IN REVIEW: Mastodon - "Once More 'Round The Sun"

By freeing themselves from their self-imposed concepts and opening up to a whole world of sonic possibilities, Mastodon sounded energized and eager to explore on 2011's The Hunter. The results were sometimes unexpected, and longtime fans were quick to dismiss the album's more "radio friendly" moments, but I found it consistently engaging and far more rewarding than most gave it credit for.

Once More 'Round the Sun picks up where The Hunter left off, but only insomuch as it also eschews a larger narrative in favour of a well-rounded, diverse album. It's lazy to simply call it a continuation, though; it's more a refinement of the exploratory spirit they conveyed on that previous album. There isn't anything that screams out as a bid for airplay such as, say, Curl of the Burl, nor a shocking sonic left turn as Creature Lives. That's not to say OMRTS isn't accessible or experimental, it's just that the songs on the album seem somewhat focused toward a sense of cohesion that The Hunter didn't really have.

More to the point, this album is the product of maturity; just one listen to opening pair Tread Lightly and The Motherload reveals a band that's learned a lot in its first decade plus, and applied its lessons appropriately. These are songs that are quintessentially Mastodon, swirling and busy prog-metal at their heart, but free to explode into majesty whereas a younger version of the band would have preferred to pummel and suffocate. The Motherload's chorus yields an especially large payoff that is only matched by that of Ember City later in the album. Then, there's lead single High Road, a baby brother for Blood and Thunder that shows less teeth but more range.

The title track exhibits, of all things, kind of a Foo Fighters vibe, albeit Foo Fighters as filtered through Mastodon. Aunt Lisa shows a little Queens of the Stone Age influence before perhaps the album's most striking moment, as The Coathangers show up to take the track home cheerleader style. And closing track Diamond in the Witch House is absolutely massive, making use once again of Neurosis main man Scott Kelly (thus, debut album Remission remains the only Mastodon studio album to not feature him). However, perhaps the album's finest overall song is Asleep in the Deep, a seemingly effortless epic that combines all of what makes Mastodon great into one (relatively) concise track; it's as though we're hearing a play-by-play of Mastodon's career highlights in six minutes, and it's glorious.

The prevalent feeling that keeps coming back as I listen to the songs on Once More 'Round the Sun is that, as much as they play around with different moods and textures, they remain undoubtedly and overwhelmingly Mastodon. As many pale imitations reside within metal's ranks, Mastodon has a sound that's theirs alone, and Once More 'Round the Sun, perhaps more so than any other album they've created, is a clear definition of what that sound is.

June 24, 2014 • Reprise

Highlights The Motherload • High Road • Asleep in the Deep

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

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Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #15-11

Alright, enough messing around. Let's cozy on up to the top 10. 15 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM History Books October 27, 2023 • Rich Mahogany/Thirty Tigers Highlights History Books Autumn Michigan, 1975 It's not easy for a band to come back from nearly a decade away and simply pick up where they left off; it makes sense, then, that The Gaslight Anthem don't really try. Instead, their sixth album takes a more measured approach that's somewhat akin to a juiced up version of Brian Fallon's solo records. I personally would have preferred a little more fire in the collective belly, but otherwise everything there is to love about this band is fully intact. 14 ROYAL THUNDER Rebuilding the Mountain June 16, 2023 • Spinefarm Highlights The Knife Now Here - No Where Fade Coming a long six years after the enthralling, expansive WICK , Royal Thunder reemerges down one member with a somewhat stripped down sound in turn. Having said this, singer/bassist Mlny Parsons has long been the s...

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