The Hunter (Mastodon album)

The Hunter (Mastodon album)
The Hunter
Studio album by Mastodon
Released September 27, 2011 (2011-09-27)
Recorded Doppler Studios, Atlanta, Georgia late 2010–2011
Genre Progressive metal, sludge metal
Length 53:01 (standard edition)
58:53 (deluxe edition)
Label Reprise, Roadrunner, Warner Bros.
Producer Mike Elizondo
Mastodon chronology
Live at the Aragon
(2011)		 The Hunter
(2011)
Alternative cover
Limited edition 2 LP cover.
Singles from The Hunter
  1. "Black Tongue"
    Released: July 25, 2011
  2. "Curl of the Burl"
    Released: August 16, 2011

The Hunter is the fifth studio album by the American sludge metal band Mastodon. Released through Roadrunner Records[1] on September 26, 2011 in the UK[2] and one day later in the US via Reprise Records[3] The Hunter is their first release with producer Mike Elizondo. In its first week of release in the UK, the album reached 19th position in the Radio 1 Official UK Top 40 and position number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart [4] .

Contents

Recording and promotion

The album was recorded at Doppler Studios in Atlanta with producer Mike Elizondo (whose credits include Fiona Apple, 50 Cent, Alanis Morissette, Avenged Sevenfold and Maroon 5).[5]

In an interview with Virtual Festivals the band said the album was the most fun to make and can't see any other metal bands going one better.[6]

In an interview with MTV Germany, it was revealed that the new album will be called The Hunter in honor of Brent Hinds's brother who unexpectedly passed away while hunting during the making of the album.[7][8] Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep, drummer Brann Dailor described the new material as not so much proggy as riff-oriented and "a little more stripped down," akin to that of Leviathan (2004) and "like a really super-heavy Led Zeppelin or something." Asked if Brent Hinds is again responsible for most of the initial songwriting", Dailor replied, "I think it's a little more collaborative, with everyone chipping in."[9]

In April 2011 Mastodon announced two of the titles from their forthcoming album: "Blasteroids", and "All the Heavy Lifting". On June 16 the bands website posted the names of three more songs; "Octopus Has No Friends", "Stargasm", and "Curl of the Burl".

On July 25, a song from the album, titled "Black Tongue" was released - via iTunes, Spotify and Ovi Music. On August 12, another song from the album, titled "Curl of the Burl" was uploaded to Youtube on the band's official Youtube page. On September 2, the song "Spectrelight" was uploaded to the band's official YouTube page. On Rockline Radio on September 26, Mastodon revealed that the song "Curl Of the Burl" was based on an episode of the hit show Intervention. It was also revealed that, while the whole album does not have a unified elemental theme, the classical Chinese element "wood" is a common motif throughout the album.[10]

Musical and lyrical overview

The Hunter is Mastodon's second non-concept album; it is also their first album not related with a classical element. Moreover, the Hunter marks the first time that drummer Brann Dailor composes and sings a Mastodon song in its entirety ("Creature Lives"), and takes lead vocal duties on more than two songs. Like Mastodon's previous album Crack the Skye, The Hunter features a mix of clean vocals and harsh screams. The song "Spectrelight" features Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly as a guest.

Album artwork

The artwork is made by AJ Fosik, a wood carver who is also responsible for the backdrop the band uses live. This marks a departure from Paul Romano, who did all their artwork to date.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars[12]
Alternative Press 4.5/5 stars[13]
BBC Music (highly favorable)[14]
Blabbermouth.net 9.5/10 stars[15]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[16]
The Quietus 9/10 stars[17]
Slant Magazine 4/5 stars[18]
Sputnikmusic 4/5 stars[19]
Rolling Stone 4/5 stars[20]
Metalholic 9.4/10 stars[21]
Q 5/5 stars[22]

