Heavy Rotation: Mastodon

Mastodon's last album, 2006's Blood Mountain, was the first metal album I had soaked up and enjoyed in ages. The band also blew my mind at Pitchfork Fest that summer. So, I found myself anticipating their new LP, Crack The Skye, with a fair amount of giddiness. After several spins, all I can say is that it absolutely delivers and trumps Blood Mountain. Crack The Skye is a metal album for people who don't listen to metal (or, at least, not much of it). It is steeped in melodic prog-rock and psychedelic tendencies. Basically, it's a music geek's album. Wicked guitar solos? Check. Multi-part epics? Check. Moog and organ? Check. Banjo? Yup, check. Comparatively speaking, Crack The Skye has a much higher percentage of singing (as opposed to screaming) and honest-to-god, soaring melodies. The 11-minute centerpiece, "The Czar," is a four-part suite and supposedly about the murder of Rasputin. It builds from a mournful, mid-tempo swirl of moonlit guitar and keys into a hydra-headed explosion of dueling guitars and, finally, dissipates into a spacey lament. I was unable to provide any downloads, so I have "Oblivion" and "Divinations" streaming below.

Oblivion - Mastodon

Divinations - Mastodon