neurisis17
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03.28.14 29 Albums I've Heard This Year03.26.14 What's Your Metal Band Name?
03.23.14 The Mantle V. Ashes Against The Grain03.22.14 What Makes Leviathan a Classic?
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What Makes Leviathan a Classic?

This album has great sentimental value for me. It was one of those that upon the first listen I knew it was special. Here I'll offer up 5 (sort of) objective reasons that it deserves a 5 out of 5. What is your favorite Mastodon album (assuming you enjoy at least one), and what makes it your favorite?
1Mastodon
Leviathan

The Riffs - Each one stands out from the others, while maintaining a consistent overall sound. The interplay between the guitars and bass is inspired, and heavy as hell. Even when Hearts Alive runs at 13 minutes, it never gets too repetitive, and absolutely never boring.
2Mastodon
Leviathan

The Atmosphere - While the lyrical concept certainly doesn't hurt this album's focus on the element of water, for some reason, everything brings to mind images of a vast and unforgiving ocean. I'm not entirely sure what does it, it could be the full yet distant snare, the bellowing nature of the down-tuned strings, or the primitive vocal delivery of Mastodon's early material. Whatever sets it off, one can't help but think of the briny deep with every note.
3Mastodon
Leviathan

The Percussion - For me this is Brann Dailor's crowning achievement. It's the album that really put him on the map as one of modern metal's best drummers. That sentiment could be made on his snare work alone, but he makes great use of his entire arsenal on Leviathan, and proves his worth as a vital component in Mastodon's sound.
4Mastodon
Leviathan

American Literature - I've read Moby Dick. It is without a doubt one of the driest novels I've ever read. Don't get me wrong, it was a great story, but when Melville dedicated an entire chapter to a biological history of whales, it could become quite stale. Nevertheless, Mastodon took one of the most polarizing stories in American history, and revitalized it beautifully. I'll readily admit that if it were not for the quality of this album, I probably wouldn't've read Moby Dick in the first place (gotta love when music gets you into class literature).
5Mastodon
Leviathan

Artwork - I may catch some flak for this, but Leviathan would not be complete without the brilliant cover by Paul Romano. From the front cover, to all the inner art, the illustrations here are strikingly vivid, with a great palate of color, a distinctive style, and an edge that fits this album with perfection. It really brings the whole package together, and I'm sure a lot less people would have unknowingly picked this up if the cover didn't demand attention in the way this one does.
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