I heard 'Curl of the Burl' today from their latest album The Hunter and really liked what I heard. The vocals were much "cleaner" than I remember them being in the past.

Is this new album a big departure from their older albums? I played a few clips from older albums and I'm hearing harsher vocals. Even then, they aren't as bad as I thought they'd be. Have they developed gradually from their earlier material or was this shift overnight with the new album? I'm suddenly interested in this band.

Any opinions, good or bad, would be appreciated.

Crack The Skye is their best album and is the most melodic vocally. They've been moving away from harsh vocals since Blood Mountain. You'd probably like that album as well.

Check out the clips for "Oblivion" and "Divinations" from Crack The Skye on youtube.

I just played the :30 clips of Crack the Skye on Amazon. Sounds pretty decent to me. When I have more time, I'll investigate a little more, but these guys are now on my radar.

I think their latest album is their most experimental but imo their best is indeed Crack the Skye. Fewer songs but each song is a highlight.

I have a hard time choosing between Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain. I think that Blood Mountain gets neglected a bit in comparison, but both are amazing in their own right. Sometimes I'm in the mood to chill out with "Oblivion," but at other times I crave the insane noodling at the beginning of "Capillarian Crest."

I like the new album a lot. It's more diverse than the previous stuff. I think the songs are also a lot shorter and more to the point.

Strangely enough, my Last.fm radio at the moment is playing Oblivion. If my opinion counts any, I quite like what I've heard from Mastodon (Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain).

I've liked Mastodon since the Remission album. Leviathan being my personal favorite. The vocals are harsher than their later releases. But I have and do enjoy everything they've released. The songs are a little simpler and shorter on The Hunter. They do seem catchier,too. Plus there's no underlying concept with the latest album.

The Hunter is growing on me. Crack The Skye had me hooked immediately, but The Hunter seems to be the type of album you have to digest awhile before you get a solid feel for it.

Leviathan is still my favorite Mastodon album, but nothing they have done so far is bad at all. Remission is great, but in my opinion probably their weakest album. That says a lot about Mastodon. The Hunter is just as good as anything they've done. It's a bit different, yes, but not so different that you wouldn't think it was Mastodon if you didn't know better. They dropped a bit of the progressive style on The Hunter I would say. They still have the same atmosphere as always: spaced out, trippy, yet heavy and brilliant.

dates up for the Mastodon / Opeth / Ghost tour:

http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/01/31/here-are-dates-for-the-mastodonopethghost-tour/

Quote:

(M) Indicates Mastodon closes the show (O) Indicates Opeth closes the show 04/04 – Portland, ME @ State Theater (M) 04/05 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theater (O) 04/06 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis (O) 04/07 – Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre (O) 04/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory(M) 04/10 – Wallingford, CT @ The Dome (M) 04/11 – New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom (M) 04/13 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre (M) 04/14 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection (M) 04/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE (M) 04/16 – Knoxville, TN @ TN Theater (O) 04/18 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom (M) 04/19 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom (O) 04/20 – San Antonio, TX @ Back Stage Live (O) 04/21 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street (O) 04/23 – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium (O) 04/25 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues (M) 04/26 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre (O) 04/27 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre (O) 04/28 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort (M) 04/30 – Seattle, WA @ The Paramount (O) 05/01 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre (O) 05/03 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Center (O) 05/04 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall (M) 05/05 – Saskatoon, SK @ The Odeon (O) 05/06 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre (O) 05/09 – Washington, DC @ The Fillmore (O) 05/10 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore (M) 05/11 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues (M) 05/12 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Music Park (M)

Thanks for the update, I added the list to the thread I created for the tour.

I listened to a whole playlist of stuff on YouTube yesterday while working. While I didn't love everything, there was a whole lot that I liked and really nothing that was downright horrible. Mostly the vocals were a sticking point (as are most bands I listen to), but I think that I gould get used to them over time.

I do believe I'll be adding some Mastadon to my collection in the near future, probably starting with The Hunter and working my way back.

Mastodon has 3 lead vocalists (guitarist, bass player, drummer) so you'll probably find some songs you like better than others in the vocal department.

They have one of the best drummers in the business right now, that's for sure. There is no shortage of talent in that group, they are all top notch players.

I had heard Mastodon at one point on Headbanger's Ball (in their Leviathan days) and did not like them. My son has been trying to convince me lately and forced me to listen to Crack the Skye in the car a couple of weeks ago on an hour drive. I must say, much like MetalGuy71, I rather liked it. Almost no harsh vocals and solid musicianship. I will probably be borrowing a couple of albums from my son. I wish the Hunter Heritage Tour was coming to Ohio. That would be a killer show!

I like The Hunter a lot, I'm still a little disappointed overall because I liked Crack The Skye so much and feel the longer song forms are a more comfortable fit for Mastodon.

But taken on it's own it's a really good album. The title track is my favorite tune along with Creature Lives.

Interesting choices for favorite tracks. My top tracks are Dry Bone Valley (I love the vocals on this track), Spectrelight, and Black Tongue.

Listened to The Hunter last week. I liked Black Tongue, Curl of the Burl and Creature Lives. Those are the ones that stood out to me right away.

I'm enjoying Crack the Skye just as much as The Hunter so far. I'm surprised it took me this long to discover these guys.

I'm really enjoying the drumming on these albums. I don't usually take notice to individual instruments but the drumming really stands out on both albums.

Hi folks. I think The Hunter is quite a departure for Mastodon, they apparently rejected the idea of a concept album this time round and made the most of the freedom to just put-together a collection of songs. I still can't quite decide if I like it or not but I do play it a lot!