Mastodon – Hushed & Grim

 

 

Mastodon – Hushed & Grim
Warner – 2021
Rock, Prog, Sludge, Stoner, Metal
Rated: ****

We do that sometimes, we look back at the amount we mentioned a certain band on the HiVe. And in when it comes to Mastodon, well, Crack The Skye made it to the Number 2 spot of the very first Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown we did, back in 2009, when the Stoner HiVe started…  We mentioned Jonah Hex and The Hunter reached Number 15 of the 2011 Stoner HiVe Top 20 Countdown. Once More ‘Round The Sun got a mention in 2014 and then it got quiet. For some reason we never gotten round to mentioning Emperor Of Sand, even though we definitely did dig it. And now it’s 2021 and Hushed & Grim has arrived. A fifteen track album that might definitely be labeled as a magnum opus. Fifteen tracks that will take you with them and give us that Mastodon sound we all love so dearly and then turn the tables on you and explore some more exotic atmospheres, borders and genres; making the entire effort even more prog and even technical than before. Along those lines we might also view the vocal execution, with the different voices of Hinds, Sanders and Dailor adding the perfect, crazy or wild other dimension of a certain part to the other. Highly dynamic and incredibly warm; even the bleakest and darkest moments will not make you shiver but instead reassure and comfort. And they add an amazing guest spot for Marcus King on The Beast turning it into something weirdly southern, otherworldly prog and bluesy yet also dark and heavy. David Witte from Municipal Waste aids on ominous sounding Dagger, quickly turning oriental, eastern and classy. It’s followed by Had It All which features Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, which might be viewed as the most modest and thoughtful of the fifteen, offering insights into retaining sanity and peace after, well, life happens. It also features Troy Sanders mother Jody Sanders on French horn. And then the end run, those final tracks, pounding, sludgy and ending it all with closer Gigantium. What a track! What an album! Authentic and honest. Compelling and intense. Fiery and inspired. Hushed & Grim.

(Written by JK)

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