That definitely looks interesting. More progginess please.

Sounds like something from Crack the Skye. This is the most excited I've been for a new Mastodon record since discovering them in 2010.

So far it seems to be a cross between Crack the Skye and Once More 'Round the Sun. I hope I'm right in the prediction. Also hope they throw in some Leviathan as well.

First song sounds great, I'm excited. Also glad it doesn't seem to be a double album after all.

Written by Ganondox on 27.01.2017 at 11:40

So far it seems to be a cross between Crack the Skye and Once More 'Round the Sun. I hope I'm right in the prediction. Also hope they throw in some Leviathan as well.

Exactly what I thought about that first song. Sounds like a continuation of the previous record, mixed in with some Crack The Skye. Hopefully there will be some Blood Mountain bits in there as well, love that record.

Sounds great. Been on a Mastodon kick recently. This is getting me pumped. Cant wait

Written by Zap on 27.01.2017 at 13:46

it doesn't seem to be a double album after all.

yeah, thats what i was thinking

Show Yourself has Less of of Crack the Skye and more of Once More 'Round the Sun sound, hope we get some heavier tracks as well.

Show Yourself is really pretty terrible if you ask me, I hope that's just this album's equivalent of Curl Of The Burl and the rest is more akin to Sultan's Curse

Snore.

Written by Boxcar Willy on 13.02.2017 at 08:20

Snore.

Give me the damn link, please.

Written by Auntie Sahar on 11.02.2017 at 21:57

Show Yourself is really pretty terrible if you ask me, I hope that's just this album's equivalent of Curl Of The Burl and the rest is more akin to Sultan's Curse

I hope we get variety, so not like Sultan's Curse, and not like Show Yourself.

Written by Ganondox on 18.02.2017 at 05:51

I hope we get variety, so not like Sultan's Curse, and not like Show Yourself.

That would be nice too, I mean that's part of why I like Crack The Skye so much honestly: common theme, but a lot of variation among the tracks. I honestly don't think they've got another Crack The Skye in them though, and that's not a bad thing, but another album with that sense of both memorability and sound diversity would definitely be welcome

Written by Auntie Sahar on 18.02.2017 at 06:07

Written by Ganondox on 18.02.2017 at 05:51

I hope we get variety, so not like Sultan's Curse, and not like Show Yourself.

That would be nice too, I mean that's part of why I like Crack The Skye so much honestly: common theme, but a lot of variation among the tracks. I honestly don't think they've got another Crack The Skye in them though, and that's not a bad thing, but another album with that sense of both memorability and sound diversity would definitely be welcome

we got itt!

Not sure what I think of this after two spins. Some really great stand out moments, but most of it kinda plods along unless you really pay attention. Another solid album that doesn't really live up to the masterpieces of the past.

Edit: Going through all the #2017disappointments, this is definitely one of the them...

This is pretty much Blood Mountain/Crack The Skye templates but blown through a Once More Round The Sun speaker. Its like they half assed returned to their roots to please old school fans. Ancient Kingdom sounds very close to Ember City. Theres even that weird vocal effect used on Roots Remain that wouldnt be out of place on Blood Mountain but here its just odd. Steambreather and Precious Stones are nice additions to the Masto catalogue however the rest is just them trying to dig up some of that magic they had on their prime but not fully committing. Just my thoughts on it. Nothing new here but a few flashy moments to enjoy.

It is just me or some of the vocals in "Roots Remain" sound very Be'lakor-ish?

Written by Paz on 23.03.2017 at 18:58

It is just me or some of the vocals in "Roots Remain" sound very Be'lakor-ish?

Be'lakor-ish??? Or liquorice???

That riff on Andromeda, can't get it out of my head!

After some time and more listens this is a good album. At first i was thrown off but i still think it's far from being the best.

There are some fantastic riffs on here, but I can't stand the production; especially on the vocals. Some of the melodies in the singing just sound corny too. Probably my least favorite of theirs besides The Hunter. I really like Sultan's Curse and to an extent Steambreather, Scorpion Breath, and Andromeda. Show Yourself is terrible. All of this upvoting is crazy (even to me). If this is a 9 or 10 then what the hell are Crack the Skye, Leviathan, and Blood Mountain?

