Customer Reviews

Crack The Skye

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Without getting into the debate as to whether Crack the Skye is Mastodon's best album to date, one would be wise to just point out its differences, both strengths and shortcomings, and leave it to the fans to do the ranking.

On first listen, Crack the Skye will immediately stand out for its easily noticeable absence of screamed vocals. Troy Sanders uses his clean voice on almost all the tunes, with very few exceptions. Without doubt, it will take some time to get used to his style, but repeat listens only serve to solidify one's opinion that the songs on this disc have been composed in such a style to sound much better with this approach. Pain-ridden vocals pop up only to provide contrast to the more melodious direction taken in spots. The chorus on "Ghost of Karelia", for instance, proves all the more powerful as the vocals shift from the mostly clean style to somewhat aggressive outbursts.

The guitar tandem of Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher lend the songs a solid, unbreakable facade, which elevates them to a whole new level. From the apocalyptic opening chords of "Oblivion", chock full of despondent riffs and rock-based guitar solos; to the calculated riffery of "Divinations", they implant dynamics to the compositions through and through. Rather than entirely focusing on heavy, punishing jackhammer riffery, this time around they also utilise progressive metal-like jam sessions and blues-inflected passages. As a result, the constant shifting of dynamics on "Quintessence" renders the tune more creative and interesting.

The ten-minute epic "The Czar" is built upon flawless songwriting and mood construction. Broken down into four parts, it launches into an unadulterated groove from the mellow "Usurper" to "Escape", though the vocal melody on this one is not among Mastodon's best. With "Martyr," things retreat back to clean acoustic lines before picking up the trademark Mastodon riffs and seguing into a wonderful blues-inflected solo.

Scott Kelly from the amazing Neurosis continues the tradition to guest on Mastodon discs (he also sang on Leviathan and Blood Mountain) and appears on the title track, among the album's most progressive pieces as it strangely recalls 90's King Crimson in the way the guitars have been arranged. The guitar solo on this track is among the best ever!

As stated above, how Crack the Skye will rank in Mastodon's catalog remains to be seen. However, from a production standpoint, it is by far the band's best-sounding album. It was produced by the great Brendan O'Brien whose resume includes all kinds of different artists, from Pearl Jam to Stone Temple Pilots to Bruce Springsteen to AC/DC to Aerosmith to name but a few. O'Brien has managed to create a dense album with many layers, thick guitar tapestries, and heavy, solid drum and bass battery. He was also unafraid to render sound effects on Sanders' voice with great results.

The album title is a homage to drummer Brann Dailor's sister Skye Dailor who committed suicide at the age of 14, so this is obviously among the more personal musical statements of the band.

Highly recommended.

Mastodon's last album (Blood Mountain) displayed their nastiest chops ever, but got a bit showoff-ish and self-indulgent. But now Mastodon is dead serious, and Crack the Skye is no laughing matter, lyrically or musically. A convoluted lyrical concept about space travel and czarist Russia is actually a cover for Mastodon's most haunting thoughts ever, inspired by the childhood death of Brann Dailor's sister and the recent severe head injury suffered by Brent Hinds. The band's music is becoming less flashy and more dramatic, played with an epic grandeur that easily becomes bigger than the sum of its parts. The four players have surrendered to the sound, with less hot-dogging and more teamwork. Even the monstrously hyper Dailor on drums has slowed things down a bit, reminding the listener less of a speed demon and more of a coiled snake. The vocals are more in tune with the mood of the music, and this album's lyrics are surprisingly deep and introspective. Mastodon have surely become big-thinking and forward-looking pure musicians.

All of the above has given Mastodon the biggest and most compelling sound in modern metal, and this album is sonically imposing and unforgiving from the first note. They even make a banjo sound ominous at the beginning of "Divinations." Epic grooves and jarring time shifts add to the success of the rifftastic "Quintessence" and the especially disturbing "Ghost of Karelia." And after dozens of listens I'm still trying to comprehend the two 10+ minute epics "The Czar" and "The Last Baron" and I know that these tracks will unveil new musical surprises for months and even years to come. And that's what makes this not just Mastodon's best album yet but also one of the best metal albums in recent memory. It will surely reward repeated listens. Mastodon's huge sounds and huge thoughts have come together in terrifying ways. [~doomsdayer520~]