The Hunter has been met with highly positive reviews from most music critics. The album achieved an overall rating of 7.8/10 at [23] AnyDecentMusic? based on 21 reviews, making it the year's highest-rated metal album among mainstream reviewers. Under The Gun Review's Jordan Munson posted one of the first reviews for The Hunter on September 7, giving it a 9 out of 10 score. In his review, Munson summarized his thoughts by stating "It’s safe to say that The Hunter can be chalked up as another great step for Mastodon. They’ve once again stepped over whatever boundaries they feel like, and have ended up for the better."[24]

Toby Gwynne of The Quietus praised the record as a significant progression for the group: "Each of Mastodon's previous four releases exist in their own worlds, and have their own specific characteristics – the genius here is that they've managed to pull in all that made those LP's what they were and combine them to create something both familiar and unexpected."[17]

Mike Diver, writing for BBC Music, concluded: "The Hunter, with its monstrous choruses, powerful percussion and jaw-on-the-floor fret-work, is sure to connect with anyone who’s previously rocked out to the band's wares just as easily as it will absolute beginners. Don’t like metal? You might just love Mastodon."[25]

AllMusic reviewed the album giving it a score of 4 out of 5, saying "Mastodon's increasingly accessible sound may not land them a hit anytime soon, but cuts like "Black Tongue", "Curl of the Burl", and "Blasteroid", all of which arrive in sequence at the front of the set, show a willingness to write within the parameters of 21st century pop music’s dark side."[26]

Track listing[27]

All songs written and composed by Mastodon. 

No. Title Lead vocals Length
1. "Black Tongue"   Sanders 3:27
2. "Curl of the Burl"   Hinds 3:40
3. "Blasteroid"   Sanders, Hinds 2:35
4. "Stargasm"   Sanders, Hinds 4:39
5. "Octopus Has No Friends"   Dailor, Sanders 3:48
6. "All the Heavy Lifting"   Sanders 4:31
7. "The Hunter"   Hinds, Sanders 5:17
8. "Dry Bone Valley"   Dailor, Sanders 3:59
9. "Thickening"   Hinds, Sanders 4:30
10. "Creature Lives"   Dailor, Hinds 4:41
11. "Spectrelight" (feat. Scott Kelly[28]) Sanders, Kelly 3:09
12. "Bedazzled Fingernails"   Sanders 3:08
13. "The Sparrow"   Mastodon 5:30
Total length:
 53:01
Limited Edition/iTunes Bonus Tracks[29]
No. Title Lead vocals Length
14. "The Ruiner"   Sanders 3:11
15. "Deathbound"   Sanders 2:48

Personnel

Mastodon
Other
  • Mike Elizondo – production, mixing
  • Scott Kelly – lead vocals/additional lyrics on "Spectrelight"
  • Rich Morris - Synths and Keyboards on "Stargasm" and "Bedazzled Fingernails"
  • Will Raines - Synths and Keyboards on "The Sparrow" and "The Hunter"

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[30] 15
Hungarian Albums Chart[31] 20
UK Album Charts[32] 19
Billboard 200[33] 10

