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audiobill
09-14-2006, 05:39 PM
Mastodon's newest, "Blood Mountain" rocks my world this week. If you like your metal heavy with bold proggy meanderings (and I mean this in the best possible way), then this album is THE one you've been waiting for. I just bought it yesterday and can't get enough of it at high volume levels.
For old Mastodon fans who loved "Leviathan", you'll be pleasantly surprised. Production is very good btw..

Thought I'd share my recent discovery with my heavy metal RRers.

Cheers,

Bill

Dusty Chalk
09-14-2006, 06:51 PM
You know, I was so underwhelmed by their last release, that I am going to pass on this one. They just don't "do it" for me.

Slosh
09-15-2006, 01:43 AM
I still listen to Remission quite often; Leviathan not so much, mostly due to its meandering progginess. I think I'll pass too.

No matter with new albums from Sparklehorse and The Decemberists coming out in a couple of weeks, which I guess means the only metal I picked up this year are the latest Slayer (excellent and a pleasant surprise) and Tool (good but still a bit too proggy for my tastes).

Heard some new Deftones too and it's horrifically awful :(

kexodusc
09-15-2006, 03:44 AM
I still listen to Remission quite often; Leviathan not so much, mostly due to its meandering progginess. I think I'll pass too.

No matter with new albums from Sparklehorse and The Decemberists coming out in a couple of weeks, which I guess means the only metal I picked up this year are the latest Slayer (excellent and a pleasant surprise) and Tool (good but still a bit too proggy for my tastes).

Heard some new Deftones too and it's horrifically awful :(

Mastadon's one of those borderline prog-metal bands that have shown glimpses of awesomeness but really survive by their loudness and gimmick - IMO their a poorer version of Symphony X, totally take the fantasy prog-metal schtick to the limit. I might check it out though, there are some things I like about Mastadon.

Deftones really tanked after "under the fur". White Pony was the beginning of the end I think. But their style of music has been so copied and overdone that I don't think they got a fair share of the spotlight way back.

Stone
09-15-2006, 04:33 AM
I just bought this last night but it's still in the cello, and may be for a few days. Despite hearing that it has meandering proginess, I'm still looking forward to it.

Slosh
09-15-2006, 04:58 AM
I just bought this last night but it's still in the celloI keep my CDs in a tuba. Gives 'em a nice brassy sound :p

-Jar-
09-15-2006, 05:04 AM
Mastadon's one of those borderline prog-metal bands that have shown glimpses of awesomeness but really survive by their loudness and gimmick - IMO their a poorer version of Symphony X, totally take the fantasy prog-metal schtick to the limit. I might check it out though, there are some things I like about Mastadon.



Interesting take on Mastodon.. I've always considered them more of a stoner math-rock band.. they have their roots in bands like Today is the Day, Buzzoven, Acid Bath and Eyehategod and even Kyuss at times.. sort of midwestern-via-NOLA swamp-death-core. But if you've never heard this music, then I guess the only other touchstone would be prog-metal. They are really difficult to pidgeonhole. But I'd guess that most of their fans probably have never heard of Symphony X.

-jar

kexodusc
09-15-2006, 05:44 AM
Interesting take on Mastodon.. I've always considered them more of a stoner math-rock band.. they have their roots in bands like Today is the Day, Buzzoven, Acid Bath and Eyehategod and even Kyuss at times.. sort of midwestern-via-NOLA swamp-death-core. But if you've never heard this music, then I guess the only other touchstone would be prog-metal. They are really difficult to pidgeonhole. But I'd guess that most of their fans probably have never heard of Symphony X.

-jar

you're probably right - Maybe their just not for me...as a metal head though Eyehategod and Kyuss bore me and I find myself reaching for good new stuff - don't mind Dillinger Escape or Lamb of God though.

I'm always amazed at the Rush references reviewers give Mastodon though - wtf - is it drumming/time signatures that earns this?

I was thinking more along the lines of the drum heavy aggressive speedy metal stuff with the goofy album covers and barely working concept albums - I just find Symphony X has the showmanship and talent to pull it off musically instead of by attitude. I dunno, for some reason Leviathan really reminded me of The Odyssey.

