The Hunter
“The greatest metal band of their generation”, Mastodon returned in September with their fifth full-length album. Since coming together 12 years ago this hairy 4-piece has effortlessly spanned a slew of metal sub-genres creating a sound that’s as unique as it is timeless.
This latest release, titled The Hunter [in tribute to vocalist Brent Hinds’ brother, who was sadly killed in a hunting accident last year] is no different. Taking a slightly more laid-back approach this time the album has a slightly simpler sound than previous releases, stripping things back to the bare essentials and booting in a fuckload of shit-hot riffs.
The albums opening salvo, Black Tongue, is about as perfect a slice of classic riff-driven metal as you could hope for, while tracks like Curl Of The Burl and Stargasm really hark back to Mastodon’s stoner-metal credentials.
Brann Dailor’s percussion really excels in Dry Bone Valley, cutting perfectly through the melodic vocal, as well as in Spectrelight, which is a really stand out, spit in your face track. The energy here is lacking a little though the rest of the album, but this is more of an eclectic mix than Mastodon’s other drops. There isn’t any particular central theme to link the tracks together, instead we’re treated more to a smorgasbord of aural treats to make your ears ejaculate. The album closes with Deathbound, reminding us of the frenetic energy that this band can produce, leaving us on a high.
This is the greatest metal album out at the moment, and is a sure-fire classic. If you’re reading this in 2050, go out and download a copy into your skull or whatever and listen now. Assuming that Mastodon haven’t taken over the world by this stage. In which case you’ve probably heard it.
The Hunter is available now from Roadrunner Records.
