Mastodon Begins Recording Sophomore Album

[Viva Las Espuelas]

we all know how band threads turn out here, but this involves two of my favs in the music industry. i'm pretty excited about it. hopefully the "dogman" spirit will be over this

Mastodon Begins Recording Sophomore Album

http://images.livedaily.com/artists/mastodon-091206.jpg (http://www.livedaily.com/blog/2052.html) May 23, 2008 12:05 PM
By Suzanne Kayian (http://www.livedaily.com/contact.html)
LiveDaily Contributor
Mastodon (http://www.livedaily.com/artists/2612.html) has chosen acclaimed producer Brendan O'Brien to record the follow-up to their 2006 debut, "Blood Mountain." Recording sessions are expected to begin immediately, according to a press release.

The band also is set to tour with the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, which kicks off July 9 at White River Amphitheater in Seattle. The 30-date North American outing wraps in late August.

[jman3000]

:lmao.... this is there... 4th album.

[Medvedenko]

Yeah, not their second but will be there 4th...anyways...looking forward to it as they one of my favourite bands out there.

Current Favs:
Dillinger Escape Plan
Genghis Tron
Opeth
Between the Buried and Me
Converge

[Viva Las Espuelas]

:lmao.... this is there... 4th album.
wow. i didn't even catch that. no wonder my brain hurt when i saw the title of it.

[jman3000]

im not a fan of avengd seven fold... i think it's garbage... but i thought it was funny how they got best new artist at some awards show when they had been around for quite a few years at that point. it's awesome how the media starts counting albums once the first one becomes popluar.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Mastodon Stretches Out On 'Creepy' New Album

Mastodon
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/images/spacer.gif June 04, 2008, 12:50 PM ET
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/images/spacer.gif
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Hard rock outfit Mastodon is five songs into its next Warner Bros. studio album, which the group is recording in its Atlanta hometown with producer Brendan O'Brien.

Drummer Brann Dailor tells Billboard.com that so far, "everything sounds real creepy and spaced out and different." He's particularly enthused about a 15-minute jam dubbed "The Last Baron," which happily, O'Brien had no interest in making shorter or changing.

"There's so many toys to play with over at his studio, like pipe organs and all this crazy sh*t," says Dailor, who was introduced to O'Brien through Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg (his son is a big Mastodon fan). "There are little cool things we're going to do to the record that we've been wanting to do for a long time."

Dailor promises the as-yet-untitled album, which should be out before the end of the year, will have the conceptual feel of prior releases "Leviathan" (based around "water") and "Blood Mountain" ("earth"), but he's not ready to get specific just yet.

"I think a lot of people didn't realize 'Blood Mountain' was a concept record," he says. "We made up our own story again this time, but we may try to make it a little more evident that that's what's going on. I like to keep them speculating on our message board. There's no possible way they could guess this."

http://view.atdmt.com/CNT/view/bllbdwir0380000194cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/ED6E13CDF1F9 (http://web.checkm8.com/adam/em/click/402469/cat=vnu_music_bb.News_and_Reviews.News.Article;cri terias=32,0,34,7,43,4,103,10,104,5,111,7,112,1,113 ,1,116,225,117,225045,118,1,120,4000000100,280,2,2 82,0,283,0,;url=http://clk.atdmt.com/CNT/go/bllbdwir0380000194cnt/direct;wi.300;hi.250/01/ED6E13CDF1F9) Among the other tracks tipped to make the cut are "Divinations," which Dailor describes as "a mover and a shaker," and "Oblivion," which he says is "real moody. It feels like the music got a little deeper somehow." He adds that Neurosis singer Scott Kelly may wind up making a guest appearance on the album but that nothing is set in stone yet.

Fans are likely to get a taste of new Mastodon material during the band's set at Bonnaroo next weekend ("We can't wait any longer," Dailor admits). Afterward, Mastodon will return to Atlanta to continue work with O'Brien before embarking on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem tour July 9 in Seattle.

"I have a feeling like I had before 'Leviathan' came out," Dailor says. "It was like, I was feeling like we're not that band. Everyone thinks we're the band that did 'Remission,' but we're not. We're a new band."

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003811648

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Fans are likely to get a taste of new Mastodon material during the band's set at Bonnaroo next weekend ("We can't wait any longer," Dailor admits).



