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Mastodon

Blood Mountain
2006
Reprise

Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Cover Artwork)


Review by: pwfanatic37
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Warner Music Group (Logo)

Published on November 24th 2006

Remission came out and some people were calling Mastodon the saviors of American metal. The first band to make critical noise on the thrash front in a long while, Mastodon steered the course and started to show signs of diving into the progressive fray with Leviathan, and in turn had both old fans crying for the dirty and rough Mastodon of yesteryear, and just as many, if not more, fans calling Mastodon the saviors of American metal. So with its major label debut Blood Mountain, Mastodon has served up a healthy portion of prog, and just as healthy a portion of metal. It’s a heavy plateful, but to finish it is well worth it.

Once again Mastodon has hooked up with Matt Bayles for the album and the expected result is there. The production on Blood Mountain is nearly crystal clear, much more so than it was on Leviathan. That point right there might be enough to turn some people away from the album, because the rugged noise of Remission is gone. But Blood Mountain needs the technical clarity to work because the band’s mastery of their instruments is on display throughout the entire album. Tracks like “Capillarian Crest” flex the progressive craziness without losing the ferocity of the metal edge. And sure, there are times when the prog beats are getting a little over the top, but just as quickly as Mastodon attempts to alienate you with its seemingly nonsensical progressive wizardry, it snaps back into clear indications that Mastodon is plain metal -- dueling guitars, excessively heavy bass and drums that fuel the speed faster and faster and faster. Songs like “Colony of the Birchmen” serves as the precarious lynchpin for this balance -- just enough prog to provide a nice introduction into Mastodon’s sound, but enough metal moments to keep the flowing locks of metalheads everywhere satisfied.

Lyrcially Mastodon has started to separate from the other metal bands of today. There are no whales here, but rather questions of human origin and ways of life. Blood Mountain isn’t just sheer head-banging entertainment, for which there are plenty of opportunities, but this is a smart album throughout. From the start of the blistering drumming of “The Wolf Is Loose” to the howling finale of “Siberian Divide,” Blood Mountain is a heavy and dense album, meticulously layered to every extreme. Mastodon isn’t trying to change the face of American metal with Blood Mountain; it is trying to showcase all the potential the genre has to offer. Just based off the sheer technical superiority of this album, Mastodon has vaulted the ranks of bands like Meshuggah without leaving behind any of the head-banging instincts that flows through its veins.



People who liked this also liked:
The Bronx - The Bronx (2006)Refused - The Shape of Punk to ComeThe Clash - London CallingOperation Ivy - Operation IvySet Your Goals - Mutiny!Much the Same - SurviveMastodon - LeviathanThe Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!Converge - No HeroesDescendents - Milo Goes To College



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    Posted by Electrickle on 2007-02-17 11:26:16
    My Score:

    Everything this band put out is amazing. They caught some shit this album, but it's still my favorite.

    Posted by WhiskeyRiver on 2007-02-11 00:41:42
    My Score:

    Great album,this is one I'll be listening to for a long time.

    Posted by LaredoKid on 2007-01-26 22:47:43
    My Score:

    This albulm is so ahead of it's time,a metal version of Dark Side Of The Moon,these guys are the best metal band on the face of the Earth right now.

    Posted by TrailorParkThrash on 2006-12-29 10:23:47
    My Score:

    is their a better drummer on the face of the planet than Dailor?the guy is a freak ,incredible

    Posted by sirens on 2006-12-22 09:49:52

    lol

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 6:59 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    sirens, you wouldn't know good metal if it took human form and gave a swift kick in the nuts, lame ass motha fucka, i'll give myself a well deserved 10 stars for that one!
    -WhiteThrash

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, November 30, 2006 at 12:34 PM (EST)

    haha you guys are so lame.

    -sirens

    Posted by WhiteThrash on 2006-11-29 19:09:24

    i generally find that punk music lacks creativity, that was not a jab at punk that was just me being honest

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 5:05 PM (EST)

    I generally find metal to be completely passionless.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-27 16:54:07

    With all of this said....I still like Mastodon and most metal though......I just don't understand the hate on punk by metal fans (and vice versa) both genres have their goods and bads.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 2:57 PM (EST)

    "just for showing how stupid you are i say fuck you"

    Totally PWNED that jackass...

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 11:58 AM (EST)

    someone posted greg ginn is only good w/ 3 chords. what an idiot. just for showing how stupid you are i say fuck you. greg is a jazz player now.

