"Mastodon Not Just A Metal Band But, A True Work of Art"
Progressive, hardcore, technical with the musicanship of Iron Maiden or Megadeth compiled with the the raw energy of Prong or Helmet. When I sat down with Brann Dailor (drums) before their set thats what I had described Mastodon to be. He said I was pretty much on target. He also added that he would leave the labels and comparisons to journalists. You can call it whatever you want but Mastodon are a work of art. Led by the magnificent drumming of Dailor along with the superior riffs of Brent and Bill and the flawless bass playing of Troy, the guys in Mastodon are truly entertaining.
The band is unique, not having just one lead singer, both Troy and Bill contribute to vocals.The band from Atlanta performed flawlessly without the services of Keiliher who was at home with Family. Troy moved over to guitar and and a replacement by the name of Eric filled in on bass.
Performing songs from their breakthrough album Remission such as "March of The Fire Ants" and "Workhorse" as well as new tunes from Leviathan (due out 8/31). "I Am Ahab and "Iron Tusk" Mastodon shows how diverse their sound can be.
They are not flashy nor are they showoffs though they could be considering they present a nothing less than perfect set. When there, you are mesmerized by the bands entertaining vocals and hard-hitting riffs, bound by soilid melody. They remind me a lot of Opeth, with the sudden changes and breaks in songs starting the song off small then ending big, something Brann says he learned from Stevie Wonder.
The crowd was silent, but you could see them being very appreciative of this fairly new band banging their heads to every tune and cheering between every song.
Even without a soundcheck, the band performed a magnificent set, showing that regardless of what label you wanted to put on them they do metal and do it better than most. |
