Is Mastodon, which I witnessed rock the State Theatre last year, fixing to pull a Metallica circa 1991? That's what Rolling Stone is reporting, sorta, in the new issue. The Atlanta metal band's new album is being produced by Brendan O'Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam). "We wanted to make something a little broader,” says drummer Brann Dailor. “A classic-rock-sounding record.”
The reason for the more mellow (by metal standards) vibe? Guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds head injury resulting from a boozy brawl following the MTV VMAs in September 2007.
O’Brien brought a relaxed vibe to the studio and helped flesh out the album’s classic-rock heart. “Quintessence” adds spacey washes of synthesizers and vocal harmonies to the brawny riffs and piercing guitar lines. The thrashing “Divinations” comes on like Master of Puppets-era Metallica, only with soaring vocals and a bright chorus, and “Oblivion” inserts a bluesy guitar solo into a sinister, multitempo, prog-metal epic.
This article appears in Oct 8-14, 2008.