Reprise

When listening to Mastodon, it takes you on a psychedelic journey throughout their catalog, with different applications of thrash, prog, and even groove metal. However, through their maturity, they began to apply said hallucinogenic-based songwriting with The Hunter. This hit home with my personal favorite album, Once More ‘Round the Sun, a less heavy but experimental take on Mastodon’s sound. But to understand the concept of this sound, we must take a look at each track and decide its fate within a singular context.

“Tread Lightly” 4/5

The opening track starts off with a really great chime instrumental that then bleeds into a really rhythmic series of riffs that are lifted with the sludgy or static tonality by Hinds and Kelliher. I think the melody that is carried throughout this song has a really unique feeling, like Eastern hardcore instrumentation, with the very unique vocals by Sanders. The lyrics are really deep, with a commentary on the unfair judgment certain religions present and the journey of righteousness.

“The Motherload” 5/5

My only memorable single off this album, The Motherload, continues with the sludgy riffs, with the bombastic choruses by Dailor. His melody carries with the track, kind of creating a chaotic beauty with all the different tonalities presented in the song. Kelliher’s guitar work, especially in the solos, is a diversion in comparison to the other songs, where their key is much lighter. You can tell this is one of the few tracks where you can hear the enjoyment that is injected into the music.

“High Road” 4/5

Another great song that does have its flaws, but encapsulates the style Mastodon is known for. For my gripes, it comes down to the choruses and instrumentation of said choruses. I wish Dailor had led more of an experimental or powerful melody like he did in The Motherload. I also wish Hinds and Kelliher had done more scale work to be a more effective backbone. But it’s still a great track—I just kind of wish they had spiced some things up. I do wonder if they took direction since it is a single, and a lot of bands tend to phone things in to keep a radio-friendly listening experience, but I digress.

“Once More ‘Round the Sun” 2/5

Probably the weakest on the album, the self-titled track has no substance. There isn’t a preceding melody, and to be honest, the instrumentality seems kind of lazy. At least with High Road, I can see why they would phone it in, but this song is just kind of boring. Maybe it’s my understanding, but it is just vanilla for a Mastodon song.

“Chimes at Midnight” 3/5

This song establishes the Mastodon sound in the best way possible because it sounds unique while not phoning in anything. I think if you were to get a feeling-out process of Mastodon for a first-time listener, this would be your best bet. It has all the sound that makes them identifiable—the sludgy tone, blazing speeds, and psychedelic feeling this album puts on display.

“Asleep in the Deep” 3/5

One of the weaker singles off the album, Asleep is a combination of both correlating singles, with the instrumentation being more rhythmic like High Road and the melody being more like The Motherload. I think it’s satisfying, and even though it’s not super substantial, the ending has a great counterpoint toward the end of the track.

“Feast Your Eyes” 3

As we look at the most streamlined-feeling song on this album, I think the simplicity of this comes from the more consumer-friendly doom metal that has very nice groove-oriented riffs. I think also the fact of fewer instrumentals throughout the songs kind of creates a friendly listen, without compromising any writing or elements that shape the schematics of the record. I think it is somewhat lackluster, but again, it’s super simple.

“Aunt Lisa” 4/5

This is probably one of the heaviest tracks on the album, and maybe in their catalog. It reminds me a lot of Remission with a more raw thrash sound. The melody is led by a nice psychedelia-based instrumentation that brings in a unique melody. A key part of the song is toward the end, when Dailor goes off on the drumwork, and a kids’ choir filled with chants. It’s super diverting, and shows how goofy they can get while being experimental.

“Ember City” 5/5

Probably one of the most underrated tracks on this record, they take an emotional high ground with a more melodic undertone. It feels like The Motherload, while also doing some experimental elements with the mixing. They mainly focus on the harmonics with the guitars. But overall, this song really shows the melodic and emotional side of Mastodon, with the lyrics also hitting hard.

“Halloween” 5/5

You can tell from this track that they had a lot of fun. Between the minor chord progression and third-part minors to create the typology of that Halloween “sound” we have come to know and love, applying that to the sludge metal riffs creates a productive song that really shows the symbiotic style Mastodon entails throughout their discography. You can also tell this was just them messing around and having fun. Also, Sanders’ and Hinds’ vocal styles fit with that sound.

“Diamond in the Witch House” 4/5

For a closer, this song excels with that progressive sound and transcends the genre, bleeding into almost an Opeth-esque approach to songwriting. They take an atmospheric approach with the harmonics on the guitar, while also creating an odd dissonance with Dailor’s drumwork being faster-paced and a reliance upon floor toms and fills.

Overall, this album is magnificent, with a lot of great mosaic backbones of psychedelia. I think it’s super important to highlight the doom/stoner subgenre of metal, since they were the first to convey atmosphere and focused riff work. The ones to bring it into the mainstream and give bite-sized pieces for newer listeners are Mastodon and this great album.