It’s rare to come across a metal band that manages to nimbly walk that elusive tightrope between commercial success and underground credibility—you’re usually either in or you’re out. Even rarer is when that band’s albums consistently earn rave reviews from such notoriously picky entities as mainstream music critics, alternative media outlets and music snobs alike.
And when a band does all of this for more than a decade while singing about Moby Dick, mountaineering and astral projection…well, let’s just say you’ve got something special on your hands. With this year’s acclaimed release of The Hunter, Atlanta-based metal outfit Mastodon, which will be playing The Rave tomorrow night, is not only continuing to walk that tightrope, it’s doing cartwheels all over it.
Since its inception in 1999, Mastodon has played by its own stylistic rules. Terms like “sludge metal,” “stoner metal” and “prog” never really seemed to encapsulate the band’s overall aesthetic, though none of them are inaccurate. The truth is that Mastodon is one of metal’s great chameleons. The band is just as comfortable writing a tantalizingly patient and indulgent four-part, 11-minute progressive metal epic (Crack the Skye’s “The Czar”) as it is writing a crushingly to-the-point anthem with a soaring, sing-along chorus (The Hunter’s “Curl Of The Burl”). This breadth of genre-bending songwriting skills has put the band in the enviable position of being able to tour with bands of all stripes from Slayer and Metallica to Tool and Alice In Chains.
The most obvious recurring theme throughout Mastodon’s catalog is each member’s unmatched technical prowess. Drummer Brann Dailor’s thunderous yet jazzy approach lends unexpected color to the rhythm section that is effortlessly held together by bassist Troy Sanders. Guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher transition seamlessly from earthquake-inducing palm-muted chunking to the type of unbridled shredding that has made the band a favorite with video games Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
The Hunter sees a departure from the restrictions of the concept album, which drove the band’s first four efforts. Although the concept formula made for some thrilling listening, it had the effect of hamstringing live performances for the band. Not so anymore, as Mastodon seems to have fully made the metamorphosis into a seasoned, self-aware group that can embrace and select at will from one of the most impressive libraries of material of any metal band out there. And you can expect the band to deliver every note in concert with a crushing urgency and blistering technicality that few modern metal bands can match.
See for yourself what all the hype is about tomorrow night (Nov. 12) at The Rave (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.). The show starts at 8 p.m. with Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang opening. Tickets are $21.50 and are available online. For more information about Mastodon, check out its official website.
Mastodon photos from mastodonrocks.com.
