Mastodon C/D ?

I have yet to hear the Lifesblood EP.

I think "Remission" is a really good album, though I don't really listen to it very often, I'm really curious about how that band's going to go in the future.
So far I prefer Today Is The Day quite a bit (the latest album is excellent, despite what all the cronies on the Relapse board will tell you)
However, the self titled TITD is probably my favorite nowadays.

As to that newest Today Is The Day, it really doesn't sound like anything to me: so completely of-itself. Maybe it reminds me a little of some o' those rockin'-er bands in the artsy-industrial English scene in the early eighties (i.e., trying to fuse anguished screaming with elegant piano sounds over a backdrop of skreeeeeech), but only a little. It's also very difficult to get through: I listened to it twice, was really impressed, and am now kind of afraid of it.

OMG. finally i have something to put on when i've already listened to _surrounded by thieves_ 3 times in a day.

(haven't watched the DVD yet, though.)

Maybe Mastodon will help crusty rock critic types to give other 'creative' metal bands a chance - Lamb of God, people!!!!

That's true that movie portrayals of computers are almost always ludicrously inaccurate (at least they always used to be before almost everyone had internet access). I was watching Weird Science on Comedy Central today and thinking the same thing.

I have been informed that a copy of the new Mastodon is on its way to me. Can't wait.

They blew it. No sludge, no doom, no Crusher/Destroyer, no incredible listen-to-the-drummer-play-fills-during-the-entire-fucking-album. Just a lot of cheap Maiden and Slayer imitations.

This is like Cave In following up Jupiter with Antenna.

I'm so bummed right now.

I really wanna hear this.

Mastadon LIVE trumps Mastadon recorded, FWIW.

wait, how could they stop this? :(

(most of this could change by the time the record comes out - who knows if this is the final mix?)

Wait does that sound too pissy?

I think it's interesting how up-front the vox are compared to the other two records - dude seems to be cultivating a Phil-Anselmo-in-Superjoint-guise thing, which is welcome as far as I'm concerned

I wanna see 'em live

Idolator linked to this story about Brent Hinds being assaulted and hospitalized -- what the fuck?

Sounds as though he has a really bad injury. Hope it's not as serious as it sounds.

:(

WTF? Horrible news.

That's fucked up.

Saw them this summer. March Of The Fire Ants works even better when they play the main riff with their guitars behind their heads.

Too bad about Brent.. Hope everything works out.

Interesting article in the new RS titled "Head Injury Inspires New Melodic Mastodon Album: With Brendan O'Brien on board, the headbangers craft "classic rock" sound"

Brent Hinds was attacked and cracked his head open during a drunken altercation following the MTV VMAs. He suffered brain hemorrhaging, then was plagued by vertigo for eight months. He said he wrote the music for the next album during that time with his acoustic guitar and some marijuana. "I wanted a more melodic, easy-listening situation, and definitely came from having head trauma."

If that isn't a Spinal Tap worthy quote, I don't know what is!

Brann Dailor confirms they want to make a broader, "classic-rock-sounding record." They met their producer backstage at a Bruce Springsteen concert of all places.

The article mentions three of the album's seven songs -- "Quintessence" with spacey synthesizers and vocal harmonies, "Divinations" that comes on like Master Of Puppets era Metallica but with soaring vocals and a bright chorus, and "Oblivion," a sinister, multitempo prog-metal epic with a bluesy guitar solo.

It will continue the elements theme, exploring air, ghosts and the ethereal world. The group has talked about eventually combining the releases into a box set called The Elements, heh.

So, lots of openings there to talk about shark-jumping and whatnot. However, I'm just glad they won't be repeating themselves. Hopefully it'll be great.

He got a kicking the other week there too.

tales from topographic...

He exhibits many hallmarks of being an absolute prick. I'll still look forward to this - even if it's bad I don't think it'll qualify as shark jumping as Blood Mountain was so great it wouldn't really represent a downward curve, if you get me

I thought Blood Mountain was great, So I am looking forward to this. Remission is my favourite but there's no point in trying to remake it when simply it couldn't be as good.

I thought Blood Mountain was terrible, so I expect listening to this will be like actually receiving head trauma.

Did you like Leviathan? I couldn't get my head round people who loved one and hated the other

Yeah I did like Leviathan. It's definitely a difference by degrees but the Blood Mountain riffs are just a little bit worse, the vocals are a lot worse, and the lyrics swing away from awesome shit like chasing a whale to kinda lame shit like made up D&D creatures.

Basically I feel like they've been simplifying the formula a bit with each release, and the LAST thing we need is another '00s band getting its classic rock on.

awesome shit like chasing a whale to kinda lame shit like made up D&D creatures

Haha this is some pretty definitive narcissism of small diffs to be fair. Of your other points I guess it's an 'eye of the beholder' deal but I've not listened to either for a good 18 months so hey

I'm curious to hear what a more "prog" Mastodon sounds like, so I'm going to remain hopefully optimistic for this one. Prick tendencies aside, Mastodon is one of my favorite metal bands going right now.

Not much sympathy for Hinds on this thread. The guy gets his head cracked open, and everyone seems to think he had it coming. Does anyone know who did it and why?

That was a fight with one of System Of A Down IIRC. I read a story a few weeks ago about him putting that guy King Khan in the hospital in which he seemed fairly indefensible

Haha this is some pretty definitive narcissism of small diffs to be fair.

Yeah no doubt. I dunno, "Circle of Cysquatch" and "Colony of Birchmen" sound like Magic cards (I'm pretty sure the second one IS a Magic card). It's like they totally believed that people liked their records for some kind of high-concept narratives when in fact I just appreciated that I knew what he was talking about with "WHITE WHALE HOLY GRAIL"--simple, clear, and direct.

I haven't listened to them recently either (was hoping they were still on the iPod so I could make some points on this thread but no dice). I just feel like Remission and Leviathan had these great twisty riffs that were complicated but totally rocking and Blood Mountain was a less-engaged, more same-y version of that. There are still songs from Remission that have a "holy fuck how did they write that" quality for me, and Leviathan was a little more accessible but still in that vein. Like when there was a 5-second blues riff on Leviathan it was a nice homage and made me smile, but that should definitely NOT be their future direction. When are bands going to stop thinking that effects pedals and multi-part epics are like what you do when you grow up?