    Posted by sirens on 2006-11-27 09:46:37

    blows, blows hard. Fuckers, listen to good metal.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 6:40 AM (EST)

    will you shut the fuck up man and recognize my prestige? I am kelibguscua! giant moth-robot!

    your ignorance is blasphemy.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-27 05:25:50

    Greg Ginn only plays basic punk rock???? are you fucking joking????? Greg Ginn is basically the omnly guitarist in history to be admired by both guitarists AND jazz players. Greg's guitar playing was (and still is) groundbreaking, he's a free-jazz player with an electric guitar. You fucking morons need to get your shit straight.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 2:40 AM (EST)

    dude how many times do I have to tell you I'm kelibguscua the giant moth-robot

    Posted by JLJL on 2006-11-27 01:52:53
    My Score:

    score is for brandon mentioning Saint Vitus in his comment.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, November 27, 2006 at 1:42 AM (EST)

    I repeat, I am kelibguscua the giant moth-robot.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, November 26, 2006 at 8:40 PM (EST)

    ha ha! no one likes u Sideleau, go to hell u smelly french bastard, assuming thats your real last name....idiot idiot idiot idot idiot............................................................ ...................................................idiot

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, November 26, 2006 at 8:32 PM (EST)

    greg ginn is a better guitar player? oh yeah! thats right, because the 3 chord ,punk guitar riffs are so difficult to play,that was the comment of the fuckin century, u made my day

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, November 26, 2006 at 5:02 PM (EST)

    I am kelibguscua the giant moth-robot

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-26 16:12:45

    Sabbath is great metal, Saint Vitus is GREAT metal...get what I'm saying? Iron Maiden doesn't hold a candle to either one of these bands.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-26 16:10:25

    Bands like Iron Maiden have the most ridiculous and banal lyrics I've ever heard (don't get me wrong some of their songs are good, but few). That's pretty much all I meant, they can't really be taken seriously (in contrast to WhiteThrash's comment that punk can't be taken seriously). And Metallica??? They haven't released a decent album since the 80's.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, November 26, 2006 at 3:56 PM (EST)

    "I was stating that shitty punk rock gives punk a bad rap just as shitty metal (Iron Maiden, for example) gives metal a bad name"

    Please tell me that's a joke? Iron Maiden doesn't give metal a "bad name"; they're one of the quintessential bands in the genre PERIOD. Bands like Maiden (and Metallica) were influenced ENORMOUSLY by punk.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-26 15:43:26

    And Greg Ginn is a better guitarist than any in the bands you mentioned buddy. End of discussion.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-26 15:42:15

    actually you fucking idiots...I was merely attacking WhiteThrash's comment against punk rock...you fucking idiots. I love all kinds of music...many more than punk rock. And, for the record, I don't even like D4 or any band along those lines. You fucking idiots need to read what you say before you write and get your facts straight. Not once did I ever bag on metal.....I was stating that shitty punk rock gives punk a bad rap just as shitty metal (Iron Maiden, for example) gives metal a bad name.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 5:38 PM (EST)

    true metallica,slayer and pantera had some punk influence, but only in the speed of their music,but not in the actual music ,as in the guitar riffs, given the fact that they could actually play the guitar,unlike all your precious punk bands

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 5:28 PM (EST)

    cummon brandycakes is that the best u can come up with....idiot ha ha ha! u made my day!

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 5:03 PM (EST)

    Yea itd be really great to only hear about 'that new D4 album" or some shitty punk band calling out an equally shit mainstream act! I love punk rock,hardcore and metal. Whats wrong with that? Myself,as well as many others wouldnt visit this site if it was the same thing everyday.

    -bryan styles

    Posted by Cheesetits on 2006-11-25 16:54:39

    If this site wasn't as diverse as it is, I wouldn't visit it, and I'm sure many others agree. Get some variety in your life, fuckhead.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-25 14:20:10

    Not that there is anything wrong with THIS kind of metal.....the best metal is influenced by punk and in contrast the best punk happens to be influenced by metal.

    Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2006-11-25 14:18:46

    yes.....because we all know metal is a form of music known for being taken seriously...idiot.

    Posted by WhiteThrash on 2006-11-25 14:00:58

    and yes that was jab at punk.

    Posted by WhiteThrash on 2006-11-25 13:59:32

    time to change the name of the site? yes! that would be a step in the right direction,metalnews.org, at least then people would take this site seriously as a legit music site

    Posted by iconoclast on 2006-11-25 12:45:16

    I guess it is time to change the name of this site.

    dude, you're so right.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at 4:01 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I love this album. Mastodon is one of the most disgustingly consistent bands I've ever seen. Remission, Leviathan, and Blood Mountain all destroy, in my opinion.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 11:41 PM (EST)

    This album is amazing. I hate it.

    So talented, so much variety, so little emotional impact! If this was some band I'd never heard of, it would be like "hey this is a neat record!" but it's Mastodon, and I expect them to grab my throat and squeeze, and this just doesn't.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 10:12 PM (EST)

    Wheres the Bigwig review?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 10:09 PM (EST)

    fagodon.

    Posted by frostbrewliner on 2006-11-24 21:11:33

    I casually enjoy this band, But metal head elitists seem to go ape shit over them and nothing is worse then a metal head elitist moron.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 8:00 PM (EST)

    .also, to clarify, i'm not referring to blood mountain or leviathan as being thrash metal, but when remission came out, that was more thrash metal than anyother type of metal.

