First Impressions
WELL, this is a mighty difference from the modern albums.
First off, this is not technically an album in the truest sense of the word. Like Haken's Restoration EP, this is a collection of songs written before their first record released. So it's pretty much the band at their smallest babysteps. It definitely sounds like it, with all it's positive and negative implications.
So, unintentionally, I've only gotten to listen to Mastodon get softer and softer. Though this has come at the rise in tight and memorable songwriting, I do feel like I was missing something. And HOO BOY was it given in spades here.
This album is HEAVY. It is practically a death metal album. This is an extremely simple record. This comes with good things and bad things. The good is that it is a slap across the face. There is no dilly dallying around here. You get punched in the face with heavy as hell riffs, growls and absolutely insane drums for 28 minutes. If you want a straight up burst of energy without any fat in-between, you come here.
The main highlight is 100% the drums. I had heard that Brann started holding back in the later records and it is absolutely true. He is on fire this entire album. The sheer over-abundance of super fast fills is almost overwhelming, and when he goes full blastbeats it's INSANE. He's the glue of this album, by far.
Another highlight that is not as prominent but still notable is Brent's lead work. Not only do you have some amazing riffs, especially in the title track and Sickleg, but sometimes he will pull out a solo that feels... way too jolly for the death metal they're playing. But this is a good thing, it's a nice little playful refresher. There is a little lick he plays in the title track that is just full country and it is delicious.
Now, for the other side of this double-edged sword.
This is an absolute mess of unfinished ideas and concepts. You can absolutely tell that this was some of their first material, because there's pretty much no cohesion in... really any part of the album. The songs are super short, basically compilations of riffs and sections that kind of fit together. And the lyrics and vocals, oh god.
So, I don't mind Troy going full caveman mode and screaming the entire album. But when I tell you that the entirety of the album is literally just incomprehensible screaming, I'm not exagerating. The lyrics make no sense whatsoever, and I swear to you even if you try to follow them, you will not be able to understand a single word Troy is screaming.
The three songs that stick with me out of all of them are Shadows That Move, which has a genuinely infectious heavy main riff. The title track, which has the best riff in the entire album, it's super syncopated and grooves in the nastiest of ways. And Slickleg, the undisputed best song of the album. With it's Raining Blood-esque riff and insane fast heavy sections, it's a gem in an otherwise unremarkable but interesting record.
It's super primitive, which is good to have as a little archive of the band, but my god you can tell it's lacking any kind of polish.
Ranking
Slickleg
Call of the Mastodon
Shadows That Move
Battle at Sea
We Built This Come Death
Hail To Fire
Welcoming War
Deep Sea Creature
Thank You For This
Rating