Mastodon - Crack The Skye

Mastodon - Crack The Skye

Release date: March 24, 2009

There are a few important things you should know about Crack The Skye, the latest release from Mastodon.  The first is a warning:  This album is not for the faint of heart.  Like the band’s previous albums, their most recent recording is a heady mix of frantic drums, chugging yet intricate guitar lines, and bombastic vocals.  It can be boiled down to one word: intense.  However, it’s a slightly different intensity this time around.  Mastodon have refined and slightly altered their approach in favor of the epic aspect of the band’s sound, shifting the focus somewhat away from their brutal side.  Because of this, those expecting another Blood Mountain are in for a surprise.

Another thing to keep in mind about Crack The Skye is that it takes a while to sink in.   Most of Crack The Skye is slow-building and expansive, taking its time to reach its high points.  Take album opener “Oblivion,” with its ominous layers of guitar relentlessly escalating to the beginning of the first verse - and taking nearly a whole minute to do so.  It sounds great, but it doesn’t exactly grab you by the neck in the same way the opening track on Blood Mountain did.  The most similar song to the band’s earlier material is first single “Divinations,” which is brimming with the kind of spastic guitar work Mastodon is known for.  The album’s other six tracks are less predictable, though.  Most of the songs here feature relatively long, involved intros and meander in and out of several distinct sections.  This approach is particularly effective in the album’s twin extended suites, “The Czar” and closer “The Last Baron,” both clocking in at well over ten minutes in length and containing a remarkable number of distinct riffs and vocal motifs.  However, at times, all the material here has a problematic tendency to run together - all that guitar playing does start to sound the same after a while, and the album is somewhat light on memorable vocal hooks.  The overall mood the album sets - one of ominous energy building to the brink of disaster but just barely containing itself - might be more memorable at first than the music itself.

The end result of the band’s increased focus on compositional intricacy is that Crack The Skye may take several listens to reveal its worth.  After another spin or two, things start coming together, and musical highlights start standing out, such as the monumentally-epic-in-every-way conclusion of the aforementioned “The Last Baron.”  Crack The Skye may demand a bit of effort from its listeners, but there truly are some amazing and powerful moments on the record.  Though they might be elusive at first, if you’re patient, and if you let yourself get drawn in, the effort is worth it.

3.5/5

Standout Tracks:

• “Oblivion”
• “The Last Baron”
• “The Czar”
• “Ghost Of Karelia”

Lamb Of God - Wrath

Lamb Of God - Wrath

Release date: February 23, 2009

Lamb Of God are nothing if not consistent.  The Virginia-based quintet has been churning out solid chunks of explosive metal for much of the past decade, and their tightly-focused, hard-hitting approach has earned them near-legendary status in modern metal circles, inspiring a following of like-minded groups and leaving an indelible impression on the American heavy music scene.  Lamb Of God have been continually refining their approach with each release, while remaining faithful to their original sound so as not to alienate their fan base.  It’s to be expected, then, that Wrath, their sixth full-length record, delivers the goods - and it does not disappoint.

Taking a page from the books of many classic metal albums before it, Wrath begins with a deceptively subdued passage of acoustic guitar.  But don’t be fooled.  The mayhem begins soon, and once Lamb Of God’s well-oiled metal machine kicks into full gear, it simply does not stop.  As the instrumental intro “The Passing” gives way to the album’s first proper song, “In Your Words,” the listener is bombarded by riff after hammering riff.  The band’s guitar duo of Willie Adler and Mark Morton have become masters of delivering intense, memorable guitar riffs, and their performances on Wrath are as tight as ever.  And Chris Adler is at the top of his game as one of the most impressive metal drummers active today, following and embellishing upon every chugging note played by the guitars with dexterity and muscle.  As a whole, the band seems to have really cut loose in the writing and recording process this time around, pulling out all the stops and letting no good idea go to waste.  This is perhaps best evidenced by “Contractor,” which starts at a breakneck pace before transitioning into a fist-pumping chorus and in turn giving way to one of the album’s most intense blasts of molten groove-metal in the song’s bridge.  “Fake Messiah,” “Set To Fail,” “Choke Sermon,” and any number of other tracks display the band’s prowess in similar fashion.

Wrath isn’t quite perfect, though.  Vocalist Randy Blythe has the unenviable job of making his lyrics heard over the unending maelstrom of noise created by his bandmates, and although he performs admirably, his Phil Anselmo-meets-Rob Zombie bark can get grating at times.  A bit more melody, especially in the choruses, would go a long way toward making the material here even more memorable.  But as a whole, the album provides such a satisfying listening experience that this shortcoming can be forgiven.  If no-frills, high-octane, pulverizing modern metal is what you’re looking for, Wrath offers more than enough headbang for your buck.

4/5

Standout Tracks:

• “Contractor”
• “In Your Words”
• “Fake Messiah”
• “Reclamation”

Umphrey's McGee - Mantis

Umphrey’s McGee - Mantis

Release date: January 20th, 2009

Umphrey’s McGee have always been a hard band to classify.  They’ve been making a name for themselves in the jam-band circuit for quite a while now, and their live shows display a knack for improvisation and spontaneity befitting the genre.  But there’s always been a slightly heavier, more technical aspect of their sound to set them apart from the likes of Phish and their other contemporaries.  Though this has largely taken a backseat in the band’s earlier material, they’ve brought it out into the spotlight with their 2009 release, Mantis - and it cements the band as a force to be reckoned with.

The guys in Umphrey’s must have spent a lot of time studying their classic prog-rock albums during the making of Mantis, because what seems to be happening here is that each track is paying tribute to one key influencer of the band’s sound or another, while still managing to sound fresh and immediate.  Take “Made To Measure,” the relatively straightforward, tuneful opening track, whose catchy melodies and jaunty chorded piano evoke latter-day Beatles.  Then check out album closer “1348,” whose stomping, syncopated grooves are pure King Crimson.  In between these two tracks lie a wide range of material for the band to flex their considerable compositional muscle in.  The epic title track showcases some of the album’s most dextrous playing, featuring some impressive guitar solos; first single “Spires” goes from an all-out rocking introduction to a mellow, harmonized a capella coda; “Turn & Run” just begs to be played in the car with the windows down on a bright summer day as its acoustic intro gives way to what might be the album’s most anthemic chorus.  There’s even some electronica on here, found in “Cemetery Walk II,” a sequel of sorts to the previous track, titled - you guessed it - “Cemetery Walk.”

And so on.  The rest of the album is crammed full of standout moments like the ones described above, and mentioning them all would take way too much time.  It’s hard to pick highlights from an album that’s as consistently great as this one.  Every moment of Mantis is enjoyable on some level, and almost everyone should be able to find something to love about it.  And at 54 minutes, it’s just short enough to leave you desperately wanting more the second it’s over.  Umphrey’s McGee have created a monster in Mantis, blazing onto the scene with an early contender for one of the best albums of the year.  Enthusiastically recommended.

4.5/5

Standout Tracks:

• “Mantis”
• “Spires”
• “Turn & Run”
• “Cemetery Walk”/“Cemetery Walk II”