iIs the band you mentioned Garvella Tok? they sound like the kind of band i need to listen to. Baroness and Torche are the bees knees as well if anyone hasn't heard them they should definitely check them out?
I used to be all about the harsh vocals and heavy as hell sound a few years ago, but I've gotten away from extreme metal and listen to more melodic stuff. I think this album is about an 8.
They maintained amazing groove and interesting songs. But this album lacks consistency that i personally love the previous mastodon albums for. Crack the skye was just amazing. And remission and call of the mastodon were just ambient grinders of incredible. This album didnt REALLY get me a feeling like that. They can do more than this im sure. Good album, but they can do better.
I'll say it again. I fucking hated Mastodon and their old sound. This album actually restores some of my faith in modern music. Black Tongue, Curl of the Burl, Stargasm, The Hunter, SpectreLight, and The Sparrow are phenomenal songs and much much better than anything I've heard from them before. Their vocals are much better on this one compared to their horrid screams of the past.
My only real problem with growls is that people overuse the shit out of them. They are meant to be used as one tool to a vocalist, not his entire arsenal. If you're screaming the entire time it's: A) Boring as shit, and B) sounds pretty much just like every other hardcore metal screamer out there. Most of these guys sound way too alike to each and every other. Growls are awesome when used to accent certain lines of anger/frustration, but not an entire song.
Yea because if your not sounding like a pig in heat then it's not 'metal'. I'll take clean vocals over pigs fucking anyday buddy. Metal is Slayer, Megadeth, Pantera, Testament, and so on. You don't need to sound like your taking a massive shit to be Metal.
These albums just don't seem like a natural progression. It's a lot of ideas and nice guitar work but nothing I'd want to sit through. Remission and Leviathan just hit with their own force, they still do.
They never meant for this to be a really heavy and angry album and in a way they are not being more accesible either because they are not keeping to the style they are expected to play, but rather playing whatever they feel like
Watch the Making Of... video and you'll see why they changed direction. They say they don't want to be tied to a specific genre, so judging this relative to their sludgy stuff isnt a fair assessment of the album. Its as good a follow up to Crack the Skye as anyone expected.
And I CANNOT belive that you honestly think Lulu is better than this. Lulu was the worst album of the century without a doubt. Don't just try to be sensationalist, actually review the music.
All The Heavy Lifting, Curl of The Burl, Black Tongue, Stargasm, All great songs, I would of given them a 7 out of 10. I don't think they were trying to be accessible as they were trying to be psychedelic. Honestly it has to be tough to follow up Crack The Skye, that album is one of the greatest albums of all times.
How do you listen to all these albums? Do you buy each of them or what? And I can see you doing big things with this review stuff. Do you write for a magazine or anything? Keep it up.
Compromised album. Catchy melodies grafted onto heavy riffs, each preventing each other from expressing anything much. And the heavy riffs sounded like they were products of habit more than anger - it had Mastodon's sound but without any of the urgency or energy.
A handful of good songs though. I really like Stargasm and The Sparrow.
at first, i loved it. and then the more i listened to it the less i loved it and after a while i decided i'd give it another try. i listen to 'the hunter' almost every day now, it's one of my favorite releases of 2011, if not my favorite.
I'm hearing a strong classic rock vibe on this album, which I guess would turn off some of the more metal minded fans but I'm digging it. Besides, hasn't Mastodon been moving more in this direction over their last couple albums anyways?!
I only started listening to this band 3 months ago, but The Hunter and Blood Mountain are tied as my favorites from them. I'm guessing pre-concieved notions ruined it for some people. The longer you've been with a band, the more likely you are to be disappointed. The Hunter packs a PUNCH.
Creature Lives is one of my favorite tracks which is odd because it's definitely a change of Mastodon's sound to me. This album is still good but I would say my least favorite release by the band so far.
I still think their best is Blood Mountain tho...It's a perfect mix of the heavy sludge they came from to the proggy-ish area they are in now...it's a transition album that did it right.
You also have to remember that though Fantano is good at reviewing albums, he is also a hipster and remains very biased. I look at the album as their black album, because it's more accessible, yet it still remains pretty fucking wicked. I don't know what he's talking about with Thickening, that's a great song to smoke so, and Bedazzled? How could he NOT mention that? And Dry Bone Valley has a chilling solo. If this is commercial sludge metal, then it still has a shitload of heart.
The Hunter was not as good as Crack The Skye, for example. It's true that they have dropped some of the great elements from their music, like the more progressive and more "metal" elements. But is it worth a shitty 5 on 10? I don't think so...
Its kinda hard to review a Mastodon Album and talk about they're last album, because every album has been different. By the way I loved The Hunter, I thought it was an awesome album and I loved every song on it. I'll admit it wasn't what I expected from Mastodon but I loved it just the same either they're sludge or progressive metal I think therre great and they're my favorite band.
I love mastodon but after like 5 listens to this thing it really isn't that great.I agree with the review its like a record you just bob your head to.With Leviathan and remisssion I wanted to break stuff and those two were pretty heavy and blood mountain had that heaviness but was also melodic and finally Crack the Skye was heavy but also very space and atmospheric.I don't want another masterpiece if they did that again it would be nice but the hunter to me is ok but not great.
Really people?It's whats called opinion so if he doesn't like it and you like just leave it at that.People will like what they like.Just cause you think this album is the greatest thing ever made(which it isn't because their previous work will always destroy this album and this is opinion of course) then thats cool but when you criticize someone for giving their opinion on the thing you like and they don't like it thats just a dumb ass move.
You know an music reviewer should always, ALWAYS, have a wide understanding for music, and should be albe to see the quality behind the music: And this album is trippy and experimental as FUCK! And when go listen this album once or twice with a remession approach to an highly progressive, alternative, an most of all experimental record, you can't really apriciate this beautyfull masterpeice that it is.