Oh yeah and Hinds has a lengthy track record of being a violent dick.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/145767-mastodons-brent-hinds-vs-king-khan-fite

yeah, dick.

blood mountain w/choruses could be kinda cool. since there really aren't any on that album.

MASTODON: Deluxe Vinyl Box Set To See Release

A collectors edition MASTODON vinyl box set is set to be issued on November 18th via Relapse Records. This box set will be a one-time pressing strictly limited to 1,000 copies and include nine 180-gram LP’s encapsulating the legendary band’s entire history of recordings.

http://shop.relapse.com/dbimages/sleeves/7025LP_216.jpg
The box set will be cased in a heavy duty, foil stamped black box and include the following:

~ The vinyl pressing of MASTODON’s ‘06 Reprise debut Blood Mountain on expanded double LP.

~ The band’s critically-acclaimed 2004 release Leviathan, expanded to double LP.

~ The band covers of “The Bit” (MELVINS), “Emerald” (THIN LIZZY), and “Orion” (METALLICA).

~ A live record documenting the band’s performance as part of the Relapse Contamination Festival in 2003. This LP is, and will remain, exclusive to this box set.

~ The band’s reissue of early recordings, Call Of The Mastodon.

~ The final vinyl pressing of the original Lifesblood recording.

The box set will also include an embroidered logo patch, a vinyl sticker set, as well as a custom MASTODON turntable mat. All of these items will be exclusive to this box set, never to appear outside of it. For more information on this release, including pre-order options, please visit http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=30891

Non us versions have more expensive shipping obviously

price

US $240
Canada $245
Mexico $265
Overseas $275

All Boxsets will be shipped via UPS or Fed Ex.

lol @ "entire history of recordings"

Mastodon does its part for military-contractor-in-Iraq-themed video game.

well that sucks.

It'd be cool if someone could ask them what the um heck they were thinking re "Army of Two." I tried, and was rebuffed by "management." Cool, duderz.

Okay, "The Last Baron"

Is this REALLY going to be on the official release?

Do you say that in a good way or a bad way?

I'm too confused to decide after only one listen.

So good, I guess? I like surprises.

I am pretty much amped for this.

hope my pre-order cd ships soon

Has "The Last Baron" surfaced online yet? Driving me nuts.

no

I got it online.

where?

googled an upload site. I don't remember which one.

ugh, this is terrible. I thought we were done with this 'ironic' cover song shit. Rick Astley, really?

Never understood the slavish love for this band, now even less so. I mean, dudes can play their asses off, no doubt, but, like, who cares? Except paradiddlin' Guitar Center rock drummer types, I mean.

and hoos, and ned, other dudes on this thread, etc

Yeah I was frankly shocked by this album's similarity to 80s pop soul.

I finally heard the album in its entirety a few days ago after living with the six-track leak for several weeks...I love four of the tracks ("Oblivion", "Divinations", "Crack the Skye", The Czar") and am fine with a couple others ("Quintessence", the psychotic "The Last Baron"), but the one that's not clicking at all is "Ghost of Karelia". Overall I think it's cool that they've collaborated with someone as mainstream as O'Brien yet have come out with something more proggy than ever, mediocre Blood Mountain sales be damned.

I mean, dudes can play their asses off, no doubt, but, like, who cares? Except paradiddlin' Guitar Center rock drummer types, I mean.

I think Daillor's drum fills have been reined in somewhat on this album. And the entire band is still disciplined enough to not let the longer dracks deteriorate into directionless Mars Volta wanking.

Reasonably certain now that the Rick Astley/80s cheese metal/fake club sex song version of "The Last Baron" in the link I got is just a prank.

"Quintessence" presumably not the Darkthrone song, then

NOT EVERYTHING IS A DARKTHRONE SONG, J0HN

THANK YOU FOR DESTROYING MY DREAM

yr welcome

Curious what people's thoughts are on Crack the Skye now that it is legitimately available; I'm grappling with parts of the album's shift toward some of the cheesier arena metal tropes; I've always really liked the band's hardcore-esque muscle and rawness and I guess that aspect of their sound has been steadily on the decline over the course of their four full albums.

That said the album is winning me over, especially The Last Baron...

I am a big fan of "cheesier arena metal tropes" so I am really looking forward to getting this.

It's not doing much for me after two listens.
Seems to have lost some of their rawness for lack of a better word. Too slick sounding, maybe?
I'll give it more time though.

i like it a lot, really catchy

Yeah, its pretty great.

the chorus of "oblivion" sounds like fuckin' STP. not really sure what i think of that.

ha it always makes me think of alice in chains, especially the vocal harmonies ... it's probably my least favorite track

"divinitions" absolutely shreds though, dozens of times better than anything on the last album.

I can't wait to hear these songs live next month.

been thinking about getting a ticket for the chicago date myself

That's where I'll be seeing them. I think you'd like Kylesa and maybe Intronaut, the opening bands. Should be a great show.

right now kylesa is the major reason i'm considering going to the boston show. they should be seriously amazing with the two drummers in a brand new club that i assume will have excellent sound.

yeah i've been listening to the kylesa album recently, it's pretty good ... only reason i wasn't sure about going is super-crowded shows have been making me angry and claustrophobic lately, but i should probably just deal

Yeah, doesn't help that the show is at the Metro and starts roughly the same time as a Cubs game, so it'll be really crowded.

Meaning the whole area, obvs, the Cubs game won't affect the attendance at the show.

ugh, at least i can walk to the metro from my house. metro has pretty good sightlines too. i should go.

i think they're more AiC than STP, but yes this album is all hellz of catchy.

digging this so far

my favorite moment is when "the czar" finally busts into the galloping chugachuga part about four minutes in

that's interesting, congratulations, that's the exact arena metal trope that was rubbing me the wrong way initially; I have to say it (and the album as a whole) is growing more palatable with each listen though. But then every Mastodon album has seemed a bit impenetrable to me at first and then grown and grown on me, usually with Brann's drumming as the entry point.

I will say it's too bad there seems to be less of his manic snare-cracking on this album than ever. Ah well, every song can't be "Mother Puncher".

tunnel book cd/dvd with lithograph arrived today.

ha--i just got the plain old cd today. is good enough for me.

