Gorgeously combining multiple influences into a cohesive whole,
Mastodon brings the layered vocals of Alice In Chains, a grandiose
scope of Ozzy or Zeppelin and a modern, shifting time-signature attack
that owes something to Tool or Monster Magnet (though maybe not quite
as grim as the former nor as sleazy as the latter). Why the rock press
are salivating over this record’s crossover potential is that while
Mastodon have previously exhibited chops and ambition to be world
dominating, Crack The Skye brings melodic hooks, hatched by
Pearl Jam/Springsteen producer Brendan O’Brien. The hammer of the gods
will drive their ships to new lands, indeed.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2009.
This is seriously a great album. I wasn’t a huge mastadon fan, but when I saw the Guitar playing Yeti in the video I had to check it out. Amazing stuff, they have a new fan with this record.
http://www.welovemetal.com
This is not Mastodon via Zep. This is not much more than the mere evolution of Mastodon. Since setting the benchmark for metal brutality/esoteric artistry with Leviathan, these dudes have merely become crazier and crazier. Crack the Skye is a more focused, more cohesive progression from the freeform experimentation of Blood Mountain. For new fans, it fucking awesome, but make sure you check out the back catalogue ausssi. For old fans, it’s not as heavy as previous efforts but it’s far more intense and, more importantly, involved. Dig it, it’s incredible