I, like many, wasn't sure what to expect from "Crack the Skye." Early reports described it as "spacey" and "creepy," with a classic rock feel, and the introduction of mainstream producer Brendan O'Brien raised further questions about the sound. Having heard the album, I can say that the change is fundamental: "Crack the Skye" is a metallic prog album, whereas Mastodon had previously been a metal band first and foremost, though one with progressive and technical tendencies. Fortunately, the album is not entirely lacking in the old Mastodon feel, with guitarwork and drumming that should be easily recognizable for any serious fan. The basic songwriting, however, is radically different. Whereas earlier works were primarily horizontal, emphasizing the progression through various sections, "Crack the Skye" is much more spacious and vertical, with densely layered arrangements of guitars (sludgy power chords, acoustic arpeggios, frantic leads often all at once) atop synths and unconventional percussion to aid the conventional rhythm section. Perhaps most significantly, the vox, originally barked and howled, are now almost entirely ethereal, gliding melodies at the center of the instrumental maelstrom. The feel is finally different: while "Blood Mountain" and "Remission" charged over the listener, "Crack the Skye" engulfs him. Because of this, nothing on "Crack the Skye" has the sheer visceral power of "Workhorse," "Blood and Thunder" or "Capillarian Crest," and those, like myself, who are primarily metal fans may not find the change totally ideal. Personally, though I can't permanently rank it after only 15 or so listens, I seriously doubt I will ever like "Crack the Skye" as much as I do their previous three albums. This, however, speaks more to the excellence of those albums than to any weakness on this album's part. On one level, this makes "Crack the Skye" even more impressive: while Mastodon have deemphasized much of what drew me to them initially, they've still crafted a terrific album that is sure to be amongst the year's best, and which further secures their position as the metal band of the 00s.

All that said, I was not overly impressed on my initial listen. This isn't surprising, as any dense album requires many listens to appreciate, but the relative weakness of the opening tracks is also a cause. "Oblivion" and "Divinations" are the most straight forward songs found here, making them both accessible and not particular striking. They're solid, enjoyable songs, but, in spite of the elaborate production, amount to little more than an extended intro, a few riffs and vocal lines followed by a lead break. It's always wise to include a relatively straightforward track or two on a dense album like this, but they aren't as either ferocious or catchy as they ought to be. Here the more layered, less bruising production holds the album back, but the only other option would be to make these songs sound radically different from the others, an unwise stylistic choice.

Fortunately, from "Quintessence" on the album is terrific. Here the dynamic range is opened dramatically, with quick alterations between spidery licks, ghostly acoustics, and knotty, pounding riffage. Even better is "Ghost of Karelia," which ratchets up the eerie eastern feel and adds rapid-fire time changes, while the title track creates a droning space-sludge atmosphere where the simple vocal melodies and piercing leads occasionally rise above the mass of sound. None of these three songs was especially striking initially, partially because they are so organically structured, but after a few listens the plain melodies insinuated themselves, and the dense arrangements are more fully revealed. These are great songs, and I've no doubt I'll come to like them more.

Interestingly enough, the epics are actually the most immediately memorable songs. They are quite distinct: "The Czar" is probably my favorite track, with repetitive, instantly memorable vocal melodies paired with a driving, groovy middle break. Conversely, "The Last Baron" is the most conventionally Mastodon-style track despite the extreme length, with a brutally intense tech-metal middle break that reminds greatly of "Blood Mountain" and is highlighted by Dailor's frenetic, fill-heavy drumming. (Which, somewhat sadly, is generally deemphasized here.) These tracks draw attention to themselves in a way that the others do not, but not so much that they seem out of place. They are meant to be the centerpieces of the album, and fulfill this role beautifully.

As good as the individual tracks are, "Crack the Skye" is better than the sum of its parts, largely because it is a concept album, which naturally seem more grandiose than conventional works when executed properly. The plot, a rather peculiar tale of astral projection, occult rituals and WWI-era Russia, doesn't interest me much (though at least it isn't so stupid as to detract from the album [Operation: Mindcrime, anyone?]), but it does manage a level of unity rare in the genre, and lacks the fat and senseless pyrotechnics that mar many prog metal albums. "Crack the Skye" is a concept album, but it never feels as though it has artificially been transformed into one, if you catch my meaning.

I will be curious to see where Mastodon go from here. They've already achieved a level of popularity far higher than I would've thought possible when I first heard "Remission," and considering the surprising resurgence in prog, Mastodon may continue to rise. Again, part of me would prefer that they head back into more metallic arenas, but "Crack the Skye" is so good a first attempt that it's conceivable that they could surpass those earlier works later in this new style. Whatever they do, I will look forward to it eagerly.

Check it out.

