Album Review: Mastodon- Crack the Skye

March 26, 2009 SoItGoes 5 comments

Atlanta’s metal masters Mastodon unleashed their fifth album “Crack the Skye” on the world this past Tuesday. After following their masterpiece “Leviathan” with a the monumental and brutal “Blood Mountain” which reached and surpassed it’s expectations (it was in my top ten thus far of this decade) the bar was set extremely high for this album.

Early on in it’s development though signs began to point that the band might look to a slightly different sound for this album. First there was the well documented situation in which lead guitarist Brent Hinds suffered a head injury. It soon came out that much of the album was written by Brent while suffering prolonged effects from the injury and this would be a more mellow album then the others because of those continuous headaches and other nagging ailments he suffered through while writing the album. Then there was the pairing of the band with Atlanta’s producer extraordinaire Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam) for the first time. To say that the pairing was odd is an understatement and caused some in the fan base to wonder what direction the band was headed.

As for the album itself like their other efforts it is focused around a centralized theme. Brann Dailor Mastodon’s drummer goes into detail that the album follows a paraplegic boy who goes on an astral travel, but in his travel he comes too close to the sun and his golden umbilical chord that keeps him connected is severed thrusting him into the vastness of outer space until he is sucked through a worm hole. He then ends up in the spirit world and is forced to convince the spirits he is not really dead. Once this is accomplished the spirits decide through the use of divinations to put him into the Soul of the Russian Rasputin. Rasputin goes on a journey to usurp the Czar and is murdered in the process. The two souls are pushed through the Crack in the Skye and Rasputin in turn determines he must help the boy return to his body and parents in his home world. Brann also mentions that the album has a slightly more personal meaning to him as it an homage for the loss of his sister Skye Dailor who committed suicide when she was a teenager.

Now that you have the backdrop lets get to the meat and potatoes of why we are here and that of course is the music. It is wonderful to see a band on top of their game not afraid to change directions slightly yet still put out quality and interesting music, and that is exactly what Mastodon has accomplished. I did not listen to any of the leaks or even the songs posted on myspace the week before it’s release so I’ve only been able to listen to the band for about 60 hours now, but I have listened to nothing else since purchasing it Tuesday morning. Lets first take a look at each song from the album:

1. Oblivion

The intro to the song sets the stage that this is going to be different. It starts off with a wonderful slow evil sounding progression that builds over the first minute before they step into their groove. The vocals on this song really caught me off guard at first. They are very clean and Brann sings for the first time. It took a few listens to get used to this, but now that I have a comfort level with the clean Ozzy like vocals it is a very catchy song. I won’t go as far as saying it is a FM radio “single” material but for a band that has no singles this might be the closest to one on the album. I love the chorus and how the groove is very laid back on this song and quite catchy.

2. Divinations

What crazy world are we in when a Mastodon song starts off with a Banjo? A very good one because this song is the first “single” off the album and to me it is the closest song on the album to some of their older work. The banjo gives way to a driving riff that holds our attention throughout the song. The vocals again are easier to understand then in the past, but Divinations overall tone seems to come closest to the tone they captured on their last album Blood Mountain. A wonderful song that has a great break down and solo in the middle of it. I was able to get on board with this song quickly.

3. Quintessence

This is the only song on the album that I am still having some trouble getting behind. The song itself seems okay, but just does not do much to stand out for me. What really makes this song difficult is the vocal delivery for the part when they are screaming “Letting Goooo”. This part of the song grinds on me. I just don’t like the way the vocals are delivered. It is unfortunate because there is some superb guitar work here that captures my attention, but even Brent’s wonderful “chicken picking” has not been able to fully get me on board with this song yet. I’ve heard live versions and it seemed more tolerable so I am holding out hope it will grow on me.

