Music=Life: Mastodon - Profile Highlight

-Mastodon-

I think it was around 2007 is when I came across Mastodon. Their Blood Mountain release had come out the year before and was making a lot of ruckus around the metal community. I didn't get to check them out right of way because I was in to other bands at the time. I really got in to them much later, but wish I had gave them a chance when I first heard them back in 2007. These guys will come to give me a taste of progressive drone metal, sludge metal, whatever you want to call their fantastic breed of metal, and really open my world to the drone, sludge, doom world of music.

I really discovered Mastodon when they released their 2009 masterpiece Crack the Skye. This album really blew everything else out the window that had come out that year. I was jamming it non stop that year and couldn't get enough. I started to dive deeper in to the world of Mastodon after that, and came across Blood Mountain which I had already knew about, but didn't give it the chance it deserved. I found that I liked Blood Mountain even more than Crack the Sky which I didn't think was possible. They have filled my ears with some of the best metal I've ever heard. It's fast, it's crazy, but together, it's dark, it's conceptual, it's melodic, but very heavy. They are very good at combining so many textures of sound in to one song. You hear so many different kinds of distortions, reverb, clean tones, and tunings that you really don't need anything else to get your fill of music in general.

So I'll give a little info on the band. The band is from Atlanta, Georgia and were formed in 1999. The band consists of the four masterminds Troy Sanders on bass and vocals, Brent Hinds on guitar and vocals, Bill Kelliher on guitar and backing vocals, and Brann Dailor on drums and vocals. They have released 5 studio albums and 1 live record since their inception in 1999. They have progressed in sound scapes on each album. Experimenting with different instruments, and sounds with each record. The guitar structures are very progressive, fast, and intense. While keeping a well balanced amount of melody and melodic flow to the otherwise crazy speeds. Their solo sections are very well structured with Brent Hinds uncanny ability on the strings. His solos sometimes come out of nowhere and leave you stunned asking what the hell did I just hear, and how did he do that. The bass is very thunderous, and ever present making everything flow with a great since of rhythm that hasn't been heard before. The drumming is also something to be revered. The drumming on each of Mastodon's records I think for me is what really sells them. Brann Dailor is right now one of the best drummers in metal for sure. He was included on my top 20 drummers in metal post. Which is well deserved. His drumming is fast, aggressive, speratic, and sometimes almost tiring to listen to because he blows your mind at how fast he's playing. he leaves you physically tired after listening to them. He sometimes sounds like amped up Mitch Mitchell on speed, and then doubles it up with some speed thrash double bassing, and tops it off with the progressive undertone of the whole thing. The vocal harmonies, and melodies are also something to pick at as well. These guys all share singing duties throughout the records. The early years are mainly done by Troy Sanders with occasional times accompanied by guitarist Brent Hinds. Now they really blend both vocals together much more to give you a more interesting vocal soundscape. Some people have formed their own opinions about which years they like more. The more Troy Sanders vocal dominance, or the newer Brent Hinds shared styles. Crack the Skye really showed their ability to mesh their each distinctive voices together very well. Perfect example is the opening track Oblivion. That song alone really sells the album for me.

With their new one out this year The Hunter something tells me that Mastodon will be around for a long long time to come, and I will be right behind them jamming every tune. I personally like Blood Mountain the best, with a close second to Crack the Skye, but every record shines all it own with it's distinctive flair and concepts. Owe the concepts. Man never thought learning would be so much fun. Their Leviathan record was loosely based on Moby Dick. The front cover kind of prepair's you for the ideas around the record. They are fun, and very entertaining to listen to every time, learning something new every time. If you haven't heard anything I highly recommend checking them out especially if your in to progressive drumming, or drone, sludge metal stuff. This is the perfect band for you. So until next time stay hard, stay heavy.

Album releases to date are as fallows

Remission - 2002