Search - Mastodon :: Crack the Skye (CD & DVD)

New Sound, Same Score

General Zombie | the West | 03/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I, like many, wasn't sure what to expect from "Crack the Skye." Early reports described it as "spacey" and "creepy," with a classic rock feel, and the introduction of mainstream producer Brendan O'Brien raised further questions about the sound. Having heard the album, I can say that the change is fundamental: "Crack the Skye" is a metallic prog album, whereas Mastodon had previously been a metal band first and foremost, though one with progressive and technical tendencies. Fortunately, the album is not entirely lacking in the old Mastodon feel, with guitarwork and drumming that should be easily recognizable for any serious fan. The basic songwriting, however, is radically different. Whereas earlier works were primarily horizontal, emphasizing the progression through various sections, "Crack the Skye" is much more spacious and vertical, with densely layered arrangements of guitars (sludgy power chords, acoustic arpeggios, frantic leads often all at once) atop synths and unconventional percussion to aid the conventional rhythm section. Perhaps most significantly, the vox, originally barked and howled, are now almost entirely ethereal, gliding melodies at the center of the instrumental maelstrom. The feel is finally different: while "Blood Mountain" and "Remission" charged over the listener, "Crack the Skye" engulfs him. Because of this, nothing on "Crack the Skye" has the sheer visceral power of "Workhorse," "Blood and Thunder" or "Capillarian Crest," and those, like myself, who are primarily metal fans may not find the change totally ideal. Personally, though I can't permanently rank it after only 15 or so listens, I seriously doubt I will ever like "Crack the Skye" as much as I do their previous three albums. This, however, speaks more to the excellence of those albums than to any weakness on this album's part. On one level, this makes "Crack the Skye" even more impressive: while Mastodon have deemphasized much of what drew me to them initially, they've still crafted a terrific album that is sure to be amongst the year's best, and which further secures their position as the metal band of the 00s.



All that said, I was not overly impressed on my initial listen. This isn't surprising, as any dense album requires many listens to appreciate, but the relative weakness of the opening tracks is also a cause. "Oblivion" and "Divinations" are the most straight forward songs found here, making them both accessible and not particular striking. They're solid, enjoyable songs, but, in spite of the elaborate production, amount to little more than an extended intro, a few riffs and vocal lines followed by a lead break. It's always wise to include a relatively straightforward track or two on a dense album like this, but they aren't as either ferocious or catchy as they ought to be. Here the more layered, less bruising production holds the album back, but the only other option would be to make these songs sound radically different from the others, an unwise stylistic choice.



Fortunately, from "Quintessence" on the album is terrific. Here the dynamic range is opened dramatically, with quick alterations between spidery licks, ghostly acoustics, and knotty, pounding riffage. Even better is "Ghost of Karelia," which ratchets up the eerie eastern feel and adds rapid-fire time changes, while the title track creates a droning space-sludge atmosphere where the simple vocal melodies and piercing leads occasionally rise above the mass of sound. None of these three songs was especially striking initially, partially because they are so organically structured, but after a few listens the plain melodies insinuated themselves, and the dense arrangements are more fully revealed. These are great songs, and I've no doubt I'll come to like them more.



Interestingly enough, the epics are actually the most immediately memorable songs. They are quite distinct: "The Czar" is probably my favorite track, with repetitive, instantly memorable vocal melodies paired with a driving, groovy middle break. Conversely, "The Last Baron" is the most conventionally Mastodon-style track despite the extreme length, with a brutally intense tech-metal middle break that reminds greatly of "Blood Mountain" and is highlighted by Dailor's frenetic, fill-heavy drumming. (Which, somewhat sadly, is generally deemphasized here.) These tracks draw attention to themselves in a way that the others do not, but not so much that they seem out of place. They are meant to be the centerpieces of the album, and fulfill this role beautifully.



As good as the individual tracks are, "Crack the Skye" is better than the sum of its parts, largely because it is a concept album, which naturally seem more grandiose than conventional works when executed properly. The plot, a rather peculiar tale of astral projection, occult rituals and WWI-era Russia, doesn't interest me much (though at least it isn't so stupid as to detract from the album [Operation: Mindcrime, anyone?]), but it does manage a level of unity rare in the genre, and lacks the fat and senseless pyrotechnics that mar many prog metal albums. "Crack the Skye" is a concept album, but it never feels as though it has artificially been transformed into one, if you catch my meaning.



