The music of Mastodon is perfect for a spot of hunting. It's pure blood sport music because when it's human against beast, and you're pumped up with scything and powerful tunes like Black Tongue and Spectrelight you will not back down. Bring it on.
However, the hunter of this album also has a more poignant meaning, with the title in honour of guitarist Brent Hinds' brother, Brad, a keen huntsman who died during the making of the record.
So the Atlanta band's fifth album is sensitive, sad and weighty one minute, and then fast, ferocious, and fun-as-hell the next with Black Tongue a metal tune about parrots and the raging beauty of Stargasm recounting sex in space.
This time round they also do away with having a concept, which has been the foundation of previous records, and in contrast to last album, Crack the Skye, there are no long epics. But the unbridled, relentless, cosmic metal that they are known for remains. If anything, it's a little more straightforward, yet Mastodon are able to show just what they are capable of as they move from the demented feeding frenzy of Blasteroid, to sad but serene beauty on The Hunter, and into solid lucid grooves on Curl of the Burl (Mastodon's version of a catchy pop hit).
It is their most accessible, and possibly even best record (depending on how big a fan of the band you are). So strap in and take a listen to one of the most important bands on the planet.
