Mastodon
The Hunter

By Metal Billy

Mastodon once again bring their A- game to the table with another collection of fantastic tunes on The Hunter - dedicated to guitarist Brent Hinds brother Brad who passed away while out hunting late in 2010.

After the epic prog-metal of 2009 concept album Crack The Skye, we see a return to a more fierce outfit with no indulgent 15 minute space jams to be seen as the opening trio of Black Tongue, the sing along Curl of The Burl and Blasteroid send the riff meter into the red then the middle section of the album goes into prog mode whilst still keeping the songs shortish and to the point. Brann Dailor as usual does the work of 2 drummers as he thrashes his kit with precision, Sanders & Hinds trade vocal duties with a return to the indecipherable shouty days of old here and there. HInds once again channels the Ozzy within in his vocal performance. Creature Lives is a psychedelic head trip and this most satisfying album is rounded out by Spectrelight and The Sparrow.

A Mastodon album needs to be listened to right through at least 5 times before it can be fully appreciated. They are a band that are not afraid to explore outside their comfort zone whilst still retaining a unique identity. The album artwork is excellent as usual with freaky looking creatures, eyes and teeth and kaleidoscopic patterns throughout making a Mastodon album an audio visual experience.

After a succession of concept albums covering the earthly elements, The Hunter is a fitting compilation of the various territory that the band has covered since 2002's Remission from punk infused metal through to hard rock, space metal, prog metal and beyond.

Never predictable, always challenging and always rewarding. Right up there for album of the year.