Fuse, the national music (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=98688#) television network, has announced that it will be broadcasting live Bonnaroo (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=98688#) Music & Arts Festival sets from both METALLICA and MASTODON. METALLICA's performance can be seen this Saturday, June 14 at 10:00 p.m., while MASTODON's concert can be seen on Sunday, June 15 at 9:00 p.m.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I thought they already had two albums...

[leemajors]

i want a follow up to Some Kind of Monster.

[N.Y. Johnny]

Mastodon fucking rocks. I love these guys. :lol

I saw the thread saying "Sophomore" album and I'm like...wait what is going on here? I know I own more than one and they have more than one.

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

"I have a feeling like I had before 'Leviathan' came out," Dailor says. "It was like, I was feeling like we're not that band. Everyone thinks we're the band that did 'Remission,' but we're not. We're a new band."

"Remission" absolutely crushed. Definately their best release.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

remission is great. hell. they're all great. every disc, in my opinion, just keeps on getting better and better. blood mountain is my favorite by far. the writing, everything, especially brann's drumming is top notch on that disc. I sound like a girl talking about them, but these dudes really impress me.

[mookie2001]

even thispego knows they have two albums and he thinks exodus was that show after the oc

is mastadon more metalcore or NWOAM?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

is mastadon more metalcore or NWOAM?
i wouldn't call them metalcore. they're just heavy and they rock out with their roosters out.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I saw them at Unholy Alliance in 2006

They were definitely the 2nd best band on that bill......after SLAYER of course

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

even thispego knows they have two albums and he thinks exodus was that show after the oc

is mastadon more metalcore or NWOAM?

They have somewhat of a metalcore look to them, but don't sound gay like metalcore bands do.
Imagine a jam band playing metal with a lot of wierd time changes and totally insane drumming. That sums up Mastodon pretty well.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I saw them at Unholy Alliance in 2006

They were definitely the 2nd best band on that bill......after SLAYER of course
2nd best?

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

even thispego knows they have two albums and he thinks exodus was that show after the oc

is mastadon more metalcore or NWOAM?

Here's two of their best songs in one live clip:


747gvSxz2ZM

[Viva Las Espuelas]

update
O0Map2-2ViA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Map2-2ViA


hopefully this can be a lesson in bumping old threads as well.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

MASTODON REVEAL NEW ALBUM TITLE AND TRACK LIST, METALLICA TOURDATES


Atlanta-based heavy-rock behemoth Mastodon have confirmed details behind their upcoming Reprise Records album scheduled for release in early 2009. The seven-song, 50-minute effort will be entitled Crack the Skye; it was recorded at Southern Tracks Studios in Atlanta and produced/mixed by Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, etc.). Crack the Skye follows the critically acclaimed 2006 epic Blood Mountain, which was voted the No. 2 album of that year by Revolver magazine.


Tracklisting for Crack the Skye is as follows:


01. Oblivion
02. Divinations
03. Quintessence
04. The Czar
(I) Usurper
(II) Escape
(III) Martyr
(IV) Spiral
05. Ghost of Karelia
06. Crack The Skye
07. The Last Baron


As with each of their previous releases, the packaging for the new album will be as bold and breathtaking as the music contained within. Multiple packaging formats are expected. Details to be revealed in the near future.


Until then, Mastodon have been asked to support label-mates Metallica in Europe this coming summer 2009.

http://www.revolvermag.com/content/mastodon-reveal-new-album-title-and-track-list-metallica-tourdates Poor Metallica.

[Many PackYao]

I've seen these guys about three or four times because I've to had to endure their set while waiting to see Slayer.Other than 'blood and thunder', I can't make out what the fuck they're trying to play.:lol

[Viva Las Espuelas]

i had to include the comment left on the article as well. hilarious. this disc sounds a little iffy to me based off the article, but the reviewer sounds like he owns the special edition, director's edition, uncut dvd's for the lord of the rings trilogy. we shall see.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mastodon Stomp Back: Crack The Skye Reviewed Track-By-Track
John Doran, December 31st, 2008 07:00

After a turbulent couple of years, Mastodon return with their fourth album Crack The Skye. A song about Tsarist Russian in four parts, you say? John Doran sits back to bathe himself in prog.

