Gary Steel“THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY” – A SHORT SERIES OF 2014 ALBUM REVIEWS THAT NEVER SAW THE LIGHT OF DAY, FOR SOME REASON.
MASTODON HAS BEEN on the receiving end of so much gushing praise as the supposed resurrection of metal that it’s somewhat inevitable that with Once More ‘Round The Sun, the group’s sixth album, the buzzards would start to circle the carcass.
Up to now, Mastodon has managed to make a credible hard rock without disappearing into the abyss of genre specificity. Early albums dealt with overarching progressive influences but rendered them in an almost sludge style – seemingly contradictory, but it worked.
Now they’ve “gone commercial”, with anthem-like choruses and recognisable melodic contours, but amazingly, there’s no sign of intrinsic compromise: the sound here is relatively raw and hard, enhanced by producer Nick Raskulinecz, who is presumably responsible for Troy Sanders’ vocals sound about five times more powerful than before.
It won’t win over non-metal converts, but Once More ‘Round The Sun finds a good balance between Foo Fighters-style American rock and the more menacing and mysterious modes of yore. GARY STEEL
Sound = 3.5/5
Music = 3.5/5