And don't say that Mastodon is an easy listen. Because they are not...
yeah ive listened to it 6 or 7 times, i think your review is pretty accurate.
blood mountain is maybe my favourite, just because it's got a great balance between harshness and musicianship; the drums are at there fiercest and the guitar work is brilliant.
crack the skye is a great prog rock album though i love that too, real trippy and classic.
i need to relisten to leviathan to be honest, that was the first album of theirs i picked up so it's been a while. keep up the good work.
@SamuelLJacksonsFish Why has this comment so many thumbs ups? He talks about Curl of the Burl twice ... and only kind of briefly. And it is a pretty noteable song on the album, and a single!
Mastodon isn't a metal band. They're Mastodon. That being said, you can only say that they're a legit rock band. A true, legit rock band that writes what they want and expresses what they wrote through what is music. They don't want you (the listener) to feel a particular way about their music. You feel how you wanna feel about it.
Once i heard the last track "The Sparrow", the force of every single track of the album hit me in the face.
Matodon said this album was very spontaneous, it's very stripped down, but I still love it! creature lives, the hunter, red sparrow, dry bone valley...love it! curl of the burl probably my least favorite track
besides, it's not nearly as bloated as crack the skye. as intricate as that record was, it kinda bored me. this record delivers more concise and demanding tracks. i've been listening to the mastodonians since remission, and i would put this album right underneath blood mountain, their best record yet.
i think you expected too much from this album, sir. although this record didn't send me into a frenzy, i found it rather refreshing. granted, it's still new to me (a few days old), but i like what i hear. i thought the production was fantastic, bigger sound and volume. definitely a little less dirty than previous records. and yes, the songwriting has been simplified, but the melodies have never been sharper, brighter and more engaging.
This album reminded me a lot of another sludge metal release for last year: Kylesa's Spiral Shadow. hell, the song Don't Look Back from that is the most poppy and melodic thing they've ever done. However, I loved that album. And I love this one. I would've probably been pissed if I got another 7 tracker. So far, I say Mastodon has failed to disappoint me so far in their career.
What I love about Mastodon, is that pretty much every song they make, you can listen to it one hundred times, and still find cool little discreet sounds, and things, that you didn't notice before, like a subtle guitar riff, or something like that, hidden in the song. It just keeps every album entertaining.
While I enjoyed Hunter more than you, this review was FANTASTIC. So articulate and thoughtful; honestly one of the most intelligent media reviews of ANYTHING -- movie, book, album, etc -- that I have heard in a long time. I know you have a million of these reviews; this just happens to be the first one I've heard. But really, I just appreciate that you are in the universe thinking thoughts. Word! (Oh, and the album recos you slid in at the end = excellent. Kvelertak is new to me but holy crap!)
I can't fucking stand the narrow minded dipshits who only listen to heavy ass shit and call this album, Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain "pussy shit", If you dont like it go back your fucking cannibal corpse shit, this band is a progressive metal band, they are SUPPOSED to evolve and progress! That's what good bands do, instead of releasing shit that sounds the same every fucking time.
I personally think the album is amazing. I love all of the songs, and though "Curl of the Burl" is the "radio friendly" song from the album, I still like it. But everyone said the same thing about "Oblivion" as they are about "Curl of the Burl".
@backlikevertabrae I'll definitely be checking em out, but there's one thing that irks me a bit. They seem to have completely ripped off the artstyle of Baroness! haha.
The octopus has no friends got me excited when I first listened to it, I thought it was heavy as hell, it constantly builds up towards something. But then it goes back and starts repeating the first 6 riffs again, so I'm like, now its going to reach that climax! the fantastic 7th riff! and then it repeats again after the 6th riff. And after a full 3rd repeat thats the end. That's some shitty composition, no bridge or outro.
they said they want their music to mature with them, and that they dont want to be 50 years old and screaming about the same stuff. braan said "if you have nothing new to say, you have to stop talking"
I think the cool thing about Curl is the fact that it IS accessable and just a straight up rock tune. Very poor example but take the band Chickenfoot, yes Chickenfoot. All super gifted musicians just playing staight rock. No gimmicks.
I think you really need to love Stoner metal/rock to appreciate Curl of the Burl. so...smoke more weed. you'll love it. Frankly, I expect people to give Creature Lives the most shit. Curl of the Burl has an amazing riff for those who love baby-making grooves.
The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Its a bit of a grower, sure, but so was Blood Mountain for me. And I don't understand where you're coming from with the "it loses its grove" comments...all I'm hearing is pure groove across the album, at least on the heavier tracks.
This album, like many have said, is a good album, not my favorite, but it's well done. I do criticize that there some off moments (at the beginning of Blasteroids, where the drums sounds like early Foo Fighters and the Creature Lives with the singing) in this album, but the Mastodon feel is still in there. Keep in mind something else as well: This is the first time the producer works with a metal band. Mike Elizondo is a hiphop and pop producer, so for his first metal, he did considerably well.
I've listened to this album 10+ times now. First listen I was pretty happy. With every subsequent listen it builds on me. Love the album. It's what I listen to when I don't want to "punch holes in walls".
i agree with what you say. compared to crack the sky this album lacks something..between, tracks 2 and 9 all of those just feel..like filling tracks on the album. But it is still enjoyable..just not as wonderful as previous works.
1. Blood Mountain 2. Crack The Skye 3. Leviathan 4. The Hunter 5. Remission 6. Live at the Argon 7. Life's Blood 8. Call of the Mastodon Blood Mountain was in my opinion one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. Sleeping Giant, This Mortal Soil (amazing song),Colony of Birchmen. The Hunter is an amazing album also. Really digging the fact that Brent is busting out some amazing solo work. These guys never cease to amaze me with their ever changing style.
