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By: Kayceman
There are a lot of people who don't like metal that are going to love this album. Crack The Skye (released March 24 on Reprise Records), Mastodon's fourth records bridges the gaps from their heavy metal roots to classic rock, prog, indie, jam and more. The Atlanta quartet has been hailed as "Metal's most important band," now they're dropping the "metal" part and are simply one of the world's most important bands.
"I've never considered our band a standard metal band, and this record's only going to take that further" says bassist/vocalist, Troy Sanders. "We have a wide range of music that we grew up on and love, and our inspirations range from Bach to Björk to Bad Religion."
Mastodon has always been different. Their technical virtuosity has endeared them to fans of all types of music and led them to play crossover bills like Bonnaroo. But for many, the appeal washed away when the scream-core vocals came in. For the most part, Crack The Skye trades the guttural screaming for a far more melodic approach, with actual vocal harmonies and attention to enunciation. This is clearly Mastodon's most ambitious effort and the results couldn't have been achieved without the proper producer. Enter the legend: Brendan O'Brien.
"We wanted to create a classic rock feeling Mastodon album, and he [Brendan O'Brien] was able to do it," says Sanders. "He was the rock guy that really was able to capture the sonic qualities that we wanted to capture as far as the sounds of the drums and the guitars, and he was also able to really bring out the best performances in us, musically, and especially vocally."
O'Brien has helped everyone from AC/DC to Bob Dylan to Pearl Jam to Bruce Springsteen create masterpieces, now he's touched his magic wand on Mastodon and he appears to have cracked the ceiling for them, putting Mastodon on course to join the legions of superstars he's produced in the past.
 Troy Sanders :: Vegoose '07 by Rod Snyder |
Mastodon is getting older, more mature and willing to move outside the accepted norms of metal and take more chances with their evolution. Now in their 30s, there are wives and kids and life is different than when they started nine years ago. And so is their music. Less Dirty South metal and more heavy rock, Crack The Skye not only finds the band implementing a new, more dynamic vocal approach, they've also included an array of instruments they've never offered before. Inside this album we find keyboard washes, piano solos, bass synth, some jazz drumming and even a banjo. But just because they aren't screaming all the vocals over thrashing twin-fire guitars doesn't mean they're pussying out. Crack The Skye may be more melodic, but it's just as heavy as previous efforts, only in different ways.
"I think it's just the reflection of intensity," explains Sanders. "You can just be one man and an acoustic guitar and have a very slow song, but if it's coming from a deep and powerful place the overall effect that you're going to feel is heavy. It's about the effectiveness of a song, or just relaying a certain emotion. Something can be very slow and sad and deep, but it hits you like a ton of bricks, therefore being heavy."
Instead of relying solely on speed and volume, here Mastodon is also focusing on song structure, intention and emotion. They've ramped up on patience, restraint, delicacy, tempo changes and melodic shifts without sacrificing their trademark power. No longer just for head-bangers, there's a mean groove and layers upon layers of sonic indulgence. Crack The Skye is significantly different than anything they've ever done. It's no longer just slamming you in the face, but warming your innards, making you think and moving your ass.
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