Mastodon is a rare band in the metal community; one that both enjoys and is cursed by a sort-of ongoing "sophomore album" syndrome. Every release is so punishing in it's technical proficiency and expertly crafted songwriting methods that the inevitable question is asked on the dawn of each new release: "Can they top that?" Ye of little faith prepare to be destroyed. However much Leviathan reinvented metal for you or Blood Mountain took your preconceptions of extreme music and spun them upside-down into a product which seamlessly blended infectious hooks and world-class musicianship, Crack The Skye has Mastodon outdoing themselves once again.

The sound quality has become significantly better than past Mastodon releases with A-list producer Brendan O'Brien behind the mixing board, utilizing cutting edge sound manipulation while maintaining the gritty, raw sound which captures the massive wingspan of the ferocious musical beast that is Mastodon. The instrumentation follows in suit and will be no surprise to longtime fans. Hinds and Kelliher's guitars weave fluidly together like a pair of crushing pythons locked in a twisted yet beautiful discordant harmony, backed by Troy Sanders' dependably thundering basslines and Brann Dailor's jazzy and seemingly 8-armed drum style.

As for the album itself, it's structure lays waste to the modern music critic theory of the concept album being dead. With lyrics weaving together a violent plot of Czarist Russia and out-of-body terrestrial experiences which simultaneously convey deep meaning and utter ambiguity, the room for interpretation is limitless. In a world where music is cheaply stolen off the Internet with few consequences, this most cohesive of "was that just 1 song or 10?" recordings demands your hard-earned money and a spin on a good stereo. And no, your iPod doesn't count. When buying, expect exactly what you got last time you bought a Mastodon album: positively shattered expectations and the deja vous-like conviction that they'll never be able to top themselves this time. Of course, you were wrong then and will doubtlessly be again as long as the Mastodon breathes.

Dating all the way back to 2001's "Lifesblood" EP, and on through subsequent full-length releases -- 2002's steamrolling "Remission," 2004's beastly "Leviathan," and Ought-Six's commercial breakthrough "Blood Mountain" -- Mastodon have proven to be one of the most consistent metal bands around. They are simply not capable of making bad (or even mediocre) music, and it has gotten to the point where a great album by them is matter-of-factly. Furthermore, one might even venture to say that this Georgia-based quartet are among the top five reasons why it's good to be alive in recent years. Unfortunately, with such high achievements come equally-as-high expectations. Fans everywhere have to wonder one thing: On 2009's "Crack the Skye," can they match -- or possibly even surpass -- the excellence they captured on previous releases (especially on "Blood Mountain," which was not only a major-label debut, but also received high praised from fans and critics alike)?

Absolutely! "Blood Mountain" and "Crack the Skye" are similar releases in that they both leave a big smile on the face of whoever hears it. That said, let it be known that the latter of the two has many unique attributes that make it the group's most ambitious and progressive work to date! Yes, its production job may sound extra-polished, but the real ground broken here comes courtesy of brilliant songwriting. First of all, only seven tracks are presented this time around, and only one of them (#2) is less-than five-minutes in length, and two of them (numbers four and seven) reach well-past the ten-minute mark. Next, virtually all unnecessary changes in direction and tempo have now been scrapped, making the songs much more hooky and cohesive. As a result, no matter how good that aforementioned 2006 effort was, this one marks a definite step forward from it in terms of memorable guitar parts and contagious grooves.

And lastly, in a move not unlike what Gojira made on "The Link" in 2003 (and also similar to, say, Black Sabbath's "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," Down's "Over the Under," and Jesu's "Conqueror"), Mastodon opted to make these new songs substantially less more progressive and psychedelic and less brutal and viscerally satisfying than anything heard before. Indeed, unlike anything heard before, these songs possess a certain concerted level of tunefulness. This is in a large part due to a large increase in the use of melodic vocals. Sure, frontman Troy Sanders' unique, throaty growl remains as strong as ever, but it is now most of the time put on the back burner in favor of surprisingly accomplished proper singing. But fear not, because Mastodon's core sound - ginormous, rampaging grooves, beefy, inexorable rhythms, great, Sabbath-y, pure doom riffing, powerful and booming bass lines, and really energetic and technical drumming -- remain firmly in tact here. Hence, the new material sure doesn't skimp on heaviness. All of this considered, "Crack the Skye" is definitely a smashing success, the sound of a band at the top of their game, and, in this reviewer's opinion, the winner for the year's absolute finest piece of heavy music.

