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Maybe I am a little biased
because this band hails from my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia or maybe it is
because it was refreshing to hear something new-either way Mastodon impressed
the hell out of me. Since leaving the band Today is the Day in 1999, Brann
Dailor and Bill Kelliher moved down to Atlanta and met up with former Social
Infestation members Troy Sanders and Brent Hines burst onto the scene and the
4 have not looked back since. Releasing the demo “Lifesblood” in 2000 from
Relapse records, the album “Remission” is the bands first full studio album
but don’t let that fool you into thinking that this band is lacking
experience. One listen to the album had me reciting the names: Black Sabbath,
Rush, King Crimson and Morbid Angel immediately. Seriously ingenious
instrumentally and brutal vocally the band finds a perfect mix that is both
bone crushing at some times and melodic at others. Truthfully I feel that
every range of metal is covered on this album. With complex song structures
throughout the album a feeling of anticipation overwhelms as you wait for the
next verse or riff to strike and there is no telling where it is coming from
or where it is going to. The only other band that induces that feeling in me
is a Swedish metal act by the name of Opeth, obviously the two bands are very
different musically and conceptually but this certainly says something about
the musicianship involved in this act. I really cannot find a genre to place
the band in but the label “Math metal” comes to mind as odd time signatures
are ever so present throughout the music-yet the music is so tightly knit and
pulled together it has a seamless feeling. To sum up my feelings: Guitar
work-“incredible”. Bass-“crushing”. Drum work-“godly”, there is truly a “Neal
Peart” value and influence in the percussion by Brann Dailor and that is
something pretty damn rare. I always wondered why the band would name itself
Mastodon but perhaps it is because there music is as large and monstrous as
the large extinct mammal the name is derived from. Key Tracks: March of the
Fire Ants, Burning Man, Trilobite and Elephant
Man.
| Tracklist |
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