Mastodon say fuck all that: Over the course of their three previous full-lengths, this band has exhibited an uncanny ability to excel where other bands of their ilk would normally stagnate. Each album has been an exponential improvement over the last-- although, let’s be honest, they’ve all pretty much killed. However, in the case of 2007's major label breakthrough, Blood Mountain, the band just got weirder, utilizing the studio and using outside session musicians as an excuse to experiment even further with a sound that oft rested on aural dizziness. This trend continues on the band’s epic fourth album, Crack the Skye, an unabashedly indulgent progressive metal masterpiece.

Prog-rock has always made for an odd, but reasonably comfortable bedfellow of metal, and in the past Mastodon have been no stranger to head-spinning time signatures and ridiculous feats of technical strength. More often than not, however-- save the 13-minute penultimate track on 2004’s Leviathan-- Mastodon’s individual tracks have stayed within a reasonable running time of about 3 to 5 minutes in length. Defying expectations yet again, Mastodon take their prog influence even further on Crack the Skye, turning in a 50-minute album comprised of just 7 tracks, one of which comes annotated as a dreaded multi-part suite.

The most immediate difference long-time fans will notice is the band’s more conventional use of vocal harmony. Mastodon have all but abandoned the guttural growls that previously ripped through their songs; listen closely though, they're still there, smoldering beneath the din of “Oblivion,” sliding through the final stretch of “Quintessence,” and lumbering alongside the main hook of the title track (the latter courtesy of Neurosis’ Scott Kelly). Relegating these moments for maximum impact pays substantial dividends, specifically with regard to the title track, which could also be described as Crack the Skye’s most recognizably 'Mastodon' moment.

Similar to the band’s last two albums, Crack the Skye is also a concept record, this time outlining a time-warping narrative in which the album’s paraplegic hero enters the body of Rasputin in an attempt to overthrow Czarist Russia (or something like that). If that wasn’t enough, this is also the third installment in a loose elemental trilogy which began with Leviathan (water), continued with Blood Mountain (earth), and apparently culminates here with Crack the Skye (um, sky). Thankfully, the concept (at least in this case) takes a back seat to the music. As they’ve eased up their reliance on metal tropes and expanded their musical horizons, so has their approach shifted from a rape-and-pillage sonic assault to something more along the lines of killing us softly-- or, at the very least, killing us gradually.

The band’s sound is clearly indebted to prog and classic rock of the mid-70s, with individual moments bringing to mind the intricate guitar tonalities of Robert Fripp and King Crimson, the structural complexities of Yes, the single-minded riffs of Rush, the classically-minded scope of Genesis, and even the wordless interplay of late-period Zeppelin. Synthesizers are given an even more prominent role here than they had on Blood Mountain, smoothing out the rougher edges of the band’s sound and serving to unify conflicting ideals. There’s even a banjo introduction on “Divinations” and treated vocal effects closing the title track-- Mastodon obviously have no desire to retread past accomplishments.

11-minute centerpiece “The Czar” illustrates the band’s current approach best, confidently and seamlessly shifting between movements and styles, skirting indulgence while never growing complacent. After a few minutes of slowly churning build-up, the track’s second movement (subtitled: “The Escape”) emerges proudly and defiantly, sounding uncannily like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-era Black Sabbath. This is probably the single best song Mastodon have ever written, and on an album without any sort of recognizable weak spot, it represents the most significant leap metal has taken in years. Crack the Skye is like Mastodon’s …And Justice For All except, y’know, better and with bass.

It only took one spin through Crack the Skye to realize Mastodon had accomplished something truly special here, regardless of genre trappings-- which, at this point, the band have little use for anyway. Repeated listens have only confirmed the merits and total triumph of this record, from album art on down. For the first time in their career, Mastodon have provoked a reaction outside of sheer reverence: Crack the Skye is a record to love and to cherish, as well as respect. Their first three discs have been known to make my other CDs cower in fearful inadequacy, and so, to combat this, Crack the Skye will get its own fucking shelf.

Last Word:

Crack the Skye, Mastodon’s epic, prog-leaning fourth album, represents not only a giant leap forward for the band, but for the metal genre as a whole.

You’ve been warned.

Review By:
Jordan Cronk, Music Editor

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