Mastodon

Crack The Skye

Reprise Records

March 24, 2009

I’m sure most of you out there in Bearsland have heard at least one song from this record, maybe seen the video for Divinations, hell-maybe even listened to the whole record. Mastodon’s latest release Crack the Skye is making major waves in the music industry, and rightly so, Crack the Skye is nothing short of amazing.

If you’ve never heard of the guys, let me inform you. Back in 1999 in  ATL these dudes got together and thought to make a grungy alt metal sludge proggressive kinda cd. In ’02 the band released their first disc Remission, which was hmmm..eh I’d say. Then in 2004 Leviathan was released with a super cool Moby Dick artwork cover, also with some super cool tunes such as Iron Tusk and the uber cool Blood and Thunder (currently a track on Guitar Hero: Metallica). In 2006 Blood Mountain was let loose to high critical acclaim and a giant (and growing) fanbase. This disc contained the rad as hell song Sleeping Giant and spawned European tour with the almighty Tool. Skip three years and Mastodon releases Crack the Skye, the fourth installment of their concept records (this one being about a quadraplegic, astral travel, and Czarist Rasputin). And the cd has a bear on the cover.

Several months ago I downloaded the first two singles Oblivion and Divinations, both of which I enjoyed, nothing spectacular, but good nonetheless. A couple weeks ago the cd dropped and I purchatized it on itunes, my ears were graced with a very Black Sabbath-y, Ozzy esque record that delved deep into the creative musical folder. I don’t like Sabbath, nor do I like Ozzy, but I like, no love, this record. The songs The Last Baron and The Czar…(both clocking in at over ten minutes) explore the limits of rock music like none other in recent memory. With this cd Mastodon have set themselves on pedestal of their own in the current rock scene. They’ve raised the bar on their own creativity and will most likely find it very hard to top this record in years to come.  This record is my current fav of the year and will definitely find its way into my top ten maybe top five (if Darkest Hour and Killswitch Engage and Dredg and The Bled and He Is Legend and Circle Takes The Square and I’m sure I’m forgetting some, don’t suck.) Great job!! Mastodon, you rock. [4/5]

brandon addition: this is my favorite song from the record…it’s called ‘Oblivion’