4. The Czar

Thank god the rest of the album is not as good as this song. Seriously, if the entire album was on par with this song I fear i would be forced to poor acid into my ear lobe and destroy my hearing. I could not go on living with the disappointment and torture that would follow because no album by any band would ever reach the heights this album did if they were all as good as the Czar or better. It builds slowly with a catchy vocal backdrop of “Don’t Stay, Run Away” then at the 3:44 mark the song takes off like a bullet. For the next four minutes massive grooved riffs dominate the song. I literally have not listened to the song and got to his point without cranking it up to the next level. No matter how loud it was up to that point I have to turn it up more when this passage of the song comes on. Brent Hinds laces the song with solo’s anyone from the 70’s rock scene would be jealous of creating. They have so much soul and backbone you can’t help but air guitar with him. Clocking in at 11 minutes this is an epic song that will stand the test of time. The Czar is one of if not the best song the band has made in my opinion.

5. Ghost of Karelia

This one took several listens for me to get on board. Truthfully it was just earlier today when listening to it’s heavy passages that I realized how much I enjoyed this song. The drumming creates an under current for the song that just pulls you in. As the song progresses it gains a heaviness that is very inviting, and it creates a groove that becomes addictive. This song has potential to get even better with more listens.

6. Crack the Skye

This song is heavily helped by the guest vocals of Neurosis’s Scott Kelly. This to me is the other song outside of Divinations that sounds like it might have made Blood Mountain. It has Scott’s signature vocals which are incredible. It starts off with a nice keyboard sound that opens to a wonderful mid tempo riff done Mastodon style. This song was one that stood out to me immediately. It has some of the most passionate lyrics of the album and I can’t help but think they may be the most straight forward reference to Brann’s sister:

Guard your heartache well
Momma don’t let them take her
Don’t Let em Take her down

Please tell Lucifer he can’t have this one
Her spirits too strong
It’s written all over your face
I can see the pain
You can make it all go away

7. Last Baron

How do you end an epic album? With a 13 minute assault that has more time signature changes and riffs then most bands have on an entire album. This is seriously another great song just a step below the Czar. It moves in many directions but maintains its coherent sound throughout. Right about the 6 minute mark you hear what seems to be a tribute to Rush’s YYZ. It seems like a quick nod and then the song burst back into a classic Mastodon riff. It is a great song that ends with an almost two minute solo that melts your face and leaves you on your knees wondering if there could be anything else to follow…..

Overall I’m sure there are going to be many out there that will be disappointed with this album. The reality is Mastodon has always hinted that they had more in them musically then an in your face metal band. That was part of their appeal and what seperated them from the rest in the scene. They take a step to the side with Crack the Skye to explore Prog Metal and the results are outstanding. you can’t help but notice the influence of bands like Rush, Yes, and others on the album, but at no point does it seem they are coping any of those bands. What they have created is done in their own style on their own terms. Soaring 70’s style guitar sounds show that these guys are not just about how fast you can play, while riffs that groove again point out that they can do more then pen your classic crushing metal riff.

The overall theme of the record is delivered well through the music. I would have liked to have seen a little more depth with the lyrics to flesh out the theme even more, but that is not a major distracter to the album. If I had to point to a weakness of the album other then in depth lyrics I would point to the vocal delivery as a minor one. I don’t dislike the idea of them going with clean vocals, unfortunately none of them have a voice like a Mike Patton that can take over a song. They cover those short comings very well however by putting in their best vocal effort to date. It can’t be said enough how much you can notice the difference and improvement on all of their vocals and for that I commend them. Hey not all of us can sing like Mike Patton right? The vocals and lyrics are a minor disappointment in the major scheme of the album. That is just me being nit picky. It will be easy for some to say they sold out with the clean vocals and less brutal riffs, but there is not really a radio friendly song on this album. They made this album on their terms and it fits very nicely in with their other works as another notch on their belt.

This album is not for everyone but the production and result can not be arguied they made a very strong record that stands strong next to their other output to date. It is not one that is rewarding after one listen. It is complex and takes multiple listens including some headphone listens to catch all the nuances of the songs structures.

I’ve decided to no longer offer a graded scale for albums so i won’t rate this one, but if I still did Crack the Skye would have received high marks. I’m impressed and can’t wait to see them on their tour to hear the new songs come to life in a live setting. Although I’m not sold on this album eclipsing some of their past efforts Crack the Skye is on par with them and this is a great listening experience. A truly enjoyable listen and top notch album all around.

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