based
the "fun" argument is always an amusing one, obviously everyone likes music they consider fun

Album Rating: 3.0

The vid for "Steambreather" is fun.

That's the vibe they try to touch upon. You take from it what you will. The lyrics/real-life backstory inform it, but it's allusions and not mentioned explicitly.

Album Rating: 1.0

The intro for ATHF Colon Movie Film for Theaters, now that's fun. Peak Mastodon.

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

Divinations vid where zombie yeti Brent breaks out of ice, plays a bomber solo, and then kills the rest of the band with his flying V is fun

Album Rating: 4.0

I keep coming back to this one. It do depth some of its deeps.

Album Rating: 4.0

Underrated album. Going to see these guys with lamb of god in August. First time seeing LoG, 7th time seeing Mastodon.

Album Rating: 3.5

Jaguar God is one of the greatest closers ever made

Album Rating: 3.5

dogshit *drops construction headphones*

Album Rating: 4.0

excellent record, no doubt one of their best. that being said, def not a fan of their pre-cts era, so results may vary in regards to the legitimacy of this take

Roots Remain is fuckin' sweet

Album Rating: 4.5

I haven't listened to this in it's entirety in a long time....its better than Crack the Skye and Hushed and Grim. The latter just has way too much filler to put it above. Sultans Curse, Scorpion Breath, Andromeda, Show Yourself, Clandestiny, the entire album is just so fucking good. I mean the only song that I don't care much for is Roots Remain and it's not even a bad song. Just kind of repetitive. Album fucking rules.

Jaguar God is one of my favorite metal songs of the past 10 years, that things is just majestic. One of my top 3 Mastodon albums.

Album Rating: 4.5

I think Emperor is a better version of Crack the Skye. I mean if I understand it enough they're both similar thematically aren't they? Or maybe I'm way off. Idk. I just feel like what they were going for musically on Crack the Skye they did just slightly better on Emperor of Sand.

Well they're both concept albums that deal with a character going through some kind of spiritual/physical death of some sort, I believe (my memory is kind of fuzzy on CtS, I just remember the Czar/Rasputin references). And I agree, musically there's a lot of connections. No wonder CtS is another in my top 3.

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

CtS has much more nuance for me. The production allows for layers of subtle synthesizer, guitar harmonies, ethereal vocals, pans and fades that enhance the atmosphere and transitions to make every moment feel consequential. That was the attention to detail that these last four albums lack, and that really set Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye apart as works of art beyond just being banger metal albums (which all their albums are).

Album Rating: 4.5

I love the grimy bass sound on EoS, especially on Clandestiny. Crack the Skye definitely has more ambitious production though.



Eh maybe I was wrong about Roots Remain. I just don't like the melody on the verses' (same goes for Word to the Wise, they're just clumsy) otherwise it's great too. The solo at the end is fantastic.



The parallels between Crack the Skye and EoS make sense considering the same producer.

Album Rating: 3.0

"The parallels between Crack the Skye and EoS make sense considering the same producer."

I expected WAY more from this because of it. In terms of expectations to what I got, this has to rank as their most disappointing release for me.

I firmly reckon that some of their best stuff from these sessions were kept off this and became 'Cold Dark Place'.

That, folded into this, with some of their more perfunctory stuff trimmed would have been awesome.

Album Rating: 2.5

most of cdp was recorded during the omrts sessions

Album Rating: 4.5

I think Cold Dark Place is, fine.

Album Rating: 3.5

Cold Dark Place is top-tier modern Mastodon, unsurprisingly since it was mostly Brent