Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Last year unleashed such a plethora of good albums, that for a while we didn't think 2009 could possibly compete. But then we hadn't fully taken in the list including The Prodigy, Gallows, and this, Mastodon's fourth long-player. There's been a lot of respect – awe even – levelled at this act thanks to their gigantic previous releases Blood Mountain, Leviathan and Remission, but while this reviewer has always understood what it was about Mastodon that got metalheads so excited, he has never shared that same fervent passion their fans hold for these noisemakers. Until now, that is.
Crack the Skye is phenomenal. We thought it'd earn top marks for the skill involved, for the technical prowess they more than amply showcase every time they play. But we didn't expect it to earn its place as contender for album of the year because of what we found lacking in previous endeavours. Enjoyment. Always intricate and remarkable song crafters, what was once inaccessible is now all-encompassing. Crack The Skye is more melodic, more digestible and just plain catchier than anything they have done before. As the legion of bearded axe-worshipers take in a terrified breath, rest assured, Mastodon have compromised nothing. This is still rife with wondrous guitar tom-foolery the guitar hero-loving masses could not possibly comprehend. This is still heavier than an obese Gojira playing with lead instruments. But at the same time there are lyrics here that will stick in your head for days, there are soaring choruses born to be roared back from crowds still dizzy from the frenetic circle-pits the riffs create.
It is an album of conceptual content (Rasputin, astral travel, wormhole theory – no, really), and as such is massively rewarding for the music fan that likes to listen to an album from start to finish, delving deeply into content as intricate as the instrumentation – BUT - for those who baulk at the idea of concept albums as pretentious indulgences, fear not. Each track is just as rewarding on its own; take monolithic opener 'Oblivion', with its lurching changes from bludgeoning chug to grooving metallic grace, the devastating power of the title track, or the phenomenal instrumental passage that brings 'The Last Baron' (and the album) towards its end. Above all, though, we have 'Divinations', a song that acts like a microcosm for just why this album is so jaw-dropping. The fastest, heaviest track on the record, the band drop none of the intricacy, yet provide a chorus so memorable you'll be screaming it back at your stereo, and the melodies, riffs and lyrics will bounce around your head until you play it again. And you will.
Crack The Skye is as deep as you want it to be. We're not sure an album this conceptual, this complex or this monolithically heavy has ever been so accessible, memorable or enjoyable. Each track can be delved into as a musical journey, or it can be accepted as no more than a heavy-as-f*ck chunk of metal glory, but for all this versatility; the one thing that remains constant is your jaw on the floor, because this is a masterpiece.
Last year unleashed such a plethora of good albums, that for a while we didn't think 2009 could possibly compete. But then we hadn't fully taken in the list including The Prodigy, Gallows, and this, Mastodon's fourth long-player. There's been a lot of respect – awe even – levelled at this act thanks to their gigantic previous releases Blood Mountain, Leviathan and Remission, but while this reviewer has always understood what it was about Mastodon that got metalheads so excited, he has never shared that same fervent passion their fans hold for these noisemakers. Until now, that is.
Crack the Skye is phenomenal. We thought it'd earn top marks for the skill involved, for the technical prowess they more than amply showcase every time they play. But we didn't expect it to earn its place as contender for album of the year because of what we found lacking in previous endeavours. Enjoyment. Always intricate and remarkable song crafters, what was once inaccessible is now all-encompassing. Crack The Skye is more melodic, more digestible and just plain catchier than anything they have done before. As the legion of bearded axe-worshipers take in a terrified breath, rest assured, Mastodon have compromised nothing. This is still rife with wondrous guitar tom-foolery the guitar hero-loving masses could not possibly comprehend. This is still heavier than an obese Gojira playing with lead instruments. But at the same time there are lyrics here that will stick in your head for days, there are soaring choruses born to be roared back from crowds still dizzy from the frenetic circle-pits the riffs create.
It is an album of conceptual content (Rasputin, astral travel, wormhole theory – no, really), and as such is massively rewarding for the music fan that likes to listen to an album from start to finish, delving deeply into content as intricate as the instrumentation – BUT - for those who baulk at the idea of concept albums as pretentious indulgences, fear not. Each track is just as rewarding on its own; take monolithic opener 'Oblivion', with its lurching changes from bludgeoning chug to grooving metallic grace, the devastating power of the title track, or the phenomenal instrumental passage that brings 'The Last Baron' (and the album) towards its end. Above all, though, we have 'Divinations', a song that acts like a microcosm for just why this album is so jaw-dropping. The fastest, heaviest track on the record, the band drop none of the intricacy, yet provide a chorus so memorable you'll be screaming it back at your stereo, and the melodies, riffs and lyrics will bounce around your head until you play it again. And you will.
Crack The Skye is as deep as you want it to be. We're not sure an album this conceptual, this complex or this monolithically heavy has ever been so accessible, memorable or enjoyable. Each track can be delved into as a musical journey, or it can be accepted as no more than a heavy-as-f*ck chunk of metal glory, but for all this versatility; the one thing that remains constant is your jaw on the floor, because this is a masterpiece.
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