Introducing Mastodon is simple; they are an Atlanta metal
band that has proven to be uncaring when it comes to the parameters that have
surrounded metal music before or since their inception, making them true
mavericks in a genre that can be suffocating in terms of creative expression
when held in the wrong hands. Starting out by crafting violently heavy monstrosities
like “Shadows That Move” and “March of the Fire Ants” that borrowed from
extreme metal and hardcore in equal measure, Mastodon cranked their technical
ability knob on the impressively complex yet still bludgeoning Blood Mountain,
followed by dabbling in heady progressive rock with their final concept album
Crack the Skye. Anyone thinking that Mastodon would go further down the winding
prog rock path would be dead wrong as their next album was The Hunter, an album
that was strangely accessible coming from the band that wrote Remission, and
the album was simply a fun and oftentimes catchy affair that didn’t sacrifice
the band’s artistic integrity, at least not very much. With The Hunter sounding
nothing like Crack the Skye, and Crack the Skye sounding nothing like Blood
Mountain, it was hard to pinpoint where the band would go next. Now we have
Once More ‘Round the Sun, an album that successfully marries the catchy
accessibility of their previous album with the psychedelic complexity of the
one before it, and the resulting collection of songs make an entirely new sound
for Mastodon once again.
Every single music fan on earth has probably said the
following statement at least once in their life: “I hope (insert band here)
goes back to their old sound on their new album.” This is a hilariously futile
hope as it oftentimes doesn’t happen, and when it does, the resulting album
could potentially sound flaccid and be only a glimmer of what the band was a
decade or so ago. Mastodon may never be going back to full-on screaming rage
and aggression, and that’s perfectly fine since a band like Mastodon shouldn’t
have to please fans with such contrived efforts. Here, we have songs that
definitely flirt with their previous level of heaviness (just look at the crushing
“Chimes at Midnight”) but when the band rolls back on the intensity with many
of these tracks, delightful intricacies that are woven into their compositions come
floating to the surface. Complex arpeggiated guitar chords that twinkle and scatter
about run amok from track to track, displaying guitarist Brent Hinds’ hillbilly
leanings from his side band Friend without a Face. Guitar solos have never
played a big part in Mastodon’s sound, but here we have more fiery leads than
on any other Mastodon record, and Brent truly goes to town when given this
opportunity. Drummer Brann Dailor’s fills tend not to be as intense as on The
Hunter (many of his fills here tend to be snare rolls), but his timekeeping can
become quite jazzy revealing the influence of fusion players of decade’s past. Mastodon
continues to explore their instruments and their capabilities in playing them,
making this one of the most technically advanced records in their discography.
Technical proficiency is wonderfully paired with sharp
songwriting on Once More ‘Round the Sun. Never before has the band written catchier
choruses than the ones found here, with “The Motherload” and “Ember City” being
some of the best examples, both of which are sung by Dailor. With Dailor’s role
as a singer being increased exponentially, all three singers in Mastodon get a
pretty equal time in the spotlight. If only rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher could
join in with his ferocious scream that only gets used live, then that would
really be something to savor. Compositionally, These tracks bob and weave
through various segments and possess a god deal of unpredictability, harkening
back to their one-off prog rock album Crack the Skye but with shorter song
lengths overall. This intricacy joined with such catchiness makes for a delectably
exciting listen, proving that Mastodon can rock hard and write a good song
while still being fun and accessible. They’ve hit all the marks here.
The only gripes one might have with this record might be
with the last track “Diamond in the Witch House”. While it is heavy and doomy throughout,
no problem there, it stylistically doesn’t fit with the rest of the record
which is mainly based on forward movement rather than plodding over a couple of
heavy riffs. Scott Kelly of Neurosis fame makes an appearance here as well, but
his vocal contribution is marred by a truly irritating effect that’s layered over
him for who knows what reason. Other than those minor quibbles, it looks like Mastodon
has hit it out of the park yet again. It combines their fun side and their
serious side to make an excellently well-rounded release that takes them further away from their past
and places them into a thrilling present, all while preparing them for a future
that cannot be predicted. That is the trajectory that only truly exceptional
bands can have.
8.8/10
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