Mastodon-Crack the Skye (lyrics, dance, house, jazz, metal)

Antonio · 03-20-2009, 09:47 PM

Release Date: March 24, 2009
Label: Reprise Records

well, i got hold of a leaked version of the album, so here it goes....

Mastodon's latest effort seems more like a transition than a definite thing. This is the last of their "elemental" albums: where Remission was Fire, Leviathan was water, and Blood Mountain was Earth, this explores the idea of Air and the Ethereal realm(time travel, wormholes and crap). as a concept album(and yes it is a concept album), it's much more focused than its predecessor in the story, which itself is out of its mind. here's the story, btw:

There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way

yeah, crazy stuff. but anyway, this is definately a new territory for this band. from the first song, you can already tell where they're headed in a more classic, prog rock direction. even so there's still parts to bang your head and pump your fist into the air. Musically, it's good, but the Muscality isnt as present as in Blood Mountain. This album focuses a little more on the melodies/singing than previously, plus there's a more, airy feeling to the songs themselves, like they're not entirely there. There also seems to be an....incomplete feeling after listening to it, like there should be more songs included or something. The songs themselves though, are still great. While the sudden shift in their music may turn off some people who are still waiting for "another Remmission", this'll nonetheless garner some new fans for this band, even though it's far from radio friendly music. All in all, i give this album an 8.5/10. the songs are well crafted and fantastic, but there could be more put into the album so it doesn't feel as empty.

Oblivion- an abrupt tritone assault kicks this album off. then it shifts to a chugging riff and a shockingly new singing style for the band. This song has a very sad feeling to it. at the end it starts the riff of the next song with what seems to be a banjolike instrument

Divinations- This sounds more like a standard Mastodon song, akin to Crystal Skull or Circle of Cysquatch on BM, with a kickass solo to match

Quintessence-This also sounds like normal Mastodon, although the vocals and some parts are slightly different from their usual shenanagins. it's infectious chorus'll have you singing "LET IT GO, LET IT GO!!". at the end comes a strange transition, sort of a mini song before The Czar.

The Czar- My favorite song on the album. this is split into 4 parts, Usurper, Escape, Martyr, and Spiral. Usurper repeats the same phrase "don't stay, run away" over and over again in an almost hypnotic way. Escape is where it kicks in, with a kind of southern riff that has an almost danceable groove to it. Martyr has a calming effect to it, but still has a monster riff to match as well as a melodic singing part and a furious solo. Spiral picks up where Usurper left off, with added harmony. it ends with a sad piano playing the sung melody.

Ghost of Karelia- The guitar riff on this song is very eriee. the vocals are once again present as they somewhat mimic a guitar part. It's still big, but it isn't as much of a headbanger as some previous songs. possibly the low point in the album

Crack the Skye- The song the album is named after isn't as riffy as it could be, once again focusing on melodies, which are themselves pretty good. the guitars in the middle of the song seem to be disappearing and reappearing at once. this is possibly the most emotive song on the album, as you can feel it tug at your heart strings.

The Last Baron- it is the longest song on the album(13 minutes exactly), and possibly one of Mastodon's most epic achievements. starts off right away in a slow sludgy fashion with acoustic and electric guitars in the background. then the electircs take the forefront in a riff that then transitions into a dark and mysterious area. then comes the pounding drums that transitions into a quick riff that almost makes you forget the entire song before it. in the middle is a rediculously jazzy point that'll turn you upside down, but not before going back to the fast riff of before. then comes a sweet riff fest that then goes back to the intro, just so they could burn it into your memory a bit more. The song ends with a solo and a trill on the piano

EDIT:if you read all of that, god bless you

Antonio · 03-21-2009, 11:58 AM

what? no replys?

Piss Me Off · 03-21-2009, 01:34 PM

After my first listen i'll agree definitely that it is more melody driven than they normally are like. Seems like a grower, i haven't warmed to it just yet though Quintessence was pretty mighty.

Roygbiv · 03-21-2009, 03:13 PM

Great review. i had no idea mastodon was a concept band, nor that each of their albums deals with the elements. i started listening to remission last night after i read your review - i wanna get caught up

almauro · 03-24-2009, 10:02 PM

This is a dramatic departure for Mastodon. Much more metalcore than a continuation of their brand of sludge/prog/death metal. The clean vocals are very pedestrian and I believe are only done for the mallcore crowd. Brann Dailor still drums like a tsunami, but the guitar riffs are a lot less thrashy. Invariable, bands go directions that I don't find interesting and lose me, and this may be the case with the Mastodon, but I'm going to give this one more time because I love this band.

