger, publicly show their appreciation for his band’s music. He responded: “That’s something we are deeply grateful for, and it’s humbling. The last time we played in L.A., [METALLICA‘s] Robert Trujillo was there. He’s always loved us as a band as well and he’s always given us accolades. So I hung out with him a little bit after the show. That’s always really cool. I know Mike Kroeger and the drummer of NICKELBACK [Daniel Adair] are our fans. The last time I saw NICKELBACK here in Stockholm, the drummer was wearing a ‘Destroy Erase Improve’ t-shirt for the show. So we’re grateful for anything like that, and we do appreciate it, and it’s something that you never get like jaded about. It’s always like — you really feel it. That’s awesome.”

He continued: “And Wolfgang for sure. I’ve probably only seen a few things where he has mentioned us, but, but I do recognize that they played MESHUGGAH on his wedding. So that’s kind of… [Laughs] I don’t know. Maybe that’s a little much, but you’ve gotta love it, right?”

This past July, Wolfgang told Primordial Radio about his love for MESHUGGAH: “I could fall asleep listening to MESHUGGAH; it relaxes me so much.

“If you’re familiar with MESHUGGAH, you probably know the song ‘Bleed’.

“MESHUGGAH is just one of my favorite bands,” he continued. “They are unbelievably heavy — there’s nothing heavier than them — but you get lulled into their rhythm. As a drummer first, I just am in love with rhythmic music, and there’s nothing more rhythmic than MESHUGGAH.

“After hearing [‘Bleed’], you probably couldn’t fall asleep to that, but, man, I could, ’cause I love it,” he added.

In November 2022, Wolfgang told TellUs Rock that he listens to MESHUGGAH when he is not writing, recording and performing. “I love MESHUGGAH,” he said. “I tend to listen to, at least recently, more heavier music. Like all the new stuff that’s come out. ANIMALS AS LEADERS had a new album come out this year, and so did MESHUGGAH. But MESHUGGAH is one of my favorite bands. [They’re] nothing like MAMMOTH.”

When the interviewer asked what kind of stuff he draws musical inspiration from for MAMMOTH WVH, Wolfgang said: “On the next album, there actually is some MESHUGGAH-inspired songs — just through the lens of MAMMOTH, though. So it’s not as super heavy.”

Back in 2021, Wolfgang told RockSverige that he was fans of bands like GOJIRA and MASTODON. He said: “Oh, yeah. I love GOJIRA. And I’m crazy about MESHUGGAH. PERIPHERY, I’m friends with those guys and they’re a phenomenal band.”

Wolfgang, who played all instruments on the first two albums from his MAMMOTH WVH project, was also asked if he can work out the MESHUGGAH song “Bleed” on drums. “Oh, yeah. I can play it,” he said. “As a drummer, MESHUGGAH is just like my favorite because it’s like a math problem, as a song. As a drummer, it’s really fun to figure out the polyrhythmic stuff going on in each song. It’s a treat, and I love it.”

Wolfgang attended MESHUGGAH‘s October 2022 concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California. The following day, he tweeted out a short video of the performance, and he captioned it simply: “MESHUGGAH is therapy”.

Mike Kroeger spoke about his love for MESHUGGAH in a December 2022 interview with Italy’s 106.6 Radio Rock radio station. He said: “I saw MESHUGGAH play at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City [in September 2022]. Before we came to Rome to do press for NICKELBACK‘s new album, ‘Get Rollin”], we had a week vacation in New York. And I was really upset that I was gonna miss MESHUGGAH when they came to Los Angeles, but luckily I found out while we were in New York, they were playing in New York. So through some friends I got into the show. I know Tomas [Haake], the [MESHUGGAH] drummer. I don’t bother Tomas on show days; it’s too much. Especially in Los Angeles, backstage is, like, three hundred people. New York’s probably just as bad. And I just said, ‘Tomas, do a great show. I’ll see you in another…’ When we go to Stockholm is when we hang out, because he has time then. But they absolutely ripped the roof off the Hammerstein Ballroom. I was in the balcony in the seats, and every head was… Everybody was moving in the seats. On the floor, they were, like, killing each other.”