I'm interviewing Bill Kelliher in about 90 minutes. Any questions?

all of my question ideas are leading back to "why aren't you as awesome as you used to be?" lol jaded mastodon fan.

I'd like to know a few things actually.

A)Will they ever make a return to the sludgier sounds of some of the Remission tracks (not remaking older stuff as I don't want bands to regress, but I'd like to hear some slower heavier riffs)

B)Will they play Crusher/Destroyer and Motherpuncher when touring the new album?

C)Will it be always clean vocals from now on?

you could also ask about what Chuck said about the band crack the sky and if they were an influence on the album.

how do they view their place in modern rock/metal? are they satisfied with it? do they even consider themselves a metal band (in the tru purist sense)? blah blah blah...

Will it be always clean vocals from now on?

Also, what led to the decision to use clean vocals, and how did it affect the process of writing and recording?

i.e. "did the record label put on any pressure? Or did you choose for a more mainstream sound yourself?" , brad?

what is this pressure you speak of, Kerr?

...

I'm thinking more about the songwriting and how they came to decide clean vocals were necessary for the effects they wanted. But you raise a good point about commercial motivations.

Is this album really more commercial than the previous ones? I don't understand the market well enough to judge. It's hard for me to imagine the new Mastodon getting much radio play.

well it's certainly more commercial than Lifesblood and Remission. And even Leviathan.
It's not really as "metal" as those that came before it in many fans eyes, so it might cost them those fans, if the posts on last.fm are to go by.

while other's think it's their best http://www.last.fm/music/Mastodon

I think this thing is great. There is a part of the last song that sounds directly lifted from "Relayer". And in my book that's a good thing.

Yeah, I hear a Yes influence too.

I like the new one, it sounds like I wanted "Blood Mountain" to sound.

is it just me or do some of the vocals sound ozzy-esque?

do they even consider themselves a metal band (in the tru purist sense)?

i interviewed em a month or so ago, and i don't think they really do anymore - both bill and brent were very much on a "we are classic rock, and this is what we always wanted to be" type tip. i love their older stuff, but i love this new album too; it's different to what came before, but there's enough of what came before that i think they were ready for a change.

yeah, it seems like a natural development in their evolution as a band. so when can we expect the inevitable CCR covers?

is it just me or do some of the vocals sound ozzy-esque?

― meat of beef (Jordan), Tuesday, March 31, 2009 5:00 PM (Yesterday)

no dude, i hear exactly the same thing in a bunch of places

http://www.terrorizer.com/sites/terrorizer.com/files/imagecache/frontpage/big182_0.jpg

i hear Ozzy, too, here and there. and yes. but am i correct in noting that bits and pieces here are reminiscent of Helmet and Sugar (maybe Therapy?, too)? early-90s nostalgia, it's just a fist away.

First song sounds like Alice in Chains.

Ok, this is really nitpicking and bitching about Pitchfork in the '09 is ridic (esp. when it comes to metal), but it bugs me a little that Fever Ray gets a "best new music" tag with an 8.1 rating but Mastodon doesn't with an 8.0.

whoa I was not expecting to think that this album kicks so much ass!!!

i was kinda avoiding it and waiting to listen to it fearing that it was gonna be all Tool-like with the more prog influences I kept reading about but it actually works really surprisingly well and sounds great.

that's funny, I heard a little Yes in the middle and (instead of Alice In Achains)a hint of Soundgarden towards the beginning especially

that riff that comes in at 2 mins into "Divinations" gave me spontaneous screwface its deeeead serious

HOOS I think we have similar tastes in a lot of shit outside of ringtone. i see your posts in sooo many old metal threads that I dig up

this has moved from "pretty good" to "super awesome" for me.

I get that Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden vibe too. Album has totally grown on me though.
One of the best of the year so far, if I may be so bold.

I'm liking this more every time I hear it. There are a half dozen memorable things going on at any given moment in a song, and they don't linger on any of them long enough for the listener to get complacent. The harmonies on the chorus in "Oblivion" (+ the two guitar fills!!) the awesome fast riffs in "Divinations," the Sam Rivers I'm hearing on "Quintessence"--is that just me?--to say nothing of the awesomely flanged harmonies.

And I've only really processed the first half...!

The opening of the title track is a little Tim Burtallica for my taste but by the time big chorus comes in its totally worth it

Holy shit @ the drums about 5 minutes in on Last Baron

Holy crap, this album kicks ass. Being more of a prog fan than a metalhead, I've tried to get into Mastodon in the past, but it was a bit too much screaming and bludgeoning for me. This, however, is the album I've been waiting my whole life to hear. One of the best rock records in a long, long time. And damn, the production on this is off tha hook!

I bet that Relayer homage I mentioned above was intentional. This records about Russia; Gates of Delirium was about Russia (supposedly based on War and Peace).

my favourite from them so far, and i say that with firm conviction after only a couple of listens.

i liked blood mountain on the whole, but struggled with a couple of the tracks, finding it at times stuck awkwardly in the muddied middleground between extreme metal and QOTSA or something.

the balance on this new album seems just right.

i also really dig their first record too.

one more thing - scott kelly's guest spot in the title track is outstanding. it's a pity in some ways that he always overshadows the other singers on these albums.

I'm not a metalhead at all. It's my other half who is and he keeps flinging stuff at me and some of it's stuck (Meshuggah, Textures, Isis) but this album is really amazing. I agree with the comparisons upthread to Ozzy and Alice in Chains, I came up with the same ones.

The overall story that links his sister's death with the weird rasputin thing, is fascinating and VERY prog. I cant be bothered trying to listen to it in thelyrics, but yeah, this album is very interesting.

May I timidly say this is very much an acid album?

weird that they sectored up 'the czar' into parts in the title as the whole song flows really nicely together as the one piece. maybe to accentuate the concept or something.

'oblivion' is an amazing opening track

10 more days, 10 more days.

listening to the track 'workhorse' now. in fact i've listened to it a couple of times in a row as i don't want that groove to leave my head. awesome stuff.