References

  1. ^ "Mastodon to release upcoming album 'The Hunter' on Roadrunner Records". Roadrunner Records. July 26, 2011. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/page/News?news_id=111749. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Mastodon 'The Hunter' Release Date Announced". Rock Sound. July 26, 2011. http://www.rocksound.tv/news/article/mastodon-the-hunter-release-date-announced. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom; Fitzmaurice, Larry (July 26, 2011). "New Mastodon: 'Black Tongue'". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/news/43315-new-mastodon-black-tongue/. Retrieved July 27, 2011. 
  4. ^ LXWYNKFTPFPL
  5. ^ "Mastodon | 'Playing God' Australian video premiere". Mastodonrocks.com. http://www.mastodonrocks.com/node/1688. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  6. ^ http://team.virtualfestivals.co.uk/cc?t=1&m=4
  7. ^ http://festivals.mtv.de/05-06-2011/rock-am-ring-video-mastodon-interview/
  8. ^ "Guitarist Brent Hinds Comments On Forthcoming New Album From Mastodon". Metal Undergorund. http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=68575. 
  9. ^ MASTODON: First New Songtitles Revealed - May 23, 2011. - www.roadrunnerrecords.com
  10. ^ http://www.rocklineradio.com/replay/replay.php
  11. ^ "Mastodon talk about new songs, new artwork : Official Sonisphere Festival UK – 2012 – Knebworth House, 6th – 8th July 2012". Uk.sonispherefestivals.com. http://uk.sonispherefestivals.com/news/mastodon-new-songs-new-artwork-same-weirdness/. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  12. ^ James Christopher Monger. "Hunter (Clean) - Mastodon". AllMusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/hunter-clean-r2279443. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
  13. ^ Ferris, D.X. "File Under: Heavier than metal". Altpress.com. http://www.altpress.com/reviews/entry/mastodon_the_hunter. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  14. ^ 11:51 (2011-09-14). "Music - Review of Mastodon - The Hunter". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/x2wx. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  15. ^ Ryan Ogle. "Mastodon The Hunter (Reprise)". Blabbermouth.net. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=2323. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
  16. ^ Michael Hann. "Mastodon: The Hunter – review | Music". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/sep/22/mastodon-the-hunter-review. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  17. ^ a b "Features | Track-by-track: | Mastodon - The Hunter, A Track-By-Track Guide". The Quietus. http://thequietus.com/articles/06952-mastodon-the-hunter-review-track-by-track. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  18. ^ "Mastodon: The Hunter - Music Review". Slant. 2011-09-23. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/mastodon-the-hunter/2626. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  19. ^ "Mastodon - The Hunter (album review)". Sputnikmusic. 2011-09-26. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/45777/Mastodon-The-Hunter/. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
  20. ^ "Album: Mastodon - The Hunter". Rolling Stone. 2011-09-27. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-hunter-20110927/. Retrieved 2011-09-25. 
  21. ^ "Album: Mastodon - The Hunter". Metalholic. 2011-10. http://metalholic.co/cd-review-mastodon-the-hunter/. Retrieved 2011-10. 
  22. ^ "Album: Mastodon - The Hunter". Q. 2011-10. http://www.qthemusic.com/. Retrieved 2011-10. 
  23. ^ "Reviews of The Hunter collated by AnyDecentMusic?". http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/3683/Mastodon-The-Hunter.aspx. Retrieved 2011-10-12. 
  24. ^ "REVIEW: Mastodon – The Hunter". Under The Gun Review. 2011-09-07. http://underthegunreview.net/2011/09/07/review-mastodon-the-hunter/. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  25. ^ 11:51 (2011-09-14). "Music - Review of Mastodon - The Hunter". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/x2wx. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  26. ^ James Christopher Monger. "Hunter [Clean - Mastodon"]. AllMusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/hunter-clean-r2279443. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
  27. ^ "The Hunter (Deluxe Version) [Explicit]: Mastodon: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunter-Deluxe-Version-Explicit/dp/B005MW6IRU/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316133555&sr=301-1. Retrieved 2011-09-24. 
  28. ^ "The Hunter featuring Scott Kelly". Rock Sound. September 2, 2011. http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/mastodon-the-hunter-reviewed-492324/4. 
  29. ^ "Mastodon 'The Hunter' Tracklisting Available". Rock Sound. August 4, 2011. http://www.rocksound.tv/news/article/mastodon-the-hunter-tracklisting-available. Retrieved August 4, 2011. 
  30. ^ http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html
  31. ^ "MAHASZ – Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége". mahasz.hu. http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=archivum&lista=top40&ev=2011&het=39&submit_=Keres%E9s. Retrieved 2011-10-05. 
  32. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/albums
  33. ^ http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=164208
v · d · eMastodon
Troy Sanders · Brent Hinds · Bill Kelliher · Brann Dailor
Studio albums
Live albums
Live at the Aragon
Compilations
Extended plays
Lifesblood · Oblivion EP · Jonah Hex EP
Singles
"Iron Tusk" · "Blood and Thunder" · "Crystal Skull" · "Capillarian Crest" · "The Wolf Is Loose" · "Colony of Birchmen" · "Divinations" · "Oblivion" · "Black Tongue" · "Curl of the Burl"
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