"Oblivion" begins on a momentous and thunderous doom-laden note before kicking things into high gear with a stream of propulsive, buzzsaw riffs, bullying grooves, and pounding skins. It eventually transitions into soaring melodic choruses with infectious clean singing, and a batch of blistering guitar solos caps it all off. "Divinations" quickly follows-up a funky, banjo-plucked intro with thunderous, and near drum-roll-esque drumming, hard-hitting guitars, and big, fat, chugging rhythms. An excellent, wailing solo crops up here, too. Next up, "Quintessence" has the record's most basic and predictable song structure, making it probably the simplest song you will find here. But that doesn't mean it's bad by any means! It skilfully trades off harmonic twin guitar leads, and Brann Dailor's deft, up-tempo, and jazzy drumming, with heavy, guitar-driven segments (i.e. crunchy, rollicking, Sabbath/Wolfmother-like, hard rock-flavored guitar leads, a distorted bass bottom, and lumbering rhythms) and occasional dreamy acoustic breaks. And in a final unexpected twist, Sandoval tosses in some cool robotic vocals to end. Track four, "The Czar," is nearly eleven minutes long, and is broken up into four parts: "Usurper," "Escape," "Martyr," and "Spiral." And even though it is one epically epic and indisputably multi-faceted number, it could not flow more seamlessly from one part to another. Nice, lightly-picked guitar melodies looming overhead a relaxed, crashing drum beat making it initially rather tranquil and ambient. However, Mastodon's patented heaviness lurks just around the corner: a rip-roaring groove, fiery, thrashy guitars and fast, flowing bass lines storm onto the scene around four-minutes in, greeting the listener like a kick to the noggin. And then, sans for an unexpected melodic breakdown around 6:50, and a subsequent unorthodox guitar solo section, the remainder of the tune plays like an Alice in Chains cover.

Then comes my personal favorite, "Ghost of Karelia," which is highlighted by amazing crescendo. It builds from a grungy-sounding bass intro into towering climax composed of excellent, carefully-calculated sludge riffage, dense, churning rhythms, tight and precise drumming (including ample punishing double bass work), and strong bass lines that grumble from below. An effective bit of crooning is tossed into the mix, and it works as a very nice contrast to the heavy music. But unlike most songs on "Crack the Skye," in "Ghost of Karelia," Sanders primarily focuses on using the same harsh, guttural style that he used on earlier material. The result is another chorus that is guaranteed to rattle around your head for quite some time. Plus, his dissonant snarls of lines like "holding skulls" and "bulls' bloodshot eyes" are also really cool and get tattooed to your brain after just one listen. Although the vocal melody in the title track is not one of Mastodon's strongest, it is made-up for with ample heavy, doomy, chug and churn guitar licks, and thick, crunching rhythms that evoke vintage High on Fire, as well as a few blazing solos and well-placed harmonies. Finally, set closer, "The Last Baron," marries brisk, Slayer-esque riffs, pummeling rhythms, and a Crowbar-by-way-of-Neurosis-style groove with several "math-y" tempo changes, some proggy fretboard noodling, and even a few keyboard flourishes.

In brief, this is yet another excellent instalment in Mastodon's already amazing (and nearly untouchable) discography. But hey, what were you expecting? They have already established themselves as a truly great band, and one of the most preeminent metal acts of the 21st Century. And as long as they keep knocking masterpieces out of the park like this, the "Skye" is the limit.

Mastodon is a rare band in the metal community; one that both enjoys and is cursed by a sort-of ongoing "sophomore album" syndrome. Every release is so punishing in it's technical proficiency and expertly crafted songwriting methods that the inevitable question is asked on the dawn of each new release: "Can they top that?" Ye of little faith prepare to be destroyed. However much Leviathan reinvented metal for you or Blood Mountain took your preconceptions of extreme music and spun them upside-down into a product which seamlessly blended infectious hooks and world-class musicianship, Crack The Skye has Mastodon outdoing themselves once again.

The sound quality has become significantly better than past Mastodon releases with A-list producer Brendan O'Brien behind the mixing board, utilizing cutting edge sound manipulation while maintaining the gritty, raw sound which captures the massive wingspan of the ferocious musical beast that is Mastodon. The instrumentation follows in suit and will be no surprise to longtime fans. Hinds and Kelliher's guitars weave fluidly together like a pair of crushing pythons locked in a twisted yet beautiful discordant harmony, backed by Troy Sanders' dependably thundering basslines and Brann Dailor's jazzy and seemingly 8-armed drum style.

