Mastodon - The Hunter [2011]

There were few albums released in 2009 that I loved more than Crack the Skye, which I found to be an absolute masterpiece of psychedelic, progressive stoner metal. For a while afterward, the next Mastodon release went almost all the way to the top of my waiting list, as I held my breath in heated anticipation for another masterpiece. However, I got distracted along the way, and when the album was finally announced (along with its short song times and more 'accessible' style), I felt a surprising air of indifference and a fear of extreme disappointment. I missed the release and the excitement as a result, an act that, as it turns out, The Hunter definitely didn't deserve. Mastodon have met (if not surpassed) my expectations yet again.

None of Mastodon's albums sound all that similar to one another, and The Hunter keeps that tradition alive for another affair. The amount of different styles mixed in this wide array of concise tracks is highly impressive, a method personally reminiscent of Voivod's Angel Rat (and yes, that's a very good thing!). Some songs roll mainstream with effective modern rock ("Curl of the Burl," "Blasteroid," and "Dry Bone Valley"), some are noisy stoner metal tunes ("Stargasm" and "Thickening"), some go full blown prog rock ("The Hunter" and "The Sparrow"), and some are simply bizarre exercises in miscellanea ("Creature Lives"). It's this kind of diversity that keeps The Hunter sounding fresh even after many listens. None of it is particularly heavy to an extreme degree, but fans who can tolerate a touch of commercialism in their metal should warm up to it fairly quickly.

The Hunter runs fairly long with thirteen tracks at a total of 53 minutes, but nearly every moment is worthy enough to be in this tasty brew. There's something special about the sound created when Dailor's energetic drumming, the contrasting vocals (once again provided by all members and switching between Ozzy-like droning and a more melodic sweetness), and the cascading rhythms and leads come together. The most fruitful exhibitions of this euphoric concoction are in the pristine "Bedazzled Fingernails" (ugh), which displays surprisingly complex melodies in its first rate chorus. If there was one track here that didn't capture my attention like the others, it was "Dry Bone Valley," a faster track that sort of loses itself in the middle of the album. Not bad, but nothing spectacular. I could say the same about the frenzied "Stargasm."

In short, The Hunter is just another great album by Mastodon. It's an album unlikely to change anyone's opinion of the band, and it does fall short of the excellent masterwork that preceded it, but Mastodon's latest does provide a fun foray into less daring territory; it should represent a safe purchase for fans of the group.

   Overall: 8.25/10 (Great - ...everything's fine)