http://assets.thequietus.com/images/articles/927/mastadoncompositelarge_1230644726_crop_500x255.jpg
'Oblivion'
The first track on Mastodon's fourth studio album begins with an ominous sound indeed. The tri-chord has formed the basis of classic metal since time began (well, the late 60s anyway) and the opening of 'Oblivion' links us back to the canon via Slayer's 'Dead Skin Mask'. It feels like it is making the bold claim: you're going to be listening to this album in ten or twenty years time. Perhaps it is true that great art is born out of periods of intense upheaval and uncertainty - two things that Mastodon have had in spades since the release of their last album, Blood Mountain on Warners. After appearing at MTV's Video Awards Show in 2007, frontman Brent Hinds (guitars/vocals) ended up in hospital after a brawl that reportedly involved Shavo from System of a Down and the musician William Hudson. Whatever the story (the band have refused to talk about the incident), after a life-threatening brain heomorrhage Hinds was lucky to recover sufficiently to be able to record this album. Add to this that the fact that the band have been operating recently as a three piece after the other guitarist Bill Kelliher had to go back to Atlanta with that most musicianly of disorders, 'exhaustion', and you get a picture of a real rock & roll band - for better and for worse. Anyway, some of this dynamism seems to have crept onto this disc, as if by unstoppable osmosis. However, on the evidence of the first track, their experiences have made them more considered rather than angry or wild. There is an exciting and vital solo by Brent, which seems to say, 'Fuck you, I'm better, this thing didn't touch me.' But as a whole, this is certainly more restrained than anything off Blood Mountain. Surprisingly enough, the band whose name came up when I initially heard this record was Soundgarden.
'Divinations'
There is a staccato introduction on what sounds like a ukulele and the kind of proggy, folk metal with Eastern tinges that System of a Down specialize in. As we all know, Mastodon is all about Brann Dailor's drumming - as great as the other members are - and if his stick work took a back seat on 'Oblivion' it is right out at the forefront here, where it should be. He is in fact in Buddy Rich vs Animal of the Muppets (http://www.youtube.com/v/J3zNANjJNio&hl=en&fs=1) with a side helping of Dave Lombardo and spirit of John 'Stumpy' Pepys (http://myspace.com/johnstumpypepys). And if you don't know who he is then you shouldn't even be reading this. The shredding on this track is a lot more far out. It's as if they've done a classic underground album (Remission), they've done a classic death metal album (Leviathan); they've done a classic, let's-throw-everything-into-the-mix album (Blood Mountain) and now they're going for a classic popular metal album. And if on 'Oblivion' they sounded slightly like sulky teenagers who actually would sooner be doing anything else, by 'Divinations' it sounds like they've warmed to the task entirely.
'Quintessence'
Yet more mod-prog, post SOAD, tuneful complexity. Simplistic MUSE arpegios are smashed apart and then reassembled in odd forms and shapes as if to unsettle the listener while simultaneously rocking them. But persevere with it and this is an oddly beautiful song punctuated with bursts of (Dave Grohl-period) Killing Joke ferocity. Satisfying bass riffs play against complex finger tapped passages and once again they break open the Satanic voice effects pedal that they first started to mess about with on Blood Mountain.
'The Czar'
i) Usurper
Apparently this song was inspired by little black lacquer boxes that the band bought while on tour in Russia. The theme extends out of the lyrics and into the sonics given that it has a sombre, totalitarian feel and a hint of Eastern European folk to it. This is not a million miles away from being a reach-clench-press-fist-to-chest power ballad and as Brent tells the listener to "runaway, don't stay" while warning of "assassination", you can't help but wondering if this was one of the first songs written in the sessions for the album when it was rumoured the album was going to be about the mad monk, Rasputin - who was certainly a usurper in the Tsar's court.
ii) Escape
A grinding art-tooled riff comes on like Opeth and ramps up the heaviness. This is awesome groove metal that reminds you of that terrible bit of the 90s when everything in mainstream metal was shit apart from the sheer brilliance of the riffology of Pantera and Tommy Victor's playing in Prong.
iii) Martyr
OMG!!! The intro to this song, with loads of multi-tracked close part harmonies through loads of effects is really reminiscent of 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love'! This is a very classic rock friendly section and it's not just the vocal harmonies but the windswept, 'November Rain' style solo as well. There are a lot of prog references on this album and I'm not talking 'trendy, it's alright to own up to listening to this prog' but Yes, Rush and King Crimson style prog. But this song . . . well, it's only a gnat's chuff away from being like Marillion and that won't do. I can't work out how I feel about 'The Czar' and I'd be surprised if another 28 listens made the situation any clearer.
iv) Spiral
Gentle, icicle shattering percussiveness gives way to power metal riffola. To call this section pseudo-classical is to do it a disservice. It has all the sense of occasion of Ravel; all the depressive grandeur and bombast of Mahler. The section works fine on its own but I'm starting to wonder - is to much of this album progressive, neo-classical metal? Where are the tracks for those who want to raise the horns and rock until their balls drop off?
'Ghost of Karelia'
Well, this song certainly redresses the balance somewhat. It has the signature Mastodon sound of roiling drum work that boils like a rough sea with thunderous and clangorous riffage that sounds like two mighty ships firing their canons at one another, with the incongruously delicate hooks, lightly picked over the top. Even though they've obviously become an entirely different beast to the one that released Leviathan, this is probably the most hook and tune filled thing they've done to date.
'Crack The Skye'
A squall of descending arpegios lead into to some banging Ride The Lightning style riffage but - and I realise I'm going to get keel hauled for even suggesting this - is it just me or does the fact that the vocals switch between sweetly melodic, furrow browed sincerity and apocalyptic, raw throated bellowing, sound a bit . . . erm, emo? Moving swiftly on . . . [So you're saying a song by Mastodon, that features Scott Kelly of Neurosis on vocals, sounds "a bit emo" are you? There's nothing we can do to help you now - Witness Protection Scheme Editor]
'The Last Baron'
This may start off as a chiming low bpm number but its full 13 minutes leads us through an ever changing landscape of post metal texture. If the start of the album showed a band who were slightly unsure of their task to deliver a complex, prog-metal album to a mainstream audience, they certainly end with fire in their bellies. As a dyed in the wool fan of the band I've got to say that my gut feeling is that I'd sooner see them dealing in more post hardcore death metal, meting out anvil heavy breakdowns like, for example, 'Blood and Thunder' or 'Battle At Sea' or 'Slickleg'. This said, I'm also aware that you can't be the sort of person who just wants bands to continuously repeat themselves, to be the person still wanting Reign In Blood, 24 years after the fact. As it is we have one of only two bands (the other being SOAD) delivering relatively complex and heavy music on a mainstream stage and seen in that context their new album is, by and large, a success.



