LEVIATHAN

Thinking man's metal? The hell you say! This is real metal and they thrust thinking upon it!

The second melodic death metal release by Mastodon, and quite a brilliant one, I must say. The sound is a bit more melodic and a bit less death than the last release, but this serves to diversify the sound, and make it a bit more focused over all. The vocals are now almost evenly mixed between throaty death growls, and the alluring ,id to high range he can offer. This might just be Mastodon's shining moment. The lyrics fit into a watery theme of Moby Dick, and are quite good.

The concept is musically original, and presented skillfully. But, this is Mastodon, and Mastodon are METAL! These songs plow through like a liquid wrecking ball into your mind. The opener Blood and Thunder is a ferocious claw jabbed into your neck, while each subsequent song drives it ever so deeper. Each song is lyrically diverse, and follows the story well. Iron Tusk has the dirty and sludgy opening riff leading into the torrential and smashing vocals that deliver so amazingly paired with the music in general. It can get chaotic, but it is a focused chaos. Especially on tracks such as the aforementioned Iron Tusk, or the muscular Megalodon. Aqua Dementia is extreme and emanates the aura of a violent conflict. The almost 14 minute long epic Hearts Alive is most certainly a brilliant song, and an album highlight. The entire album ends with an ode to The Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick, which is quite a beautiful tune, and a commendation on the diverse capabilities and thought of Mastodon. I am not saying that one track alone makes them an amazing band, I just find it to be a nice touch.

The instrumentation is excellent, and the drumming...the drumming is unreal. The vocals will probably turn a lot of people off, but I most certainly think they fit the band. Everything is technical, forceful, and importantly... intelligent. The lyrics provoke imagery of an exuberant fashion. Not Thinking man's metal, Man's metal that thinks. The diversity is only a minimal, and a few of the musical ideas could be stronger, but this is a fantastic record.

One of many shining moments in this amazing band's collection. 4 powerful stars.

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