I was enamored not just by the intensity and titanic grand scale of their sound, but also the ambitiousness of their songwriting and the offbeat, weird, and creative tangents they would often delve into. Since that time, every subsequent Mastodon release has been sort of an event for me, and they are now back with their 7 th studio album, Emperor of Sand. While it’s hard to tell what exactly every new Mastodon album will bring, there was much to suggest that this would be a sort of return to their first 4 releases. The album art and title font evoked the same stylistic choices as those releases, and the band teamed up with producer Brendan O’Brien, who worked with them prior on Crack The Skye. On top of that, it was billed as a concept album, a musical approach that had been abandoned on their past two albums, about a desert wanderer sentenced to death. The album opens up with “Sultan’s Curse,” which was released as the first single.Įven with all that in mind though, there’s always surprises to be found, and that becomes apparent as soon as you press play. An unsettling chime/bell intro segues into a tight 6/8 groove, complete with massive sludgy riffs and pummeling drums. Combined with the hazy vibes of the chorus and bridge/solo, especially the swirling mix of guitar chords and melodies during the latter, it makes for a quintessential Mastodon track and a killer album opener. Unfortunately, that great start comes to an immediate grinding halt with the second track “Show Yourself,” a painfully dull southern hard rock jam that’s neck and neck with “The Motherload” for the single weakest song the band has ever written. The pairing of these two tracks right out of the gate creating an uncomfortable set of expectations, as I was wondering if the entire album was just going to veer back and forth between great and mediocre. The most positive thing that can be said about Emperor of Sand is how much the music commits to the conceptual ideas intended, as the songwriting consistently suggests the sensation of wandering the desert, forever subjected to the unavoidable haze of the blazing sun.
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