New Mastodon coming!

Planning on picking up The Hunter tomorrow. I listened to the album link that the band put up on Youtube and was pretty impressed overall.

It's an interesting album. I'm still mulling it over but my gut reaction is that Crack the Skye was better. Then again, I'm the kind of person that usually likes to let albums grow on me and this certainly isn't bad. I think I'm just getting used to the band playing shorter songs that have stuff like choruses in them

Just picked up my copy!

Gotta get my copy!

I listened to it a few times and Crack The Skye is better - this one hasn't grabbed me yet. The second half of the album seems stronger than the first half. I need a few more listens before I decide....

One of several albums I'm holding off on getting until I start making money again (which may be real soon-and I don't mean trucking).

thejokeriv wrote:

I listened to it a few times and Crack The Skye is better - this one hasn't grabbed me yet. The second half of the album seems stronger than the first half. I need a few more listens before I decide....

Interesting. I tend to prefer the first half so far, myself. I love the first three tracks. Although the 2nd half is pretty awesome: Dry Bone Valley, Spectrelight, Bedazzled Fingernails.

So far there are a few songs that I just don't like: Stargasm, The Hunter, and Creature Lives. Hopefully I'll change my mind in time (as it's a shame to not appreciate a Mastodon song). We'll see. I think that the album feels a bit disjointed by having such a wide variety of styles of songs.

Woah! I picked up the album after only having heard the first two pre-release songs. I was incredibly surprised by the rest of the album. I feel as if I'm simply a fanboy after reading some of the above comments. I can't stop listening to this whole album. The Hunter is the first album in a very long time that grabbed me on the first listen and won't let go. Upon hearing "Blasteriod" (link) I was floored. I totally didn't expect that song to be honest. I mean it's not even that heavy compared to so many bands, but oh man I wanna start a pit anywhere and everywhere when the chorus riff kicks in and he screams "I WANNA DRINK SOME F***ING BLOOD!" I suppose after Crack the Skye the boys in Mastodon wanted to write something insane. Most of the album isn't anything like that though, but I would say "Blasteroid" was the song set me into the "don't hate, appreciate" mood. I actually played the song over again after having just heard it for the first time.

I'm glad they stepped up a notch vocally as well. They improved somewhat on Crack the Skye, but on this one the vocals kind of make the song on a few tracks. Especially on the chorus to this song. It's not the most crazy, awesome singing ever, but it's stuck in my head. Way to go Mastodon. I want to post a full review in the Hurting Words forum when I get time.

I do think Blasteroid is an amazing song. I agree with you about it completely, and most music doesn't really get my adrenaline flowing too much, but I do feel like breaking things when I hear that song

This album sounds much better than their previous ones. The vocals have improved and the music also has more melody than before... Some of the softer vocals sound like Queens of the Stone Age. I definitely like it.

So after having listened to this album a hundred times in the past couple of weeks, Curl of the Burl keeps getting stuck in my head. I actually memorized lyrics and sing along with Mastodon, which I thought I'd never say about them. I bet there's gunna be so many people out there upset about the new direction saying, "They are moving in a more pop direction, and are about to sell out."

The_Jayroh wrote:

So after having listened to this album a hundred times in the past couple of weeks, Curl of the Burl keeps getting stuck in my head. I actually memorized lyrics and sing along with Mastodon, which I thought I'd never say about them. I bet there's gunna be so many people out there upset about the new direction saying, "They are moving in a more pop direction, and are about to sell out."

Any time a band adds melody, they're automatically considered sellouts. Oh well... They'll probably just expand their fanbase anyway. From what i've heard, they're big fans of 70's prog. And it shows even more on the new one.

its hard to sell out more than groove metal, i wouldnt worry.

rawr! wrote:

its hard to sell out more than groove metal, i wouldnt worry.

So if a band plays groove metal, they are a sell out? Maybe I'm just not privy to the real meaning of sell out, but have you ever thought that maybe (just maybe mind you) that people actually like groove metal? I could be wrong but that seems like it may just be a possibility.

Besides, I wasn't aware that Mastodon was a groove metal band. It thought they were a doom/stoner band with prog rock tendencies.

of course people like groove metal, it panders to the masses. thats sort of the point of my statement.

there are endless droves of people, mostly young, who feel that their favorite nu metal or groove metal (or, nowadays, metalcore/deathcore) band(s) are the epitome of metal. most of those subgenres arent even subgenres of metal, but all of them are a ticket to popularity on some level, or at the very least a highly recognized, popular sound.

i havent heard the new mastodon cd but everything ive heard in the past was definitely groove metal (though not necessarily entirely barebones groove metal), and their listing on metal-archives has them as groove metal as well.

