That is great to hear!!! I love me some Mastodon!

I've been listening to their song "High Road" a lot recently, and while it's not the heaviest song on their new album, it still has that gritty Mastodon feel to it. I love it. I love them, and their new album is kick fucking ass.

Also the Adult Swim Singles song featuring Gibby Haynes is twisted. I like it. Mastodon feat. Gibby Haynes - Atlanta

Never actually heard of mastodon until I stumbled upon this thread. Thank you man. I've been looking for new music to jam to. High Road sounds really good.

Ehhh,


not making my heart pump faster. Then again, metal is/was shit for the last two decades.

Do not get me wrong, it is not bad, it is just safe and nothing out of the ordinary.

In a weird way, I feel like Mastodon is this generation's Iron Maiden in the sense that their quality of material is incredibly consistent while still being able to diversify their albums. "Number of the Beast" is nothing like "Seventh Son" while "Leviathan" is nothing like "The Hunter," and yet there are no weak albums in between. I can't think of any other modern band who has really done this.


Definitely, bro. If this album is your thing, then the others should have a lot to offer as well. I've always felt "Crack the Skye" is my favorite, though it's definitely not as tonally diverse as the new one. "Leviathan" is often considered their best, but when I introduce people to that record, their love or like of the album usually depends on how they feel about extreme metal in general. It's definitely the most chaotic/abstract of all their albums. If chaos is your thing, that album is a blast.


It is safe for sure, but classical melodies make sense for the album's theme. "Blood Mountain" or "Crack the Skye" might suit your interests better if you're looking for something more progressive ("Blood Mountain" especially if you're looking for that adrenaline rush).

Meh

The album is not justified by saying it fits with the theme, If it lacks the fire then no matter how well-composed or thought out the material is, it lacks bite. And first and foremost that is what matters.

Metal is not counterculture anymore, it is a highly conservative genre that basically could not reinvent itself, or does not want to would be more fitting.

it is kinda sad when koRn's dubstep metal was the most experimental the genre has gotten,and even that was highly safe as fuck considering who made it.

I do not think that there will be a paradigm shift (aheh) until someone comes along and does something like the Beatles did, move away from the standard band setup, completely rework sequencing, sampling etc. I dunno.

It's hard to argue whether something lacks fire or not because ultimately, we're speaking in metaphor here. If by fire you mean innovation, then it's definitely not the most Innovative album. That's okay, though: they've already done that. There prerogative wasn't to reinvent the wheel this time; just to make one hell of a wheel.

Again, Blood Mountain is your album if you're looking for pure progressive metal.


We're in the post-renaissance era of metal. I don't think that's bad a thing. I'm content with solid music for the time being. Change needs to come naturally.

Though progressive metal artists are still out there in waves. Devin Townsend is definitely still exploring new avenues with metal. That said, exploring new avenues almost always means incorporating non-metal elements. That's just where we are, though. Distortion rock has been farmed out. When Opeth started the progressive death metal revolution in the 90's, they didn't do it with new effects and heavier riffs: they did it with acoustic guitars.

We've turned every amp and pedal to 11 and moved the dial to the last notch on the metronome. Metal isn't going to change by it's own devices anymore.


Well, thank you for contributing.