Blood Mountain

Great Metal Albums of the 2000's (20 items)
list by Oceanscape

My list (748 items)
list by roj

With Slayer’s new one recently cracking the Top 10, and Lamb of God soon to follow, Mastodon can easily include themselves in this unholy trinity of the metal elite. Although they make no bones about their metal roots, it’s of course their trademark propensity for stop-on-a-dime prog that blows this record sky-high. Their constant push to take riffs to epic proportions is now perfectly honed, ... read more

Description: 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 "C
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

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