When I think math rock I think Jesus Lizard and OXES...maybe some Tool...seems genres are arbitrarily defined too these days - Is Tool still alternative?

-Jar-
09-15-2006, 06:18 AM
you're probably right - Maybe their just not for me...as a metal head though Eyehategod and Kyuss bore me and I find myself reaching for good new stuff - don't mind Dillinger Escape or Lamb of God though.

I'm always amazed at the Rush references reviewers give Mastodon though - wtf - is it drumming/time signatures that earns this?

I was thinking more along the lines of the drum heavy aggressive speedy metal stuff with the goofy album covers and barely working concept albums - I just find Symphony X has the showmanship and talent to pull it off musically instead of by attitude. I dunno, for some reason Leviathan really reminded me of The Odyssey.

When I think math rock I think Jesus Lizard and OXES...maybe some Tool...seems genres are arbitrarily defined too these days - Is Tool still alternative?

Hehe, I don't know what people call Tool these days.. I'm not too much into lables, but sometimes that's all we have. I know I just threw a bunch of them out there!

I guess I wasn't so much saying that Mastodon *sounded* like any of those bands, just more like, they're from that tradition. Meaning, they come from the "indie rock" small club heavy drinking scene (the scene I was involved with, wrote about, hung out with for most of the 90's.. the scene that spawned bands like Helmet, Melvins, Jesus Lizard.. you know those guys) rather than the "pro" prog/jazz guys (the kind of stuff that the prog-heads around here like: Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, etc..), you know the guys who actually went to school to learn their instruments...

Not saying that Mastodon can't play, they certainly can, but I hope the new album shows some more dimensions than LEVIATHAN did (though I do really like that album).. the fast drumming is great, but I think they need to wrap some more creativity around it.. I just listened to some samples of the new album and was so far impressed... enough that I'll buy it soon.

Now, you did mention Dillinger Escape Plan, and I think that Mastodon is also approaching the hyper math-core sound of bands like DEP, Converge and Botch, they seem to be focused on keeping at least one foot grounded in more traditional metal at the same time..

Actually the way they're heading, I think they'd be an awesome fit to tour with Opeth.

-jar

kexodusc
09-15-2006, 07:34 AM
Okay, all this talk made me want to give this album a go, so I went downstairs and bought the album...7 songs in and I like it more than Leviathan already...Vocals are a bit of an improvement, melody is much more apparent in the sludgy metal tones....a lot more high pitched speedy solos, too, something all metal should have. - Song 2 really goes into pure-metal mode towards the end..Song 3 is a nice change of pace and this album already has more different paces and musical diversity than I got out of Leviathan.
Song 4 is a wicked racy duel like something out of a Megadeth interlude...There's even some wanking on this album...wicked.
The music store dude described their sound as "4-minute progressive death-punk music"
Can prog and punk co-exist?
I'll just say they are distinctive.

I did like Leviathan, but I liked it more for the hard-core sort of Pantera-evolved feeling I got from it more than a proggy-metal or death-metal Meshuggah like sound I was told to expect. Didn't exactly get the blending-of-musical styles vibe they were billed to have. That's the problem with buying music by recommendation or from reading reviews - they see things differently than me.

I actually haven't heard their earlier stuff....I saw Mastadon with Slayer and liked them enough live at the time to buy an album.

Yeah, this is a more multi-dimensional album...cool harmonizing vocals on track 7.

-Jar-
09-15-2006, 08:17 AM
Okay, all this talk made me want to give this album a go, so I went downstairs and bought the album.

Wow, instant access to a record store, that can be dangerous huh? :)

Glad you liked it, I'm looking forward to picking it up myself, though I just bought a *new* album (full price, as opposed to used) a few days ago.. so I might wait a few weeks.

-jar

3-LockBox
09-15-2006, 09:45 AM
They just don't "do it" for me.

Me either.

"You know, if you listen really hard, then you'll hear all the intricate detail in their..."

I read that somewhere. But if I have to listen that hard, then why bother. That's the impression I was left with their last album. Its a thrash band with prog-metal leanings, but those leanings are buried deep within some not-so-innovative playing. The drummer on the other hand is pretty good, and if you listen hard, you can hear how complex...well, there ya go.