I agree with Curl of the Burl. Doesn't really hit me like I want it to. I'm new to the Mastadon world. Crack the Skye was my introduction to them. Just saw them play it on Letterman and I wasn't impressed. Seems Generic.
@strangebirdsir All Mastodon albums are different from one another, as I have not heard The Hunter yet I will assume the same for it also. My first Mastodon Lp was Blood Mountain and since then I have slowly gotten into all their other albums(they are all growers rather than being immediately accesible IMO). If The Hunter does suck ( as some have posited) Mastodon have already earnt their place in the pantheon of great Metal bands, like Metallica, who now suck (on Lp) but were awesome once.
Curl of the Burl makes you cringe? That's one of the only interesting tracks on the album. At least it's catchy. Also, I would argue that The Hunter isn't a metal record. It's much closer to Stoner Rock. The aforementioned Curl even reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age.
Mastodon rules do you know that curl of the Burl is actually about meth heads running throw the woods of the pacific north west looking for burls in trees to sell to wood carvers for money to buy more meth just think about that the next time you listen to it
Sup Anthony! I feel like you probably aren't super into unsolicited submissions by bands, but I'm a long time fan of your reviews and would be stoked as hell if you'd check our first demo.
1. Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, The Hunter.
They're all great and I've listened to all of their albums multiple times over.
EVERY Mastodon album is an easy 10/10.
They're all drastically different, the band can do whatever they want and its always great. That is why I love them. I can listen to this album just as much as any of their other albums.
i know everybody watching this is thinking/saying/writing this already, but i have to say i wish so badly that mastodon would sit down and think about writing songs that were breathtakingly awesome, like the whole of Leviathan, or brutal and raw like their super early stuff. it's like they got bored
@simondv66 You kidding? The Hunter is what happened when Mastodon matured with their music. Remission was them taking their anger and frustrations out, Brann Dailor even said that Mastodon was what he needed at the time (his sister commited suicide). Leviathan was them maturing a bit. Bood Mountain was crap, in my humble opinion. Crack the Skye was brilliant. The Hunter... well, it's the Metallica syndrome. If Mastodon didn't make it, it would be a classic.
@simondv66 easy for you to say, when have you ever written anything as awesome as any of their five albums? You think they got "bored"? What the fuck am I reading? They were even quoted saying this was the most fun album to make. If you haven't caught on yet, bands don't make albums to impress us. They do it cause they love what they do. Do you really think they wanted to make another Crack The Skye & have to do the same setlist at every show? Probably not. This is a perfectly logical followup.
The first time I listened to this album I was equal parts disappointed and bewildered. Every other Mastodon album took two or three listens to 'get' it. But this one felt like there was nothing more to get after only one listen. Still, I gave it another few listens. After somewhere around four or five listens it clicked. I now love this album. It isn't the best Mastodon album ever, and it's definitely weird as hell, but I love it. Yes, I even love Curl of the Burl.
I was a little put off from my initial start from this album, but like you said, it's a grower. However, I did some research and found out the thought process behind the making of this album. First off, much like Crack the Skye being their ode to their progressive rock influences, The Hunter is an ode to Classical rock. You can really hear it in "The Creature Lives" opening for it's strait from a Pink Floyd and Steve Miller opening. Also, white balance and color correct your DSLR. Cheers!
Really good review.As the band said,this album is "just" a collection of riffs they had in mind for a while.So to me it's kind of a transition album.They tried to do something spontaneous.It's good but not incredible.
Anthony, why do you always say things like Mastodon's "take" on progressive metal? You said the same thing about opeth, that they have a "take" on death metal, what the fuck does that even mean???!!!!!!!
I completely agree with you. I am a big time Mastodon fan. I live in Atlanta and have been listening to their music for a long time. I actually went to get the album at a signing downtown, and had the opportunity to the guys about the album. I had high expectations, but also feel disappointed. I could not agree more though about Baroness, I saw them open for Mastodon and absolutely love the Blue Record. However what was that band you mentioned right before Baroness? I have never hear of them.
@theneedledrop I know, indeed; it's quite disappointing, really. Also, I just want to thank you for this channel, and the effort/passion that you put-forth in-regards to its contents. I enjoy both hearing an alternate opinion on albums that I have already formed one about, and in some instances, discovering new albums/sounds. Thanks again.
@jajasmin hold your hands out in front of you like you're holding an orange in each hand. put on black sabbath's "black sabbath," and then you'll get it.
@RyanMcShred Is the rating important? It's just a reflection of my personal feelings. I mean, my scores are nothing personal against a band or record. It's just how feel while listening to the music, ya know? I'm only gonna give something an 8 if I love hearing it, and I'm only gonna give something a 2 if I hate hearing it. It's not like I'm trying to be political by cutting people slack or giving people a leg up. These are just my personal opinions.
@Apastronnn engaging, exactly. it just doesn't have the progressive detail and the aggression that maintained my attention to such a high degree on previous efforts, ya know?
Kvelertak u dope
LukeSolecki 2 days ago
"The vocals are usually sung clean with some harmony in the background" Have you listened to Mastodon at all?
xCorby94 3 days ago
Id probably give it 7.5/10 doesn't exactly fit my taste but it grows on you.
2122Hellfire 4 days ago
iIs the band you mentioned Garvella Tok? they sound like the kind of band i need to listen to. Baroness and Torche are the bees knees as well if anyone hasn't heard them they should definitely check them out?
tulkuwithattitude93 5 days ago
1:17 = puberty
cja2369 6 days ago
7.9/10...there is some reallly great guitar work on this. The Sparrow is awesome!
toolmaniac81 6 days ago
I can agree with this rating. I was disappointed overall with this album.
jasonbloss 1 week ago
I used to be all about the harsh vocals and heavy as hell sound a few years ago, but I've gotten away from extreme metal and listen to more melodic stuff. I think this album is about an 8.
schutze2006 1 week ago
1/10. New LP sucks.
thcdreams654 1 week ago
Although it did drop off later in the album in my opinion, I do think it deserves a bit more than a 5/10. Maybe a 6 or 6.5. Still, good review :)
Slivarito 1 week ago
They maintained amazing groove and interesting songs. But this album lacks consistency that i personally love the previous mastodon albums for. Crack the skye was just amazing. And remission and call of the mastodon were just ambient grinders of incredible. This album didnt REALLY get me a feeling like that. They can do more than this im sure. Good album, but they can do better.
