Its that time of year, time for a new Mastodon release, time for one of the most well known and well respected progressive metal bands to drop their latest musical offering, and with the hype this band got with Crack the Skye, and the consistently great quality of all their past releases is it possible to live up to the hype, to craft an album that continues to garner them respect and critical acclaim, or would this album fall into the usual trap of bands that have just released what many consider the apex of their career? I must admit I was a little apprehensive about this album, especially with the more whimsical song titles, and the new album artwork...then I heard Black Tongue. Well this could be the one gem amidst a turd of an album. I then heard Curl of the Burl, different for them yes, but still daaaamn good. The whole album lives up to my high expectations, and somehow even kind of exceeds them.
This an album that takes the core elements of the Mastodon sound from all the past releases, throws in some off the wall new elements to create a sound that is totally unique in the Mastodon catalog and yet somehow awesomely familiar. The sound on this album is more stripped down compared to Crack the Skye, you won't find the super long songs, and the all out proggy songwriting and flash that you saw with the last album, but it keeps some glimmers of that sound, mixes it with the sound found on albums such as Leviathan and Remission and adds in some new more lighthearted sounds and vocal stylings to create an entirely new sound for them yet again.
One of the things that sets this song apart from most other Mastodon releases is the fact that it doesn't have an overarching concept, and it doesn't have that same continuity as past albums, one track will sound different than the next, they don't keep to the same formula throughout, and to some this may be off putting, I really enjoy it. I think there's something for fans of all eras of Mastodons career thus far.
The guitars are awesome in this release, they range from really heavy chaotic riffing, to really laid back haunting melodies, to even some really happy sounding stuff on The Creature Lives. One addition I really love is the even more southern sounding riffing on the song Curl of The Burl. I also really love that they use more synth and synthesized weird noises and sounds. The solos on this album continue to be awesome just as on any other Mastodon release. Brann continues to use his usual over-the-top spastic drumming style as always, but now he seems to be able to rein himself in and be reserved when the time is right. Troys bass work is very well done and pretty clear in the production. The vocals on this album are also well done, and they have really upped their game when it comes to vocal harmonies. Much like the previous album the vocals are mostly clean singing.
I find myself at a loss to fully be able to describe the sound on this album, as it is so varied, and just at times very odd. Mastodon has once again broken from the barriers of a constant samey type of sound to craft an album that is a strong contender for album of the year. So has this topped Crack the Skye, and exceeded the greatness we heard on that album, well yes and no, yes in that it has expanded upon that sound. And no in that there are a very few moments on this album that are so off the wall I can't fully fully embrace them.
To summarize, this an album that successfully blends a variety of new styles and sounds and yet holds true to their signature sound that they crafted on Leviathan, and Remission. It is proof that a band can experiment with their sound radically and succeed and craft a great album. This is an exciting release and a great cap on the month of September, making this possibly my favorite month in metal for this year.
Score: 96/100
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