This one is gonna be tough….
Mastodon - Emperor of Sand (2017)
I must preface this review with the fact that this was my most anticipated metal release of the year. I am a huge Mastodon fan. The straight up talent this group of guys out of Atlanta possess astounds me still to this day. I really got into them about Four years ago. I heard a couple of their songs off of the Hunter, specifically Curl of the Burl and Black Tongue. Due to my taste at the time I was hooked immediately, From the pummeling atmosphere to the straight clear cut hooks. I had not really experienced a lot of metal at that age (14). I liked nu-metal, and the commercial hard rock stuff like Disturbed, Seether, and Three Days Grace, but I wasn’t into the tougher stuff yet. The Hunter really felt like a good entry point for me. I bought the record, really got into the weirder tracks like Octopus has No Friends and Stargasm. I went back to their previous records. Remission and Call of the Mastodon (Lifeblood EP plus some other tracks) and wasn’t ready for those due to their overtly aggressive nature. Tried leviathan and gave it a passing grade. Then for whatever reason I skipped Blood Mountain and went straight for Crack the Skye. This was what really blew me away. That record was such a great experience for me as it got me into more progressive metal. By this time, Once More Around the Sun came out. I was really into it at first, tracks like the Motherload and High Road were getting stuck in my head and I kept playing them on repeat. However, that didn’t really last long. I got over the band by a few months after the release of OMATS. Thus my journey with the band had taken a pitstop, about a seven month pitstop.
By the summer of 2015 I was really getting into the harder metal genres. Death metal, black metal, especially doom metal were all my go to listening sets. I decided then was a good time to return to Mastodon. I realized quickly that I had skipped over Blood Mountain. I went straight in and left with my jaw detached from my skull. It was amazing. Blood Mountain allowed me to breach into their more aggressive stylings of Remission and Leviathan. The band became one of my all time favorites. I got tired of the Hunter and Once More Around the Sun anymore due to their more pop sensibilities. But I still listen to them once and a while though. Sometimes you don’t need something super deep or complicated to listen to. Sometimes a straight forward record is all I need to satiate my musical hunger.
Now I come to Emperor of Sand. When I heard that Mastodon was dropping their 8th record this year, I was beyond stoked. I waited patiently for any and all information I could get my hands on. Then the singles started dropping. Sultan’s Curse, Show Yourself, and Andromeda. I’ll talk about them more in depth in the review of the record but they certainly got me a little excited for this record. I was hopeful this one didn’t end up like their previous two.
My wish came very close to being true. It’s not Leviathan or Blood Mountain but it’s the best I think we were going to get from this band.
Now for the review:
Emperor of Sand is a concept album. Like the first four records were based on the four elements (fire, water, air, and earth) this album is based on time. Directly connected to the issues the band members were dealing with themselves, cancer and how much time is left is an inspiration for this record. The story itself revolves around a protagonist sentenced to death by a desert emperor. Death by wandering aimlessly through the desert. This record is quite the journey. The desert atmosphere is executed fantastically overall. I really felt this could match up with Kyuss or even the heavier leanings of a Queens of the Stone Age record. On tracks like Steambreather, and Words to the Wise the riffs and percussion take you through heavy sun scorched sands. The lyrics on this record seem to be a little vague for being a concept record, it helps in the sense that most of these tracks can stand on their own, but it feels like I’m a little lost in this desert their supposed to be taking me through. Maybe that’s a good thing though. I kind of liked getting lost in the soloing of Brent Hinds or the magnificent riffs of Bill Kelliher. Tracks like Scorpion Breath, Andromeda, and Jaguar God are great examples of these guys showing off their musicianship. I love it too. It makes me feel intimidated at what lies out in this desert landscape the guys are trying to audibly illustrate. Drumming wise the album has toned it back a bit. On the last couple of records, Brann Dailor was going a little overboard in my opinion on the fills. It felt like each track was just fill after fill after fill. It got tiring. But on this record it feels a little more balanced. There are a lot of other bells and whistles included with the percussion on this record as well. If anyone watched the "Making Of” videos leading up to the record’s release then you would have seen Brann dropping a box of percussion equipment. You can hear that used a few times on the record. It’s interesting the different sounds that are thrown over the main track to add layers of percussion not normally heard on a mastodon record.
