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Editorial Reviews
The Hunter, the follow-up to 2009's critically embraced Crack The Skye, was recorded in the band's hometown of Atlanta as well as in Los Angeles with producer Mike Elizondo. As with all of their albums, Mastodon, which is bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Keliher, and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor, decided to take a completely different tack and musical approach to the music on this album. The band feels confident that fans will be excited and fulfilled by what they will hear.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 65 people found the following review helpful
By Murat Batmaz
Format:Audio CD
The Hunter is the long-anticipated follow-up to 2009's Crack the Skye, one of Mastodon's finest achievements in their career. After exploring the limits of progressive songwriting with complex arrangements, excellent vocal melodies, and a perfect balance between heavy and melodic passages, the band decided to pursue a different musical style with their new release.
This album marks an important step in the band's evolution. It was mixed and produced by Mike Elizondo whose resume includes non-metal artists like Dr Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Worry not, though, the mix is spectacular and the sound clarity amazing (though I prefer the more dynamic production on their earlier work by far). However, Elizondo has definitely pushed Mastodon into writing shorter and less complex songs with heavier emphasis on melodic chord progressions and hook-filled arrangements. There is not a single song that reaches six minutes; the writing is more immediate and to the point. Actually, many of the songs are around the three-minute mark, with "Blasteroid" being even shorter: a punk-infested drive, simple yet powerful guitar work, and melodic vocals balanced out by aggressive singing make up the composition.
The stylistic change in the band's sound and style cannot be entirely attributed to their new producer, however. They also have a new cover artist and they've changed their method of writing. While albums like Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye were painstakingly composed and took a long time to produce, The Hunter was recorded in only a few weeks. Also, the songs were largely written on the road while the band was on tour with Alice In Chains. The album sees Mastodon liberating themselves from conceptual boundaries. Rather than exploring more complex themes and writing everything under that theme, this time around, they've written songs that are independent of each other, songs that stand on their own.
The band's enigmatic lyrics and approach to constructing riffs and melodies is fully intact with a few exceptions. "Curl of the Burl" starts with the line "I killed a man cause he killed my goat," a song whose swaggering groove was possibly inspired by a Queens of the Stone Age track. There are more overt references to their inspirations: I hear lots of Neil Peart-like drum fills by Brann Dailor whose performance is uniformly stunning on this disc. His playing on "Octopus Has No Friends" is impossibly tasty, and his tone is amazing. The song deploys an epic build-up with powerful vocals and deep-in-the-pocket rhythms. The way the cascades of guitars work to the anthemic chorus is nothing short of brilliant.
The band also pays tribute to Pink Floyd in more than one track. "Stargasm" (with lyrics about sex in space!) is informed by Floydian synth swells eventually dissolving under thunderous drum attacks and liquidy instrumental passages while "Creature Lives" is unlike anything they have done before. It mixes tons of sampled voices, lots of keyboard effects, odd tonalities, and deep bass notes to achieve a unique sound with syrupy vocal lines, but honestly, it's not what I expect of Mastodon. I love experimental music, but I consider this one among their least interesting.
There are also similarities to their previous work. The band continues to pen personal lyrics as they did on Crack the Skye. The title track is about the unexpected death of guitarist Brent Hinds' brother while hunting (actually the working title of this album was Brother, but the band decided to go with The Hunter eventually). With acoustic guitars from the shadows, keys mistily creeping through the song, and plaintive vocals, the song morphs into a Lep Zeppelin-inspired blues guitar solo that consumes you. And the lyrics will scar your soul.
Similarly, the final track, "The Sparrow," commemorates the loss of a friend of the band's. It is extremely personal, as the lyrics "Pursue happiness with diligence" are her words. This is arguably the finest closing track on any Mastodon album due to its emotional breadth. The vocals are apathetic, sung as if he'd rather not be there, but the instrumentation is suffused with sheer emotion. This makes the song weightier and more real. The guitar solo is haunting; it wails and wails over worldess vocal melodies, and the song finishes in a strange yet beautiful way.
As with the previous three Mastodon discs, Scott Kelly from Neurosis once again guests on the album on the fast-paced, rhythmically dense "Spectrelight." Kelly's distinct raspy voice drives the piece towards its apex amidst a storm of riffs and pummelling drum slam. The band's fans of earlier material should also enjoy the doomsday riffing of the opening track with its scorching vocals, relentless low end, and intricate rhythm force.