I found the mix on the last one, Leviathon to be very muddy. I mean, why bother with a theme or concept if no one can make out what the story line is. If it weren't for the liner notes, you wouldn't know the album was about Moby Dick. And, if its just about the music, then its just too thrash for me. Hey I like heavy metal, always have, always will. I even like a small dosage of dark/death metal every now and then. But if bands like Iron Maiden and Opeth and Tool all have one thing in common, its that they still have an ear for melody. I've never had any use for thrash or speed metal. and that's what I think of Mastadon; they're a glorified speed metal band from Georgia.

I have the CD Leviathon, if anyone wants to trade.

Duds
09-15-2006, 11:51 AM
The new Mastodon is INSANE!!!! Love it!!

The new one from Seemless is an excellent disc as well, You should definitely chek it out!

kexodusc
09-18-2006, 06:55 AM
Okay, I spent a few more days with this album, and I must admit I'm really impressed. This is a much better effort than Leviathan in terms of blending metal-aggression and musical melody - they strike a good balance. Sort of reminds me of when Pantera was "on" in their music. There's a still a bit of heavy-for-the-sake-of-heavy stuff going on, but it's less abundant.

Funny thing, I always revisit earlier works when I buy a follow-up cd, and Leviathan has been in play for a few days now as well. I guess I'm starting to get past some of the sludge in the music because I can hear a bit of song-writing underneath it all.

Hey, it takes many a band a few releases to find the right formula as they grow and mature. I suspect a lot of old Mastodon fans will be a bit disappointed in this slightly different approach, but I bet they pick up more fans who've been looking for this in their music.

So maybe I'm back in the Mastodon camp viewing them as a "rising star". Anyone who didn't care for Leviathan should give Blood Mountain a chance though, try a few songs or something, you might like it.

ForeverAutumn
09-18-2006, 12:32 PM
There seem to be some mixed reviews here.

So, ask yourself this.... would ForeverAutumn like it?

Then, let me know what you answer yourself. :smilewinkgrin:

kexodusc
09-18-2006, 12:46 PM
There seem to be some mixed reviews here.

So, ask yourself this.... would ForeverAutumn like it?

Then, let me know what you answer yourself. :smilewinkgrin:

Umm...do you like Slayer or Pantera or any Opeth album besides Damnation? If you answered "yes" to this question, by all means buy this record.

If you answered "no" please proceed to the new Dream Theater DVD...

3-LockBox
09-18-2006, 12:56 PM
There seem to be some mixed reviews here.

So, ask yourself this.... would ForeverAutumn like it?

Then, let me know what you answer yourself. :smilewinkgrin:

I remembered you disliked the growling, cookie monster type lyrics on the Opeth albums, but liked the music. I felt the same way, and several months later, I still haven't gotten use to those style vox. I felt the same way with Mastadon. No the vox aren't exactly death metal grunts, but the lyrics are shouted at the top of the 'singers' voice.

My vote is 'no'.

IMO: The drummer is too good to be in a band like this.

ForeverAutumn
09-18-2006, 01:05 PM
I remembered you disliked the growling, cookie monster type lyrics on the Opeth albums, but liked the music. I felt the same way, and several months later, I still haven't gotten use to those style vox. I felt the same way with Mastadon. No the vox aren't exactly death metal grunts, but the lyrics are shouted at the top of the 'singers' voice.
My vote is 'no'.

IMO: The drummer is too good to be in a band like this.

'nuff said. Thanks.

Stone
09-18-2006, 01:23 PM
I'm only half way through my initial listen, but man, so far I'm very impressed. Great stuff, although my opinion could change.

Slosh
09-23-2006, 07:47 PM
I'm only half way through my initial listen, but man, so far I'm very impressed. Great stuff, although my opinion could change.Well?

Stone
09-25-2006, 06:43 AM
Well?

I've only had time to spin it a couple times, but I like it A LOT. There are a couple places where I could do without the noodling, but overally I think it's really well done and is mathy and intense enough to keep my interest throughout. Great record.