REMISSION

Not their most progressive release, sure. But I'm rating this based on how it makes my loins feel, not on how King Crimson it is. Initially, my review of Mastodon's Remission was harsh...yes, harsh, it was years ago in my pre-sludge metal phase. But the sludgy goodness of Remission is top-quality as far as the genre goes; the riffs crush, the drums pound - Mastodon really bring the instrumental prowess here. Structurally, it's a bit more straightforward, but Remission hardly lacks the traditional Mastodon trademarks - in fact, one could argue that this is where they began. songs like 'Crusher Destroyer,' 'March of the Fire Ants,' and 'Burning Man' are the riff-based stompers that move mosh pits at festivals like Ozzfest (lol?), while the longer bits 'Elephant Man,' 'Ol'e Nessie,' and 'Trainwreck' trip out more (these songs call prediction to newer, more progressive oriented Mastodon). Still, one thing can be said for sure about Mastodon: they are brutal, they are angry, and they are ready to blow the mind of the average metal-head with advanced compositions and style that expose mallcore bands like Avenged Sevenfold for what they really are. And that is worms at Mastodon's feet.