Album Review: Mastodon-The Hunter

Mastodon is my favorite band of all time. The first time I heard them in 2006, I was instantly captivated and they became my favorite band right away. Their entire discography is comprised of nothing but amazing music. The Hunter is no exception to the rule, Mastodon's streak of excellence is still in tact.

The Hunter is sure to divide Mastodon's fanbase. It's easily their strangest, most varied release to date. It sounds absolutely nothing like any of their other material. Some listeners might even go as far to question if it's even the same band that released records like Leviathan and Blood Mountain. Personally, I had no issue with the new sound. It shows yet again how dynamic and musically diverse Mastodon is as a band.

The Hunter shows a little bit of everything Mastodon has to offer. You have some classic-rock inspired jams ("Dry Bone Valley", "Stargasm"), some very heavy stuff ("Blasteroid", "Spectrelight") and even some really trippy, Pink Floyd-sounding material ("The Hunter", "All The Heavy Lifting"). The beauty of The Hunter though is how Mastodon is able to capture all the different styles with a clear vision and consistent quality. It takes a lot of skill to pull that off and Mastodon does it effortlessly. Even with all the styles played on this record, there is one thing that is constant, Mastodon's stunning level of musicianship. Guitarist Brent Hinds is a riff-writing machine. He pulls out headbang-worthy riffs on almost every song on the album. The vocals are approached in a different yet fascinating way on this record. Drummer Brann Dailor now contributes a solid amount of vocals to give Mastodon 3 vocalists. Dailor, Hinds, and Troy Sanders compliment each other incredibly well and give every song has a unique flavor.

The Hunter is excellent stuff. It's able to blend classic rock, prog rock, and balls-out metal to make a highly original sound. It's a much different direction for Mastodon, but that's part of the reason it's so good. Without a doubt, It's going to alienate some fans of the band and take time to sink in for some others.  It takes a special band to successfully reinvent themselves this many times. Mastodon continues to put out genre-bending masterpieces and (hopefully) won't change anytime soon.

4.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Blasteroid
2.Spectrelight
3.Dry Bone Valley