Mastodon is a group which I’ve tried to get into oh so many times before at the promptings of a few friends and various other people with whom I converse about music. Despite my attempts however, Mastodon just never really captured my attention. The heavy riffing seemed a bit on the repetitive side, and Troy Sanders’ vocals can become fairly grating after awhile. The group’s fourth effort, Crack the Skye, however, has caused me to take another look at this Atlanta spawned quartet.
Somewhat of a departure from Mastodon’s previous works, Crack the Skye utilizes a much more melodic tone than its predecessors. For this outing, Sanders has toned down the growly, tough guy vocals, and actually shows off some fairly impressive singing. The instrumentation, while maintaining the heavy, sludgy sensibility that in part defines this band, has likewise taken a turn for the melodic, with a bit less rhythmic chugging than before. Guitar solos remain scarce, but that didn’t bother me as much this time around, as the music maintains a more melodic, engaging feel than some of their earlier material.
Keeping with tradition, Crack the Skye is a concept album. This time around, the story centers on a paraplegic man who discovers that he can astral project, and leaves his body to explore the stars. All sorts of crazy happenings follow this departure, but I won’t go into it. It’s an amusing story though. The story progresses to the highlight of the album: the simply masterful The Last Baron. Clocking in at 13 minutes long, it’s a doozy of a tune, but most definitely worth the time.
While I still can’t really call myself much of a Mastodon fan, Crack the Skye has at least caused me to give them another look. Maybe after a few more listens I’ll be able to figure out what everybody else has been seeing in them for so long.