Antonio · 03-25-2009, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by almauro

This is a dramatic departure for Mastodon. Much more metalcore than their brand of sludge/prog/death metal. The clean vocals are very pedestrian and I believe are only done for the mallcore crowd. Brann Dailor still drums like a tsunami, but the guitar riffs are a lot less thrashy. Invariable, bands go directions that I don't find interesting and lose me, and this may be the case with the Mastodon, but I'm going to give this one more time because I love this band.

yeah, this album is one that you'd have to listen to a few times just to get into it. I disagree about the metalcore thing, though, this sounds more like classic prog to me

333 · 03-25-2009, 02:28 AM

Nice review. I must say that it is not a grower album for me. I liked it instantly. Though I was a little put off by the length and abrupt ending, I feel its appropriate for the story and emotion of the album. I mainly enjoyed the lyrics, but the concept is equally mind-blowing. I see this transition as extremely beneficial to Mastodon in their growth as musicians and a band. If you've watched the DVD, you'll see how well they work together and how amazing of a drummer Dailor is. He really contributes in the dimensional layering of their music by adding the minor sounds you can't really single out while listening to the album. Also, you will find out who Skye is. If you want good articles, check out this month's Revolver or Altanta's Creative Loafing. Lastly, I enjoy good screams and growls, too, but there is just something about being about to sing, too that I feel makes a good screamer or growler. Hinds and Sanders have distinct voices that compliment each other very well, and I really hear them using these tools to their benefit - maybe not to full potential, but definitely getting there.

ElephantSack · 03-25-2009, 05:06 PM

This is by far their most personal album to date. Being a musician, I can say that I could definitely tell the difference. And this is something that I never really expected out of Mastodon. And that makes me all the more appreciative. Blood Mountain was definitely a ground-breaking and undeniably epic album, but WHY, oh WHY WITH THE COMPARISONS??!! If you want Blood Mountain, you probably still have a copy around the house, right? The same goes for the other predecessors. Stay in the now.
In my opinion, its their best album yet. That is to say that its my favorite. Already. I wasn't expecting that either. Although, I can tell you why. On certain parts of Blood Mountain and even Leviathan, I would hear these very ethereal, proggy, trippy parts (particularly in Aqua Dementia, Sleeping Giant and Pendulous Skin), and I would think, "Wow. That was interesting. I'd like to hear more of that." And Crack the Skye certainly delivered it. Right now, I had to stop typing for the Zappa-esque, poly-rhythmic breakdown in The Last Baron. I am quite glued to this album.

yomaster · 04-06-2009, 08:44 AM

I've heard this new album is cool and totally hilarious. I have to check it out. Album cover is wacked. lol

jackhammer · 04-07-2009, 01:34 PM

Hilarious? WTF?

03-20-2009, 09:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
Antonio VICTORY SCREEEEEEECH Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Are you a cop? Posts: 3,348	Mastodon-Crack the Skye Release Date: March 24, 2009 Label: Reprise Records well, i got hold of a leaked version of the album, so here it goes.... Mastodon's latest effort seems more like a transition than a definite thing. This is the last of their "elemental" albums: where Remission was Fire, Leviathan was water, and Blood Mountain was Earth, this explores the idea of Air and the Ethereal realm(time travel, wormholes and crap). as a concept album(and yes it is a concept album), it's much more focused than its predecessor in the story, which itself is out of its mind. here's the story, btw: There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way yeah, crazy stuff. but anyway, this is definately a new territory for this band. from the first song, you can already tell where they're headed in a more classic, prog rock direction. even so there's still parts to bang your head and pump your fist into the air. Musically, it's good, but the Muscality isnt as present as in Blood Mountain. This album focuses a little more on the melodies/singing than previously, plus there's a more, airy feeling to the songs themselves, like they're not entirely there. There also seems to be an....incomplete feeling after listening to it, like there should be more songs included or something. The songs themselves though, are still great. While the sudden shift in their music may turn off some people who are still waiting for "another Remmission", this'll nonetheless garner some new fans for this band, even though it's far from radio friendly music. All in all, i give this album an 8.5/10. the songs are well crafted and fantastic, but there could be more put into the album so it doesn't feel as empty. Oblivion- an abrupt tritone assault kicks this album off. then it shifts to a chugging riff and a shockingly new singing style for the band. This song has a very sad feeling to it. at the end it starts the riff of the next song with what seems to be a banjolike instrument Divinations- This sounds more like a standard Mastodon song, akin to Crystal Skull or Circle of Cysquatch on BM, with a kickass solo to match Quintessence-This also sounds like normal Mastodon, although the vocals and some parts are slightly different from their usual shenanagins. it's infectious chorus'll have you singing "LET IT GO, LET IT GO!!". at the end comes a strange transition, sort of a mini song before The Czar. The Czar- My favorite song on the album. this is split into 4 parts, Usurper, Escape, Martyr, and Spiral. Usurper repeats the same phrase "don't stay, run away" over and over again in an almost hypnotic way. Escape is where it kicks in, with a kind of southern riff that has an almost danceable groove to it. Martyr has a calming effect to it, but still has a monster riff to match as well as a melodic singing part and a furious solo. Spiral picks up where Usurper left off, with added harmony. it ends with a sad piano playing the sung melody. Ghost of Karelia- The guitar riff on this song is very eriee. the vocals are once again present as they somewhat mimic a guitar part. It's still big, but it isn't as much of a headbanger as some previous songs. possibly the low point in the album Crack the Skye- The song the album is named after isn't as riffy as it could be, once again focusing on melodies, which are themselves pretty good. the guitars in the middle of the song seem to be disappearing and reappearing at once. this is possibly the most emotive song on the album, as you can feel it tug at your heart strings. The Last Baron- it is the longest song on the album(13 minutes exactly), and possibly one of Mastodon's most epic achievements. starts off right away in a slow sludgy fashion with acoustic and electric guitars in the background. then the electircs take the forefront in a riff that then transitions into a dark and mysterious area. then comes the pounding drums that transitions into a quick riff that almost makes you forget the entire song before it. in the middle is a rediculously jazzy point that'll turn you upside down, but not before going back to the fast riff of before. then comes a sweet riff fest that then goes back to the intro, just so they could burn it into your memory a bit more. The song ends with a solo and a trill on the piano EDIT:if you read all of that, god bless you Last edited by Antonio; 03-28-2009 at 08:53 PM.

