Album Review: "Emperor of Sand" by Mastodon

Mastodon

*Emperor of Sand*

(Warner Bros.)

Mastodon has released concept albums about the deep sea (“Leviathan”), the mountains (“Blood Mountain”), time travel (“Crack The Skye”), space travel (“Once More ‘Round The Sun”), among others. Apparently it was time for a desert-themed album, and it may be the band’s best to date. These Atlanta-based progressive metal rockers keep evolving while proving to be the most creative and delightful outfit in heavy metal.

The album’s story concept loosely involves a character pondering mortality while wandering a desert ecosystem. The richly arranged tracks once again truly show a band that is the sum of its individual parts, with three of the four members contributing vocals to songs (often multiple singers on the same track).

“Steambreather,” with drummer Brann Dailor on primary vocals, features a catchy mid-tempo, area-rock guitar riff that would make Soundgarden proud, mixed with a trumpet-like synth chord for an off-kilter touch. “Show Yourself” may be the most accessible Mastodon song ever recorded. Instantly singable with an upbeat pop rock arrangement, it will over mainstream fans who may otherwise be turned away by Mastodon’s earlier harder metal sound, one they have gradually evolved away from during seven studio album releases.

The last two and a half minutes of “Roots Remain” comprise one of the most memorable movements on the album. Poignant lyrics mix thematically with an extended soaring guitar solo to end the 6:25-minute track: “Beauty fades, death decays...branches break, roots remain...and when you sit and picture me/Remember sitting in the sun, and dancing in the rain/The end is not the end you see/It's just the recognition of a memory." That’s  about as optimistic as prog metal gets.

“Ancient Kingdom” provides more best-of-album moments with its lyrics about a sultan fleeing battles literally as well as “pain in mind” battles. Bassist Troy Sanders belts out the story of an ancient kingdom that still remains but crumbles slowly, as well as the “ageless sounds” that “never die” and instead “ride beyond mortality.” The musical arrangement on this song and on all others is both fresh and timeless.

“Clandestiny,” with Ghost-like synthesizer parts, takes a more ominous lyrical approach. A metallic, robot-like voice at one point makes for an otherworldly aesthetic as other lyrics suggest self sacrifice for the greater good: “Give your life, so I can live.” “Andromeda” embodies “chronic delusions” in both lyrical content  (“It never ends/enough is enough”) as well as aggressive guitar riffs to match the progression of ideas and sounds.

Finally, “Jaguar God,” the closing song at 8 minutes in length, represents the most theatrical arrangement with three distinct movements, started with Brent Hinds’ acoustic guitar ballad introduction. It all collapses with a soulful guitar solo outro that punctuates the album’s overall ambition and majesty.

9/10
Link to print version of review, published in the May 2017 issue of Illinois Entertainer magazine. Click the link and navigate to page 46.