Up next on the chopping block is another rewind review and the band in question is Mastodon. Ever since I did the original review, I’ve seen them a few more times and I forgot how great they are live. I also didn’t realize that they had put out a new album since I did their original review so with that let’s take a look……………
Call Of The Mastodon- so this was one I didn’t do on my original review and I decided to do it now basically this is just a compilation album of some B sides. According to the band, this is their first official studio album, which is why this is the first one listed. Again it’s just a bunch of early recordings and it’s not bad. I just probably wouldn’t revisit this one anytime soon. I’m giving this one 7/10.
Standouts: Shadows That Move, Deep Sea Creature, Call Of The Mastodon
Remission- I forgot how crushing the riffs are on this album. Now, as far as the vocals go, it’s probably the most aggressive, but it’s done in a cool sort of way. Honestly, I think aside from the song March Of The Fire Ants, I don’t think they play much off of this album live anymore, which is kind of too bad because there’s some great songs on here.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: Where Strides The Behemoth, Crusher Destroyer, Workhorse
Leviathan- for those that don’t know, this is a concept record for the book Moby Dick and in 2024, I got to see them play this album in full twice and both times it was amazing!! The first time, I may or may not have had a contact high from those that enjoy smoking things but the second time, I saw them at the Aftershock festival and that was an awesome time. Different experience but so much fun!! This is such a great album from start to finish and it definitely steps things up!!
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: I Am Ahab, Megalodon, Island
Blood Mountain- I forgot that this one doesn’t exactly pick up where Leviathan left off but it definitely feels like it’s a perfect follow up. I don’t know it’s kinda hard to explain but if you listen to Leviathan and this one back to back you’ll see what I mean. I also forgot that there are a lot more clean vocals on this than the last album as well. Anyway, you slice it. This is almost a perfect follow up record to a really great album.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: The Wolf is Loose, Colony Of Birchmen, Hunters of the Sky
Crack The Skye- this is one of those albums that you forget how great it is. I think I remember when I heard songs off this the very first time I thought it was just OK but going back now, this is a really killer record. If I remember correctly, I think they did a tour where they played this album in its entire day and I’m sorry I missed it because this is them firing on all cylinders. Much like the Leviathan album, there isn’t a bad track on this. And it has a little bit of everything.
Previous Score: 9.5/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: Divinations, The Ghost of Karelia, Quintessence
The Hunter- I don’t want to say that this is a bad album because it’s not but there’s something off about this one. It feels very much like B-Sides album and doesn’t really seem to be that cohesive. Again not a bad record but you can tell that something just doesn’t seem right. I would say out of all of their albums so far this one kind of feels like the odd one of the bunch.
Previous Score: 8.5/10
New Score: 7/10
Standouts: All the Heavy Lifting, Spectrelight, Curl of the Burl
Live At Brixton- depending on the band and the length of their discography I’m going to try to include at least one live album. I chose this one because as great as Live At Aragon album is I just like this one a little bit more. There’s more variety on this one and the band sounds incredible. What I like about this live album is that it definitely captures their energy and I remember the first time I saw them they were just OK but here they sound great. I’m going to give this one 9/10.
Standouts: Blood And Thunder, Capillarian Crest, Iron Tusk
Once More ‘Round The Sun- OK so you could easily skip the last album and go to this one right after Crack. I feel like in terms of their albums. This one does seem to get overlooked a little bit and that’s a little too bad because this is a great album. It definitely puts them back on the right track. The songs do seem to flow a lot more and overall, this is just a bunch better album.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: The Motherload, High Road, Ember City
Emperor Of Sand- If you are a fan of this band, then there’s definitely a little something for everybody on this one. I forgot that this one has some doom elements on it and it’s even a bit more melodic. Again, though like with the last few albums, there’s a lot more clean vocals than there are harsher ones, and if you’re a fan of their cleaner type of vocals, then you’ll really like this album.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9/10
Standouts: Sultan’s Curse, Show Yourself, Scorpion Breath
Medium Rarities- so what’s the name suggests? This is basically just a compilation album of rare tracks, B-Sides, some instrumentals and some live tracks. It’s not bad and if you’re really dedicated or hard-core fan, I would say definitely give this a listen. Otherwise you could probably be OK skipping it. Some of the songs did tend to drag on a bit, but overall it’s not bad. I’m gonna give this one 7/10.
Standouts: Fallen Torches, Atlanta, Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife
Hushed And Grim- so it’s my understanding that this album is about like death and dying, but I really want to like this one more. Again, this is not a bad album and I think at this point this band is incapable of making a bad album, but I just found this one to be a little on the slow side. Like I said, I wanted to like this one more, but I just got kind of bored with it and there are other albums of theirs that I would listen to over this one first. I’m gonna give this one 7/10.
Standouts: The Crux, The Beast, Savage Lands
As I said before, this band is incapable of making a bad album and what I love about these albums is that they all are different. If you have the chance to see this band alive, definitely do so because it is quite inexperienced and they sound amazing. And one thing I did kind of pick up on was that they can sound a little like Sabbath which is awesome. There’s also just a certain comfort that I get when I listen to some of these albums too. But if it’s been a while since you’ve heard any of these albums, go back and explore their catalog it’s a very interesting and unique one. RIP Brent Hinds you are absolutely missed!!!
Final Grade: A
Previous Album Rankings:
- Blood Mountain
- Leviathan
- Crack the Skye
- Remission
- Once More ‘Round the Sun
- Emperor of Sand
- The Hunter
New Album Rankings:
- Leviathan (the first three could easily be switched)
- Crack The Skye
- Blood Mountain
- Once More ‘Round The Sun
- Remission
- Live At Brixton
- Emperor Of Sand
- Call Of The Mastodon
- The Hunter
- Medium Rarities
- Hushed And Grim
Sinister Reviews 