The Good, The Bad, and Mastodon

Over the last decade the US foursome Mastodon has developed into one of the big names on the international metal scene. At the Ancienne Belgique the band from Atlanta will present The Hunter, their fifth studio album, which came out last autumn. For the fans the gig offers a unique opportunity to see them once more in a “small” venue, as they have spent most of their time over the last few years playing up a storm at major festivals. Not surprisingly, as they had learned the tricks of the trade of showmanship by touring as a support act for Slayer, Slipknot, Tool, and Metallica.
Bassist-singer Troy Sanders, guitarist-singer Brent Hinds, drummer-singer Brann Dailor, and guitarist Bill Kelliher all have good memories of Belgian festivals. Last summer they played Graspop again and they still look back fondly at their first appearance on the Dessel metal meadow back in 2003, which helped them to reach a European audience even before their breakthrough in the US. In both 2007 and 2009, moreover, they took on the double challenge of Graspop and Rock Werchter. All thanks to albums that went deeper than the average young metal fan is used to. Like ingenious miners, they worked their way through tortuously complex song structures that oscillated between prog and sludge metal, to which they added lyrics packed with symbolism. This often resulted in concept albums that were loud but difficult for the uninitiated to penetrate.
Even though the traditional Chinese mask on the sleeve of The Hunter is not a direct reference to a change of direction, in the course of recording the album Mastodon abandoned their previous working methods. In conversation with the independent music website The Quietus, Kelliher explained that they had had a concept in mind for the new album too: “We tried to write a three minute song with a great verse and chorus and concentrate on melodies and work on our vocals. We have always had vocals in the background and we really tried to push them forward. It very much was like going back to square one.” The previous album, Crack the Skye (2009), produced by Brendan O’Brien, had already sounded more tuneful, without sacrificing any volume or virtuosity in the process. On The Hunter producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, 50 Cent, Maroon 5) gives the band even more breathing space, which resulted in a more accessible sound – as witness the Grammy nomination for the single “Curl of the Burl”.
The album’s title is a tribute to Brad Hinds, Brent’s brother, who died in December 2010 while hunting. “What exactly happened is a terrible mystery,” Kelliher said. “But as Brent is our (musical) brother, we were happy to dedicate the album to his brother. The Hunter also contains occasional references to people we have lost along the way. So there is grief there, but also life and excitement. Life as it is, with its good and bad sides. We present a snapshot of it.”

Mastodon
19/1, 20.00, SOLD OUT, ANCIENNE BELGIQUE, boulevard Anspachlaan 110, Brussel/Bruxelles,
02-548.24.24, info@abconcerts.be, www.abconcerts.be