I want to give some time to the vocals on this record. I love the vocal stylings of all three singers in this band. For the first time I feel that Brann has been let loose since when he first started adding vocals on Crack the Skye. Brann’s singing on the record is fantastic. He can hit the notes he needs and still keep a the drumming up to par. Tracks where he really shines include the second single Show Yourself and Steambreather. Brent Hinds is also one of my favorite singers in rock and metal today. His voice is quite unique and easy to pick out of a crowd. It feels ethereal at some times. He generally shines on tracks like Precious Stones, Jaguar God, and Clandestiny. Troy Sanders unfortunately is probably the most disappointing of the three on this record. I looked up to him for his unique aggressive stylings in the vocal department. He had a way with capturing your attention with his mountainous roars and breathtaking howls. His voice becomes a lot more melodic. He actually sings quite a bit on this record. Don’t get me wrong, his voice is pretty good when it comes to just singing. His chorus on Ancient Kingdom is fantastic and he shows a little prowess on Show Yourself’s chorus as well. However, like I said, I’m looking for the aggressiveness form him and it simply isn’t there. He tries his damnedest on tracks like Andromeda and Scorpion Breath but it doesn’t hit the same intensity like on tracks from the earlier records. It’s sad to see one of the greatest aggressive vocalists in the genre drop what made him special but I think as a fan I have come to accept it.
Speaking of melodies though, this is easily the bands most melodious record to date. The guitar work and vocals combine to make a very melodic and sing along style of chorus writing. I don’t hate it, but it’s not what I expected. Especially with tracks like Andromeda dropping prior to the record with its focus on a crushing and speedy riff. I feel as though some may claim it as the band continuing down the commercial route. Dumbing their sound down to the lowest common denominator. I find that argument to be laughable at best. Just because you may be losing that edge, doesn't mean you are selling out. Rather on this record, the melodies and progressive stylings shine in a way I feel deters the average radio metal/rock listener. With the exception of Show Yourself. That song is a cut and dry radio friendly track that does not illustrate the points I just made. But looking at the classic prog rock stylings of Jaguar God exemplify just what I was talking about. With a soft guitar that leads into smooth Brent Hinds vocals, the track starts off very quietly. Until all hell breaks loose and the prog metal stylings of the band shine on through.
I see a lot of blood mountain flashes and a lot of crack the skye flashes in this record. What I mean by that is parts of these songs are very reminiscent of those records. Scorpion Breath and Roots Remain are probably the closest to Blood Mountain we will see from this band in a while. Songs like Steambreather, Sultan’s Curse and Jaguar God scream Crack the Skye to me. What I think happened here is the band finally morphed their sound into something definable as their own. The commercial metal stylings of The Hunter and Once More Around the Sun were something everyone else was doing at the time. But now I feel they found a sound that works for them, a sound that really doesn’t sound like a lot of bands of the same ilk as them. I have come to accept that sound now as a fan of the band. Which made my subsequent listens of this record a hell of a lot more enjoyable. Every track provided me with something to latch onto, vocally, guitar wise, and percussion based. There was something special about all of the tracks here. That feeling wasn’t there on the last two records.
Overall this record is a massive improvement over previous outings and really shows a band coming together with a sound that pleases them. They let their creativity shine while taking a step back from their aggressive past. Its not ideal but it certainly is enjoyable nonetheless.
Emperor of Sands gets an
8.5/10
Standout Tracks: Steambreather, Ancient Kingdoms, Clandestiny, Scorpion Breath, Jaguar God
Weaker Tracks: Show Yourself, Word to the Wise
I feel like some of you might disagree with my score. It really all comes down to whether you fell in love with the Mastodon of the past, or have come to terms with the Mastodon of the present. I don’t mean to come off as pretentious. I mean to say if you don’t like the softer side of progressive metal, then this album simply isn’t going to wow you. I hope you enjoyed this review though, I put a lot of time and passion into it and I apologize if it comes of as wall of texty. I put in a few things to break it up. I appreciate those of you who read this journal and I hope you will give Emperor of Sand a shot. I find it to be able to stand tall with the rest of their discography. What do you think? Also let me know if you like this style of review. Background w/ youtube vids plus longer passages.