Emperor Of Sand

WARNER / REPRISE

Though deeply imaginative storytelling sets the theme, smouldering guitar lines, strong chord progression and groove-laden riffs set the tone for progressive metal outfit Mastodon’s seventh album. Opener “Sultan’s Curse” is packed with pulsating riffs, with close harmonies and palm mutes in between. The album goes through multiple personality changes, and at times stomps around a Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age-esque feel. Mastodon’s near perfect blend of melody and might manage to guide the listener through this prog-metal masterpiece. A thick acoustic tone and softer vocals introduce the album’s closer, “Jaguar God”, which wastes no time diving headfirst into a blend of Mastodon’s finest bludgeoning riffs, heavy rhythms and slightly aggressive tones tailing off each vocal, before ending with another powerful solo. In other words, it’s more classic Mastodon.