by Jason Hicks
Mastodon has been known as a thinking man's metal group in the tradition of Megadeth in the '80s and Tool in the '90s for quite some time now. But their major label debut, Blood Mountain, in 2006 marked a distinct broadening of their sonic palette and a decisive attempt to break out of the metal ghetto in order to attain a wider audience. Suddenly the band named after the 6 ton prehistoric relative of the mammoth, and just as heavy musically as the real mastodon was in weight, was including acoustic guitars, blues-y leads and ambient synth effects as well as some vocal harmonies. Miraculously, not only did it gain more mainstream notice for the band, but it didn't feel like a compromise in any respect. Mastodon had managed to diversify their sound without diluting or wussifying it.
So it should come as no shock that with their newest album, Crack the Skye, the band has taken another step toward more dynamic hard rock in the place of sheer metal whallup. The album was written and recorded in the aftermath of lead singer Brent Hinds suffering coma inducing head trauma in a parking lot brawl after the MTV Video Music Awards in 2007. Reportedly it was too painful for Hinds to produce his signature screamed vocals during recording sessions, so he toned down his bellows to an Ozzy-like singing style. The resulting cleaner vocals are not only more intelligible, but also more melodic as well. Some long time fans of the band may write off the move as a "sell out", but not only should it have been apparent that the band was already moving in this direction, but there is still plenty of guitar and rhythmic pyrotechnics on display throughout the album, a dumbed down or simpler Mastodon this is not.
The dual ten minute plus epics of "The Czar", which is complete with four distinct movements, and the album ending prog-metal tour de force "The Last Baron" should convince anyone that while the band may be toning down some of their heaviest tendencies, their music is still both incredibly dense and complicated. The last three songs of the album all flow into one another, creating a sprawling suite of songs that is another indication of the band's attention to detail and overarching themes. The title track in the middle of the three tunes brings some of the heaviest vocals of the album, courtesy of Neurosis' Scott Kelly, in perhaps a concession to the hardcore fans that have stuck with the band through the years.
Lyrically things are a bit less Dungeons and Dragonsesque than they've been in the past. You won't find any songs here about crystal skulls, giants, or sea monsters. Sure there is some out there concept involving astral travel and the infamous Russian usurper Rasputin. Underneath that however, there are several allusions to the suicide of drummer and lyricist Brann Dailor's sister, which make Crack the Skye Mastodon's most personal, and on several levels, deepest album to date.
The one weak point of the album is its production. Clearly using Brendan O'Brien, who has produced the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine and several albums for Pearl Jam was a conscious effort to attain a slicker sound. Unfortunately the album suffers from the cranked levels and compressed sound that plagues many releases these days that pander to the iPod generation. It's not that the album sounds horrible, but often times the high frequencies are aggressive to the point of squashing other elements in the mix.
But that's a minor complaint that could be sorted out by a remaster a bit down the road, or by purchasing the vinyl which will likely have better mastering. With Crack the Skye, Mastodon prove they are still on top of the current metal heap, and that their music likely has more interesting twists and turns in store on future albums.
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