This is the band’s fifth album released in 2011. This is the second non-concept album and the title is a tribute to Brent Hinds’ brother who tragically died while the band were recording the album. The big single from the album was Curl Of The Burl which reached 15 on the rock singles chart. The songs are a lot shorter on this album as the majority clock in under 4 minutes, but that does not take away from quality of the tunes. The riffs are here in great quantities, in fact there are more of them as there are extra songs.
Mastodon have the gift of being the most melodic band on the planet, but within the blink of an eye become crushing. The quick burst of a Blasteroid making my point perfectly in fact – parts of this song remind me of Kyuss. Most bands in the progressive metal genre seem to either go down that overblown Dream Theater avenue, or drift down Meshuggah lane with the off time weirdness. It’s nice to hear Mastodon occupy their own little street of awesome where melody, crunch, and superb lyrics are their forte.
The tunes that I love the most here are the aforementioned Blasteroid, All The Heavy Lifting with its slightly demonic feel, The Hunter with its heartfelt lyrics from Brent to his lost brother, the pure metal onslaught of Spectrelight, and the superb mainly instrumental Sparrow, which closes out the record. I’m glad I’m around while bands like Mastodon are pushing there own boundaries every album.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