The Hunter is likely to be Mastodon's breakthrough album, gaining them more fans than before. It is a very strong addition to their discography. Fans of their earlier, sludge-infested material with aggressive vocal parts, pulverizing riffs, and complex songwriting may or may not embrace it depending on their tastes. Personally, I consider Blood Mountain their high-water mark due to the fact that it seamlessly blends the raw aggression of Leviathan with the progressive mindset of Crack the Skye, but I enjoy all of their albums, including this one. I just enjoy them for different reasons.
This album marks an important step in the band's evolution. It was mixed and produced by Mike Elizondo whose resume includes non-metal artists like Dr Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent. Worry not, though, the mix is spectacular and the sound clarity amazing (though I prefer the more dynamic production on their earlier work by far). However, Elizondo has definitely pushed Mastodon into writing shorter and less complex songs with heavier emphasis on melodic chord progressions and hook-filled arrangements. There is not a single song that reaches six minutes; the writing is more immediate and to the point. Actually, many of the songs are around the three-minute mark, with "Blasteroid" being even shorter: a punk-infested drive, simple yet powerful guitar work, and melodic vocals balanced out by aggressive singing make up the composition.
The stylistic change in the band's sound and style cannot be entirely attributed to their new producer, however. They also have a new cover artist and they've changed their method of writing. While albums like Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye were painstakingly composed and took a long time to produce, The Hunter was recorded in only a few weeks. Also, the songs were largely written on the road while the band was on tour with Alice In Chains. The album sees Mastodon liberating themselves from conceptual boundaries. Rather than exploring more complex themes and writing everything under that theme, this time around, they've written songs that are independent of each other, songs that stand on their own.
The band's enigmatic lyrics and approach to constructing riffs and melodies is fully intact with a few exceptions. "Curl of the Burl" starts with the line "I killed a man cause he killed my goat," a song whose swaggering groove was possibly inspired by a Queens of the Stone Age track. There are more overt references to their inspirations: I hear lots of Neil Peart-like drum fills by Brann Dailor whose performance is uniformly stunning on this disc. His playing on "Octopus Has No Friends" is impossibly tasty, and his tone is amazing. The song deploys an epic build-up with powerful vocals and deep-in-the-pocket rhythms. The way the cascades of guitars work to the anthemic chorus is nothing short of brilliant.
The band also pays tribute to Pink Floyd in more than one track. "Stargasm" (with lyrics about sex in space!) is informed by Floydian synth swells eventually dissolving under thunderous drum attacks and liquidy instrumental passages while "Creature Lives" is unlike anything they have done before. It mixes tons of sampled voices, lots of keyboard effects, odd tonalities, and deep bass notes to achieve a unique sound with syrupy vocal lines, but honestly, it's not what I expect of Mastodon. I love experimental music, but I consider this one among their least interesting.
There are also similarities to their previous work. The band continues to pen personal lyrics as they did on Crack the Skye. The title track is about the unexpected death of guitarist Brent Hinds' brother while hunting (actually the working title of this album was Brother, but the band decided to go with The Hunter eventually). With acoustic guitars from the shadows, keys mistily creeping through the song, and plaintive vocals, the song morphs into a Lep Zeppelin-inspired blues guitar solo that consumes you. And the lyrics will scar your soul.
Similarly, the final track, "The Sparrow," commemorates the loss of a friend of the band's. It is extremely personal, as the lyrics "Pursue happiness with diligence" are her words. This is arguably the finest closing track on any Mastodon album due to its emotional breadth. The vocals are apathetic, sung as if he'd rather not be there, but the instrumentation is suffused with sheer emotion. This makes the song weightier and more real. The guitar solo is haunting; it wails and wails over worldess vocal melodies, and the song finishes in a strange yet beautiful way.
As with the previous three Mastodon discs, Scott Kelly from Neurosis once again guests on the album on the fast-paced, rhythmically dense "Spectrelight." Kelly's distinct raspy voice drives the piece towards its apex amidst a storm of riffs and pummelling drum slam. The band's fans of earlier material should also enjoy the doomsday riffing of the opening track with its scorching vocals, relentless low end, and intricate rhythm force.