http://thequietus.com/articles/00927-mastadon-stomp-back-i-crack-the-sky-i-reviewed-track-by-track

---------------------------------------------------------------------------



Nigga Fatlip
2 hours ago Your review would have been infinitely better, more precise, and more respectable if you would have refrained from bringing up System of a Down every other sentence. You fucking cock sucker.
Reply to this (http://thequietus.com/articles/00927-mastadon-stomp-back-i-crack-the-sky-i-reviewed-track-by-track#) Admin (http://thequietus.com/articles/00927-mastadon-stomp-back-i-crack-the-sky-i-reviewed-track-by-track#)

[Viva Las Espuelas]

:lmao

i found a better review elsewhere
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's my track by track review (I've heard it a few times so trust me)


Oblivion. You're gonna shit when you hear this.

Divinations. If you haven't shit yet, you will when you hear all the weird guitar shit going on

Quintessense. If you are too stoned to have shit by this point, you will shit now.

The Czar. Since most everyone will have shit by now, everyone will be surprised to find themselves going back for a huge monster dump, and it's gonna burn on the way out, too.

Ghost Of Karilia. Rest your ass. Most everyone has shit by now, most people two or three times. Bang your head and fill your guts because

Crack The Skye. ...Because you are all gonna shit again. Scott Kelly is pissed and if you don't shit he's gonna wail you right in the stomach and/or balls and then yer just gonna shit yourself and Scott aint gonna help you clean up. Even if you DO shit, he's gonna hit you anyway cause dude's a dick like that (not really, don't hit me!).

