b r a n d o n

What sort of metal band writes a concept album of sorts about Moby Dick, that bane of high school English students everywhere? Must be a dorky prog-metal band, you say, sneering. Well, you're right... sort of. On their second full-length, Mastodon turn down the grindcore, turn down the hardcore, turn down the thrash, and turn up the prog. Which is to say: the riffs are slower, chunkier, the odd-time rhythms are more in-your-face, the vocals are cleaned up a bit, the production is cleaned up a lot, and there's a cello in the credits (calm down though, it's only in one song and damned if I can hear it). And, of course, there's the grandiose concept, though it's more of a vague guiding theme (particularly with regards to the gorgeous CD and booklet artwork) than a step-by-step storyline in the lyrics. Make no mistake: this is all around a much more accessible album than Remission, and prog-metal fans who can stomach the heavier stuff may well fall in love — although, of course, just because the Dillinger Escape Plan comparisons are no longer valid doesn't mean that Mastodon have turned into Queensryche. There are some really breathtaking moments here. "Blood and Thunder" is the aptly-titled opener that wastes no time in launching the album with a totally killer odd-time riff. "Hearts Alive" is a bonafide epic that more than justifies its 13-minute length, chock-full of addictive guitar interplay and appropriately-placed changes in pace and intensity. Underneath it all is the engine of the band, drummer Brann Dailor, who has a hyperactive fill-happy style that would probably be annoying if it didn't seem so appropriate for this already-bombastic band. Instead of being annoying, he's breathtaking. He's also a card-carrying prog fan, and it's likely this influence making itself felt that gives Leviathan its more epic feel. Leviathan is in most ways a better album than Remission — it is impressively well-constructed, with each song flowing into the next in such a way that the album as a whole feels logical and natural. Still, I think I prefer Remission; it's the rawness and the rough edges combined with the proggy elements that attracted me to that album in the first place, and now that the roughness has been smoothed out a bit, I don't find myself quite as enthralled. The high points were just a bit higher on Remission, but that's hardly speaking ill of this album, a fine work in its own right. review by Brandon Wu — 8-3-05 —