Album Rating: 4.5

How to connect words and still fail to give them any useful meaning

Album Rating: 2.5

god this band is so sterile these days

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

So initially I 5'd this on an emotional basis and as a reaction to people rating this badly because of "bad production", a completely baffling take, in my opinion.



But the more I listen to this, the more I'm sure I want to stick with that 5.



Sure, there are flaws. Like I said, there might be 1 or 2 needless tracks (not that I think any of them are bad, just less good like Teardrinker and Peace and Tranquility). And although I think the production is really good, I find that the drum mix isn't really my favorite kind, because the kick drum doesn't have much of a presence and the EQing on the snares also robs some power from the low end. Brann Dailor is one of the greatest rock and metal drummers of the last 20 years. so I don't understand why you don't highlight that enough in the mix!



But yeah apart from that, what a monumental album and what an achievement for these guys... It's a real journey that takes me back to the days of just sitting in my room doing nothing more than listening to a record and picking apart the lyrics and details. Which in this day and age equates to "take a longer route on the commute home with the car stereo on full blast"

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Also two further observations : I laughed at the "middle-aged man's metal" tag that someone proposed back there, because just a couple days ago I was thinking how this really is the ultimate "dad metal" album and i mean that in best possible way because I myself have two kids and goddamnit if they're not gonna be Mastodon fans.



Also for some reason, and maybe I'm doing this asociation because David Bottrill used to produce Tool, but this record has fulfilled the vacancy that Tool's Fear Inoculum never did two years ago, mediocre as that record was.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

I lost you at the end, otherwise, cool comment

Album Rating: 5.0 | Sound Off

Hah, I guess it's kind of out of nowhere, yeah.



But this and Crack The Skye are the most prog-metal albums of Mastodon's discog and to me Tool used to be the ultimate prog-metal band, so maybe I'm seeing Mastodon as filling that spot for me with this album.



Not sure if this makes any more sense. I guess I'm still sour at how disappointed I was with the last Tool album.

Album Rating: 2.5

This is certainly better than Fear Innocuous. Faint praise perhaps but lil' victories and all.



I might be better off listening to this is smaller segments, not sure I can dive straight back in for another complete listen any time soon. At least divide it into the two halves.

Album Rating: 3.5

I lost you at the end, otherwise, cool comment [2]



Im one of those weirdos that enjoys Fear Inoculum alot

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mastodon-hushed-and-grim/

Cooled off of them due to the previous two releases, but this one has fully sucked me back in. Initially was put off by all the reports of bad mastering, but after listening to it not an issue for me. Not sure what it is about them, but for me I need to sit down and throw the album from the start, can't really do singles with Mastodon. Savage Lands is a personal favorite and loving the opening of The Beast. Probably a personal thing, but I find myself partial to albums like this because they fill the void for my preference for long form albums that I initially discovered with the Mars Volta.

Album Rating: 4.5

I love Fear Inoculum and I really like this so I am in a win win situation here haha

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

How could you not dig Fear Inoculum? It's got everything that makes Tool....Tool, for better or worse. Sure the interludes were the most dishonest pieces of music I've ever heard (and choc chip trip never gets played by me) but the core songs were solid as hell.

Album Rating: 4.5

I loved everything about FI and choc chip trip is actually a favorite of mine!

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

I love Danny Carey but that piece seemed way too unnecessary to me (in a bad way).

Album Rating: 4.0

How come Brent Hinds only sings on like 2-3 songs?

Album Rating: 4.0

@kinetic22 you're right man, I think that you've hit the nail on the head with what is bothering me about this album regarding the drums. I love the glass-esque sound of cymbals and the way drums can really manipulate the intensity. For me, this album doesn't really take advantage of these things, and my favourite moments here (e.g. the last sections of More Than I Could Chew) are vocals and guitar-driven. I'm not finding myself excited by the drumming, which I've come to expect from Mastodon (stuff such as Capillarian Crest, breakdown of Blood and Thunder, break of March of the Fire Ants etc).

This is certainly better than Fear Innocuous. Faint praise perhaps but lil' victories and all. [2]
Choc Choc Trip the only sufferable FI song [7]

Album Rating: 2.5

'How could you not dig Fear Inoculum? It's got everything that makes Tool....Tool,'



I think that might be the issue.



The two releases are in absolutely no way comparable, well apart from the fact they're both excessively lengthy prog metal albums. The fact they fail to innovate in any meaningful way and instead regurgitate under the guise of 'refinement'. They're both comfortable, streamlined versions of former glories. Mature music for mature(r) fanbases. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug I guess.



Wait a minute.

Oof.
I feel bad now - I know this is mostly safe af territory, but Sickle and Dagger at least deserve to exist etc
Jam Cornelius with me Demon I'm done with this band for today

Album Rating: 2.5

I don't actually hate this, just thought the possible parallel was amusing.