BLOOD MOUNTAIN

Mastodon

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

3.76 | 406 ratings

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Alitare

This forest is growing faster than I can tell.

Mastodon's third album, and in my eyes their weakest, although still excellent!

The songs seem to still be very sharp and heavy. With almost thrash style metal creeping in at times. I do feel that the writing and vocals took small hits, but it is still Mastodon. The lyrics as always are filled with violent elemental imagery. Almost being reigned in as poems with death metal added to them.

The Wolf is loose starts out very heavy and violent. The first thing you will feel is the sheen that has been placed on this album. It has been gutted a bit, and some of the force has been taken out. So, you get a bit less metal death, and a bit more melodic metal. It is still crunchy, chaotic, violent, barbaric, and it tends to stomp about, but this is not the same Mastodon, we were trampled by and gorged to death as last time. It is a new behemoth. One that is trying to break out of a cage, and doesn't seem to come all the way out.

There are a few moments that seem to let out the monster. The wolf is loose, the very erratic and paranoid organized cacophony that is Bladecatcher, and Colony of birchmen (a positive album highlight, and a song that recaptures the sludgy melodic death of Mastodon's past successes. Hunters of the Sky and This Mortal Soil are all very powerful and raging. Siberian Divide has my favorite lyrical and vocal use of the album. Finally, you have Pendulous Skin. Quite possibly my favorite song on the album. It is so moody and atmospheric. Again, an ode to Merrick. It is haunting, and completely unexpected. So restrained and spacey.

Not my favorite Mastodon album, but not bad by far! I recommend it. 4 stars.

Alitare | 4/5 | 2009-3-26

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