I was just wondering why, with Jonah Hex opening this weekend, that I hadn't heard much more about the soundtrack work they were doing and then I came across this article tonight. They're releasing an EP of songs from the film on June 29th.

woah! awesome!

http://www.thrashhits.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MastodonXmasShirtThrashHits.jpg

OMG WAU.

want

http://www.mastodonrocks.com/sites/mastodonrocks/files/merch/preview/detail_beerstein.jpg

Metal has such great merchandise. It's taking a serious effort to not buy that.

its sold out apparently (they were $99) I dont even drink but I always wanted that Khanate hipflask

thankfully other people beat me to it. i wonder what would be an appropriate drink for a khanate hipflask. i'm not sure even pure grain alcohol would fit.

seriously though. if it's costs 99.00 it better turn me into a viking after drinking out of it.

appropriate drink for khanate hipflask = hemlock

Goddamn that band has some crazy merch - beer cozies? Far out. But what they should really get are some official Mastodon ones of these.

next album's called the hunter

http://pitchfork.com/news/42888-mastodon-name-new-lp-hilarious-song-titles/

it will include songs titled "Blasteroids", "The Octopus Has No Friends", "Stargasm", and "Curl of the Burl".

lmao @ the octopus has no friends

excited!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLbSRrlOsRA

now THAT is how you make a video!

i think my fav is the muppet that eats itself into oblivion!

guitar leads in new track "black tongue" remind me of swedish band dissection in a strange kind of way.

IT'S JUST THE CURL OF THE BURL

I KILLED A MAN BECAUSE HE KILLED MY GOAT

New album is even more melodic and the songs are pretty concise. Did they sell out again?

Man, fuck it. Who cares? This is clearly their best album since Leviathan. I for one am glad it's full of goat killing ZZ Top songs.

The first half of this is fantastic. STARGASM!

yeah tis a good album. Cant afford $60 for the deluxe edition this time. Will save up for the vinyl.

I keep putting this on, thinking it sounds pretty good, and then reaching for the new Rwake album before I get to track 5.

You're not getting to the best part is the problem. While I love the whole thing, I definitely think some of the more exciting stuff happens in the second half.

I love the whole thing. Weirdly I like listening to it as a whole each time, which is odd given that it's not a Crack The Skye or what have you.

You're not getting to the best part is the problem. While I love the whole thing, I definitely think some of the more exciting stuff happens in the second half.

― jon /via/ chi 2.0, Monday, October 3, 2011 1:16 PM (38 minutes ago) Bookmark

This could be true. I haven't really devoted the sort of time to this album it deserves. Gotta get blazed with some headphones and give it my undivided attention. Maybe this weekend. Will report back.

Rwake still made the best metal album of 2011, though, I'm sure of it.

The Rwake is definitely up there, yes, but don't skip out on the Mastodon. Its a really great shift for these dudes, even coming from someone who has loved the shit out of the proggier stuff.

yeah, I thought crack the skye was really great but am also kind of relieved that they've gotten the prog epics out of their system. (for the time being, anyway.)

and yeah, the rwake album definitely hit me harder and more immediately than the new mastodon fwiw

xp Oh yeah, I mean, Crack the Skye is by far my favorite Mastodon album, so no anti-prog sentiments here. I'm looking forward to digging deeper. First listen though, it sounded good-not-great. I need, err, context. :)

my favorite will probably always be remission but I resigned myself to the fact that they're never gonna do another one like that a long, long time ago

The sound on this lp is bad. The guitar tones are piercing, harsh and extremely annoying at high volumes, no grit to them at all.

Everything else about this is good though, especially the drumming.

I don't think the sound is bad, as in Metallica bad. It's certainly got a high sheen to it though...

Well, its bad as in I cant listen to it at (comfortably) high volumes for long without fatigue. Not un-listenable, just unfortunate. The drums aren't as punchy as I'd like either, especially the kick. Idk man, the songs are there, I'm just picky about sound.

And yeah, not many records are St Anger bad.

OK, got through the whole thing tonight and gave it my undivided attention. At first only "Curl Of the Burl" made an impression, but now more songs are standing out ("All The Heavy Lifting," "Stargasm") and I think anyone foolish enough to compare this to Foo Fighters must have skipped the absolutely brutal and awesome "Blasteroid," but more than half of these seem like filler tracks. The title track is a super dud, and I'm not sure how I feel about "Creature Lives." I sorta wish they just made the good songs longer and left off some of these mediocre, unmemorable ones.

i think it's a solid album. tautly constructed songs with plenty of cogent guitar-based hook. not especially ambitious though, which is a bit of a shame given this band's usual propensity for really pushing the envelope. seems they took it a little easier on themselves this time round, thankfully not forgetting how to write memorable tunes in the process.

I think they were midway through putting together some kind of space-themed album and then the singer's brother died which changed the focus?

http://i.imgur.com/psFfO.jpg

^^ came here to post this

If my friend is into Mastodon and Baroness, who else should he listen to?

Kylesa?

Kylesa for sure. Black Tusk, High on Fire, Anciients, Bison BC and Kvelertak would probably all be in his wheelhouse.

Anciients.

Red Fang

Sleep

cool. thanks guys

J3ff T mentioned the very bands I would have recommended.

ok, after a few nudges from AG, i picked up 'blood mountain' and 'crack the sky' today.

so far, best track off 'blood mountain' is 'colony .. ' which is fucking spot on for my needs, so hoping for more along those kind of grooves.

quite a lot of the rest of the album drifts by in an excess of drums and heavy riffing which as a non-metal head misses the spot for me (though this may change after a few listens, as the sound is immense - and i do like that when in the mood).

however, i've not got to 'crack ..' yet, but this thread is making me keen to do so ...

ok, listened to both.
as expected, i loved 'crack ... ' a lot more.
but that was only one listen.
once i get beyond the need for xmas then these are going to be hit hard ..

Try Yakuza too.

mark e, have you checked out "Leviathan"?

"Blood Mountain" took a while to grow on me because it isn't as focused as "Leviathan" or "Crack The Skye" but I really love it now.

if they are in fopp, i will buy.
done deal.

pulled out crack the skye for the first time in years bc of this thread

forgot how much "divinations" kills

"quintessence"! christ! i wrote this record off as too exhausting to really love but some of these songs

ok, second spin of 'blood mountains' : penny is dropping.

once i get beyond the xmas season of loved up easy grooves, then i know this and 'crack .. ' are going to be perfect cobweb clearers ..

