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September 3, 2010 |
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01. Blood And Thunder
02. I Am Ahab
03. Seabeast
04. Island
05. Iron Tusk
06. Megalodon
07. Naked Burn
08. Aqua Dementia
09. Hearts Alive
10. Joseph Merrick
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First off, I have to say that this is one of the most classily packaged releases I've purchased in recent months. From the beautiful Paul Romano painted cover/interior art to the high literary concept behind the songwriting (Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick'), to - most importantly - the cutting-edge, high caliber technical prowess and brute-force energy of the music enclosed, everything here just works so darned well together that one can't help but be impressed. This is an album which definitely displays a band at the forefront of their craft.
I am of course referring to 'Leviathan' the latest release from Rochester New York's finest, MASTODON back now to follow up 2002's widely hailed landmark full length debut 'Remission' (and the equally devastating 2001 EP 'Lifesblood') which was arguably one of the fresher and more enjoyable releases of that year. With anticipation for the next chapter as high as I know it has been, rest assured all of you out there who have yet to wrap your psyche around this masterpiece...the band have not disappointed! If anything 'Leviathan' eclipses it's predecessor on pretty much every front!
Featuring former TODAY IS THE DAY vets Brian Dailor (drums), and Bill Kelliher (guitars) as well as Brent Hinds (guitar/vocals) and Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), MASTODON are - from a purely technical standpoint - perhaps some of the finer musicians currently at work in the heavier echelons of the Metal world. Riffs are solid and meaty and reminiscent of some of the better glory-days moments of the now long-gone Bay Area Thrash era, yet always with subtle contemporary innovations that manage to retain a freshness and 'punch' that takes the material to a whole new level. Song constructs showcase a detailed attention to the emotive power and potential inherent within music of this sheer volume and intensity. Here vocals are wrenched forth and melded impeccably within the ebb and flow of the controlled mayhem this band wields so effortlessly.
The songs paint aural stories which grab the listener and draw them into the collective imaginations driving this Metal ship further into untapped oceans of sonic exploration shared perhaps only by similiarly daring peers such as the aforementioned TODAY IS THE DAY camp, NEUROSIS, and maybe ISIS. Kelliher and Hinds compliment each other wonderfully, building hooks that display a restrained, yet studied understanding of melody. Dailor's drumming is nothing less than perfect, with fills to die for flying let right and center amidst the ongoing battery. The end effect is one of focused intensity. A rare kind of cerebral violence verging on the epic and even grandiose, yet never losing itself within a maze of bombast and pomposity. This is truly one of the more progressive acts the genre currently has on offer, and a definitive leader in the already renowned Relapse stable.
Fave tracks would have to be the opening track 'Blood And Thunder' with it's ominous bridge and driving sense of distress and foreboding. A great, attention-grabbing opener if ever there was one. 'I Am Ahab' continues with appropriately raving fury into 'Seabeast' with it's amazing, full-on headbanging breakdown riff. This is also the first track (as well as 'Naked Burn') to showcase Hinds' clean vocal, a disharmonic, distressed cry which manages to work so well within the framework of these songs. Just so many great tracks here! 'Iron Tusk', and 'Hearts Alive' also stand out with great hooks laid overtop of the underlying heaviness which is this album's backbone.
So there you have it. Don’t listen to me. Just listen to MASTODON. 'Leviathan' will pummel you with all the force of a twenty tonne white whale roaring up from the vastly deep! The truth of the matter lies within the music and the truth is this: MASTODON is one hell of a band, and 'Leviathan' is one hell of an album. Oh yeah, and if you're a thinking Metalhead, seek out the Double-Disc Slipcase version which contains a second Audio-only DVD featuring the following tracks: Naked Burn (5.1 surround), Aqua Dementia (5.1 surround), Hearts Alive (5.1 surround), Where Strides The Behemoth (live), Battle At Sea (live), Thank You For This/We Built This Come Death (live), and Crusher Destroyer (live), culled respectively from their catalogue to date. Knocked off a point for the lack of actual VISUAL FOOTAGE(!?!). I am surprised that the band/label did not take fuller advantage of the DVD medium in this regard. Oh well. A minor complaint with an otherwise great, great release. Go buy it!
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