CRACK THE SKYE (E)

Mastodon originates from Atlanta (Georgia, USA). Originally they were fully into sludge metal and inspired by bands like Thin Lizzy and Neurosis. They now present Crack The Skye, their fifth full-length album and they took the time to make it something special. Before going into the studio, the band had been touring for over thirteen months. They were also support act for Metallica. If you count the number of tattoos of the four guys together, it will be an impressive figure as we can find with musicians playing hard rock, death metal and related genres. Lead-guitarist Brent Hinds was in hospital for a while - seriously injured - but fortunately he came out of his coma and although he suffered from vertigo for months, he eventually regained all of his functions. This event, the suicide of Skye, the younger sister of drummer Brann Dailor at the age of fourteen and the cooperation with producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Black Crowes) were the ingredients with which Mastodon put together a different, more complex and lyrically more personal album than the previous four. The DVD contains ‘the making of’ the album. The musicians are actually writing and arranging most of the material in the rehearsal room. The members of the band comment on the essential of each track and why they are so proud of what they have achieved with this album. A photo gallery, some live shots and images of their work in the studio complete this DVD, a valuable addition to the album.

Oblivion starts with a heavy sounding plucking of the guitar, the rest of the band joins in and we have a true metal sound comparable to Metallica. The tempo changes, speeds up and we here riffs and somewhat raw vocals, but compared to earlier work, now it’s singing instead of shouting. Even harmonies can be heard, amongst others in the chorus, which has a different tempo again. Some nice guitar solos and very nice orchestrations can be heard by new band member Rich Morris. Divinations opens with Hinds playing the banjo, but soon the guitars take over and are played by the same kind of plucking. The riffs come in the background but the fingers still keep running across the neck of the guitars; an up-tempo rather brutal metal track. In Quintessence you'll hear the guitars being used again not to play simple chords, but instead a more difficult approach by using a plucking technique playing the notes very rapidly within a certain chord. The drumming is also not too easy, multiple patterns and rich fillings. Some nice keyboards in here too. The first epic is called The Czar, opening with a psychedelic organ sound. The guitars take over but the drumming and the atmosphere remains relaxed. The two singers - one an octave lower than the other - are mellow as well. The middle-section is heavier and comes close to some of the music by Ozzy Osbourne. The last section is more melodic, definitely holding progressive elements and a stunning guitar solo by Hinds. Ghost Of Karelia combines prog metal with ‘creepy classic rock’, a term by Brann Dailor, only powerful vocals of someone like Russell Allen are sadly missed. In the title tracks I hear some influences of Wishbone Ash but heavier of course. The addition of keyboards and the melodies are a bit of a contrast compared to the more brutal vocals and heavier riffs. The Last Baron is the second epic which lasts almost fourteen minutes. It refers to Baron von Richthofen, although in the lyrics I can’t find very much about him. This track contain an organsound in the vein of Pink Floyd and a slightly psychedelic atmosphere, but the guitar plucking with the rather heavy distorted sound, remind us this is still heavy metal as keeps popping up with some more powerful up tempo parts. In the middle-section is much more power, and a lot of fine drumming by Dailor. This part ends in a prog metal way. The next bit is inspired by seventies prog but played a bit heavier. The songs ends with a sort of guitar orgasm. Throughout the whole album I sense traces of Presto Ballet too, a band also inspired by the harder rocking progressive music from the seventies.

Obviously Crack The Skye defines a new chapter in Mastodon’s career. Although I’m not too impressed by the vocals, at least there’s singing instead of screaming and shouting and the four members of the band definitely know how to master their consecutive instruments. For genuine prog heads this album may still be a bridge too far, but for fans of hard rock and heavy metal with a progressive touch, this album is absolutely worth checking out.