5 out of 5

Label: Reprise

Produced by: Nick Raskulinecz

Maybe there are a couple camps of Mastodon fans: those who triumphed them prior to ‘Leviathan,’ and those who found their way into the fold soon before or after ‘Blood Mountain,’ – that is, either in the wake of the hype or with the heightened profile of a major label.  Assuming the love of the band remains consistent thereafter, does it matter?  No.  You dig the band.  But I draw this line to sheepishly admit (because, you know, it’s sacrificing my “I was there first” cred, which applies to every single band ever forever) that I’m moreso in the latter camp.  I owned ‘Leviathan,’ but it didn’t really grab me as much as reviews told me it was supposed to, and so it stayed in my collection while I moved on to wild and crazy shit like Sum 41.  I believe I got a promo of ‘Blood Mountain,’ though, and put it on the ol’ disc spinner while I went about my business of pretending like I have my own opinions.  …And it was just one of those great moments where you suddenly discover a band.  I love that disc.  It allowed me to appreciate the polish, reverence, and enthusiasm that Mastodon bring to the table which have and do set them apart from the crowd.

Maybe ‘Crack the Skye’ was imperfect in comparison, and maybe I haven’t heard ‘The Hunter.’  So, with ‘Skye’ in mind, and with producer Raskulinecz’s credits in mind (Ash, Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver…), ‘Once More ‘Round the Sun’ took me a few spins to get it.  Choruses, I found, were sticking in my head, which doesn’t even really happen with ‘Blood Mountain,’ though that disc has gotten significant air time with me.  My desire to pump my fist in the air was maintained for the entire album.  …Which meant that I was, of course, listening to the entire album, and generally on repeat.  Which further meant I needed to go back and kick my first impression of this being a whitewashed metal album in the teeth and call it a nancy-boy.  Raskulinecz and the group do work together to create what could generally be considered a very palatable radio sound – Hinds has found his Ozzy croon / whine and balanced this was a perfected metal growl; his and Kellher’s dual guitar attack is synthesized to levels of sonic beauty, that, abstracted from the riffage, would pass through some NPR’ers ear like gold (which passes through NPR’ers ears pleasingly, I suppose), and Brann Dailor’s drums and Troy Sanders bass have been cleaned up, dusted off, and brought up in the mix to give the songs a solid backbone while allowing a head-bobbing beat to persist.  These elements began popping up on ‘Blood Mountain,’ but it’s their full realization here across the whole disc that makes it magic.  And, as well, the cherry that’s on top of many a great disc: sequencing.  What Mastodon have accomplished on ‘Sun’ is to offer something for each type of metal fan, whether it’s the technical stylings of opener ‘Tread Lightly,’ the Sabbath burn of single ‘High Road,’ the almost straight-forward rock of the title track, the 90s grunge metal (think Alice in Chains, Soundgarden) harmonies of ‘Asleep in the Deep,’ or the nutso smash-up of something like ‘Aunt Lisa,’ with its irresistibly cheeky “Hey ho let’s fucking go” chanting.  And let’s not forget the 8-minute closer, ‘Diamond in the Witch House,’ with Mr. Neurot Scott Kelly on vocals; it’s a classic Mastodon sludge fest, and the brick-in-the-brains to leave the lasting impression that the band still knows how to beat you up.  All of these styles are effectively scattered so that you’re never stuck in a rut, the next track surprising you by suddenly veering one way or the other.

Lyrically.  Hm.  I can’t effectively weigh in on this.  On prior albums, I felt the path got waylaid a bit by the group’s need to apply an external narrative.  I thus didn’t pay much attention to what was being sung.  Here, we appear to be covering fairly straight forward ‘fight for your right’ territory, but combined with the title – suggestive of repeated cycles – and the cover artwork, which is some bananas synthesis of Iron Maiden and prog-rock madness – it’s possible Hinds was purposefully sticking to generic territory as part of, womp, an external narrative or theme.  Either way, there’s certainly nothing embarrassing in the lyrics, and some interesting stories to boot, so it’s a notch above hate-the-world metal, for sure.

The band has gotten due attention for keeping it real all these years, but seriously – it’s impressive to be able to stick to the majors, to keep growing and to maintain your old fanbase.  It’s also pretty badass to drop such a perfect album.  (I mean, I’d do it, but I’m busy writing these reviews…)