Mastodon - Blood Mountain

(Reprise Records, 2006)
Oh man. A new Mastodon record, following up 2004's Leviathan, which everyone and their dad proclaimed to be the best thing ever a couple years ago. And adding to the pressure, it's a major label debut. Could they live up to the hype? Or would Warner Bros. find a way to make them suck? I'm happy to report that this, the first CD I've ever made a point to buy the very day it came out, (which was kind of a mistake, as the limited version that included a DVD wasn't at the store yet...) was better than I had hoped it would be. Musically, the progression that was there between Remission and Leviathan continues in a more melodic, less pound-you-over-the-head heavy direction, (not to say that they don't have head-pounding moments here, though) but the usual elements of their sound are still intact, for the most part. There are still guitar riffs that sound like guitar solos from a lesser band, the drummer still goes nuts every five seconds, and it's still Mastodon's signature sound of huge-ass riffs that will crush your house, groovy stoner rock stuff, and something kinda resembling the fast parts from Swedish death metal all rolled into one. The dual vocals of Troy Sanders and Brent Hinds are usually more sung than screamed, growled, or grunted most of the time, and while neither guy is going to make you forget about Lionel freaking Richie with their masterful vocal delivery, what they do sounds absolutely perfect for the kind of music they make. And yes, they are essentially some form of progressive rock, but they don't display most of the annoying symptoms that progr rock tends to have. While Mastodon have never been afraid to show the world how well they can play their instruments, (especially ridiculously awesome drummer Brann Dailor, who once again seems to mistake every song for a drum solo) everything sounds like it really needs to be there, and it never degrades into the kind of Dream Theater-esque "look at my technical skill, wheeeeee" crap that sounds more like a demonstration than an actual song. And despite prog's excessive tendencies, the longest song on here is about five and a half minutes, and most are under four, meaning each song does what it needs to do and ends when it needs to, saving you from having to sit through a meandering ten-minute sleep aid. (I'm looking at you, Tool.) And lastly - and most importantly - Mastodon never forgot how to rock. It might be a concept album, but the idea that it all needs to work toward the greater narrative doesn't take precedence over the fact that this is still basically a bunch of songs, and the greater narrative doesn't mean a damn thing if you can't remember anything about it once the album's over. So you don't necessarily have to sit through the whole thing in one sitting to enjoy it, and there are none of that "look how creative we are, here's three minutes of feedback in the middle of the song" poop that makes me want to punch babies every time I hear it happen. Basically, Mastodon have mastered progressive rock/metal by not doing the things that make it suck. Oh yeah, speaking of which, I guess I better mention the mind-boggling ass concept that I've managed to piece together from lyric sheets and band interviews. Okay. This dude meets these one-eyed Sasquatch dudes who tell him he has to find this special crystal skull, right? And he has to take it to the top of Blood Mountain. On the way there, he faces all kinds of crazy crap, like tree-dudes and avalanches and possibly pterodactyls, and at one point, he goes nuts from starvation and hypothermia and eats his own hand. Then, when he makes it to the top, it replaces his own skull with the crystal one, he sheds his reptilian brain, and all kinds of crazy enlightening and/or magical stuff happens. And if reading that didn't make you go "um what the hell" at least once, you're probably a member of the band Mastodon. But yeah, this is good, and you need this. And it's time to go out on a limb here, but I have to say it: Maybe I haven't heard enough of the stuff people have put out lately, maybe things have been slow since 1999, or maybe I just have shitty taste in music, but as it stands right now, this is my pick for Album of the Decade.

Track Listing:

1. The Wolf is Loose
2. Crystal Skull
3. Sleeping Giant
4. Capillarian Crest
5. Circle of Cysquatch
6. Bladecatcher
7. Colony of Birchmen
8. Hunters of the Sky
9. Hand of Stone
10. This Mortal Soil
11. Siberian Divide
12. Pendulous Skin