I will be curious to see where Mastodon go from here. They've already achieved a level of popularity far higher than I would've thought possible when I first heard "Remission," and considering the surprising resurgence in prog, Mastodon may continue to rise. Again, part of me would prefer that they head back into more metallic arenas, but "Crack the Skye" is so good a first attempt that it's conceivable that they could surpass those earlier works later in this new style. Whatever they do, I will look forward to it eagerly.



Check it out.

"

Trampled Under Hoof (Again)

Hans Gruber | AZ | 03/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mastodon is a rare band in the metal community; one that both enjoys and is cursed by a sort-of ongoing "sophomore album" syndrome. Every release is so punishing in it's technical proficiency and expertly crafted songwriting methods that the inevitable question is asked on the dawn of each new release: "Can they top that?" Ye of little faith prepare to be destroyed. However much Leviathan reinvented metal for you or Blood Mountain took your preconceptions of extreme music and spun them upside-down into a product which seamlessly blended infectious hooks and world-class musicianship, Crack The Skye has Mastodon outdoing themselves once again.



The sound quality has become significantly better than past Mastodon releases with A-list producer Brendan O'Brien behind the mixing board, utilizing cutting edge sound manipulation while maintaining the gritty, raw sound which captures the massive wingspan of the ferocious musical beast that is Mastodon. The instrumentation follows in suit and will be no surprise to longtime fans. Hinds and Kelliher's guitars weave fluidly together like a pair of crushing pythons locked in a twisted yet beautiful discordant harmony, backed by Troy Sanders' dependably thundering basslines and Brann Dailor's jazzy and seemingly 8-armed drum style.



As for the album itself, it's structure lays waste to the modern music critic theory of the concept album being dead. With lyrics weaving together a violent plot of Czarist Russia and out-of-body terrestrial experiences which simultaneously convey deep meaning and utter ambiguity, the room for interpretation is limitless. In a world where music is cheaply stolen off the Internet with few consequences, this most cohesive of "was that just 1 song or 10?" recordings demands your hard-earned money and a spin on a good stereo. And no, your iPod doesn't count. When buying, expect exactly what you got last time you bought a Mastodon album: positively shattered expectations and the deja vous-like conviction that they'll never be able to top themselves this time. Of course, you were wrong then and will doubtlessly be again as long as the Mastodon breathes."

Masterpiece

eMilk | Charlotte, NC | 04/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mastodon's latest album, Crack the Skye, is easily one of their best works to date, and possibly the best album of the year. I know it's really early in the year, but I feel pretty safe in saying that there might not be a metal album better than this for the rest of the year.



I don't think it's fair to compare this album to their other works because all their stuff is so different. I personally love the fact that they have evolved so much. Crack the Skye is possibly the most radical change of all but they execute this change in a masterful way.



After I listened to the whole album in one sitting, I was blown away. This album is very progressive, but not in an annoying way. Here's what I mean by that: My friend recently turned me on to a band called Between the Buried and Me. They are a great prog metal band, but I find myself constantly asking him "Which song is playing now?" because each of their songs has several very dramatic and abrupt style changes that makes it sound like a completely different song all together. That's not a bad thing, but the change is so abrupt that it tends to get kind of annoying at times. What makes this album different are the amazing transitions. I don't really know how to put it into words, but the songs seem to sort of build up to the next sound. The best way to understand this is to just listen to track four, "The Czar", which I consider Mastodon's "Stairway to Heaven". This track is broken up into four distinct parts, but it's easy to tell when the whole track is complete.



Speaking of "The Czar" reminds me this album has so much groove. Once you have listened to this classic from start to finish, this album will find a home in your car's CD player for months to come. I think the greatest compliment I can give this album, is in the fact that in all the times I have listened to it (around 20+ times) I have not skipped a single song. Ever. Every single song on this album is amazing and you will find it hard to skip over any of them even on multiple listens.



I can't find a fault with this album. The riffs are amazing. The guitars sound amazing. The vocals are beautifully eerie, and the drums (Brann Dailor is one of my favorite drummers) plays a big part in creating the unique sound in this album.



Overall, I am very proud to place this album on my shelf next to masterpieces such as Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Remission."