An Evaluation of Mastodon’s “The Hunter”
I honestly do not see how my professor could call this a “perfect essay,” but I had a good time writing and researching it, and seeing them live was fucking amazing, so here you go:
A Great’s Latest Album
Mastodon’s latest album, “The Hunter” is different from their past works. Apart from being their first album that is not a concept album, centered on a single theme (i.e. fire, water, earth, and æther), songs each have their own theme and are shorter than the 10 to 13 minute epics “The Czar” and “The Last Baron” from their previous album “Crack The Skye,” and less complex than songs such as “Capillarian Crest” from “Blood Mountain.” This makes for an interesting contrast for the listener, especially when taking into account the classic rock influences found in the albums combined with their heavy metal roots. For one with no actual musical training, there are three basic criteria by which I tend to judge music: enjoyability, expressiveness, and complexity. Talent is implied herein because that should be expected with any good band, though it should be noted that it is rare to find a band composed of four individuals with this caliber of talent in its possession.
In order for anyone to like music, it has to be fun to listen to. I call this enjoyability. Clearly, this is purely subjective. Enjoyability is an example of a value judgment (Waller, 2008). Mastodon has this in spades, even for people who do not generally identify themselves as metal heads. Brann Dailor, drummer/vocalist of the band, stated in an interview that the types of people who can be spotted outside the venues prior to the shows have grown in variety (Stewart. 2011). The growth in their fan base over the last decade shows that while taste in music is a subjective concept, if a song or band is loved by people that do not normally listen to that particular genre, there is a highly enjoyable aspect to the music. This would also account for the mixed genres one will find in the Billboard charts, for example. “The Hunter” is composed of beautifully melodic pieces such as “Creature Lives” and “The Sparrow,” which are contrasted with the fist-pumping unabashedly metal songs like “Curl of the Burl” and “Blasteroid.” The titles of these songs even seem to imply what will be heard.
“The Hunter” as an album and the song were both so named for the brother of Brent Hinds (lead guitar/vocals), who was killed during a hunting accident during the recording of this album. While it is not their most emotional album [I give this title to “Crack the Skye,” which was heavily influenced by the suicide of Brann Dailor’s sister when he was a teen as well as the near-death experience of Brent Hinds(Bosso, 2009)], songs range in expressiveness from lyrics about love, “Straight out of nowhere/ Buried deep inside my past/ Straight out of nowhere/ Hoping you’ll be the last (http://www.mastodonrocks.com/lyrics),” to philosophical insights, “Trust your own truth” and “Pursue happiness with diligence.” A song is poetry set to music, and heavy metal is no exception, as we can see here.
While this album is not as complex as “Crack the Skye” or “Blood Mountain,” the simplicity of “The Hunter” is what makes it a great album. Gone, but not forgotten are the intricate guitar riffs and drum beats for this album, though in a good way. The transition that Mastodon has made from über-complex songs to the less-is-more mentality is seamless. Brann Dailor has noted that for “Crack the Skye,” the band would think of ways to make what they were playing more difficult to play, but that this made the recording process stressful for the group. With “The Hunter,” because there were members going through stressful lives outside the studio, they wanted to make this recording experience simpler (Ferris, 2011). This worked to great effect. Exploring their simpler side shows how they have grown as musicians.
For someone who has no actual musical training, I think that the best criteria I could ascertain were enjoyability, complexity, and expressiveness. For Mastodon’s “The Hunter,” the band has put together a great contrast to earlier albums that is beautifully simplistic, animated, and just plain fun to hear. It is not every day that one comes across a band that could easily be considered greatest in the world. It is more like once in a lifetime, and I consider myself lucky to be able to count myself as someone who witnessed the future of progressive metal.
Resources
Bosso, J. (April, 2009). Mastodon’s brent hinds on making crack the skye. Musicradar.com. Retrieved November 30, 2011 from http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/mastodons-brent-hinds-on-making-crack-the-skye-202784
Ferris, D. X. (November, 2011). Interview: mastodon’s brann dailor on the band’s latest metal detour, “the hunter.” Alternative press. Retrieved November 29, 2011 from http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/mastodon_brann_dailor_interview
http://www.mastodonrocks.com/lyrics
Stewart, A. (November, 2011). Mastodon continues to thunder ahead. The chicago tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2011 from http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ott-1111-mastodon-20111110,0,3606790.story
