Mastodon – “Crack The Skye”

Crack The Skye is the latest release from the powerhouse metal band Mastodon. True to their roots, this CD is a heavy melodic overall tour de force of a record. Everything that fans have come to expect from Mastodon is included on this disc; tons of big, guitar driven, tunes and great big vocals.

From the very first track “Oblivion” the listener is greeted with an superbly, well-produced, amazing-sounding record. Producer extraordinaire Brendan Obrien was at the helm for this record and the result is a truly great sounding CD. The combination of Obrien’s production wizardry with the bands trademark sound makes for one hell of a release.

Start to finish the band holds nothing back as they lay down their trademark sound. Crack The Skye is the bands fifth release and it is good to see them improving on an already amazing thing. The songwriting and playing seems to have matured and the result is what I feel is Mastodon’s best record to date.

I am hard pressed to find a song on here that I do not like but I am particularly fond of “The Czar” and “The Last Baron.” Both these tunes are rather long, clocking in at 10:54 and 13:00 minutes respectively, yet are never boring. I found these two songs to be quite incredible.

Bottom line, I feel that with the release of Crack The Skye, Mastodon has hit their full stride. This is a killer from a band that has absolutely solidified its status as a force to be reckoned with. This disc kicks some serious ass and should not be missed.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Oblivion
02. Divinations
03. Quintessence
04. The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral
05. Ghost Of Karelia
06. Crack The Sky
07. The Last Baron

Run Time: 50:06
Release Date: 03.24.2009