 |
In one sentence this is Mastodon's Most Unique and amazing work to date, it's the best mix of classic Mastodon riffage and psychedelia, Mastodon gone prog...5/5
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
An intense album of classics! A master work, the album of 2009! DVD content is revealling of what a band is all about! I recommend!
As with the last 2 MASTODON cd's with the free DVD, this is worth the price, purely for the IN THE STUDIO DVD! It's well put together and gives top value for your money! As good as any of those "CLASSIC ALBUM" DVD's that tell the story of ACE OF SPADES, NUMBER OF THE BEAST or METALLICA (the Black Album..) etc. There's loads of footage of the band, from the end of BLOOD MOUNTAIN's tour, to writing, rehearsing and recording this cd. The cd itself, is a bit of a departure for the Atlanta mob. Not nearly as abrassive as BLOOD MOUNTAIN or LEVIATHON especially. This cd sees them get way more "PROG/METAL" but not in the "flutes, bells n whistles" way. Just more textured, layered, and complex. Much less of the SHOUTY/SCREAMING vocals, and even some real singing here n there. In a Black Sabbath/OZZY type way.... All the instruments are, as you'd expect from this lot, played to within a millisecond of destruction, Especially the drums! Brann's snare yet again is the victim some insane abuse, from roll after spastic roll! For my money, Brann is way ahead of 99% of the drummers on the planet. Up there with Dave Lombardo, Charlie Bennante, Neil Peart, Chris Kontos and a very few others. A master class is what you'd expect and that's what you get! The song titles don't really matter, this cd needs to listened to be and absorbed as a whole. They aint MOTLEY CRUE, so don't expect hit songs in 3 minute lumps! The lyrics deal with a weird n wonderful mix of subjects, including an abstract, but very personal CRACK THE SKYE itself. Which tells the story of Brann's sister's suicide from his view. Like I wrote previously, MOTLEY CRUE they aint! Production is clean n crisp, via BRENDAN O'BRIEN, of AC/DC and PEARL JAM fame. Plus many others.... Much more refined than previous MASTODON cd's. But no sign of sellout, there's been moans from the "hardcore" fans, but this band was never gonna churn out a LEVIATHON pt II, just to suit the fan base. These guys are obviously on their own voyage of musical exploration. It's always gonna be heavy, but "hook laden easy music"? Nope! These guys can REALLY PLAY, and they're doing even more of it! They now have an arsenal musical weaponary, and they use it to full effect! The package is again a beautiful looking thing in it's own right! Paul Romano's art has become an integral part of the image created around this band! It suits them perfectly. Intricate and subtle, but with flashes of brutality and colour, a bit like Mark Wilkinson's (Marillion/Iron Maiden) art. Not easy listening, but why should it be? As a player myself, I look forward to seing where this lot push the boundaries to next level! Thinking about it......... "INTRICATE and SUBTLE but with FLASHES OF BRUTALITY" pretty much sums up the cd! ......... Enjoy, coz I am doing! note..... I only rated it "GOOD" not "EXCELLENT" coz I think they'll go even further next time around! Otherwise 10/10 would surely follow!Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