New song

http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/04/listen-mastodons-new-song-high-road/

It's OK. I liked them more when they were trying to be a prog band.

I liked them as a prog band as a, whatever, band you'd call them on The Hunter. It was nice to hear them tighten up and just write some sub five-minute songs.

Once more round the sun?

Sounds like it's probably continuing down the path of The Hunter, which I didn't love, but "High Road" is a pretty good jam.

only the void connects
we will return so deeply hung

I'm not overly enthusiastic about this but yeah, High Road has a pretty cool chorus. Every other song I've heard from it hasn't really really grabbed me. It's a shame because everything from Remission to Crack the Skye is essential, then they got a bit predictable and boring.

That seems like a weird thing to say to me, because The Hunter was such a shift in direction, away from the mega-prog and concept albums to much tighter songs. I get saying that this new one feels a bit predictable though, it's pretty much of a piece with Hunter.

I meant the song structures themselves are usually quite predictable and overly reliant on standard song format. After CtS I did have a feeling they might pare back a lot of the frills and go more straight-forward, I think the band said as much when they started writing/recording The Hunter iirc.

The Hunter isn't *bad* at all but I don't listen to it very often. I might not even bother with this new one.

only the void connects me

Blimey, it's pretty poppy isn't it? Not that I've a problem with that per se, and I think I prefer it to the OTT widdling of Blood Mountain. But it's a bit jarring to hear them come out with choruses that could belong to Linkin Park. Musicianship still excellent obviously.

I really didn't expect the last minute or so of Aunt Lisa at all.

So far I'm liking this better than The Hunter. It continues with the same emphasis on melody and more basic song structure, but feels better crafted and more consistent overall. The tracks sound like some effort went into them, where everything on The Hunter sounded very half-assed.

i think the writing on this is fantastic. played it on a 120 mile round trip drive last night in the dark in the wee hours of the morning and it just felt 'right'

moodles otm, enjoyed this right away but still can't get through the hunter, so damn bland

full disclosure:

remission >>> blood mountain = leviathan >>>>>>> crack the skye

Leviathan's my favourite, though I've never actually listened to Remission.

#1 on the Billboard rock chart

dang

I'm no fan of the Remission/Leviathan era, but this one's an enjoyable listen so far. They're basically Avenged Sevenfold with more chops.

Really digging Once More 'Round now, it's a grower. Tread Lightly to Asleep in the Deep is a killer run, couldn't choose my favourite from those six songs.

I've been listening to a ton of Mastodon lately. One thing that struck me after listening to songs from throughout their catalog back-to-back is just how consistent they've been all along. There's been a trend toward more melodic, more concise songs, but plenty of their old stuff was melodic and there's still plenty of crazy prog tangents on their new stuff, and it all hits hard. I've also come around a lot on The Hunter. There are probably only a couple songs on there that I don't care for and lots of very solid stuff. I just keep liking these guys more and more!

Yeah they're a band that really reward repeated close listening.

3.10 - 3.30 on High Road may actually be the most rocking passage of music in existence.

Yeah, love how it opens up into that melodic passage after all the brutal riffing. I also love how they dig into those super low notes in the main riff.

I've tried but I can't get into this new one. It's too straight-forward and obvious, or a lesser attempt at their older sounds like The Hunter. I get that Crack the Skye was a difficult album for them personally as well as musically and they wanted to become a bit more relaxed in approach ever since but they've just sounded half-arsed ever since. I'm glad that they're successful and most likely make a living from what they do now because they deserve it but to me they've just gone from amazing to mediocre.

The tracks on the last two albums are less obviously proggy than their earlier stuff but there are a lot more twists and turns in there than may be apparent on first listen.

I've listened to it a few times now, but it's just not doing it for me! They're still a pretty good band but I don't think I'll be listening to this too often. If I want sludgy proggy pop-metal Torche and Floor are way superior so I'll stick with them for the time being

yeah i actually thought this record had a lot more oblique and unexpected passages than say the hunter

i've only listened to it once though. iirc it was groovy and fun

I really tried with The Hunter but some kind of spark of life is just missing

Having difficulty rallying my irl friends for the Brixton show in November, anyone off here going?

http://i1.wp.com/www.ghostcultmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/mastodon-game-of-thrones.jpg

Mastodon’s Brann Dailor describes their time Beyond the Wall:

It was such an incredible experience to be on set as extras for our collective favorite show Game Of Thrones and to be wildlings murdered and then brought back to life by White Walkers was beyond amazing. I watched my best friends Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher, murdered right in front of me as I myself was stabbed in the stomach and had my throat slit multiple times, and I didn’t mind at all. It made me love being in Mastodon even more. We are more than privileged and honored to have been a part of one of the greatest stories ever told on film, and the catering wasn’t bad either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og39iIBeOHI&t=184s

I'll try again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og39iIBeOHI

It's good. Doesn't appear to be a radical departure from their last two albums, but I don't think anyone was particularly expecting that at this point. New album coming March.

The opening riff is rather similar to the one on the most recent Baroness album.

I am v bored of what they sound like w/ Brendan O'Brien on the boards

this is the first time he's produced them since crack the skye, but i agree

they're much better singers now at least

oh is it? all their recent albums have that same flat dull sound to me. xp

right, only Crack The Skye, which I think sounds great, but that's not a popular POV

They all sound fine to me, but I'm not a production nerd.

I like the new song, but it's about as predictably Mastodon-ish as anyone could imagine. I'm still looking forward to the new one, though. Current ranking: Leviathan > Crack the Skye > Once More 'Round the Sun > The Hunter > Remission > Blood Mountain (though honestly the last three are basically a tie for "yeah, no thanks").

Would more or less agree with your ranking, I find Remission and Blood Mountain fairly impenetrable. The Hunter has an ep's worth of good songs.

once more 'round the sun is a great record; i think the hunter is pretty easily their worst. ranking remission and blood mountain that low is nonsense

I've tried with both of them and never got into them. It's not that I don't enjoy their heavier work as I love Leviathan. Maybe they'll click one day.

Speaking as someone who didn't like their last two albums very much I think this new song's pretty good.

Blood Mountain is great y'all. The Hunter is the only one that I can't really get with although I love "Black Tongue".