Dane1Boefel 1 week ago
This is the best review of this album I've ever seen. This album is horrid.
VforAnarchy 3 weeks ago
@VforAnarchy
I'll say it again. I fucking hated Mastodon and their old sound. This album actually restores some of my faith in modern music. Black Tongue, Curl of the Burl, Stargasm, The Hunter, SpectreLight, and The Sparrow are phenomenal songs and much much better than anything I've heard from them before. Their vocals are much better on this one compared to their horrid screams of the past.
ReasonableRam 3 weeks ago
@ReasonableRam
what's wrong with growls,lol
DrDesumThePanda 3 weeks ago
@DrDesumThePanda
My only real problem with growls is that people overuse the shit out of them. They are meant to be used as one tool to a vocalist, not his entire arsenal. If you're screaming the entire time it's: A) Boring as shit, and B) sounds pretty much just like every other hardcore metal screamer out there. Most of these guys sound way too alike to each and every other. Growls are awesome when used to accent certain lines of anger/frustration, but not an entire song.
ReasonableRam 3 weeks ago
@ReasonableRam So you don't like metal? And you like all the chorus-ridden, radio-friendly songs. Yeah, nah.
VforAnarchy 3 weeks ago
@VforAnarchy
Yea because if your not sounding like a pig in heat then it's not 'metal'. I'll take clean vocals over pigs fucking anyday buddy. Metal is Slayer, Megadeth, Pantera, Testament, and so on. You don't need to sound like your taking a massive shit to be Metal.
ReasonableRam 3 weeks ago
@ReasonableRam I wasn't saying anything about the vocals, dude. I meant the sound.
Also have you even listened to Crack The Skye? It's practically all clean vocals.
VforAnarchy 3 weeks ago
@VforAnarchy if it was horrid itd get more like a 2, a 5 to anthony is just lukewarm in his opinion which is alright
ThePunkbebe 2 weeks ago
Best album of 2011
PelleStrandberg 3 weeks ago
I liked the title track a lot but the rest of the tracks just seemed ok, with the ecxeption of maybe a few other tracks.
helloimfinnthehuman 4 weeks ago
lol Lulu gets a 6 and Hunter gets a 5
DrDesumThePanda 1 month ago 6
@DrDesumThePanda
Says a lot about some peoples opinions.
ReasonableRam 3 weeks ago
harsh.
RaceOfRock 1 month ago
These albums just don't seem like a natural progression. It's a lot of ideas and nice guitar work but nothing I'd want to sit through. Remission and Leviathan just hit with their own force, they still do.
DireAxis 1 month ago
The thing with this album is ...people will go insane negative or positive .(1/10 , 10/10)
MorbidEvil6 1 month ago
They never meant for this to be a really heavy and angry album and in a way they are not being more accesible either because they are not keeping to the style they are expected to play, but rather playing whatever they feel like
UberNorwegianBastard 1 month ago
I gave this 10/10. This is one of my favorite album.
brandonlamchops 1 month ago
Watch the Making Of... video and you'll see why they changed direction. They say they don't want to be tied to a specific genre, so judging this relative to their sludgy stuff isnt a fair assessment of the album. Its as good a follow up to Crack the Skye as anyone expected.
And I CANNOT belive that you honestly think Lulu is better than this. Lulu was the worst album of the century without a doubt. Don't just try to be sensationalist, actually review the music.
slayer8098 1 month ago 4
good review. I agree on certain points.
zentheory70 1 month ago
blood mountain had some pretty sick songs
JimTrivial 1 month ago
"This Review has no intensity, no real bite to it, this review something typically seen on youtube."
motorude 1 month ago
Explain to me why you don't think The Hunter is the best song on this album.
Transcedant 1 month ago
if your gonna do a review then atleast look at all of the songs XD
Even opinions dont mean shit otherwise.
MrGamerBazer 1 month ago
With that being said, I kind of expected this album not to be as intense as the previous, so I was a bit more lenient when buying it.
motorude 1 month ago
All The Heavy Lifting, Curl of The Burl, Black Tongue, Stargasm, All great songs, I would of given them a 7 out of 10. I don't think they were trying to be accessible as they were trying to be psychedelic. Honestly it has to be tough to follow up Crack The Skye, that album is one of the greatest albums of all times.
motorude 1 month ago
How do you listen to all these albums? Do you buy each of them or what? And I can see you doing big things with this review stuff. Do you write for a magazine or anything? Keep it up.
me25422 1 month ago
this is funny, metaphoriphic, and cal chucheska is a child molester for sure. good review man!
me25422 1 month ago
Compromised album. Catchy melodies grafted onto heavy riffs, each preventing each other from expressing anything much. And the heavy riffs sounded like they were products of habit more than anger - it had Mastodon's sound but without any of the urgency or energy.
A handful of good songs though. I really like Stargasm and The Sparrow.
Sodhats 1 month ago
5? What?? No, fuck no! More!
Thmubsdown! :C
MarkArandjus 1 month ago
Kill yourself, faggot hipster.
Realitydenizen 2 months ago
at first, i loved it. and then the more i listened to it the less i loved it and after a while i decided i'd give it another try. i listen to 'the hunter' almost every day now, it's one of my favorite releases of 2011, if not my favorite.
buffalobisons182 2 months ago
8.5/10
Jonesyntube 2 months ago
I'm hearing a strong classic rock vibe on this album, which I guess would turn off some of the more metal minded fans but I'm digging it. Besides, hasn't Mastodon been moving more in this direction over their last couple albums anyways?!
