I picked up Mastodon's Blood Mountain yesterday, and it's hard to say exactly how I feel about it. Unlike some friends of mine, I thought Leviathan was a massive leap forward for the band and was curious to see how they would follow it up. They certainly didn't hold back on the aggression this time around. If you liked "Crusher Destroyer" off of Remission, I think you'll take to this album like Sharon Osbourne to plastic surgery. The first two tracks - The Wolf Is Loose and Crystal Skull - are pure adrenaline ragers and really set the mood for the first half of the album. Then suddenly, in the midst of all that metal, you are plunged headfirst into an atmospheric, lumbering, Isis-esque beast of a song called Sleeping Giant. This track is by far my favorite track on the album and showcases the band's incredible ability to go beyond any would-be genrecasting. One other song worth mentioning is Bladecatcher. Any fans of Ants off of Infinity will probably dig this track. Pure insanity. The second half of the album takes on a more moody and strange cast and ends with some very atmospheric tracks.

So far, the one thing that's really changed with the band's sound is that there is only one song - Hunters Of The Sky - where they've kept their trademark low A tuning. Everything else on the album seems to be up in the D tuning range that all Pantera fans should be familiar with, and one or two in the C tuning that all us Devy fans are used to.

Leviathan is still their best effort so far, in my opinion, but Blood Mountain is certainly worth checking out if you're curious where a significant section of the future of metal will be moving. I give it a solid 8 out of 10.

I still love Leviathon, but Blood Mountain is really starting to grow on me. These guys kick so much ass its not even funny! Great band!

Leviathan certainly.

That may change when I get Blood Mountain though.

I'm still waiting for mine to get here

How about a poll option "I don't know them well enough to judge"?

Song for song I'll take Lifesblood any day, but as a whole I have to go with Remission. I just feel that its their best balance of brutal and tasteful music.

Song for song I'll take Lifesblood any day, but as a whole I have to go with Remission. I just feel that its their best balance of brutal and tasteful music.

You would get along fantastically with the friends I mentioned earlier. "Leviathan is too artsy." "Why'd they get all wussy now?"

I like Remission too, especially since it includes their best song, March Of The Fire Ants, but Leviathan just has stronger song writing and more memorable riffs, and that always causes me to like an album more than others.

How about a poll option "I don't know them well enough to judge"?

Because that's always something you can take care of yourself.

This album is average. I liked everything except their need to put practically the same 6 note instrumental break into every single song (it's cool on the first 3-4... then gets old) and their clean vocalist sounds like a drunk. They should have let Scott Kelly (harsh) Cedric Bixler (clean) and the dude from QotSA (in between) do all of the vocals on the album... that would have made it the coolest release of 2006 by far.

[EphelDuath666]

I actually like this Album better than Leviathan...well, only know the leak with poopy sound but musically I liked it better and I suppose it's also my favorite Mastodon Album. I was hoping for something in the same direction as Leviathan just a bit more progressive and with a better drum sound and well, I got what I wanted!

i'm a massive mastodon fan but i'd say blood mountain is they're best output so far its just so good... the perfect mix of prog artrock and metal.

and leviathan is hardly wussy!

At this point I have to say Leviathan is my favorite, but Blood Mountain grows on me more and more with each listen. It's very diverse for a Mastodon album and I guess i'm just getting used to that.

Sweet I have to pick this one up.

Song for song I'll take Lifesblood any day, but as a whole I have to go with Remission. I just feel that its their best balance of brutal and tasteful music.

You would get along fantastically with the friends I mentioned earlier. "Leviathan is too artsy." "Why'd they get all wussy now?"

I like Remission too, especially since it includes their best song, March Of The Fire Ants, but Leviathan just has stronger song writing and more memorable riffs, and that always causes me to like an album more than others.

I don't have a problem with them going more artsy, hell, I probably listen to just as much artsy stuff as anyone on here, but I just don't think that they're good at doing the artsy stuff. As far as putting out music with a punch, they're one of the best, but their singer cannot sing to save his life, and thats one of the main things thats hurt their more recent efforts, and as a whole I just cannot get into their artsy stuff as much.

Song for song I'll take Lifesblood any day, but as a whole I have to go with Remission. I just feel that its their best balance of brutal and tasteful music.

You would get along fantastically with the friends I mentioned earlier. "Leviathan is too artsy." "Why'd they get all wussy now?"

I like Remission too, especially since it includes their best song, March Of The Fire Ants, but Leviathan just has stronger song writing and more memorable riffs, and that always causes me to like an album more than others.

I don't have a problem with them going more artsy, hell, I probably listen to just as much artsy stuff as anyone on here, but I just don't think that they're good at doing the artsy stuff. As far as putting out music with a punch, they're one of the best, but their singer cannot sing to save his life, and thats one of the main things thats hurt their more recent efforts, and as a whole I just cannot get into their artsy stuff as much.

Well, it's my friends who called them artsy, not me. I think they're just afraid of any heavy band including any kind of melodic touch. As for singing, have you heard Sleeping Giant yet? He does an exceptional job, although I don't know if it's Brent or Troy doing the clean vocals.