The Last Baron. Because everyone got punched by Scott everyone is having their guts empty for what must seem like hours, and yer cryin an it ain't pretty. You go a little mad from sitting on the toilet so long and from all the fumes from the shit that you start seeing things. And then your inside empty completely and you die.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------



it must be leaked somewhere.

[BlackSwordsMan]

this is there best song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRn15vwcXyU

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I downloaded the leaked disc and it's pretty damn good. not as heavy, but excellent song writing, playing. can't tell about the producing 'cause they're mp3's. i didn't hear the last tune though. i'll for the actual disc to come out for that.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Atlanta-based progressive metal band MASTODON will embark on a spring U.S. headlining tour in support of its second album for Reprise Records, "Crack The Skye". MASTODON will perform "Crack The Skye" in its entirety along with career-spanning surprises and plenty of visual stimulus in store. This first tour behind the groundbreaking new album will sweep across the U.S. and Canada, playing to smaller theaters and clubs to insure a maximum and up-close intimate environment in which to be exposed to brand new songs and old favorites for MASTODON fans. Support on the trek will come from KYLESA and INTRONAUT.

MASTODON bassist Bill Kelliher told Billboard.com about the band's decision to play the new CD (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=115344#) in its entirety, "there's something about ["Crack The Skye"] where it would be weird to leave a song out. We'll incorporate a whole stage show, which will hopefully make it even more exciting for kids to come see and more visually stimulating." The band is also hoping to make a short movie (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=115344#) from all the songs, which Kelliher hopes will be MASTODON's version of "The Wall".

Confirmed dates are as follows:

Apr. 10 - Workplay Theater - Birmingham, AL
Apr. 11 - House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Apr. 13 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
Apr. 14 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
Apr. 16 - Martini Ranch - Phoenix, AZ
Apr. 18 - Coachella - Indio, CA
Apr. 19 - Great American Music (http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=115344#) Hall San Francisco, CA
Apr. 21 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Apr. 22 - Neumo's - Seattle, WA
Apr. 23 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
Apr. 24 - MacEwen Ballroom - Calgary, AB
Apr. 25 - Starlite Ballroom - Edmonton, AB
Apr. 26 - The Odeon - Saskatoon, SK
Apr. 28 - The Garrick - Winnipeg, MB
Apr. 29 - Fine Line Music Hall - Minneapolis, MN
Apr. 30 - Metro - Chicago, IL
May 01 - Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
May 02 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
May 04 - Le National - Montreal, QC
May 05 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
May 07 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
May 08 - TLA - Philadelphia, PA
May 09 - Fillmore @ Irving Plaza - New York, NY
May 10 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
May 12 - 9:30 Club - Washington DC
May 13 - Cat's Cradle - Carbarro, NC
May 14 - Orange Peel - Ashville, NC
May 15 - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA

Yet another highly collectible MASTODON item will become available for sale in the coming weeks. This time, a special limited-edition 12" vinyl Paul Romano album artwork picture disc of "Divinations", backed with the instrumental score version of the track. This disc will go on sale beginning Tuesday, March 10, at select Hot Topic retail store locations and at HotTopic.com.

"Crack the Skye" follows 2006's "Blood Mountain", which has sold 146,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/3229505779_7deac1fcbb_o.jpg

[mardigan]

I've tried to get into this band, but I can't seem to do it. I just don't think they are my thing.

[chode_regulator]

I need to get that CD and the new Lamb of God cd.
I almost shit myself when I saw that LoG debuted 2nd behind Taylor Swift, thank god some people still buy decent music written and performed by the band.

March of the Fire Ants is one of my fave songs.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I need to get that CD and the new Lamb of God cd.
I almost shit myself when I saw that LoG debuted 2nd behind Taylor Swift, thank god some people still buy decent music written and performed by the band.

March of the Fire Ants is one of my fave songs.
you know, i just got really burnt out on lamb of god. new american gospel was great. metal needed that, but after palaces it all sounded the same to me. everything sounds the same after a minute or so. just like shadows fall. the new one has more of a vibe of Colony of Birchmen and John Merrick to it. very epic and grandiose.

[Fermixalot]

holy shit i did not know there were metalheads on this forum!!!!

Mastodon is the fucking shit, the drummer is absolutely insane. They are a different type of metal, not metalcore or NWOAHM, just plain fucking jamming.

