Video Producers/Directors: Jonathan Rej and Tom Bingham for Authority Films






The band name doesn't inspire confidence.
Nor does the warlock-strewn album cover.
Nor the fact that Crack the Skye is the last
of a four-album cycle about Earth's
elements. But before you sneer, "Hello,
Cleveland," listen to Mastodon's thunderous,
disciplined and expansive brand of metal.
There are plenty of bass-drum carpet-bombings,
and "The Czar," a four-partode to Rasputin —
O.K., go ahead: "Hello, Cleveland!" — has all
the whiplash rhythm shifts of vintage Metallica.
But the album also has nods to European
folk, free jazz and prog rock, and as produced
by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen,
Pearl Jam), it fronts a brawny sound that
doesn't overwhelm the clarity of individual
notes. Chuckle at lyrics about "the space-time
paradigm" if you must, but the ambition and
tenacity of Mastodon's music makes
Crack the Skye sonically unforgettable.
Full List
TOP 10 ALBUMS
1. American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley. 1
2. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors. 2
3. Crack the Skye by Mastodon.3
4. Revolution by Miranda Lambert.4
5. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix.5
6. Love vs. Money by The-Dream.6
7. Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt 2 by Raekwon.7
8. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear.8