Mastodon C/D ?

He got a kicking the other week there too.

tales from topographic...

He exhibits many hallmarks of being an absolute prick. I'll still look forward to this - even if it's bad I don't think it'll qualify as shark jumping as Blood Mountain was so great it wouldn't really represent a downward curve, if you get me

I thought Blood Mountain was great, So I am looking forward to this. Remission is my favourite but there's no point in trying to remake it when simply it couldn't be as good.

I thought Blood Mountain was terrible, so I expect listening to this will be like actually receiving head trauma.

Did you like Leviathan? I couldn't get my head round people who loved one and hated the other

Yeah I did like Leviathan. It's definitely a difference by degrees but the Blood Mountain riffs are just a little bit worse, the vocals are a lot worse, and the lyrics swing away from awesome shit like chasing a whale to kinda lame shit like made up D&D creatures.

Basically I feel like they've been simplifying the formula a bit with each release, and the LAST thing we need is another '00s band getting its classic rock on.

awesome shit like chasing a whale to kinda lame shit like made up D&D creatures

Haha this is some pretty definitive narcissism of small diffs to be fair. Of your other points I guess it's an 'eye of the beholder' deal but I've not listened to either for a good 18 months so hey

I'm curious to hear what a more "prog" Mastodon sounds like, so I'm going to remain hopefully optimistic for this one. Prick tendencies aside, Mastodon is one of my favorite metal bands going right now.

Not much sympathy for Hinds on this thread. The guy gets his head cracked open, and everyone seems to think he had it coming. Does anyone know who did it and why?

That was a fight with one of System Of A Down IIRC. I read a story a few weeks ago about him putting that guy King Khan in the hospital in which he seemed fairly indefensible

Haha this is some pretty definitive narcissism of small diffs to be fair.

Yeah no doubt. I dunno, "Circle of Cysquatch" and "Colony of Birchmen" sound like Magic cards (I'm pretty sure the second one IS a Magic card). It's like they totally believed that people liked their records for some kind of high-concept narratives when in fact I just appreciated that I knew what he was talking about with "WHITE WHALE HOLY GRAIL"--simple, clear, and direct.

I haven't listened to them recently either (was hoping they were still on the iPod so I could make some points on this thread but no dice). I just feel like Remission and Leviathan had these great twisty riffs that were complicated but totally rocking and Blood Mountain was a less-engaged, more same-y version of that. There are still songs from Remission that have a "holy fuck how did they write that" quality for me, and Leviathan was a little more accessible but still in that vein. Like when there was a 5-second blues riff on Leviathan it was a nice homage and made me smile, but that should definitely NOT be their future direction. When are bands going to stop thinking that effects pedals and multi-part epics are like what you do when you grow up?

Oh yeah and Hinds has a lengthy track record of being a violent dick.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/145767-mastodons-brent-hinds-vs-king-khan-fite

yeah, dick.

blood mountain w/choruses could be kinda cool. since there really aren't any on that album.

MASTODON: Deluxe Vinyl Box Set To See Release

A collectors edition MASTODON vinyl box set is set to be issued on November 18th via Relapse Records. This box set will be a one-time pressing strictly limited to 1,000 copies and include nine 180-gram LP’s encapsulating the legendary band’s entire history of recordings.

http://shop.relapse.com/dbimages/sleeves/7025LP_216.jpg
The box set will be cased in a heavy duty, foil stamped black box and include the following:

~ The vinyl pressing of MASTODON’s ‘06 Reprise debut Blood Mountain on expanded double LP.

~ The band’s critically-acclaimed 2004 release Leviathan, expanded to double LP.

~ The band covers of “The Bit” (MELVINS), “Emerald” (THIN LIZZY), and “Orion” (METALLICA).

~ A live record documenting the band’s performance as part of the Relapse Contamination Festival in 2003. This LP is, and will remain, exclusive to this box set.

~ The band’s reissue of early recordings, Call Of The Mastodon.

~ The final vinyl pressing of the original Lifesblood recording.

The box set will also include an embroidered logo patch, a vinyl sticker set, as well as a custom MASTODON turntable mat. All of these items will be exclusive to this box set, never to appear outside of it. For more information on this release, including pre-order options, please visit http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=30891

Non us versions have more expensive shipping obviously

price

US $240
Canada $245
Mexico $265
Overseas $275

All Boxsets will be shipped via UPS or Fed Ex.

lol @ "entire history of recordings"

Mastodon does its part for military-contractor-in-Iraq-themed video game.

well that sucks.

It'd be cool if someone could ask them what the um heck they were thinking re "Army of Two." I tried, and was rebuffed by "management." Cool, duderz.

Okay, "The Last Baron"

Is this REALLY going to be on the official release?

Do you say that in a good way or a bad way?

I'm too confused to decide after only one listen.

So good, I guess? I like surprises.

I am pretty much amped for this.

hope my pre-order cd ships soon

Has "The Last Baron" surfaced online yet? Driving me nuts.

no

I got it online.

where?

googled an upload site. I don't remember which one.

ugh, this is terrible. I thought we were done with this 'ironic' cover song shit. Rick Astley, really?

Never understood the slavish love for this band, now even less so. I mean, dudes can play their asses off, no doubt, but, like, who cares? Except paradiddlin' Guitar Center rock drummer types, I mean.

and hoos, and ned, other dudes on this thread, etc

Yeah I was frankly shocked by this album's similarity to 80s pop soul.

I finally heard the album in its entirety a few days ago after living with the six-track leak for several weeks...I love four of the tracks ("Oblivion", "Divinations", "Crack the Skye", The Czar") and am fine with a couple others ("Quintessence", the psychotic "The Last Baron"), but the one that's not clicking at all is "Ghost of Karelia". Overall I think it's cool that they've collaborated with someone as mainstream as O'Brien yet have come out with something more proggy than ever, mediocre Blood Mountain sales be damned.

I mean, dudes can play their asses off, no doubt, but, like, who cares? Except paradiddlin' Guitar Center rock drummer types, I mean.

I think Daillor's drum fills have been reined in somewhat on this album. And the entire band is still disciplined enough to not let the longer dracks deteriorate into directionless Mars Volta wanking.

Reasonably certain now that the Rick Astley/80s cheese metal/fake club sex song version of "The Last Baron" in the link I got is just a prank.

"Quintessence" presumably not the Darkthrone song, then

NOT EVERYTHING IS A DARKTHRONE SONG, J0HN

THANK YOU FOR DESTROYING MY DREAM

yr welcome

Curious what people's thoughts are on Crack the Skye now that it is legitimately available; I'm grappling with parts of the album's shift toward some of the cheesier arena metal tropes; I've always really liked the band's hardcore-esque muscle and rawness and I guess that aspect of their sound has been steadily on the decline over the course of their four full albums.

That said the album is winning me over, especially The Last Baron...

I am a big fan of "cheesier arena metal tropes" so I am really looking forward to getting this.

It's not doing much for me after two listens.
Seems to have lost some of their rawness for lack of a better word. Too slick sounding, maybe?
I'll give it more time though.

i like it a lot, really catchy

Yeah, its pretty great.

the chorus of "oblivion" sounds like fuckin' STP. not really sure what i think of that.

ha it always makes me think of alice in chains, especially the vocal harmonies ... it's probably my least favorite track

"divinitions" absolutely shreds though, dozens of times better than anything on the last album.