Jonesyntube 2 months ago
I only started listening to this band 3 months ago, but The Hunter and Blood Mountain are tied as my favorites from them. I'm guessing pre-concieved notions ruined it for some people. The longer you've been with a band, the more likely you are to be disappointed. The Hunter packs a PUNCH.
khomer99 2 months ago
Creature Lives is one of my favorite tracks which is odd because it's definitely a change of Mastodon's sound to me. This album is still good but I would say my least favorite release by the band so far.
Drsinewy 2 months ago
i like spectrelight
PotentialSeffectS 2 months ago
I like it. It's a good record.
I still think their best is Blood Mountain tho...It's a perfect mix of the heavy sludge they came from to the proggy-ish area they are in now...it's a transition album that did it right.
InvisibleTeeth 2 months ago
its okaaaaaaaaaaaaaay... 6/10 for me
00Dakka 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos
...
3. "Creatures" is the worst Mastodon-song ever. Who the hell allowed them to release this piece of bad lyrics and boooooring melody?
4. Why can't Mastodon sing their stuff live? All the live-cuts of "Curl of the burl" I heard so far sound terrible.
No doubt, I still love Mastodon but I hope they take some more time for the next record. This one sounds like shot from the hip.
BTW Keep them metal-reviews coming, I diggem ;=)!
CasimirFolskovic 2 months ago
Good review. I agree on a lot of points there.
Some more thoughts about the album:
1. The mix is too "poppy". The vox are too loud in comparison to the guitars. Few moments of "YEARGHH - that rox!" there.
2. The Song order isn't good. It hops from one to another and lacks the flow of their previous records....
CasimirFolskovic 2 months ago
You also have to remember that though Fantano is good at reviewing albums, he is also a hipster and remains very biased. I look at the album as their black album, because it's more accessible, yet it still remains pretty fucking wicked. I don't know what he's talking about with Thickening, that's a great song to smoke so, and Bedazzled? How could he NOT mention that? And Dry Bone Valley has a chilling solo. If this is commercial sludge metal, then it still has a shitload of heart.
GoldenBoySwallowSea 2 months ago
i think this deserved more than a 5 outa 10
notjohn100 2 months ago in playlist Uploaded videos 32
The Hunter was not as good as Crack The Skye, for example. It's true that they have dropped some of the great elements from their music, like the more progressive and more "metal" elements. But is it worth a shitty 5 on 10? I don't think so...
MestariDuff 2 months ago
i love it love it
maggan1991 2 months ago
Its kinda hard to review a Mastodon Album and talk about they're last album, because every album has been different. By the way I loved The Hunter, I thought it was an awesome album and I loved every song on it. I'll admit it wasn't what I expected from Mastodon but I loved it just the same either they're sludge or progressive metal I think therre great and they're my favorite band.
666kingdrummer 3 months ago
@ohcalcutt81 dude its opinion get a fuckin life
zzy177 3 months ago
I love mastodon but after like 5 listens to this thing it really isn't that great.I agree with the review its like a record you just bob your head to.With Leviathan and remisssion I wanted to break stuff and those two were pretty heavy and blood mountain had that heaviness but was also melodic and finally Crack the Skye was heavy but also very space and atmospheric.I don't want another masterpiece if they did that again it would be nice but the hunter to me is ok but not great.
zzy177 3 months ago
Really people?It's whats called opinion so if he doesn't like it and you like just leave it at that.People will like what they like.Just cause you think this album is the greatest thing ever made(which it isn't because their previous work will always destroy this album and this is opinion of course) then thats cool but when you criticize someone for giving their opinion on the thing you like and they don't like it thats just a dumb ass move.
zzy177 3 months ago
You know an music reviewer should always, ALWAYS, have a wide understanding for music, and should be albe to see the quality behind the music: And this album is trippy and experimental as FUCK! And when go listen this album once or twice with a remession approach to an highly progressive, alternative, an most of all experimental record, you can't really apriciate this beautyfull masterpeice that it is.
And don't say that Mastodon is an easy listen. Because they are not...
goejser97 3 months ago
Do you go to shows? Curl of the Burl is a great sing-a-long live track. A lot of their other material can be alienating in a live setting.
DJD2112 3 months ago
yeah ive listened to it 6 or 7 times, i think your review is pretty accurate.
blood mountain is maybe my favourite, just because it's got a great balance between harshness and musicianship; the drums are at there fiercest and the guitar work is brilliant.
crack the skye is a great prog rock album though i love that too, real trippy and classic.
i need to relisten to leviathan to be honest, that was the first album of theirs i picked up so it's been a while. keep up the good work.
kaatflaap 3 months ago
you should review kylesas' album "spiral shadow. awesome sludge metal (imo)
theeredhippopotamus 3 months ago
@theeredhippopotamus
i didnt enjoy spiral shadow too much. static tensions is an brilliant album by kylesa
llKoopav2ll 2 months ago
@llKoopav2ll REally? what didnt u like about it ? and ill check that out :)
theeredhippopotamus 1 month ago
You kept talking about Curl of the Burl and hardly mentioned all of the best tracks.
SamuelLJacksonsFish 3 months ago 28
@SamuelLJacksonsFish Why has this comment so many thumbs ups? He talks about Curl of the Burl twice ... and only kind of briefly. And it is a pretty noteable song on the album, and a single!
truelazerlight 2 weeks ago
Mastodon isn't a metal band. They're Mastodon. That being said, you can only say that they're a legit rock band. A true, legit rock band that writes what they want and expresses what they wrote through what is music. They don't want you (the listener) to feel a particular way about their music. You feel how you wanna feel about it.
