Many old school fans fear when their band gets signed to a major label. I don’t have to go through the list here. We know the examples all too well. Rarely is the case when an artist is given free reign to call the shots themselves when they sign on that dotted line. One of those rare occasions is the band Mastodon. This band has achieved their growing success the old fashioned way... through dedication, hard work, and relentless touring. And not by some flash in the pan American Idol 15 minutes of shame attempt. In fact, Mastodon have been sweating out their blood and tears for over ten years now. They are indeed on the fast track to becoming major stars. Warner Bros. records recognized this and have given the band an opportunity to expand upon their global domination.
New album “Blood Mountain” strips away any concerns of sell out from the blistering opening track all the way to the end. It is without a doubt THE Metal album of the year.
With that, the band put on a sold out blistering set that had all in attendance transfixed with sheer awe. Newbies such as “The Wolf Is Loose,” “Crystal Skull,” “Capillarian Crest,” “Circle Of Cysquatch,” and “Blade Catcher” sat along nicely with older faves like “March Of The Fire Ants.” “Colony Of Birchmen” was an extra added treat, as Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stoneage came out and performed his guest vocal duties as he does on the new album. Even though Queens’ music is far removed from that of Mastodon, he recognizes a good thing. It’s great how Bassist Troy Sanders and Guitarist Brent Hinds are more and more splitting the vocal duties, which adds a nice balance to the ferocious sound. And the man who truly is the backbone is drummer Brann Dailor. This guy is an absolute monster, and makes it look so easy behind his custom Randy Roads decorated kit. Lets not leave out Guitarist Bill Kelliher who adds some great rythym work. The set ended with the epic “Hearts Alive” and left no one unimpressed.
Mastodon will be heading out with Tool for a European tour soon. Before that, you can check them out on Conan O’Brien November 1st. All hail the new kings of Metal!