The Hunter is likely to be Mastodon's breakthrough album, gaining them more fans than before. It is a very strong addition to their discography. Fans of their earlier, sludge-infested material with aggressive vocal parts, pulverizing riffs, and complex songwriting may or may not embrace it depending on their tastes. Personally, I consider Blood Mountain their high-water mark due to the fact that it seamlessly blends the raw aggression of Leviathan with the progressive mindset of Crack the Skye, but I enjoy all of their albums, including this one. I just enjoy them for different reasons.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Some initial words on the DVD content of the Limited Edition version: If anyone is expecting a long "making of" documentary like the one included in the "Crack the Skye" package, you may be a little disappointed. Yes, it does include such a program, but it is very short compared to the previous release, clocking in at only a few minutes. Beyond that, a song by song commentary is also included, but it is only Brann Dailor sitting outside on a chair (presumably at night time), giving his thoughts on each track. No other band members appear in these segments. The music videos included are the "Black Tongue" clip, which was available online for some time and is essentially just the artist creating the album cover's wood statue/head. Also included is the totally hilarious "Deathbound" video, which is a grand violent spoof of the old children's show, "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood". Oddly, again Brann is the only one who appears, and only in the very beginning before the puppet mayhem begins. The remaining video is billed as a "psychedelic visualizer", and it is only for one track, the song "Stargasm". For some reason I believed that this trippy screen production would accompany the whole album, much like the website version, but sadly it does not. That wraps it up. No official video to "Curl of the Burl" or anything else. I don't want to express that anything here was not well done, but there is just not enough content compared to the previous release.
As for the album itself, at first take the songs are shorter and perhaps less developed than those on "Crack the Skye", but the brutal intricate beauty is well intact. Brann's drumming is truly epic in scope. The full sonic assault is occasionally melded once again with spaced slower movements, making the album as a whole flow as a timeless voyage.
Overall, the album is not as urgent or edged as "Blood Mountain" or earlier releases, but certainly a work of art from masters of the craft. A great addition to the Mastodon body of work.
As for the album itself, at first take the songs are shorter and perhaps less developed than those on "Crack the Skye", but the brutal intricate beauty is well intact. Brann's drumming is truly epic in scope. The full sonic assault is occasionally melded once again with spaced slower movements, making the album as a whole flow as a timeless voyage.
Overall, the album is not as urgent or edged as "Blood Mountain" or earlier releases, but certainly a work of art from masters of the craft. A great addition to the Mastodon body of work.
23 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The year is 2011 and Mastodon have released their fifth full-length studio album The Hunter; an album which has the completely unenviable task of having to follow up the band's previous album Crack The Skye from 2009, which was a bold and defining moment in the band's career that deservedly won the band a wider audience and that cemented many new fanships worldwide.
When the band announced that unlike their previous three albums, the album would not be a concept album and furthermore they were using both a different producer and even a different artist to handle the album artwork, many feared that the band might be deliberately trying to distance themselves from the style we have all come to love; luckily that is not entirely the case, they only wanted to make the album fresh and original while still managing to retain much of the signature Mastodon sound.
Opening with the storming pair of pre-released track `Black Tongue' and lead single `Curl Of The Burl,' the album is magnificent from the get-go. Rather than attempt to outdo Crack The Skye in terms of progression, Mastodon have completely shifted their focus to other elements within their sound and expanded on those. The Hunter is direct and immediate, seeing more straight-forward song structures, cleaner vocals and steadier beats than any album in their esteemed career, even the guitar and bass sounds are the cleanest and least sludgey on any Mastodon record to date.
For many fans; the words `straight forward,' and `steady beats,' may seem troublesome when used in conjunction with Mastodon. Especially if like me, you got into the band for their complexity and astounding virtuoso musicianship particularly in the drumming department.
Indeed, some listeners who prefer Mastodon's Sludge influenced sound may be very surprised with tracks like `Blasteroid' or `Dry Bone Valley.' Rather than lash out immediately however, everyone should give The Hunter a fair few listens before making up their minds, after all what people need to remember is that as far back as 2004's `Naked Burn' they have been hinting at this sort of thing, now it has just become much more prominent.