I like Brendan O'Brien's production work because he really shines a light on their awesome guitar riffs. New song is dope, BTW.

feel like the drums get sorta buried in the riff clouds on crack the skye and this new song, but i'm looking forward to the record anyway

you're probably right, I prefer guitar over drums production on this type of album because it sounds more naturalistic to me and just louder overall. But that creates a situation where the drums do end up taking a little bit of a backseat.

you're probably right, I prefer guitar over drums production on this type of album because it sounds more naturalistic to me and just louder overall. But that creates a situation where the drums do end up taking a little bit of a backseat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdxZ4YXFcpQ

hm

Can't listen right now, is that a bad hm?

it's an undecided hm

I uh can't imagine their fanbase getting super stoked about this lol

The first track had me a little bit intrigued but now I think I'll just give this album a miss

I don't hate this track, but I don't really get why they keep trying out these pop metal tracks that just don't play to their strengths. Also leaning way to much on Bran Dailor's vocals.

Brann is the weakest of the vocalists, easily.

It's not nearly as bad as I was expecting from the reaction. I ike the off kilter solo.

Oh I don't hate it but it's just vanilla radio-rock and I don't feel the need to ever hear it again.

I suspect this isn't what the whole album will sound like, but we'll see

I also suspect it might be a better tune than it first appears, as I find many Mastodon tracks to be.

Like that Mark Twain quote about Wagner's music being better than it sounds?

this rocks i think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ry7FStwey4

OK, so now I've heard three songs from the new album and I still haven't been convinced to pre-order it. This is a bad sign. I guess I kinda wanted them to still be capable of surprising me, and none of these songs do that. I liked the last album, but... I might be over these guys.

Mastodon have a new 4 song ep out and I'm loving it. It's a little cleaner and less brutal than their last album, basically just straight up modern rock. I really like this change of pace.

Also getting a bit of a Pink Floyd vibe in places.

Apparently three of the tracks are left over from the Once More 'Round the Sun sessions, and the other is from the Emperor of Sand sessions, so it's no surprise it's more mainstream. I've only listened to it once but I liked it.

At first listen "Cold Dark Place" seemed very Southern rock, not a stretch geographically but still something of a surprise ... sounded good to me.

My understanding is that Brent Hinds was really driving this one, and he's definitely their southern rock guy

"Blue Walsh" is great

Mastodon was teasing a new song and it was just released today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiXTJvnWA_4

Not for a new album, but a "collection of rare tracks" called Medium Rarities that will be out 9/11.

http://linkstorage.linkfire.com/medialinks/images/872f0207-db7f-495f-9c50-1f5f7b4c6f1d/artwork-440x440.jpg

Track listing:

Fallen Torches (Previously Unreleased)
A Commotion (Feist Cover)
Asleep in the Deep (Instrumental version)
Capillarian Crest (Live)
A Spoonful Weighs A Ton (The Flaming Lips Cover)
Toe To Toes (Instrumental version)
Circle of Cysquatch (Live)
Atlanta (Butthole Surfers Cover)
Jaguar God (Instrumental)
Cut You Up With A Linoleum Life (Aqua Teen Hunger Force)
Blood & Thunder (Live)
White Walker (from Game of Thrones mix tape)
Halloween (Instrumental version)
Crystal Skull (Live)
Orion (Metallica Cover)
Iron Tusk (Live)

I'll check it out, but a little disappointed it isn't all new stuff

I think they are working on new material as well?

Medium Rarities

that got an actual groan from me - well done!

It's alright, I'm really glad to finally have "Cut You Up with a Linoleum Knife" and some of those live tracks are pretty killer, but all of the instrumental versions get annoying and that "A Spoonful Weighs a Ton" cover is pretty awful.

Medium Rarities

that got an actual groan from me - well done!

steak in the conference room?

pretty good new song from the weirdly stacked soundtrack to a new DC comics cartoon thing

https://www.stereogum.com/2147433/mastodon-forged-by-neron/music/

"Blue Walsh" is great

― calstars

Been revisiting Cold Dark Place (ironically some of their warmest songs) recently and I concur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haT5ars6RXc

posting the new song in here, plus this interview that makes me really excited about the album https://www.kerrang.com/features/how-collective-grief-shaped-mastodons-most-grandiose-gut-wrenching-album-ever/

i also just put on remission and i'm headbanging

Pre-ordered the new album, along with this absurd T-shirt:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0797/5345/products/MST10017_1200x1200.png

That looks dope

Another new song/video: "Teardrinker". I'm into it. Reminds me of something from Once More 'Round the Sun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1L2XW1N0c

Really dig the new one, love when the synth kicks in during the back half. Really excited to hear the whole thing now.

fantastic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F76JslnhBo

dopest one yet

I like that they are finding some different directions to take the guitars. Last album or two had a bit too much of just make everything sound huge all the time. I think they actually benefit from not doubling up everything to oblivion.

Yeah that's proper good. I often enjoy their less obviously heavy material - that EP a few years back for example.

record's their best since crack the skye imo

Crazy, I gave up on Mastodon years ago. Everything they'd done after Crack the Skye was forgettable, so I'll (cautiously) check the new one out.

Looking forward to checking it out tomorrow. I like their latter-day albums (Emperor of Sand in particular) so my hopes are high.

The Hunter is the only one I didn't really vibe with

record's their best since crack the skye imo

seconded

I've liked the singles well enough, but Brad and and stevie's praise has me stoked. Like Moodles, The Hunter is the only one I don't love, Emperor of Sand and that EP were both great.

enjoyed this while i was working today, but it seemed to go on for a heck of a long time

it is pretty long and almost every song is five minutes

still within that there is a ton of variety

every time i threatened to get tired of it some new flourish would pull me further along, cf. the power ballads "skeleton of splendor" and "had it all"

Haven't made it all the way to the end yet, but I like the Van Halen-isms on "Peace and Tranquillity."

"more than i could chew" is so awesome

been revisiting mastodon 2.0 in light of the new record. i forgot how much i loved "stargasm" and "octopus has no friends"

I really like the new album

as an extremely casual mastodon fan - this felt like a masterpiece, after one listen today.

i feel like i didn't sit with emperor of sand long enough when it came out... what an accomplished record, especially the second half. also "show yourself" is about as awesome as a capital-S Single from this band could sound, i love all the riffs in the bridge

once more 'round the sun was also even more awesome than i remembered it being, and made me think i should be more careful about claiming the new one as the best since crack the skye. kinda wish i had another extremely psychedelic and hilarious mastodon record

I still think the new one is the best since CTS, but I did also love Emperor of Sand. I need to revisit Sun again soon, but I can't stop going through the new one.

