Review by Andrew
Mastodon has evolved oddly. They began in 2000 as a death metal/hardcore/math hybrid with a healthy Southern rock influence and have since developed into a progressive metal band that has replaced its ample heaviness with psychedelic groove, Ozzy-esque vocals, and fantastical album concepts. Many fans who loved their first album Remission (which still sounds just as killer as it did in 2002, by the way) were put off by the shift since Mastodon’s sound was unique and a true breath of fresh air on the metal scene. Their sophomore album, Leviathan, was a totally worthy successor, combining the pure riff power of the first album with an overarching concept, a few clean vocals here and there, and their first ten-minute-plus song, the amazing “Hearts Alive.” 2006′s Blood Mountain is beloved by many, myself not included. Its attempt at “progressive” just ended up sounding like random unrelated parts smushed together and its goofy concept was a sad departure from the effectiveness of their early lyrics.
Which brings us to this year’s Crack the Skye. In a lot of ways, it makes sense as the next step in the band’s development. It has the fewest songs of any of their albums, the longest average song length, the least growling, the most clean singing, the fewest holy-fuck-this-is-so-metal moments, and a concept possibly even more nutso than their last. Why, then, is it so much better than Blood Mountain? Mastodon is on tour right now playing the album in its entirety, so I was hoping that would be illuminated last night.
First, though, there were a couple opening acts. After paying twenty-five dollars to park in a lady’s garage since the Metro in Chicago is located oh-so-conveniently three blocks from Wrigley Field and there was a Cubs game starting at the same time the doors opened to the show, I arrived a few minutes before Intronaut hit the stage. They’re much more on the metal side of progressive metal than Mastodon is, and their futuristic vibe propelled by the outstanding drumming of ex-Uphill Battle drummer Danny Walker hit the audience hard. After a frustratingly lengthy gear setup, Kylesa took the stage with their melodic, double-drumming Southern psych-metal, and they were so good that I forgave them for the forty-minute downtime. The rest of the sold-out crowd was right there with me, too: after yelling and booing when the band continued to dick around onstage in front of their already set up gear, we could not help but cheer the righteous sludge of the Savannah, Georgia five-piece.
It had been a while since I’d seen Mastodon live. I discovered them right as I was getting into metal and saw them an average of twice a year between 2001 and 2005. After that, nothing. I showed up to a show in spring 2007 but they canceled due to an illness of singer/guitarist Brent Hinds, probably related to his getting his skull cracked open in a fight earlier that year. So the last time I saw Mastodon, Blood Mountain hadn’t come out, they were still on an indie label, and Brent didn’t have any face tattoos. I was excited that they were playing the whole new album because I’d heard the songs from the first two albums performed many times and wanted a taste of what nowadays-Mastodon sounds like live. They walked on stage and without speaking a word, immediately launched into “Oblivion,” the first track off Crack the Skye. My first impression of that song when I’d heard the recorded version was confusion and maybe even a bit of betrayal– it’s melodic rock without much metal in it at all. But after listening to it more and hearing it live, I forgave them, because it works. That was my impression of the album in general, and that’s what separates it from Blood Mountain –yeah, it’s different, but this time they got it right. They then played the rest of the new album, and the crowd went predictably apeshit. The songs are heavier live, and even the two ten-minute-plus songs kept everyone’s attention.
A guy standing near me turned my way during “Quintessence” and made a face that clearly implied “I cannot believe how amazing this is.” I gave him the same face, and we exchanged a couple comments between songs about how great everything was. They played in front of a huge video screen displaying digitally weirdified clips from old movies about Czarist Russia, swirling stars, and other mood-enhancing images. Crack the Skye soared. After a brief break, they came back and peformed another forty five minutes (!) of older material, making the set dangerously close to two hours. The handful of tunes from Blood Mountain did not really sway my opinion of that album (though “Crystal Skull” is admittedly one of the best songs they’ve ever done) and the Leviathan stuff is still brutal. And even though I’d come to the show to hear new stuff, I still shed a single tear when they only played one song from Remission. The crowd was getting totally worn out when bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders said they had one more song. I think everyone was expecting the fan favorite (and recent Guitar Hero playable track) “Blood and Thunder,” so when they launched into the fourteen-minute “Hearts Alive,” I was both excited because that song is great and a little disappointed because it was late and I was tired and the thought of that much more show was exhausting. But you know what? It was excellent, and now, twelve hours later, I don’t regret driving two hours, paying the same price I paid for the ticket to park, and dealing with Cubs fans in order to see the show. Mastodon has always ruled, even with their minor missteps, and they probably always will.