Once i heard the last track "The Sparrow", the force of every single track of the album hit me in the face.
Insane motherfuckers; this album is amazing.
MikeTheGuy00 3 months ago
Matodon said this album was very spontaneous, it's very stripped down, but I still love it! creature lives, the hunter, red sparrow, dry bone valley...love it! curl of the burl probably my least favorite track
ssmith87 3 months ago
I love all their albums, but crack the skye is my favorite
ssmith87 3 months ago
once more proving you know absolutely nothing about metal. stop pretending to like it/know anything about it.
ohcalcutta81 3 months ago
but then again, i'm just a guy who loves music...
partysmasher13 3 months ago
besides, it's not nearly as bloated as crack the skye. as intricate as that record was, it kinda bored me. this record delivers more concise and demanding tracks. i've been listening to the mastodonians since remission, and i would put this album right underneath blood mountain, their best record yet.
partysmasher13 3 months ago
i think you expected too much from this album, sir. although this record didn't send me into a frenzy, i found it rather refreshing. granted, it's still new to me (a few days old), but i like what i hear. i thought the production was fantastic, bigger sound and volume. definitely a little less dirty than previous records. and yes, the songwriting has been simplified, but the melodies have never been sharper, brighter and more engaging.
partysmasher13 3 months ago
I'm Norwegian. Love the way you say Kverlertak! Haha! Mastodon rocks..
TheHagestol 3 months ago
I loved this album, it's my favorite Mastodon album so far.
TTMichael18 4 months ago
This album reminded me a lot of another sludge metal release for last year: Kylesa's Spiral Shadow. hell, the song Don't Look Back from that is the most poppy and melodic thing they've ever done. However, I loved that album. And I love this one. I would've probably been pissed if I got another 7 tracker. So far, I say Mastodon has failed to disappoint me so far in their career.
whosaidwhatwhen 4 months ago
your face is punchable
BukkakeNation 4 months ago
@BukkakeNation
If by punchable you mean kissable.
Broyale26 3 months ago
also, unless I'm mistaken, his scale puts 5/10 as average. That is what this album is. Its not great, its not bad.
hojima 4 months ago
What I love about Mastodon, is that pretty much every song they make, you can listen to it one hundred times, and still find cool little discreet sounds, and things, that you didn't notice before, like a subtle guitar riff, or something like that, hidden in the song. It just keeps every album entertaining.
haircutbob2 4 months ago
1. Crack the skye
2. Blood Mountain
3.The Hunter
4.Remission
5. Leviathan
great review!
JOhnIStKRieg 4 months ago
This album sucked. This is coming from a true Mastodon fan.
thcdreams654 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Please review Marit Larsen's third album, "Spark" coming out November 18th in Norway.
Mackerni 4 months ago
1. Crack the Skye
2. Blood Mountain
3.Leviathan
4. Remission
5. The Hunter
Gnarlsthe23rd 4 months ago
@Gnarlsthe23rd
1. Remission/Leviathan
2. Lifesblood
3. Crack the Skye
4. Blood Mountain
5. The Hunter
You said it wrong, I corrected you,
ourworldsatwar 4 months ago
While I enjoyed Hunter more than you, this review was FANTASTIC. So articulate and thoughtful; honestly one of the most intelligent media reviews of ANYTHING -- movie, book, album, etc -- that I have heard in a long time. I know you have a million of these reviews; this just happens to be the first one I've heard. But really, I just appreciate that you are in the universe thinking thoughts. Word! (Oh, and the album recos you slid in at the end = excellent. Kvelertak is new to me but holy crap!)
spydormunkey 4 months ago
Didn't really care for it the first 3 times through, now I'm thinking it's amazing. Get's better with ever listen.
daryncox 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I can't fucking stand the narrow minded dipshits who only listen to heavy ass shit and call this album, Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain "pussy shit", If you dont like it go back your fucking cannibal corpse shit, this band is a progressive metal band, they are SUPPOSED to evolve and progress! That's what good bands do, instead of releasing shit that sounds the same every fucking time.
VladFerdinand1 4 months ago
Comment removed
VladFerdinand1 4 months ago
a very very good review...in depth and dead on....good job.
eeky97 4 months ago
I personally think the album is amazing. I love all of the songs, and though "Curl of the Burl" is the "radio friendly" song from the album, I still like it. But everyone said the same thing about "Oblivion" as they are about "Curl of the Burl".
LeeChavezMusic 4 months ago
Awesome Mogwai shirt!
Rogue1219 4 months ago
What was the name of the first band he suggested before Baroness?
mobman47 4 months ago
@mobman47 kvelertak
backlikevertabrae 4 months ago
@backlikevertabrae I'll definitely be checking em out, but there's one thing that irks me a bit. They seem to have completely ripped off the artstyle of Baroness! haha.
mobman47 4 months ago
@mobman47 the covers for both bands were drawn by the same person.
backlikevertabrae 4 months ago
@backlikevertabrae Ahhhhh, ok. Didn't know the dude from Baroness did artwork for other bands too.
mobman47 4 months ago
The octopus has no friends got me excited when I first listened to it, I thought it was heavy as hell, it constantly builds up towards something. But then it goes back and starts repeating the first 6 riffs again, so I'm like, now its going to reach that climax! the fantastic 7th riff! and then it repeats again after the 6th riff. And after a full 3rd repeat thats the end. That's some shitty composition, no bridge or outro.
mobman47 4 months ago
they said they want their music to mature with them, and that they dont want to be 50 years old and screaming about the same stuff. braan said "if you have nothing new to say, you have to stop talking"
TheSchoolsux345 4 months ago
while i love to hear your music opinions, you tend to over analyze...
unknownmulatto 4 months ago
I think the cool thing about Curl is the fact that it IS accessable and just a straight up rock tune. Very poor example but take the band Chickenfoot, yes Chickenfoot. All super gifted musicians just playing staight rock. No gimmicks.
slowride100 4 months ago
I think you really need to love Stoner metal/rock to appreciate Curl of the Burl. so...smoke more weed. you'll love it. Frankly, I expect people to give Creature Lives the most shit. Curl of the Burl has an amazing riff for those who love baby-making grooves.