Even to assuage fears, it cannot be said that The Hunter is a return to the hardest and most complex territory the band have ever explored. The songs fire ahead with force and power, but are almost all filled with big melodic choruses and driving guitar lines. Just feel safe in the knowledge that the album is not truly a grand departure either; everything still very much sounds instantly recognizable as Mastodon, even if you do have to wait longer between drum fills than on other albums.
Keyboards, structural complexity and the proggier elements found on 2009's Crack The Skye or the 2010 Jonah Hex: Revenge Gets Ugly Soundtrack EP do return on a few occasions especially on the later half of The Hunter too, such as one the wonderful brooding Title Track and `The Sparrow,' both of which have that Brent Hinds penned arpeggio feel, as well as the Josh Homme influenced `Thickening,' and the very unique `Creature Lives,' all of which helps bridge the gap between back then and now rather well.
For yet more similarities with older material, (as with all the band's studio albums barring their debut) Scott Kelly of Neurosis makes a guest vocal appearance, doing a fine job as usual this time on the up-tempo `Spectrelight.'
Ignoring musical direction, the actual performances and musicianship are utterly spectacular. The vocals (now featuring even more from Brann Dailor) from all parties involved have never ever sounded so good and their skill and talent has improved remarkably, in addition to the guitar solos which are some of the most evocative and emotive sounding leads the band have ever produced.
As performers the band have taken things to a whole other level with The Hunter; the songs are fantastic, no arguments whatsoever can be made with the production and overall The Hunter is simply a hands down good album and a real grower too. If you like Mastodon then ensure that you get yourself a copy, you will likely not regret it.
*** If you should buy the special edition with the DVD, be aware unless you pick up the correct edition, unlike the band's previous two DVD editions, there is no making of documentary to be had.
Instead there are two music videos (for `Black Tongue,' and `Deathbound,') as well as a `Psychedelic Visualizer,' for the album that shows interesting imagery on screen along with the album (if you don't understand just look on youtube) and finally an Augmented Reality experience that works in conjunction with the band's official website and with your webcam to place you within the album art, putting the head on your head for video and photo sessions in the web browser which also has Facebook connectivity etc.
This DVD is in addition to the alternative packaging that fits in more with previous Mastodon artwork styles and of course two bonus tracks, `The Ruiner,' and `Deathbound' which are acquired digitally once you have the album BUT ONLY IF YOU BUY IT DIRECT FROM THE BAND'S OWN WEBSITE, OTHERWISE YOU'LL HAVE TO BUY THEM YOURSELF AT AN ADDED COST. ***
When the band announced that unlike their previous three albums, the album would not be a concept album and furthermore they were using both a different producer and even a different artist to handle the album artwork, many feared that the band might be deliberately trying to distance themselves from the style we have all come to love; luckily that is not entirely the case, they only wanted to make the album fresh and original while still managing to retain much of the signature Mastodon sound.
Opening with the storming pair of pre-released track `Black Tongue' and lead single `Curl Of The Burl,' the album is magnificent from the get-go. Rather than attempt to outdo Crack The Skye in terms of progression, Mastodon have completely shifted their focus to other elements within their sound and expanded on those. The Hunter is direct and immediate, seeing more straight-forward song structures, cleaner vocals and steadier beats than any album in their esteemed career, even the guitar and bass sounds are the cleanest and least sludgey on any Mastodon record to date.
For many fans; the words `straight forward,' and `steady beats,' may seem troublesome when used in conjunction with Mastodon. Especially if like me, you got into the band for their complexity and astounding virtuoso musicianship particularly in the drumming department.
Indeed, some listeners who prefer Mastodon's Sludge influenced sound may be very surprised with tracks like `Blasteroid' or `Dry Bone Valley.' Rather than lash out immediately however, everyone should give The Hunter a fair few listens before making up their minds, after all what people need to remember is that as far back as 2004's `Naked Burn' they have been hinting at this sort of thing, now it has just become much more prominent.
Even to assuage fears, it cannot be said that The Hunter is a return to the hardest and most complex territory the band have ever explored. The songs fire ahead with force and power, but are almost all filled with big melodic choruses and driving guitar lines. Just feel safe in the knowledge that the album is not truly a grand departure either; everything still very much sounds instantly recognizable as Mastodon, even if you do have to wait longer between drum fills than on other albums.