__________________________________________________
The setlist, for completists only:
“Oblivion”
“Divinations”
“Quintessence”
“The Czar”
“Ghost of Karelia”
“Crack the Skye”
“The Last Baron”
[break]
“Bladecatcher”
“Colony of Birchmen”
“The Wolf Is Loose”
“Crystal Skull”
“Capillarian Crest”
“Megalodon”
“Seabeast”
“Iron Tusk”
“March of the Fire Ants”
“Hearts Alive”
Fire in the Eye! A Review of Mastodon in Chicago, April 30th, 2009
Review by Andrew
Mastodon has evolved oddly. They began in 2000 as a death metal/hardcore/math hybrid with a healthy Southern rock influence and have since developed into a progressive metal band that has replaced its ample heaviness with psychedelic groove, Ozzy-esque vocals, and fantastical album concepts. Many fans who loved their first album Remission (which still sounds just as killer as it did in 2002, by the way) were put off by the shift since Mastodon’s sound was unique and a true breath of fresh air on the metal scene. Their sophomore album, Leviathan, was a totally worthy successor, combining the pure riff power of the first album with an overarching concept, a few clean vocals here and there, and their first ten-minute-plus song, the amazing “Hearts Alive.” 2006′s Blood Mountain is beloved by many, myself not included. Its attempt at “progressive” just ended up sounding like random unrelated parts smushed together and its goofy concept was a sad departure from the effectiveness of their early lyrics.
Which brings us to this year’s Crack the Skye. In a lot of ways, it makes sense as the next step in the band’s development. It has the fewest songs of any of their albums, the longest average song length, the least growling, the most clean singing, the fewest holy-fuck-this-is-so-metal moments, and a concept possibly even more nutso than their last. Why, then, is it so much better than Blood Mountain? Mastodon is on tour right now playing the album in its entirety, so I was hoping that would be illuminated last night.
First, though, there were a couple opening acts. After paying twenty-five dollars to park in a lady’s garage since the Metro in Chicago is located oh-so-conveniently three blocks from Wrigley Field and there was a Cubs game starting at the same time the doors opened to the show, I arrived a few minutes before Intronaut hit the stage. They’re much more on the metal side of progressive metal than Mastodon is, and their futuristic vibe propelled by the outstanding drumming of ex-Uphill Battle drummer Danny Walker hit the audience hard. After a frustratingly lengthy gear setup, Kylesa took the stage with their melodic, double-drumming Southern psych-metal, and they were so good that I forgave them for the forty-minute downtime. The rest of the sold-out crowd was right there with me, too: after yelling and booing when the band continued to dick around onstage in front of their already set up gear, we could not help but cheer the righteous sludge of the Savannah, Georgia five-piece.
It had been a while since I’d seen Mastodon live. I discovered them right as I was getting into metal and saw them an average of twice a year between 2001 and 2005. After that, nothing. I showed up to a show in spring 2007 but they canceled due to an illness of singer/guitarist Brent Hinds, probably related to his getting his skull cracked open in a fight earlier that year. So the last time I saw Mastodon, Blood Mountain hadn’t come out, they were still on an indie label, and Brent didn’t have any face tattoos. I was excited that they were playing the whole new album because I’d heard the songs from the first two albums performed many times and wanted a taste of what nowadays-Mastodon sounds like live. They walked on stage and without speaking a word, immediately launched into “Oblivion,” the first track off Crack the Skye. My first impression of that song when I’d heard the recorded version was confusion and maybe even a bit of betrayal– it’s melodic rock without much metal in it at all. But after listening to it more and hearing it live, I forgave them, because it works. That was my impression of the album in general, and that’s what separates it from Blood Mountain –yeah, it’s different, but this time they got it right. They then played the rest of the new album, and the crowd went predictably apeshit. The songs are heavier live, and even the two ten-minute-plus songs kept everyone’s attention.
A guy standing near me turned my way during “Quintessence” and made a face that clearly implied “I cannot believe how amazing this is.” I gave him the same face, and we exchanged a couple comments between songs about how great everything was. They played in front of a huge video screen displaying digitally weirdified clips from old movies about Czarist Russia, swirling stars, and other mood-enhancing images. Crack the Skye soared. After a brief break, they came back and peformed another forty five minutes (!) of older material, making the set dangerously close to two hours. The handful of tunes from Blood Mountain did not really sway my opinion of that album (though “Crystal Skull” is admittedly one of the best songs they’ve ever done) and the Leviathan stuff is still brutal. And even though I’d come to the show to hear new stuff, I still shed a single tear when they only played one song from Remission. The crowd was getting totally worn out when bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders said they had one more song. I think everyone was expecting the fan favorite (and recent Guitar Hero playable track) “Blood and Thunder,” so when they launched into the fourteen-minute “Hearts Alive,” I was both excited because that song is great and a little disappointed because it was late and I was tired and the thought of that much more show was exhausting. But you know what? It was excellent, and now, twelve hours later, I don’t regret driving two hours, paying the same price I paid for the ticket to park, and dealing with Cubs fans in order to see the show. Mastodon has always ruled, even with their minor missteps, and they probably always will.
__________________________________________________
The setlist, for completists only:
“Oblivion”
“Divinations”
“Quintessence”
“The Czar”
“Ghost of Karelia”
“Crack the Skye”
“The Last Baron”
[break]
“Bladecatcher”
“Colony of Birchmen”
“The Wolf Is Loose”
“Crystal Skull”
“Capillarian Crest”
“Megalodon”
“Seabeast”
“Iron Tusk”
“March of the Fire Ants”
“Hearts Alive”