Mastodon have released another song from their forthcoming album Once More Round the Sun, but rather than feature it today (it hasn't been all that long since I recommended "High Road", after all) I figured I'd do you one better and advocate you spend the week with some classic Mastodon.
Mastodon has such a strong back catalogue that I have a plethora of options for your Album of the Week, but if we're talking classic Mastodon, there's really only once choice: 2004's Leviathan. It's got it all: great riffs and songs, stellar drumming, a multiple-vocalist assault, a lofty concept based on Melville's Moby Dick, and even some kick-ass artwork. There's no denying Mastodon is among the biggest bands in modern metal, and this is the record that put them on the throne.
Now, if you already dig Mastodon, chances are you know how good this album is, and you should need no further prompting from me to want to revisit it. But if you're somehow unfamiliar with the band, or you're only cozy with their newer material, you owe it to yourself to check Leviathan out. Their newer stuff is, of course, good (Crack the Skye being beyond "good" and into the realm of "fucking awesome") but there's nevertheless something special about Mastodon's great white whale.
Showing posts with label Once More Round the Sun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Once More Round the Sun. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Monuments - I, The Creator
June is shaping up to be a good month for new metal. Yesterday I was talking about Mastodon's new album Once More 'Round the Sun, which comes out on the 24th of June, and today I'm directing you to the first song to be released from Monuments' sophomore disc The Amanunensis, which comes out the day before (in Europe anyways, we'll have to wait a week or two over here across the pond).
I've featured the British prog djentlemen of Monuments and their first album Gnosis a couple of times before, mostly for their much-better-than-average djentish riffing and miles deep grooves. But "I, The Creator", the first song we heard from The Amanunensis, gets the nod today for throwing a stronger sounding sense of melody into the mix.
Some among you will of course decry things like an increase in clean singing as being too poppy (or something more colourful). But think about it this way: the formula of groove-centric metal plus catchy melodies is what yielded Australia's Circles. Or Sevendust, for that matter. If Monuments were to evolve in the direction of either of those bands, it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. Have a listen to "I, The Creator" and see what you think.
I've featured the British prog djentlemen of Monuments and their first album Gnosis a couple of times before, mostly for their much-better-than-average djentish riffing and miles deep grooves. But "I, The Creator", the first song we heard from The Amanunensis, gets the nod today for throwing a stronger sounding sense of melody into the mix.
Some among you will of course decry things like an increase in clean singing as being too poppy (or something more colourful). But think about it this way: the formula of groove-centric metal plus catchy melodies is what yielded Australia's Circles. Or Sevendust, for that matter. If Monuments were to evolve in the direction of either of those bands, it wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. Have a listen to "I, The Creator" and see what you think.
Friday, 16 May 2014
Mastodon - High Road
What's this? Another post this week? Could it be...
...Yes, it is. Hey everybody, just your friendly neighbourhood noisemaker, saddling back up to wrangle you your daily dose of all things heavy. Things are still getting settled here at Loud Noises HQ, but as I said in one of my hiatus posts, I have a lot of things to catch up on, and that list has only gotten longer since then, so let's just get straight to it, shall we?
First up, I feel I have to feature "High Road", the first single from Mastodon's forthcoming sixth LP Once More 'Round the Sun. I know you're all probably at least aware of the existence of this record, and if you're a Mastodon fan I'm sure you've already jammed "High Road" a few times, but just in case you're among the uninitiated, or haven't paid attention to Mastodon in an album or two, here's the deal: take one big, stompy monster of a riff, add in some classic-metal-sounding leads, and cover the whole thing a liberal layer of Mastodony melody, and you've got "High Road" in a nutshell.
It's not quite as epic or proggy as Mastodon have been in the past (Crack the Skye is still the pinnacle of the band's career in this writer's opinion) but it does have a relentlessly crushing quality to its simplicity. If you're hoping for more of the epic spaciness of albums past, "High Road" might disappoint somewhat, but if you're just looking for a modern metal song with a bit of classic, old school feel, "High Road" just might scratch your itch. Either way, new Mastodon material is always cause for excitement in my book, and I for one am looking forward taking another spin around the sun with the boys.