03-21-2009, 01:34 PM	#3 (permalink)
Piss Me Off Moodswings n' Roundabouts Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: At the corner of Dude and Catastrophe Posts: 4,512	After my first listen i'll agree definitely that it is more melody driven than they normally are like. Seems like a grower, i haven't warmed to it just yet though Quintessence was pretty mighty. __________________ Last FM Rate Yr Music Muxtape

03-21-2009, 03:13 PM	#4 (permalink)
Roygbiv marquee moon Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 759	Great review. i had no idea mastodon was a concept band, nor that each of their albums deals with the elements. i started listening to remission last night after i read your review - i wanna get caught up __________________ Roygbiv's Review Revue LATEST REVIEW SILENT SHOUT BY THE KNIFE

03-24-2009, 10:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
almauro Way Out There Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 850	This is a dramatic departure for Mastodon. Much more metalcore than a continuation of their brand of sludge/prog/death metal. The clean vocals are very pedestrian and I believe are only done for the mallcore crowd. Brann Dailor still drums like a tsunami, but the guitar riffs are a lot less thrashy. Invariable, bands go directions that I don't find interesting and lose me, and this may be the case with the Mastodon, but I'm going to give this one more time because I love this band. __________________ rock n music blog Last edited by almauro; 03-25-2009 at 12:12 PM.

04-07-2009, 01:34 PM	#10 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Hilarious? WTF? __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

03-25-2009, 02:28 AM	#7 (permalink)
333 Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 965	Nice review. I must say that it is not a grower album for me. I liked it instantly. Though I was a little put off by the length and abrupt ending, I feel its appropriate for the story and emotion of the album. I mainly enjoyed the lyrics, but the concept is equally mind-blowing. I see this transition as extremely beneficial to Mastodon in their growth as musicians and a band. If you've watched the DVD, you'll see how well they work together and how amazing of a drummer Dailor is. He really contributes in the dimensional layering of their music by adding the minor sounds you can't really single out while listening to the album. Also, you will find out who Skye is. If you want good articles, check out this month's Revolver or Altanta's Creative Loafing. Lastly, I enjoy good screams and growls, too, but there is just something about being about to sing, too that I feel makes a good screamer or growler. Hinds and Sanders have distinct voices that compliment each other very well, and I really hear them using these tools to their benefit - maybe not to full potential, but definitely getting there.

03-25-2009, 05:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
ElephantSack Man vs. Wild Turkey Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: ATX Posts: 948	This is by far their most personal album to date. Being a musician, I can say that I could definitely tell the difference. And this is something that I never really expected out of Mastodon. And that makes me all the more appreciative. Blood Mountain was definitely a ground-breaking and undeniably epic album, but WHY, oh WHY WITH THE COMPARISONS??!! If you want Blood Mountain, you probably still have a copy around the house, right? The same goes for the other predecessors. Stay in the now. In my opinion, its their best album yet. That is to say that its my favorite. Already. I wasn't expecting that either. Although, I can tell you why. On certain parts of Blood Mountain and even Leviathan, I would hear these very ethereal, proggy, trippy parts (particularly in Aqua Dementia, Sleeping Giant and Pendulous Skin), and I would think, "Wow. That was interesting. I'd like to hear more of that." And Crack the Skye certainly delivered it. Right now, I had to stop typing for the Zappa-esque, poly-rhythmic breakdown in The Last Baron. I am quite glued to this album.

04-06-2009, 08:44 AM	#9 (permalink)
yomaster Groupie Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Parts Unknown Posts: 24	I've heard this new album is cool and totally hilarious. I have to check it out. Album cover is wacked. lol