Hearing Crack the Skye comparisons validates my thoughts lol. Sad I didn't see them at Coachella that year, or live at all until 2018.

I was definitely more a Lamb of God fan in the past - didn't quite get the Leviathan hype, though I bought Blood Mountain on CD with all the hype surrounding it.

I've only seen them live twice, the last time was when they toured with Opeth, but they were incredible both times. I really need to try to catch them again.

also if anyone like me slept on the cold dark place ep... stop sleeping

hard to believe any of those songs didn't make their respective albums

it's going to take a while for me to gather my thoughts on this one but first impression is very positive. This may be their best sounding album, the mix is very clear as opposed to the murk of Emperor of Sand. They seem to be really going for it performance-wise, with a welcome return to higher tempos and wild riffing, as opposed to the kind of lumbering mid-tempo stuff they often get bogged down in.

wow, Pitchfork really hated this, huh? wtf?

ok, after listening to pretty much every mastodon album, the new one sounds even… more impressive? every part of “pain with an anchor” deeply rocks. feeling like “masterpiece” is otm

My current ranking: Leviathan > Crack the Skye > Emperor of Sand > Hushed & Grim > Once More 'Round the Sun > Blood Mountain > The Hunter > Remission

Not a bad ranking at all, but I'd flip it a little:

Leviathan > Crack the Sky > Blood Mountain > Hushed > Emperor > Remission > Hunter > Sun

crack the skye
hushed and grim
blood mountain
leviathan
once more ‘round the sun
remission
emperor of sand
the hunter

Still digging this!

Also excited to hear what Brent cooks up in his new project with Matt Pike, supposedly a single and video due out before the end of the year. Read a thing that said Brent held back some songs from this Mastodon record for the Pike project, but not sure if that's just because they didn't really fit here or what. Not going to link to the article I read since it also includes Brent dropping a homophobic slur while he's trashing other bands they've toured with.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFJisKSY2SY

video would've been better if they'd just done the numbers straight without the interviews - but playing at the Georgia Aquarium would be on my Mount Rushmore of unattainable performance venues.

I wrote a long piece about Hushed and Grim and how Covid-19 has killed the album cycle.

Great piece, glad to see some more love for that record. I was really surprised at the muted reaction to one of their best.

they just announced upcoming tour dates, I'm probably going to see them when they get to Austin in August

very nice writing, unperson. I hope this album gets more recognition, it's one of their best.

I found it a slog the one time I listened to it, perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind. There seemed to be barely any variation in mood.

The band just released a full-on 90 minute documentary on the making of their new one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rgi5C0JbRs

I have not watched it yet so I cannot rep for it but I will probably have it play in the background one day when I am working sometime.

"It’s also facing new competition from established names: Meta has said it’s working on its own decentralized social network, code-named P92, which will reportedly connect to ActivityPub. And Twitter’s co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey is getting ready to unveil Bluesky, a decentralized social media app that will come with a new protocol of its own."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/18/mastodon-users-twitter-elon-musk-social-media

Lol no

lol

no shade on the app, but let's not shit up this beautiful thread with this stuff

I haven't a chord from this group and I apologise (posted this in the ILE thread)

An easy mistake to make.

Revisiting Hushed and Grim for the first time in awhile, it's fucking fantastic. I think it'll stand up as one of the band's best. Doesn't hurt that it ends with an absolutely incredible run - "Gobblers of Dregs", "Eyes of Serpents" and "Gigantium" are all so good.

it's a good one for sure. My only complaint as always is that they should let Brent Hinds sing more. He doesn't have quite as powerful a voice as the other 2 but he sounds cooler. I get burned out on Troy Sanders constant bellowing and Brann Dailor is a bit bland.

Brann barely sang at all on the first bunch of records and now he's all over the newer ones.

agreed, it is fantastic.
out of a random urge, i listened to disc 1 earlier.
absolutely hit the spot.

So I knew a tour with Lamb of God was coming up, but apparently some collaborative music? At least one song with the two bands is due soon:

A flood is coming Mastodon x @lambofgod 9.12 pic.twitter.com/sp4l3Vto6z

— Mastodon (@mastodonmusic) September 4, 2024

Really enjoyed unperson's piece. Gotta dig in to Hushed & Grim.

Looks like Brent Hinds is leaving the band, but they are going to continue on. His guitar and vocals are my favorite elements in their music, so it's hard to see how continuing without him will pan out.

I was about to say, that seems hard to manage.

Agreed, a big loss.

Going back to the early days, I had the impression that he was a difficult person to work with. The amount of singing he's done on their albums has dropped steadily over the years. I don't know if that has to do with his relationship with the band or if he just had fewer vocal lines to contribute. It's been a bummer for me because I like his voice much better than the other two.

Any guesses why he left? The band's statement lacked details (putting it mildly).

Pure speculation of course, but hard not to fill in the blanks without more info…. But Brann posted an Instagram video recently (though, tbf, no idea when it was recorded) and he had a black eye. Given previous things I’ve heard about Brent being difficult, well my mind put the two together. I certainly hope not, but that statement is quite vague.

Hinds has a long reputation for getting in bar fights, saying really caustic shit in interviews, etc., etc. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did; he seems like a fairly self-destructive guy. (Societal evolution be damned — face tattoos are still a giant red flag, sorry.)

https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/181009175133-post-malone.jpg?q=x_265,y_178,h_2246,w_3991,c_crop/h_833,w_1480

Pretty amazing run by these guys. I grew up with Troy’s little brother. Got to see them at really small venue in Athens around 2003. They let my friends band, General Patton and the Unicorns, open for them.

Reading a lot of posts on Reddit, it sounds like Brent has been pretty openly losing interest in the band for many years, so I guess this was due. It'll be interesting to see what they do next.

I saw them at the tiny Glasgow Cathouse the week Leviathan came out.
xp

Troy's my favourite singer in Mastodon, not sure if that's a common opinion.

