The end of the noughties is seeing metal coming back with a vengeance in all its sub-varieties (sludge; post; stoner; etc), right when any other traditional genre is giving signs of exhaustion. Troubled times give a powerful boost to hardest sounds and in 2009 Converge; Baroness; Isis and many others have all released fine, noteworthy albums. But the indisputable leaders of this new metal wave are Mastodon. The band from Atlanta, since their 2004 second opus “Leviathan”, has been going from strength to strength, boosting public appetite for everything heavy again. “Crack the Skye” has earned the band total mainstream acceptance, with many raising their voices to salute them as the new Metallica.
Released by Reprise. Available to listen in Spotify.