The thundering sound of the mighty Mastodon is back with the release of their sixth studio album, “Once More ‘Round the Sun.” For this latest offering, the band has strayed from their concept album style and has instead let the eleven tracks stand on their own. The songs are representations of each band member’s life during the past year and are laden with the heavy riffs and powerful vocals that we expect from a Mastodon record.
“Once More ‘Round the Sun” is a superb blend of classic rock and progressive guitar metal. Overall the record has a heavy feel, sounding both ominous and beautiful at the same time. From the 12 string guitar opening of “Tread Lightly” with its outstanding vocal harmonies to the more melodic lead single, “High Road,” the songs are Mastodon at its best. The drums of Brann Dailor have never sounded better and along with vocalist Troy Sanders’ bass provide the perfect backdrop for the axegrindings of guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher. You won’t want to miss the incredible guitar work on “Ember City” and “Halloween” as well as the closing track, the ghostly “Diamond in the Witch House,” which features Scott Kelly of Neurosis. I also need to give props for the outstanding album artwork which makes me long for the good old days where album cover art was indeed an art unto itself. Mastodon is offering limited edition on vinyl and this is something true collectors will want to check out.
With “Once More ‘Round the Sun” Mastodon has given us a record as powerful as the prehistoric beast that is their namesake. Give this beast what it deserves, crank this one until the ground shakes!
