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Mårten Hagström facts for kids

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Mårten Hagström
Meshuggah Full Force 2023 13 (cropped).jpg
Hagström in 2023
Background information
Birth name Mårten Hans Hagström
Born (1971-04-27) 27 April 1971 (age 54)
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Died Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day
Genres Extreme metal, experimental metal, progressive metal
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Guitar, bass
Associated acts Meshuggah

Mårten Hans Hagström (born April 27, 1971) is a Swedish musician. He is famous as the rhythm guitarist for the band Meshuggah. This band plays a type of music called extreme metal. Mårten joined Meshuggah after their first album came out. This allowed the singer, Jens Kidman, to focus only on singing.

Mårten and the other Meshuggah guitarist, Fredrik Thordendal, are known for their very complex rhythm guitar playing. Mårten has said that bands like Rush and musicians like James Hetfield have influenced his music.

Mårten's Musical Style

Mårten Hagström believes that an instrument is a tool. He says it helps musicians express what is in their heart and mind. When he first started playing guitar, many guitarists focused on fast, fancy solos. Instead, Mårten decided to create his own complex rhythm guitar style.

Songwriting Contributions

Even though Fredrik Thordendal plays most of Meshuggah's guitar solos, Mårten also helps write many of the band's songs. He wrote the song "Nebulous" from the album Nothing. He also wrote "Acrid Placidity" from Destroy Erase Improve and "Neurotica" from Chaosphere.

On the album obZen, Mårten also played some slower, melodic lead guitar parts. These parts were on songs he wrote, like "Electric Red" and "Pravus".

Writing Lyrics

Mårten has also written lyrics for some of Meshuggah's songs. He co-wrote the album Catch 33 with the band's drummer, Tomas Haake. Mårten wrote all the words for their special EP (Extended Play) called I. Mårten and Tomas have been playing music together since they were nine years old.

Recognition and Awards

Mårten Hagström and Fredrik Thordendal were ranked highly by Guitar World magazine. They were listed at number 35 in the top 100 greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time.

Musical Gear

Mårten uses special equipment to create Meshuggah's unique sound.

Guitars Mårten Uses

Meshuggah - Mårten Hagström 2 - 2008 Melbourne
Mårten Hagström playing guitar in 2008

Mårten Hagström's main guitar is an Ibanez Custom 8-String M8M. This guitar has a special shape and a long neck. It uses a single Lundgren Model 8 pickup to capture the sound. He uses very thick strings, which are tuned to a lower pitch.

Before the late 1990s, Mårten and Fredrik used Ibanez 7-string guitars. Later, they switched to Nevborn 8-string guitars. However, these guitars were not always stable during tours. So, Ibanez offered to build them custom 8-string guitars, which they accepted.

Mårten also had his custom Ibanez M8M guitar changed. This was to help with some shoulder issues he had. His new guitar has a shorter scale length and a semi-hollow body. This makes it easier to play on stage and in the studio. He also uses another 8-string guitar for part of his stage performances.

Guitar Strings: Mårten uses DR Strings, specifically the Tite-Fit sets. These strings are chosen for their specific thickness and sound.

Guitar Picks: He uses Jim Dunlop 1mm Nylon Standard guitar picks.

Amplifiers and Effects

Mårten uses various amplifiers and effects to shape his guitar sound.

  • Fortin Amplifiers "Meshuggah" custom amplifier heads
  • Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra (used since the obZen tour)
  • Line 6 Vetta II Head Units
  • T.C. Electronic effects
  • Mesa Boogie .50 Calibre (used during the None era)
  • Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (used during the Destroy Erase Improve and Chaosphere eras)
  • Line 6 Pod Pro (used during the Nothing, I and Catch Thirtythree eras)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mårten Hagström para niños

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