The 2nd half of "Jaguar God" is fucking brilliant.

Now this is something that I can't take out of my head.

Several listens in and I can at least say that they haven't lost sight of their masterful riffs and drumming. The beginning and ending tracks are both excellent. Apart from some uninspired middle tracks, this is a very solid listen. Going to be spinning this regularly or until it gets old. That won't be any time soon...
Edit: some of those middle tracks are growing on me. Steambreather, Clandestiny, and Ancient Kingdom in particular are excellent. Might notch this one up to a 9.

So, 2 listens down, that 8 could very well move to a 9 with further listens, but my initial thoughts:

-I think claims of a return to BM/CtS were overegging it - it's more diverse than OMRTS (which, although I like it a lot, did stay with a pretty standard feel almost throughout), without being quite as eclectic as The Hunter, but closer to their late 00s stuff than that album. It's pretty varied on the whole, and I like that a lot.
-The vocals, especially from Troy, feel like they're the best they've been. Brann has some great stuff here as well - Brent is pretty typical
-Not uniformally, but I enjoy a lot of Brent's solos, particularly on Andromeda; I also enjoy several of the midsections of songs (Precious Stones, Clandestiny, Scorpion Breath) immensely, even in songs that don't work perfectly throughout
-I really enjoy some of the diversity in the writing, including stuff like Ancient Kingdom, which sounds like nothing the band has done before
-A couple of the songs, particularly Roots Remain and Jaguar God, are pretty immense

On the flip side:
-I think the vocal performance across the album is executed very well, but this is the first Mastodon album where I feel like the vocal lines are a bit hit-and-miss; there's more times than I'm willing to let go without comment where I feel like the vocals aren't hitting the right spot, which isn't a criticism I'd have of any of their previous albums
-Aside from people's complaints about Show Yourself (which I've warmed to,but which is still not a great song), there's a couple of songs here which are either a bit flat in parts (Clandestiny, minus the awesome space rock midsection) or throughout (still hoping Steambreather will warm on me). It has higher peaks than OMRTS, but is less consistent. However, it has fewer misses than The Hunter

Overall, I still agree with the general consensus that their 00s stuff beats out their albums from this decade; however, I really like OMRTS, am a strongly converted fan of The Hunter, and expect to ultimately feel similarly positive about Emperor Of Sand. As far as their move away from complex, superheavy prog, I guess I wouldn't say no to a move more towards the Leviathan or Crack The Skye sound again, but right now I'm not desperate for it - I enjoy the more stripped-back approach a lot, and if they can keep experimenting in the ways they do on this album I'm all for it. A flawed but great album, I really love this band.

Top songs: Sultan's Curse, Roots Remain, Ancient Kingdom, Jaguar God

I REALLY like Steambreather, hope that the whole album will grow on me as well!

Written by flightoficarus on 31.03.2017 at 21:27

There are some fantastic riffs on here, but I can't stand the production; especially on the vocals. Some of the melodies in the singing just sound corny too. Probably my least favorite of theirs besides The Hunter. I really like Sultan's Curse and to an extent Steambreather, Scorpion Breath, and Andromeda. Show Yourself is terrible. All of this upvoting is crazy (even to me). If this is a 9 or 10 then what the hell are Crack the Skye, Leviathan, and Blood Mountain?

Show yourself is the fuckin worst...

Ok, I just gone through some videos of Mastodon making of "Emperor of Sand', and got to know that they used lot of props on it. Some movers and shakers in background to give a distinct sound to it like triangles, bells, sofa set etc.

It will be fun to see those props been used in live shows.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 04.04.2017 at 11:39


It will be fun to see those props been used in live shows.

Those sounds will come off a backing tape, no doubt about that.

Their worst yet. Pretty disappointed with the whole thing

Their best since Crack the Skye. That said it's probably no surprise I think this thing is a little back-loaded