This is my go-to album. I think I’ve listened to this over 40 times. But my infatuation with this album is fairly recent. I had actually, terribly ignored this album when I first encountered it around 2024.
I re-discovered this album a month ago while on a bus ride to my college, accidently stumbling upon it while shuffling around my music library. And this time, I admired this album- the sound, the mix, the image. The album resonated to a certain “darkness” inside me. It was enchanting and unforgiving.
And after that, I’ve been listening it on repeat. It has already entered the list of my most loved albums, which includes Tool’s 10,000 Days, Alice in Chain’s Dirt & MTV Unplugged, King Crimson’s Discipline and more.
Basic facts:
- Mastodon is comprised of Troy Sanders (bass/vox), Brent Hinds (lead guitar/vox), Brann Dailor (drums/vox), Bill Kelliher (rhythm guitar).
- The album is produced by none other than Brendan O’Brien. Brilliant choice, I must say.
- Oh, and the lyrics involve a Tsarist Russia and space-time travel, so yayyy!
The guitars
Let’s talk about the bad guys first.
Both the rhythm and lead guitars are technical as fuck, but not really the Dream Theater way. I can’t really describe their style- tt’s ambient, progressive, sometimes heavy, but always impactful. They have a rhythmic gusto similar to Neurosis, Opeth (maybe?) and Lamb of God, with a lot of melodic lines going on.
They’re not really “metal,” in sense, but given their relations with the band Neurosis, I could put them in the “Alt. Metal” spot.
The guitar tones are really my style. Not too bright and tangy, but not too warm either. It’s on the edge of being doom/sludge, but they don’t let it, which is very refreshing. They use a lot of layering and effects.
The vocals
They have 3 vocalists. Yes. That’s what intrigued me. And I must say, it works out quite well! It adds another dimension and personality to their music, enhances the scope.
I really like Troy Sander’s (bassist) vocals quite a lot, both clean and harsh. Brent Hind’s (lead guitarist) vocals are analogous to Dave Mustaine in Megadeth; you either love it or hate it. In my opinion, he’s quite good here!
They use reverb and delays in their vocal that makes it smoother and a bit psychedelic? compared to other metal bands.
Drums and Bass
I am grouping the two, otherwise it’s gonna get very long.
Drums are fast and slow at the same time; Dailor is certainly one of the smoothest technical drummers I’ve listened to. He’s not “perfect” or “memorable” like you could say about Neil Peart or Danny Carey, but he has some really good parts that carry the album.
There would be no Mastodon without Dailor’s drums and lyrics (yes, most of them are written by him).
Bass is something that I don’t really have too many opinions on. It doesn’t completely stand out (like it does in Scale The Summit’s The Migration or any Tool album), but it acts like the synthetic glue that binds all the elements of the music together. The bass blends into the surroundings, like a watchful guardian and makes sure that everything is alright.
Conclusion
I hear something new everytime I listen to this album. My favorite tracks are… well, all of them. It’s a brilliant album, and to me, their magnum opus.
This album is really huge. Like a true Mastodon.
I wish I could include more details, but I must take my leave now. I need to listen to the album again.