...Yes, it is. Hey everybody, just your friendly neighbourhood noisemaker, saddling back up to wrangle you your daily dose of all things heavy. Things are still getting settled here at Loud Noises HQ, but as I said in one of my hiatus posts, I have a lot of things to catch up on, and that list has only gotten longer since then, so let's just get straight to it, shall we?
First up, I feel I have to feature "High Road", the first single from Mastodon's forthcoming sixth LP Once More 'Round the Sun. I know you're all probably at least aware of the existence of this record, and if you're a Mastodon fan I'm sure you've already jammed "High Road" a few times, but just in case you're among the uninitiated, or haven't paid attention to Mastodon in an album or two, here's the deal: take one big, stompy monster of a riff, add in some classic-metal-sounding leads, and cover the whole thing a liberal layer of Mastodony melody, and you've got "High Road" in a nutshell.
It's not quite as epic or proggy as Mastodon have been in the past (Crack the Skye is still the pinnacle of the band's career in this writer's opinion) but it does have a relentlessly crushing quality to its simplicity. If you're hoping for more of the epic spaciness of albums past, "High Road" might disappoint somewhat, but if you're just looking for a modern metal song with a bit of classic, old school feel, "High Road" just might scratch your itch. Either way, new Mastodon material is always cause for excitement in my book, and I for one am looking forward taking another spin around the sun with the boys.
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Opeth - Master's Apprentices
Mastodon, eat your heart out, because Opeth have got you trumped in the new album department. Sure, we now know that Mastodon's Once More Round the Sun is nearing completion, but Opeth have done one better and not only released the title of their forthcoming disc Pale Communion but also announced a release date of June 17 to boot! Happy early birthday to me!
The first single from Pale Communion isn't due out for another month or so, so for now we'll have to delve into the band's back catalogue for a suitable song to celebrate the news of new Opeth. Tonight I'd like to suggest the epic "Master's Apprentices" from the 2002 disc Deliverance. It's anyone's guess what Pale Communion will sound like, but here's hoping it's got a little of this classic Opeth flavour.
The first single from Pale Communion isn't due out for another month or so, so for now we'll have to delve into the band's back catalogue for a suitable song to celebrate the news of new Opeth. Tonight I'd like to suggest the epic "Master's Apprentices" from the 2002 disc Deliverance. It's anyone's guess what Pale Communion will sound like, but here's hoping it's got a little of this classic Opeth flavour.
Monday, 7 April 2014
Monday: Mastodon - Divinations
Mastodon fans were given reason to celebrate last week when it came to light that the band's latest album is done being recorded and awaits only some final mastering touches before it can be unleashed upon the world. We also found out (or at least I did, maybe you already knew, smart guy) that the disc will be entitled Once More Round the Sun.
In my book, news of an album nearing completion plus the reveal of said album's title equals grounds for featuring a Song of the Day by the band in question, and the fact that Mastodon isn't some up and coming new band isn't going to dissuade me one bit. So it's time for a Mastodon Monday.
Last time I did a Mastodon song, I picked "Oblivion", so it feels only natural (almost mandatory, really) to go with "Divinations" this time around. Press play and say a prayer to whichever gods you favour that this album will drop sooner rather than later.
In my book, news of an album nearing completion plus the reveal of said album's title equals grounds for featuring a Song of the Day by the band in question, and the fact that Mastodon isn't some up and coming new band isn't going to dissuade me one bit. So it's time for a Mastodon Monday.
Last time I did a Mastodon song, I picked "Oblivion", so it feels only natural (almost mandatory, really) to go with "Divinations" this time around. Press play and say a prayer to whichever gods you favour that this album will drop sooner rather than later.
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