![]() ![]() There’s also some slower, drop tuned riffs such as “Steambreather” as well as the signature Mastodon Crack the Skye-esque intertwining chord progressions. The main riff that drivers “Andromeda” is filthy in the best possible way. For those who were concerned about how ‘metal’ this record is, I think you’d have to work hard to complain about what Mastodon have served up here.Īs was teased in some of the making of videos on YouTube, Bill Kelliher (guitarist) has brought the riffs. It could come across as a bit over dramatic, but I think it’s refreshing and helped me connect deeper with the record. This plain to see on “Steambreather” with the lyrics “I wonder who I am, Reflections offer nothing, I wonder who where I stand, I’m afraid of myself.” It’s not often you hear heavy music combined with lyrics so deeply personal, exposing their deepest fears. The difference here is that the meaning is hidden behind metaphors or characters, it’s very open lyrically and very brave in that respect. The subject of mortality and time being valuable fuelled by the band’s own personal lives (which are well reported on and I won’t go into here). It’s not full on prog-metal but there is a common theme that holds all the songs together. Some fans have been disappointed with this direction, but I get why and I enjoy this side of Mastodon.Įmperor of Sand is the middle ground. The Hunter and Once More Round the Sun are more straightforward, riff laden and, groove driven rather than story driven. As bands spend a large portion of time on the road, I can see why this would be a factor. The band themselves said they didn’t enjoy playing these kind of songs live and wanted to make people move. ![]() There has been a conscious departure from the concept album days of Leviathan and Crack the Skye. As a stand-alone track it does seem more hard rock than straight up metal, but Mastodon have been walking that fine line for a while now and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Where do you draw the line? There’s been a mixed response to the first few singles on their latest album Emperor of Sand, with “Show Yourself” being ‘not metal enough’ but I always like to see how a song fits into the overall context of an album before making a judgment. But when it comes to Mastodon the criticism that has been levied at them in recent times is about not being metal enough. There’s trash, there’s doom, there’s black, there’s metalcore, there’s sludge, there’s djent, and the list can go on. Metal, as a genre, is a diverse and complex beast with many heads. ![]()
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