I really don't think groove metal comes that close to describing their sound on any of their albums

Groove metal my butt.

The_Jayroh wrote:

I bet there's gunna be so many people out there upset about the new direction saying, "They are moving in a more pop direction, and are about to sell out."

There's been a lot of "This is Mastodon's black album! They're finished, man!" chatter going around since the album went on sale.

rawr! wrote:

of course people like groove metal, it panders to the masses. thats sort of the point of my statement.

there are endless droves of people, mostly young, who feel that their favorite nu metal or groove metal (or, nowadays, metalcore/deathcore) band(s) are the epitome of metal. most of those subgenres arent even subgenres of metal, but all of them are a ticket to popularity on some level, or at the very least a highly recognized, popular sound.

Well you sound just as close minded as those endless droves of people. I can't stand this mentality of metal fans like you. You people think you have a monopoly on what is and what isn't heavy metal. Who gave you the authority on the matter? Nobody. Most of this comes down to opinons. If you don't like a certain genre then fine. But stop making it sound like others who do like it are somehow young ignorant masses who don't know better. Besides, none of those people you described are even on this board.

I don't mean to get upset so much but you're tendency to post your hatred for groove metal in every thread is getting annoying. We know you don't like it so why keep beating a dead horse? Pantera became popular and many bands started incorporating their sound, stop complaining and get over it. It's like whinning about grunge pushing metal out of the spotlight. It happened and there is nothing you can do about it, it's time to move on.

I'm sorry but what exactly is groove metal? At a certain point I started losing the ability/patience to keep up with all the distinctions of these little subgenres.

sheets wrote:

I'm sorry but what exactly is groove metal? At a certain point I started losing the ability/patience to keep up with all the distinctions of these little subgenres.

Metal with a groove to it. You know it when you hear it. Pantera pretty much pioneered it in the early 90s.

Quote :

The_Jayroh wrote:
I bet there's gunna be so many people out there upset about the new direction saying, "They are moving in a more pop direction, and are about to sell out."


There's been a lot of "This is Mastodon's black album! They're finished, man!" chatter going around since the album went on sale.

I'm not totally surprised, but we'll see eventually.

I saw Mastodon live, was it, three years ago in Sonisphere Finland and they were one of the best acts.

I went there to see Metallica.. and they totally sucked! Mastodon was a way better live.

DallasBlack wrote:

Well you sound just as close minded as those endless droves of people. I can't stand this mentality of metal fans like you. You people think you have a monopoly on what is and what isn't heavy metal. Who gave you the authority on the matter? Nobody. Most of this comes down to opinons. If you don't like a certain genre then fine. But stop making it sound like others who do like it are somehow young ignorant masses who don't know better. Besides, none of those people you described are even on this board.

I don't mean to get upset so much but you're tendency to post your hatred for groove metal in every thread is getting annoying. We know you don't like it so why keep beating a dead horse? Pantera became popular and many bands started incorporating their sound, stop complaining and get over it. It's like whinning about grunge pushing metal out of the spotlight. It happened and there is nothing you can do about it, it's time to move on.

i dont want this to come off as an argument but things seem to be getting misunderstood. i didnt call those people closedminded, i just called them wrong. theres a difference between having a monopoly on metal and having a proper definition of metal. they can share in a definition of metal, as long as it is accurate, so theres no monopoly. and im not the one who invented what metal is; all i can do is either agree or go home, just the same as them. what gives a certain definition authority? coherence, internal consistency, and logical relationships. in my experience, a lot of the young people who think disturbed and \"thebandthatshallneverbementionedagain\" and slipknot and papa roach are the vanguards of metal ARE ignorant masses who dont know any better. does that mean every single person who has an incorrect definition of metal doesnt know any better? no, that would be a straw man fallacy. whether or not there are a lot (or any) of those people on this board doesnt matter because the only reason i mentioned that phenomenon was explaining why mastodon was super popular, even among people who dont listen to much/any other "real metal" or whatever you want to call it.

people posting their opinion about groove metal in threads about groove metal is pretty much what this board is about....sharing our takes on metal and having discussions. it might be a little annoying to hear in multiple threads that people dont like what youre listening to but why should people who have something to say about groove metal, especially people who have something to discuss about groove metal, ignore the issue? perhaps the people who dislike groove metal and what it has done to the scene are annoyed by the assault of groove metal threads and bottomless praise; everyone has something to put up with. i dont propose these threads be constantly bombarded by negative comments, but expecting people to keep out entirely just because they have a different opinion doesnt seem reasonable.