INITIAL THOUGHTS ON THE NEW MASTODON RECORD

There’s an incomplete version of Mastodon’s Crack the Skye that hit the webernets last Friday; we’re told it’s missing one track and one is named incorrectly. The bit rate is also low (128kbps). But yo, NEW MASTO-FUCKING-DON!

As previously reported, with all the big releases slated for the early part of ’09 Mastodon kinda got lost in the shuffle for me; but boy was I wrong to underestimate the ‘Don.

Let’s put it this way. If you’re into Mastodon for the mosh, you are probably not going to like this album. If you’re into Mastodon for the heady/proggy stuff, this is the album you’ve been waiting for Mastodon to make. Yes, the statements from band members that Crack the Skye has got a more classic-rock edge are true, but fan worries that Brendan O’Brien’s production would dumb-down the songwriting should be put to rest; if anything the band has grown more experimental and are pushing themselves even further outside of their comfort zones with songs that are bigger, longer, more grandiose and even more epic.

I’ll leave further ruminations for the eventual official MS review, but I’ll leave you with this final thought: guitar solos!! Lots of ’em.

-VN