The sound and approach from this track was a highlight of the album and took a step back in time to the renowned sound of the band.
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The riffs and drums played a homage to this era of the band and Emperor of Sand producer Brendan O’Brien also produced Crack the Skye. The track Word To The Wise, reminded me of Crack the Skye which was a very successful and predominate release from MASTODON. Most notable tracks include “ Sultans Curse,” “ Show Yourself,” “ Word To The Wise” and “ Jaguar God“. The band’s drummer Brann Dailor, definitely does not underplay in any way by his constant technical abilities and diversity on each track. There is a combination of sounds throughout the album which expand the concept by the way of bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist’s Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds, who experiment in heavy thunderous riffs without watering anything down. This album is almost an hour long and sees MASTODON allow the 11 tracks to flow into each other. “Word to the Wise” and “ Ancient Kingdom” are other stand out tracks when listening to the vocals on the album.
This latest release has a more experimental and progressive feel in especially in the vast vocal range of singer Troy Sanders in tracks “ Clandestiny” where the singing shifts from very clear cleans to the heavier growls that old fans will be familiar with. “Why do we have to be so fucking deep all the time?”Įmperor of Sand mixes the old doom, sludge metal roots with the modern production of MASTODON’s sound that was produced by Brendan O’Brien. “When we’re re-learning the songs and sing the lyrics, we say, “Jesus, this stuff is deep, man,’“he continues, laughing at the band’s insistence on exploring heavy themes. This song sums up the concept of Emperor of Sand which deals with the personal issues that the band have endured as they saw family members battle cancer. He was referring to the track Roots Remain where the lyrics speak of a Grim Reaper like character who resembles Sultan and enforces a death sentence upon a desert wanderer. When speaking about the album to Rolling Stone guitarist Bill Kelliher said “When I first heard it with the lyrics and everything, I was just bawling”. It offers the same hooks and heavy riffs that fans expect without going into an overly radio friendly approach like the previous release Once More ‘Round The Sun. Influencing many of today’s biggest metal acts without ever ceasing to push their own signature sound and desire to not record similar sounding albums MASTODON, have reinvented themselves again with Emperor of Sand.Įmperor of Sand is a fresh breath back to what some may regard as the classic MASTODON sound from their earlier albums. Rolling Stone stated: “Mastodon are a bunch of doom-haunted, myth-obsessed, meat-and-potatoes Southern badasses who have become the most important new band in metal.” In 2009 MASTODON won the Kerrang! Award for Best Video Oblivion and later went on to win the Kerrang! Award in 2012 for Best Album The Hunter. Since forming in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000, the legendary American heavy metal act has released seven albums and have been labelled by Allmusic as “one of the preeminent metal acts of the early 21st century”. MASTODON are an example of what it means to steadfastly stay true to your vision.
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Paste (magazine) - "The newly released EMPEROR OF SAND successfully fuses the high concept, high volume grind of the Atlanta metal band's older material with the more melodic immediacy of their last two records."Ĭlash (Magazine) - "Thanks to their knack for building mind-bending towers of prog frippery on top of solid, hook-laden foundations, Mastodon now stand as the preeminent metal gateway drug any novice should sample before moving on to harder hits such as Neurosis or Gojira.The latest 11 track offering from Atlanta, Georgia’s MASTODON titled Emperor of Sand is full of hooks and technical brutality that both old and new fans of the band will enjoy. NME (Magazine) - 4 stars out of 5 - "There are a few breaks from the magnificent doom, most impressively the breakdown and skirmish in 'Roots Remain', which segues into something akin to a magical crystal cave with its eloquent chimes and drones in the right places." Magnet - "rummer Brann Dailor remains the band's most capable vocal weapon, with the earworm-y 'Steambreather' recalling ONCE MORE's 'The Motherload.'" Rolling Stone - 3.5 star out of 5 - " lofty concept piece about a man wandering a desert with a curse over his head set to swirling, frenetic guitars and gut-rumbling drums."Īlternative Press - "ith the melodies of killer songs like the highlight 'Ancient Kingdom,' Mastodon prove they just keep moving ahead with this enveloping and rewarding album."