The third studio album from metal gods, Mastodon. The Atlanta based four piece built Blood Mountain around the concept of "climbing up a mountain and the different things that can happen to you when you're stranded on a mountain, in the woods, and you're lost. You're starving, hallucinating, running into strange creatures. You're being hunted. It's about that whole struggle." Perhaps it was an analog for the experience of dealing with a major label during the recording of the album. The music itself sees Mastodon get further into prog metal, however they lose none of the power, or willingness to indulge in hardcore punk, doom, and death metal. They channel their energy into heavy passages that are tempered by their melodic-ness and lyricism. The vocals, which include guest spots from Neurosis' Scott Kelly, the Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, provide a myriad of stylistic changes. Yes, it's a technical album and Mastodon are definitely masters of their instruments, but they do not sacrifice an ounce of the dark gore that pulses through their veins. This is a heavy album that sees the band pushing the boundaries and indulging in experimentalism while still putting forth awe inspiring music.

• solid yellow / transparent green pressing
• music label: Reprise Records 2006 / 2015

reviewed by Le Haim 03/2015