Artist: Mastodon
Source: Paul Groome
Some of you reading this, really love Mastodon. Some of you have never heard of Mastodon but will soon realise what a sheltered existence you have been living. The remainder of the audience have heard of Mastodon, but don't like them. The Lord still loves you, but just a little bit less than everyone else. Redeem yourself. Crack The Skye rules.
A few years ago, in a land far away, a Mastodon was born. Hairy but strong. Several albums were released over the course of a short number of years. Remission, Leviathan and Blood Mountain were created. The metal community smiled, for they saw that they were good. As each release became available for purchase, so each release gained more followers. That's just how Mastodon do business. They don't fuck around. Crack The Skye has now been released and I have been informed from a reliable source, that Obama is headbanging to this motherfucker. THAT'S how cool it is. "A broader spectrum of listeners are attracted to it because of the classic rock feeling it has", Obama says. I'm inclined to agree with him. The vocals veer more toward singing than the shouting of previous years. Even Ozzy would be comfortable with some of the vocal melodies. They haven't gone soft though. No! That 'soft' word isn't even in their vocabulary. This CD could tear you a new one just by looking at you sideways.
The overall tempo of all the tracks has slowed to a more listenable level for those who wouldn't normally find hard-rock/metal very edible. Thrashy songs from previous releases like Where Strides The Mastodon or Blood and Thunder seem to have been adjusted to suit a wider audience. Structures and choruses have memorable hooks that could have you humming the tunes to yourself while you're on the bus. This strikes me as a mark of maturity in their music rather than a sell-out point though.
Divinations is a obvious single being the short and snappy choice from all seven songs. The Czar is more of a journey, including four separate sections that last for nearly 11 minutes, and it held my attention throughout. The prog-rock flare is still in the mix and the longest tune on the album, The Last Baron, is 13 minutes, and not one single boring, repetitive second can be found. Anywhere. Obviously impressed with his previous performances on Leviathan and Blood Mountain, Scott Kelly from Neurosis has been invited back to sing on the title track.
Like all new releases, the 'fancy pants' edition contains an extra DVD of studio out-takes and also the band going through the lyrical genetics of the album. This comes in very handy, because I was afraid to put up my hand and ask what was going on. Subject matter ranges from astral travel to songs about Rasputin, and from the point of view of a concept album, I was lost. Still didn't give a shit though. If they want to write about wormholes, then that's fine with me. I wouldn't argue with a Mastodon.
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