Keyboards, structural complexity and the proggier elements found on 2009's Crack The Skye or the 2010 Jonah Hex: Revenge Gets Ugly Soundtrack EP do return on a few occasions especially on the later half of The Hunter too, such as one the wonderful brooding Title Track and `The Sparrow,' both of which have that Brent Hinds penned arpeggio feel, as well as the Josh Homme influenced `Thickening,' and the very unique `Creature Lives,' all of which helps bridge the gap between back then and now rather well.
For yet more similarities with older material, (as with all the band's studio albums barring their debut) Scott Kelly of Neurosis makes a guest vocal appearance, doing a fine job as usual this time on the up-tempo `Spectrelight.'
Ignoring musical direction, the actual performances and musicianship are utterly spectacular. The vocals (now featuring even more from Brann Dailor) from all parties involved have never ever sounded so good and their skill and talent has improved remarkably, in addition to the guitar solos which are some of the most evocative and emotive sounding leads the band have ever produced.
As performers the band have taken things to a whole other level with The Hunter; the songs are fantastic, no arguments whatsoever can be made with the production and overall The Hunter is simply a hands down good album and a real grower too. If you like Mastodon then ensure that you get yourself a copy, you will likely not regret it.
*** If you should buy the special edition with the DVD, be aware unless you pick up the correct edition, unlike the band's previous two DVD editions, there is no making of documentary to be had.
Instead there are two music videos (for `Black Tongue,' and `Deathbound,') as well as a `Psychedelic Visualizer,' for the album that shows interesting imagery on screen along with the album (if you don't understand just look on youtube) and finally an Augmented Reality experience that works in conjunction with the band's official website and with your webcam to place you within the album art, putting the head on your head for video and photo sessions in the web browser which also has Facebook connectivity etc.
This DVD is in addition to the alternative packaging that fits in more with previous Mastodon artwork styles and of course two bonus tracks, `The Ruiner,' and `Deathbound' which are acquired digitally once you have the album BUT ONLY IF YOU BUY IT DIRECT FROM THE BAND'S OWN WEBSITE, OTHERWISE YOU'LL HAVE TO BUY THEM YOURSELF AT AN ADDED COST. ***
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Let the Mastodon Crush you!
In the ever flowing ocean of music available to us, it's easy to miss out on great music because we simple do not have the time to fully explore every band we may or may not enjoy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Fernando
5.0 out of 5 stars
pleasantly surprised!
I really underestimated Mastadon. They have a very unique, somewhat "Toolesque" sound. I'm hooked. This album is brilliant and has a very wide spectrum of sound. Read more
Published 1 month ago by gfincher987
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best metal albums in the last 10 years.
Mastodon continues to evolve and get even better. They are the best metal act to emerge in the last decade, and this album legitimizes this claim. Buy it or fail at life.
Published 1 month ago by Paul Lindberg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite Mastodon Album
Amazing metal from start to finish. I've only heard 3 Mastodon albums... Leviathan (least favorite), Crack the Skye (excellent), and this... THIS ROCKS!!! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sean Herbeck
5.0 out of 5 stars
MASTODON RULES THE WORLD!!!!!!
MASTODON is BY FAR the best METAL act of the world now!!!!There are others making great metal too, like LAMB OF GOD and DOWN... Read more
Published 2 months ago by FLUMINENSE
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just get the regular edition
The album is amazing. Great riffs, technicality and catchy hooks. This album isn't worth it, though. Just get the regular edition. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Anthony
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mastodon rocks!
This album is unique and heavily melodic. The more you listen, the more you like it. And on 180gm vinyl at 45 rpm the sound quality is outstanding.
Published 3 months ago by Tony
5.0 out of 5 stars
Obsession Album
Though new to this band, this album became one of my obsession albums for several weeks. I would continuously play the album all the way through on long road trips.
Published 3 months ago by Brenna Ceron
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Creature Lives
After a good decade of slogging through the scene as one of the toughest hard rock/heavy metal outfits around, Atlanta's own Mastodon seemed to have pretty much pushed themselves... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. Estes
5.0 out of 5 stars
hunter is awesome
never thought i would own a mastodon cd but after hearing this on amazon i was quite impressed with the style they have taken here. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tim Robinson