As for the album itself, it's structure lays waste to the modern music critic theory of the concept album being dead. With lyrics weaving together a violent plot of Czarist Russia and out-of-body terrestrial experiences which simultaneously convey deep meaning and utter ambiguity, the room for interpretation is limitless. In a world where music is cheaply stolen off the Internet with few consequences, this most cohesive of "was that just 1 song or 10?" recordings demands your hard-earned money and a spin on a good stereo. And no, your iPod doesn't count. When buying, expect exactly what you got last time you bought a Mastodon album: positively shattered expectations and the deja vous-like conviction that they'll never be able to top themselves this time. Of course, you were wrong then and will doubtlessly be again as long as the Mastodon breathes.

It's been nearly two and a half years since the last record from Mastodon. After Blood Mountain, what should fans expect?
Crack the Skye is a powerful album which knows how to balance heaviness and elegance. It's modeled after the Air element, as Leviathan was modeled after Water and Blood Mountain was modeled after Earth. It emulates a changing, zephyrous wind, and at times strikes out with lightning and fury.
Crack the Skye stands out against their other albums by its production alone. Thanks to the efforts of Brendan O'Brien the annoying fuzz which has clouded Mastodon's previous records is gone. This is how Mastodon should sound.
Most of Mastodon's signature sound is intact and in full effect. Heavy riffs abound, although not as hard hitting overall as Leviathan. Where Crack the Skye really shines is in its vocals. The vocals are split between Brent, Troy, and Brann, giving them plenty of variety. Brann's lyrics, although they only appear on the song "Oblivion", are incredibly suited to the music. It is one thing I hope to hear much more of from Mastodon in the future. The lyrics are very well written as well, making the story of the album very clear and atmospheric.
The guitars and drums are slower, more even and flowing than swelling and crashing. This is not to say that the unadulterated power of Mastodon is not present; the many solos of Crack the Skye are as imposing and beautiful as any.
In relation to their other albums, this one is one of the best. It doesn't dethrone Leviathan, but it surpasses Blood Mountain. It is focused, clear, and powerful, pushing Mastodon in a new direction exemplified by the Air element.
I can hardly wait to see what's in store with Fire.

I discovered Mastodon in an effort to find a heavy band like Tool, that didn't scream all their lyrics or affect some doomy Halloween monster voice to get their point across. I love heavy riffing and chugging, but can't stand the screaming, which is why I won't give my money to Lamb of God.
Enter, Mastodon. I got swept away with their amazing musicianship, and learned to dig the gritty vocals, and Leviathan seemed to be their masterwork, but Crack the Skye looks like the evolution and perfection of all the bands' work before it, and the production, songwriting, and musicianship easily ranks this as a winner in Metal, Rock and Progressive, in one clean kill.
If you're looking to get into Mastodon, this is a great way to start, then get heavier and darker as you move backward. If you don't like this album, there are plenty of other bands laying it down nasty and heavy that you can stick with.
This album is a journey and a real gift to music at this time. So, what now with this band? Can't wait to find out.

Paully Walnuts-The Slackerprince

Let's take some Rush, some Yes and add in a little Zeppelin,then let's add a little Iron maiden, Mettallica and some Sabbath. Then add in a pound of great musical talent and a pound of creativity. Let's stir it all together and give it a nice 70s progressive concept albumn feel. And what do get? You get the brilliant work of art Crack the Skye by the great Mastodon. Having grown up in the 70s I thought this kind of great music was long gone. This albumn is truly a work of art. Call it metal or prog rock whatever. I call it some of the best Rock music I have ever heard and I've been a die hard Rush fan for 30 years.It's great to see bands like Mastodon emerging that have the guts and the awesome talent to make music of this caliber. I hope it's a trend thats here to stay. MASTODON ROCKS!

This album rules. I love Mastodon, and this is, in my opinion, their best album. From an musicianship standpoint, it's flawless. In the version I got, a "making of" DVD was included, and all the band members emphasized that they basically caged themselves up in the studio for hours and hours on end every day. They really held their own feet to the fire because they wanted to "be tough on themselves" and see how technical an album they were capable of creating. I just can't say enough about the result.

To give some context, "Crack the Skye" is very different from "Leviathan." "Leviathan" was not a true death metal album, but it definitely showed death metal influences. "Skye" is dark, weird, and moody, but it abandons death metal for prog. The songs are less "gritty" and the grooves aren't as heavy. The lyrics are not mainly screamed, and the song structures are... all over the place (the average song is in the 6-7 minute range). The guitars are recorded in layers and layers. The songs are gorgeous from beginning to end. If someone held a gun to my head and made me pick a favorite track, I'd probably pick the opener, "Oblivion," which is amazingly catchy for a progressive tune.

A word of friendly advice: Make your first couple of listens on a pair of high quality head phones. There's just so much going on to listen to.