Mastodon- Once More 'Round The Sun 2xLP

'Tread Lightly' opens in quite an epic style, moving forward and upwards instantly and very much in the same vein that 'The Hunter' changed musical direction for the band back in 2011, be it an ever so slight slant of musical direction.

'The Motorload' offers heavy groove, killing rifftastic moments all wrapped inside an epic stoner musical approach and that goes for every tune found on this collection.

The first single to be lifted off the record, 'High Road', once more has it all - intensive riffage, hard edged vocals and that heavy veined ever so entertaining groove laden instrumentation. The album production is also balanced and perfectly executed with the celebrated Nick Raskulinecz taking on the knob twiddling duties so elegantly.

Title track 'Once More 'Round The Sun' and new single 'Chimes At Midnight' fall back to back and it's a non stop intensive metal ride for one and all with some psychedelia invitingly intruding into the overall musical equation.

'Asleep In The Deep', as with other tunes throughou, has a QOTSA or say a minor Soundgarden slant, mixed with an obvious classic Sabs inspiration, but it's the unique and original sound of Mastodon that comes through and shines, rather magnificently.

There seems an underlying eerieness hanging over the record, an almost horror-fuelled injection into the veins of Mastodon with tunes such as 'Ember City', 'Halloween' and that's not me knocking this record as that musical work ethic works so wondrously.

'Diamond In The Witch's House' closes it down, featuring the vocals of Scott Kelly of Neurosis fame: an epic uneasy composition....

Boom.....One Mutha of An Album.

(Rob Watkins)