GrandRiffAuto73 4 months ago
It is spelled [Coolertak] the v is a black metal-u
RedGojira 4 months ago
I love Needledrop reviews some of the best. If u like Mastodon check out Austere Voyeur.
deadpharm 4 months ago
The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Its a bit of a grower, sure, but so was Blood Mountain for me. And I don't understand where you're coming from with the "it loses its grove" comments...all I'm hearing is pure groove across the album, at least on the heavier tracks.
Raro404 4 months ago
want yr mogwai shirt
HeaddressScreen 4 months ago
This album, like many have said, is a good album, not my favorite, but it's well done. I do criticize that there some off moments (at the beginning of Blasteroids, where the drums sounds like early Foo Fighters and the Creature Lives with the singing) in this album, but the Mastodon feel is still in there. Keep in mind something else as well: This is the first time the producer works with a metal band. Mike Elizondo is a hiphop and pop producer, so for his first metal, he did considerably well.
MikeCow 4 months ago
I've listened to this album 10+ times now. First listen I was pretty happy. With every subsequent listen it builds on me. Love the album. It's what I listen to when I don't want to "punch holes in walls".
JoshTAnderson36 4 months ago
Excellent review. I absolutely love this album. One of the best I've heard in awhile.
JoshTAnderson36 4 months ago
i agree with what you say. compared to crack the sky this album lacks something..between, tracks 2 and 9 all of those just feel..like filling tracks on the album. But it is still enjoyable..just not as wonderful as previous works.
superflamingopeach 4 months ago
This is a good album but the drums sounds under-produced. So it's not really a headbanger album for me. But I still think it's pretty good
hvitekristesdod 4 months ago
mastodontool 4 months ago
everyone needs to remember one thing: this is the same guy that gave sun o))) a good review
gorillawang 4 months ago 10
@gorillawang nothing wrong with sunn. i love both sunn and Mastodon.
Headbang2012 4 months ago
@gorillawang He also gave the new Morbid Angel album 6/10... Dumbass...
goejser97 3 months ago
@gorillawang If you bash on Sunn O))), it's definitely cause you don't understand shit about Drone. Shut the fuck up!
MestariDuff 2 months ago
@gorillawang I just lost almost all of my respect for him.
UnderwhelmingPlywood 2 months ago
I agree with Curl of the Burl. Doesn't really hit me like I want it to. I'm new to the Mastadon world. Crack the Skye was my introduction to them. Just saw them play it on Letterman and I wasn't impressed. Seems Generic.
strangebirdsir 4 months ago
@strangebirdsir All Mastodon albums are different from one another, as I have not heard The Hunter yet I will assume the same for it also. My first Mastodon Lp was Blood Mountain and since then I have slowly gotten into all their other albums(they are all growers rather than being immediately accesible IMO). If The Hunter does suck ( as some have posited) Mastodon have already earnt their place in the pantheon of great Metal bands, like Metallica, who now suck (on Lp) but were awesome once.
SirLokiChuffingtom 4 months ago
what was the name of the first band he compares with mastodon ??
holad1 4 months ago
@holad1 Kvelertak
SatanTheSith 4 months ago
@holad1 “Kvelertak”
steech007 4 months ago
Curl of the Burl makes you cringe? That's one of the only interesting tracks on the album. At least it's catchy. Also, I would argue that The Hunter isn't a metal record. It's much closer to Stoner Rock. The aforementioned Curl even reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age.
jek21 4 months ago
Mastodon rules do you know that curl of the Burl is actually about meth heads running throw the woods of the pacific north west looking for burls in trees to sell to wood carvers for money to buy more meth just think about that the next time you listen to it
spiny144 4 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Sup Anthony! I feel like you probably aren't super into unsolicited submissions by bands, but I'm a long time fan of your reviews and would be stoked as hell if you'd check our first demo.
aether-realm.bandcamp.com
AetherRealm 4 months ago
great album,one of the best
sclubep 4 months ago
1. Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, The Hunter.
They're all great and I've listened to all of their albums multiple times over.
EVERY Mastodon album is an easy 10/10.
They're all drastically different, the band can do whatever they want and its always great. That is why I love them. I can listen to this album just as much as any of their other albums.
Mastodon rules.
ICU2UQA8 4 months ago 29
@ICU2UQA8 I love them, but that is total horse shit. The hunter isnt horrible, but it is inconsistent at best. Major issues with the production.
hojima 4 months ago
@hojima Ok so my opinion is horse shit, well so is yours, internet arguments are pointless.
ICU2UQA8 4 months ago
@ICU2UQA8 If you think this album is just as good as their others you are kidding yourself. Quality differences exist.
hojima 4 months ago
@ICU2UQA8 *fart*
I care. So does everyone else.
devalin45 3 months ago
1. Leviathan
2. Remission
3. Blood Mountain
4. Crack the Skye
5. The Hunter
ryanosaur2000 4 months ago
I thought it was pretty good, actually. But it's only opinions so yeah... it doesn't matter. Great review, btw.