Right now though I'm addicted to "Rareform" from After the Burial. Its got some metalcore tendencies, but it is a really solid effort. They have some real Meshuggah-esque rhythms going on too that add a new dimension to the music and its a great album.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

holy shit i did not know there were metalheads on this forum!!!!
there's metalheads and then there's posers on here which will remain anonymous

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

The new album is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

The new album is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
yeah. i checked it out a couple of days ago. it's a definite change for them. they'll definitely be labeled as sell outs. brann's latest interview on the album is a little more serious than their other interviews. it goes a little deeper on the meaning behind the whole concept and where it spawned from. brent almost dying when the bass player from system of a down laid him out and brann's sister killing herself when she was 14. i can't wait to see their show. it sucks 'cause there's no date yet for texas and it may be around the fall that they swing by.

[MiamiHeat]

any extinct animal jokes?

[JudynTX]

there's metalheads and then there's posers on here which will remain anonymous

:lmao

[chode_regulator]

yeah. i checked it out a couple of days ago. it's a definite change for them. they'll definitely be labeled as sell outs. brann's latest interview on the album is a little more serious than their other interviews. it goes a little deeper on the meaning behind the whole concept and where it spawned from. brent almost dying when the bass player from system of a down laid him out and brann's sister killing herself when she was 14. i can't wait to see their show. it sucks 'cause there's no date yet for texas and it may be around the fall that they swing by.

Yeah I was reading that interview in thismonth's Guitar World. They def seemed very deep into the whole thing.

Viva funny you say that about LOG. i havent heard the new album yet but in that same issue of GW I cant remember if it was Willie or Mark but one of them was saying they tried to strip it down more on this album bc the last one got too complex.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Yeah I was reading that interview in thismonth's Guitar World. They def seemed very deep into the whole thing.

Viva funny you say that about LOG. i havent heard the new album yet but in that same issue of GW I cant remember if it was Willie or Mark but one of them was saying they tried to strip it down more on this album bc the last one got too complex.
i saw that video from lamb off of wrath and it was pretty good. i'll give it a whirl and see what's up with it.

[mookie2001]

even thispego knows they have two albums and he thinks exodus was that show after the oc


dam I am hilarrious

:ihit

[Viva Las Espuelas]

These dudes will take alot of flak over this release, but it's pretty damn good. simply an all out wall of sound that's their most focused release yet. yes, i do wish it was heavier or more extreme like their previous releases, but they had issues that needed to be worked out through the making of this album and it's definitely heard. this is their "Empire Strikes Back" release. hopefully they've yet to record their "Return of the Jedi". overall i give it an 8.5
:toast

[jman3000]

:lmao.... this is there... 4th album.

fucking media only recognizing a band once they have a break out... :lmao

I wonder if they'll play a bigger venue this time. 2 years ago they played the White Rabbit which holds about < 2000 people i think.

It was a bad ass experience.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

fucking media only recognizing a band once they have a break out... :lmao

I wonder if they'll play a bigger venue this time. 2 years ago they played the White Rabbit which holds about < 2000 people i think.

It was a bad ass experience.
yeah i first saw them at The Gypsy Tea Room(RIP) open up for dixie witch and high on fire. man, was that an awesome show. it holds about 200, if that. a tingle has been running up my leg ever since then.

[JudynTX]

Viva, did you burn me a copy?

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

It's a solid album, no doubt about it. Definitely the most conceptually ambitious release of their career. It's got a really good flow to it as well. It caused me to go back and listen to "Leviathan" and "Blood Mountain" to see if it was a better release than those were. I'm very tempted to say that it is. Sure, you can't argue with songs like "Blood & Thunder", "Iron Tusk", "The Wolf Is Loose" and "Crystal Skull" among others, but I'd put "The Czar" and "The Last Baron" up against them without hesitiaton.
I can see why some people might not be too fond of it. Mastodon aren't exactly a band that you can take everything in on with the first listen. Give it some time and it will grow on you. Personally, it only took one spin and I was hooked.
Before I bought it, I didn't think I would like this album as much as I do. I was pleasantly surprised. It's right up there with the latest Satyricon and Absu releases in terms of my favorites for the year so far. Now if Endstille would just release their new one......