Probably just pure coincidence, but Jéssica Falchi, guitarist from Crypta announced Monday she was leaving the band but that she'd see fans "on the road" soon. Then later that day she posted a video on Facebook of her playing "Megalodon".

she is an absolutely killer guitarist and had a great live presence in Crypta. sucks she left that band to be honest but would certainly look forward to her being in Mastodon if it did happen.

Yeah she's great and I like her a lot, don't think I would have considered her for Mastodon before I saw that. But now, it wouldn't be the worst move they could make (especially since I saw people on reddit kicking around Zakk Wylde joining).

They just played a show with Ben Eller, a guy who makes guitar tutorial videos on YouTube, subbing in.

wow, i used to watch that guy, good for him!

Oh wow, Brent Hinds was killed in a car accident yesterday. Obviously a troubled guy and I'm still not sure what went down with his exit from the band, but a really sad ending.

terrible news, he was my favorite part of Mastodon

RIP Brent Hinds

hadn't he recently announced that he was joining or forming another band?

Sad news

Man, I’d seen multiple headlines throughout the day and not investigated as I wasn’t ever a huge fan of Mastodon but I didn’t realize until now it was THE guy

that's terrible news. i didn't stick with them through the years, but remission and leviathan are tremendous records. in my early days of trying to understand metal as a complete outsider to it those records were really important to me.

yeah -- I checked out around the time of Crack the Skye but Leviathan esp. was a real moment, I saw them on that tour (they did an encore, which they said was rare, and played Thin Lizzy's "Emerald") and the feeling that they were heading someplace big was palpable

There's an argument to be made that Leviathan is the best metal-qua-metal album of the 21st Century.

xxxpost - earlier this year the band announced they were parting ways with Hinds by mutual decision, but later he started posting these screeds on social media about them firing him. he was, by a lot of reports not in a good headspace, which makes this all the more sad. aiui he was about to tour Europe with one of his side project bands.

those of y’all that checked out early should really play Hushed and Grim, the latest, it’s not on the level of Remission or Leviathan (nor is it meant to be really), but tons of great songs. Brent sings lead on “The Beast”, which hit hard on another spin tonight

Yeah, H&G is really good. I saw them on the Crack the Skye tour with High On Fire and Converge. It was the only “band plays the whole album” show I’ve ever seen and it ruled.

It is a rather shocking end and one that the wounds will never heal. It is tough when a long running group comes apart in strife and ill feelings that sadly will never have any other resolution.

Say one thing, they were a band that went from the basement/garage to playing some of the biggest stages in the world doing their own thing. Whether you dig their music or not, that is somewhat notable.

Mastodon were a big ILM band, I learned about them here and they were discussed quite a bit.

RIP Brent.

that my ATL-based parents were aware of it and texted me because they knew i saw mastodon over a decade ago [during their "our son only listens to bands with animal names in them" phase] - he clearly hit when it was meant and mattered.

Not that they need it now, and basically never did, but here's my 2007 Collegtown alt-weekly defense and celebration of them, when some metal purists were like, oh they're bringing the trendies in, they're not really metal anymore and never were: https://mycolone.blogspot.com/2025/07/mastodon-polymathic-rawkissers-of.html They were coming to town, Columbus OH, so I took the opp.

Remission - Leviathan - Blood Mountain - Crack the Skye was an incredible, incredible run.

This might sound weird, but every time I saw Mastodon after 2010, their live mix was abysmal. Trebly, not heavy, kind of quiet. Even as recently as the Hushed & Grim tour.

truly amazing first 4 albums. I saw them play the pitchfork fest in Chicago right around Blood Mountain and it was easily one of the biggest highlights of the whole thing.

The only album they put out since then that seemed weak was The Hunter, I'd say the rest are all very solid.

That said, they all lean way more toward hard rock than straight up metal, if that is a dealbreaker for you.

so bummed about this. crack the skye is such a brilliant record.

and i feel what made mastodon great was the balance between the four of them

That's true, though I also thought that Brent was more equal than the rest of them, and was bummed that his voice in the band seemed to shrink in the post Crack The Skye years

A Facebook post from Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth:

"Brent Hinds is gone. An incredible musician. A force of nature. Our friend. My friend. I got the news today from the Mastodon boys as I was having coffee with my mother and her partner. They’re talking about their plans for the upcoming weekend, but I couldn’t really hear what they were saying, to be honest. I was (and still am) overwhelmed by shock. I reached out to the boys in my band delivering the tragic news and my phone has been buzzing every 10 seconds since. There’s so much to be said about Brent. We’ve spend so much time together with him on the road. I like to think we got to know each other quite well. Brent demanded attention (and got it) every time he stepped into our dressing room or bus, which was quite often, I'd might add. Fred and him would jam backstage. I’d keep an eye on him/them and their usual tour-shenanigans to the point where Brent started calling me ”Dad”, and I was calling him ”Son”.

I have so many memories of him, most of which I can sum up as ”good times”. We often talked about stage nerves. How nervousness can be good, but also, if bad, how it can hinder your performance. The latter sensation manifested itself as a fictional person: ”Peter”. Brent would go: ”Peter was on stage tonight, and that fucker sucks ass” when he had a bad show.

It’s too soon to grieve I suppose, this hasn’t sunk in at all. I only just heard about this tragedy 5 hours ago. It’s beyond devastating, and judging from what’s being said on our private Opeth group-chat I know I can speak for the whole band.

The ”Dad-Son” thing stuck over the years. I last saw Brent when he came to our show in Atlanta (October 22, 2024). He walks in and goes ”What’s up Pops?”. It’s a very, very bright memory but it makes me numb with sadness right now, thinking about it.

We’d like to offer our warmest and most loving condolences to his family and friends, colleagues, fans, and of course to the whole Mastodon inner circle. The incredible band that was instrumental for making us and the world aware of the phenomenon that is Brent Hinds. Note that I can’t write about him in past tense just yet. He still ”is”.

I’ve included a photo of myself and Brent from our last tour together. I fail to remember where it was taken, but I remember we're singing along to Van Halen’s ”5150”. Right there, is exactly how I will remember him. Always.

Brent Hinds, rest in peace.

Love from your friends in Opeth

Mikael Åkerfeldt, August 21, 2025"