Tensaiharu 4 months ago
1 Leviathan
2 Blood Mountain
3 Remission
4 Crack The Sky
5 The Hunter
EVILSTACK 4 months ago
@EVILSTACK 1 Leviathan
2 The Hunter
3 Crack The Skye
4 Remission
5 Blood Mountain
uiruu 4 months ago
Great Review
DeadlyDictator 4 months ago
review Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Jmcc1212 4 months ago
i know everybody watching this is thinking/saying/writing this already, but i have to say i wish so badly that mastodon would sit down and think about writing songs that were breathtakingly awesome, like the whole of Leviathan, or brutal and raw like their super early stuff. it's like they got bored
simondv66 4 months ago
@simondv66 You kidding? The Hunter is what happened when Mastodon matured with their music. Remission was them taking their anger and frustrations out, Brann Dailor even said that Mastodon was what he needed at the time (his sister commited suicide). Leviathan was them maturing a bit. Bood Mountain was crap, in my humble opinion. Crack the Skye was brilliant. The Hunter... well, it's the Metallica syndrome. If Mastodon didn't make it, it would be a classic.
uiruu 4 months ago
@simondv66 easy for you to say, when have you ever written anything as awesome as any of their five albums? You think they got "bored"? What the fuck am I reading? They were even quoted saying this was the most fun album to make. If you haven't caught on yet, bands don't make albums to impress us. They do it cause they love what they do. Do you really think they wanted to make another Crack The Skye & have to do the same setlist at every show? Probably not. This is a perfectly logical followup.
pyurmassacur 4 months ago
@simondv66 They didn't get bored, they got old.
jek21 4 months ago
review the new animals as leaders album weightless!
thomblackburn89 4 months ago
@thomblackburn89 That's not out yet, is it?
davethehostage 4 months ago
What's the name of the band that he mentions at the end of the video? Guveller talk?
musikhuntr 4 months ago
@musikhuntr the band is called "Kvelertak"
another band that the the guitarist of baroness "John Baizley" does art work for. same goes for torche
Sepultura96 4 months ago
I couldn't agree more with this review any more.
Noiseoceros 4 months ago
The first time I listened to this album I was equal parts disappointed and bewildered. Every other Mastodon album took two or three listens to 'get' it. But this one felt like there was nothing more to get after only one listen. Still, I gave it another few listens. After somewhere around four or five listens it clicked. I now love this album. It isn't the best Mastodon album ever, and it's definitely weird as hell, but I love it. Yes, I even love Curl of the Burl.
Drunkenmasterchu 4 months ago
@Drunkenmasterchu Well that's what you get for being drunk.
ilikeost 4 months ago
but I liked The Creature Lives :/
musicmaster555 4 months ago
does anyone know if he did worship music?
armoredpineapple 5 months ago
I think - sounds wierd and impossible - but. this should have come BEFORE Crack the Skye. Get that feelin'?
MrItsabeautifulday 5 months ago
dedicate an episode to cathedral :-)
mrpyrgous 5 months ago
i thoughtt his album was magnificent, could you review the new blotted science EP when it comes out?
iamcountcronos 5 months ago
I was a little put off from my initial start from this album, but like you said, it's a grower. However, I did some research and found out the thought process behind the making of this album. First off, much like Crack the Skye being their ode to their progressive rock influences, The Hunter is an ode to Classical rock. You can really hear it in "The Creature Lives" opening for it's strait from a Pink Floyd and Steve Miller opening. Also, white balance and color correct your DSLR. Cheers!
bobunitone 5 months ago
Really good review.As the band said,this album is "just" a collection of riffs they had in mind for a while.So to me it's kind of a transition album.They tried to do something spontaneous.It's good but not incredible.
KadajMetal 5 months ago
lol baroness
crazybeff 5 months ago
Loved the review, exactly how I felt as well, very underwhelming, especially after Crack The Skye.
chaoticnotions 5 months ago
"IT'S MORPHIN' TIME...MASTADON!!" - Black Ranger
JahmBProducts 5 months ago 2
@JahmBProducts I was thinking that too
sochioranmyaku 4 months ago
Anthony, why do you always say things like Mastodon's "take" on progressive metal? You said the same thing about opeth, that they have a "take" on death metal, what the fuck does that even mean???!!!!!!!
ultraviolence6655321 5 months ago
Mister Dan.
JaybelsXD 5 months ago
I completely agree with you. I am a big time Mastodon fan. I live in Atlanta and have been listening to their music for a long time. I actually went to get the album at a signing downtown, and had the opportunity to the guys about the album. I had high expectations, but also feel disappointed. I could not agree more though about Baroness, I saw them open for Mastodon and absolutely love the Blue Record. However what was that band you mentioned right before Baroness? I have never hear of them.
ugadawg365 5 months ago
Curl of the Burl kind of sounds like QOTSA. And I'm ok with that.
fuckyourneonshirt 5 months ago
lol satan on the cover looks sad, like a bitch
lemonlimelukey 5 months ago
Never expected Mastodon to put out a folk-song type song. Not sure if it works for me yet lol
I've enjoyed what I've heard in the album so far... but I still like Leviathan the most. Crack the Skye is a close second :)
SitarGuy98 5 months ago
@theneedledrop I know, indeed; it's quite disappointing, really. Also, I just want to thank you for this channel, and the effort/passion that you put-forth in-regards to its contents. I enjoy both hearing an alternate opinion on albums that I have already formed one about, and in some instances, discovering new albums/sounds. Thanks again.
Apastronnn 5 months ago
@jajasmin hold your hands out in front of you like you're holding an orange in each hand. put on black sabbath's "black sabbath," and then you'll get it.
theneedledrop 5 months ago
@RyanMcShred Is the rating important? It's just a reflection of my personal feelings. I mean, my scores are nothing personal against a band or record. It's just how feel while listening to the music, ya know? I'm only gonna give something an 8 if I love hearing it, and I'm only gonna give something a 2 if I hate hearing it. It's not like I'm trying to be political by cutting people slack or giving people a leg up. These are just my personal opinions.
theneedledrop 5 months ago
@Apastronnn engaging, exactly. it just doesn't have the progressive detail and the aggression that maintained my attention to such a high degree on previous efforts, ya know?
theneedledrop 5 months ago