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

fucking media only recognizing a band once they have a break out... :lmao

I wonder if they'll play a bigger venue this time. 2 years ago they played the White Rabbit which holds about < 2000 people i think.

It was a bad ass experience.


yeah i first saw them at The Gypsy Tea Room(RIP) open up for dixie witch and high on fire. man, was that an awesome show. it holds about 200, if that. a tingle has been running up my leg ever since then.


They're playing Coachella this year.
I believe they're playing the album in it's entirety for their set.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

It's a solid album, no doubt about it. Definitely the most conceptually ambitious release of their career. It's got a really good flow to it as well. It caused me to go back and listen to "Leviathan" and "Blood Mountain" to see if it was a better release than those were. I'm very tempted to say that it is. Sure, you can't argue with songs like "Blood & Thunder", "Iron Tusk", "The Wolf Is Loose" and "Crystal Skull" among others, but I'd put "The Czar" and "The Last Baron" up against them without hesitiaton.
I can see why some people might not be too fond of it. Mastodon aren't exactly a band that you can take everything in on with the first listen. Give it some time and it will grow on you. Personally, it only took one spin and I was hooked.
Before I bought it, I didn't think I would like this album as much as I do. I was pleasantly surprised. It's right up there with the latest Satyricon and Absu releases in terms of my favorites for the year so far. Now if Endstille would just release their new one......yeah. the first song had me hooked instantly when i got the leak a few weeks back. especially when they bring back the chorus at the end of the tune. speaking of absu, don't be jealous, but i heard it a few weeks before it was released at Proscriptor's house. black metal really isn't my thing, but that new one is pretty damn awesome.

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

yeah. the first song had me hooked instantly when i got the leak a few weeks back. especially when they bring back the chorus at the end of the tune. speaking of absu, don't be jealous, but i heard it a few weeks before it was released at Proscriptor's house. black metal really isn't my thing, but that new one is pretty damn awesome.

At his house even? Nice.
Do you know him or have a mutual friend or just crashed the listening party or something?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

At his house even? Nice.
Do you know him or have a mutual friend or just crashed the listening party or something?
i know him through a friend of mine. he's a very cool dude. nothing like what he portrays thru absu or the other projects he's in. we all just went to his house to hang out. he busted it out and it floored us all. i'm going to see them when they play here in dallas in june, i believe. i just have to see him pull off that drumming live.

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

i know him through a friend of mine. he's a very cool dude. nothing like what he portrays thru absu or the other projects he's in. we all just went to his house to hang out. he busted it out and it floored us all. i'm going to see them when they play here in dallas in june, i believe. i just have to see him pull off that drumming live.

They're starting the tour out here on June 6th I think, down in San Marcos (about 30 mins. north of San Diego). I'm planning on going down there to see them, because I hate going to the House of Blues. At first, I was only wanting to go to see the band that they're touring with: Glorior Belli from France, but after hearing this new album, I'll definately be staying for the entire show.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

damn, The Last Baron is a beast.

[ATRAIN]

I have been listing to this album since Octane starting playing some of the new stuff. I like what I have heard. Which album from the last 3 do you guys recommend?

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I have been listing to this album since Octane starting playing some of the new stuff. I like what I have heard. Which album from the last 3 do you guys recommend?
they're all good. they released an ep as well. lifesblood(ep) and remission are pretty raw. lifesblood is really raw. the music is way more thrashier on these two. leviathan is a great album. hearts alive is my favorite tune on that disc. blood mountain is where they progressed into way more vocals. they were heavy into mars volta before this release and i can hear some of that influence especially on the between song interludes. the mars volta singer is on this release. here's where they play around with the prog side of their sound. you really can't go wrong with any of their releases.

[Fermixalot]

This album is amazing. Oblivion is the perfect intro track and the whole album just bleeds prog and complexity.

Its transcended being a great metal album, its just a great album period.

[chode_regulator]

Mastodon sucks balls.

That new Lamb of God cd is probably their best effort next to Ashes of the Wake

I really dont like the new Lamb of God cd very much. I think it's their worst one yet. I hope the next one doesnt suck

Still havent heard any new Mastodon. I dont really listen to much of anything new anymore at all. I hate buying shit on Itunes, mostly bc I hate Itunes, and havent illegally downloaded anything in years. My playlist is getting rahter outdated.