Blood Mountain

Mastodon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reprise / Wea
• ASIN: B000GPI2EK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (127 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,969 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #7 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Hardcore
  • #10 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Post Hardcore
  • #12 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Death Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You could have passed it off as a fluke. Remission was an awesome album, helping revitalize metal and bringing the band much deserved notice. Leviathan was a gigantic leap, perhaps the most ambitious metal album in years. But could it keep going? People were concerned–-side glances were given, hand wringing began as Mastodon moved to a major. And for what? Turns out for nothing. Blood Mountain is flat-out amazing. If anything, it is another leap forward, both experimentaly and melodically. From the opening blast of "The Wolf is Loose", to the gorgeous "Sleeping Giant", on to the propulsive "Circle of Cysquatch." The King Crimson acid scratch of "Bladecatcher" gives way to the beautiful guitars on "This Mortal Soil" and the album closer. Lyrically and vocally, there are stand-outs--especially "Colony of Birchmen" with rich harmonies and a guest appearance from QOTSA's Josh Homme. Other guests on the record include Scott Kelly of Neurosis and Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta. This marks yet another grand progressions for a band that is quickly building up one of the best catalogs in metal. --Robert Arambel

Product Description

The sludgy, raw and fierce Mastodon blurs the line between metal, rock and prog with their major-label debut, Blood Mountain.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mastodon's new summit, September 18, 2006

By 

A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood Mountain (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

It's true that less can sometimes be more in the world of metal, but Mastodon have clearly never even considered it. Fortunately, though, this Atlanta-based quartet have proven that they're more than capable of using the "more is more" theory wisely, and getting great results from it. Their enormous and expansive new album, "Blood Mountain," is yet another addition to the group's increasingly epic catalogue.

This is Mastodon's first release on a major label (they left Relapse to sign to Warner Music earlier in the year), so many immediately assumed it will sound overly polished and more melodic than the band's previous works. Both of those assumptions prove to be true to some extent, because the new disc isn't as raw or sonically heavy as, say, 2002's "Remission." But when the results are as good as "Blood Mountain," they're hard to argue with. This is a perfectly natural and creative progression from their two year-old masterpiece "Leviathan." The newfound progressive metal touches don't dilute or restrain the album's heaviness, and they actually help to emphasize the heavy parts and make them even more intense.

Like "Leviathan," 2004's whale of an album which was based on Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" novel, "Blood Mountain" is also conceptual. It tells a tale about a character climbing a mountain and becoming stranded, and different things happen (the character hallucinates, runs into strange creatures, begins to starve and freeze, etc.) Couple this wondrously imaginative storytelling with such complex, experimental music, and the end result may very well be an album that's the new summit of Mastodon's career.

Most of the songs are greatly unpredictable, but there are a couple hypnotic moments. "Sleeping Giant" and the album closer, "Pendulous Skin" (which begins with pretty acoustic guitar strums) are two gorgeous, brooding tracks with subdued drum beats, dreary vocals, and other ominously ambient sounds (i.e. guitar feedback).

The rest of the disc, however, is a different story. Drummer Brann Dailor really gets to show off his talents on the album opener, "The Wolf Is Loose," because he begins the song with a fast, bouncy, all-over-the-place drum pattern that makes the listener wonder how many arms the guy really has. The rest of this song is a crushing, bludgeoning avalanche of distorted guitar leads. The next track, "Crystal Skull," continues in this same vein, with a heavy, bullying rhythm; but this song stands out from the one before it because it also features a mazey, spiraling guitar solo, and a cameo by Neurosis' Scott Kelly.

"Capillarian Crest" is quite awesome. With occasional riffs, somewhat melodic guitar leads, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink drumming, and a strong, grumbling bass line, the listener is unsure where to focus his or her attention. Later, "Circle Of Cysquatch" and "Hunters Of The Sky" boast catchy, crunching rhythms that cascade like falling logs. "Bladecatcher" is also of note because it's a total head trip due to its rapid tempo changes, a careening guitar lead, and wild, almost schizophrenic vocals. Following that, "Colony Of Birchmen" is highlighted by some very melodic singing (by Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme), and a wailing solo. Next, the propulsive ninth track, "Hand Of Stone," is fueled by a fiery, blistering flood of riffs. Lastly, "This Mortal Soil" and "Siberian Divide" (featuring The Mars Volta's singer, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and the same band's keyboardist, Isaiah Owens) are both vaguely reminiscent of "Leviathan." These songs have a restrained, slow beginning with the drums and guitars playing different time signatures, but then a whiplash tempo change kicks in and the song launches into a deep, intense, corrosive groove with thrashy, surging riffs.

The thought of Mastodon having such a creative idea for their third full-length is pretty amazing in itself. But the fact that the band was able pull it off so excellently is downright staggering. The band set their sights even higher than last time, and as a result, Mastodon are not only officially among metal's best active bands, but they have made a record which probably sets a new standard for the rest of their career and almost all music released in 2006. The words "great" and "masterpiece" were made for an album like "Blood Mountain."

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High on the peak in the thin air, September 12, 2006

By 

Christopher Nieman (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Mountain (W/Dvd) (Audio CD)

Following their thematic masterpiece, LEVIATHAN, the mighty Mastodon brings us their most ambitious and complex music to date on BLOOD MOUNTAIN. Mastodon have been called the next big thing in the metal genre, and with this album, it is hard to deny that they are the most exciting band in this music.

To use a jazz phrase, this band really swings. Mastodon is building a Rush-like reputation as the most technically proficient band in their genre. They can bludgeon, and they can simply rawk. They constantly play with timings, playing (almost) stoner-slow or blast-beat fast. Vocals sway from screaming intensity to bar-soaked looseness, and they can just as easily get weird and mess with your head.

BLOOD MOUNTAIN brings a complete scene change from LEVIATHAN. Whereas LEVIATHAN made you feel like you were riding the sea, hunting an elusive foe, BLOOD MOUNTAIN sends you into the deep wilderness, where you are the hunted. Themes range from the searching ("Crystal Skull," "Sleeping Giant"), the vertigo-inducing ("Capillarian Crest") to the fantastic ("Colony of Birchmen") and the frantic ("The Wolf is Loose," "Circle of Cysquatch").

My favorites so far include the (aforementioned) full-force of "The Wolf is Loose," the intricately prog-like "Capillarian Crest," and the extremity of "Circle of Cysquatch." Probably the sharpest left turn on the album comes on "Sleeping Giant," another sign that Mastodon isn't afraid to stay at a groovy mid-tempo for a while. And I just wish the graceful album closer, "Pendulous Skin," could only have continued that cool vibe for about ten more minutes.

It's hard to top such an epic like LEVIATHAN, and it's too early for me to decide where this album will fit in their history. The band suggests that BLOOD MOUNTAIN is a metaphor for where Mastodon stands in their musical "quest." Appropriately, they have reached a peak with this album, although it's a different peak from LEVIATHAN and REMISSION. And it's exciting to know that Mastodon should continue to reach higher with their future releases.

****1/2

51 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bloody Beast, September 12, 2006

By 

B. Lane "baronl" (New York, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blood Mountain (Audio CD)

Comparing Mastodon to typical metal (Avenged Sevenfold, HIM, Lacuna Coil)is like comparing Miles Davis to Kenny G. Yes you'll find them both filed under "Jazz" but each is a whole different beast. Some call this genre "thinking man's metal", I prefer to see it as a rock band not willing to cater to the whims of middle-aged suits or covet the glare of celebrity. This is metal with a work ethic that is not pretty and not for the faint of heart or the weak of mind. If you feel you're up to it, then welcome to Blood Mountain.