    If I was trying to classify Remission (which I can't) I'd be more inclined to speak of the hardcore, jazz, southern rock influence than any thrash influence.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 7:15 PM (EST)

    I guess it is time to change the name of this site.

    Posted by nicodemus on 2006-11-24 18:30:18

    Yeah, great technical album, but what the fuck is going on with the vocals? Their appeal for me was their raw sound, and ok, sure, the bette production shows that they are really good at playing music, but all the vocals effects? Come on, sometimes production can go too far...

    Posted by Not-To-Regret on 2006-11-24 18:23:42

    "honestly, i feel like this record was trying WAY too hard to cater to the led zeppelin classic rock nerds of the world with the stupid lyrics and the slightly more boring but more classic influenced music

    really let down by this one"

    Since I hate most metal, this comment makes this record seem much more appealing to me. I can't stand Killswitch and all that new kind of shit. It strays way too far from the roots of metal, not that I know anything about metal, but weren't Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin among two of the biggest influences in metal? They took the stoner rock element out of metal and went for pure aggression. Even Metallicaand G'N'R is more appealing to me than this modern shit, and I fucking hate Metallica and G'N'R. That's simply my opinion, I'm not talking down on anyone else's scene.

    Posted by Cheesetits on 2006-11-24 13:46:03
    My Score:

    There's only one way to describe this cd: epic.

    Posted by WhiteThrash on 2006-11-24 12:47:35
    My Score:

    their best work yet,i didn't think so at first, but the more you listen to it, the more appreciate how good it is

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 12:31 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    a truly unique and original band, i don't know about great metal albums of all time, but definitely best metal albulm released this year

    Posted by Snakes on 2006-11-24 12:28:21

    10 years from now people are gonna look back and say that this is one of the great metal albulms of all time

    Posted by pwfanatic37 on 2006-11-24 12:19:43

    i've always thought doom metal was reserved for stuff popularized by Neurosis and what not.

    also, to clarify, i'm not referring to blood mountain or leviathan as being thrash metal, but when remission came out, that was more thrash metal than anyother type of metal.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 11:13 AM (EST)

    or 'doom metal', if you preffer

    ooh, and yeah, other guy said it, Protest the Hero is sick

    get this and Kezia

    Posted by danperrone on 2006-11-24 11:06:10
    My Score:

    honestly, i feel like this record was trying WAY too hard to cater to the led zeppelin classic rock nerds of the world with the stupid lyrics and the slightly more boring but more classic influenced music

    really let down by this one

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 10:50 AM (EST)

    I dont see what the big deal is with these guys. I have the last two albums and i'm not impressed. If you ask me, Protest the Hero's disc was a lot stronger if you are looking for a metal concept album

    Posted by rkl on 2006-11-24 10:43:42
    My Score:

    The first band to make critical noise on the thrash front in a long while,

    i love this album, but saying that mastodon is thrash is fucking retarded.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 7:36 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Nice reveiw for a difficult topic.

    Posted by manx21 on 2006-11-24 06:37:18

    yeh this album fucking rules seriously

    Posted by Ianw on 2006-11-24 04:33:23

    This is a suburb record. great metal mixed with the best parts of rush. One of my favorite albums of the year.

    Best lyric: "Hunt for Ogers and Dwarves/ LION SLICER!"

    Posted by Dicola on 2006-11-24 04:21:50

    I looked at the cover art, and I looked at the track listing, and I bought it.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 1:38 AM (EST)

    The very first fucking song mentions a whale.

    To be fair, that's because they were trying to create a link between Leviathan and this one.

    Posted by abe on 2006-11-24 01:32:00
    My Score:

    "Lyrcially Mastodon has started to separate from the other metal bands of today. There are no whales here, but rather questions of human origin and ways of life."

    The very first fucking song mentions a whale.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 1:10 AM (EST)

    Good band, can't wait to see them in February.

    Of course, I'm going to see Converge, who is opening for them. I'm surprised that it isn't the other way around.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 1:01 AM (EST)

    just can't get into this band.

    Posted by DickAround on 2006-11-24 00:50:16

    I'm pretty sure he didnt mean it in a thrash/crossover way. Fucking retard.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 12:36 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    sounds like from first to last. I dig, five stars!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 24, 2006 at 12:17 AM (EST)

    The first band to make critical noise on the thrash front in a long while

    Errrrrrr, Mastodon aint thrash. I stopped reading after that erroneous sentence.

    Posted by Dante3000 on 2006-11-24 00:17:01

    I've been waiting for a review of this. The note on production actually sounds like a good thing (though for some reason punks hate clear production). I loved their last album but it seemed far too muddy for as technical as it was. I don't mind thick muddy production on heavy sludgy stoner rock, but when a band can rip it up as technically as Mastodon I really feel that kind of production dampens the edge of the sound.
    -Dante