Mastodon
Leviathan

THE REVIEW

I read the review already on the site, and it's great for understanding a bit about the impact this album has on the minds of those who listen to it for the first time. However, it overlooks many positive aspects of this work by Mastodon that should be mentioned.

The first time I listened to it, to be honest, I didn't fully grasp the genius of certain passages, the beauty of the refrains of certain tracks (such as "Naked Burn" which, in its brazen violence and relentlessness equal to that of the other tracks, turns out to be the most "melodic" and easily listenable from the very first listen. In fact, I would say it really strikes, it left me stunned). All this, however, soon becomes evident when, by the second listen, you find you can no longer do without the mythical sound of this band! The first thing that stands out is the violence, the power of these 4 musicians, and all this supported by a gritty production, raw yet granite-like sounds, punches to the chin interspersed occasionally by more melodic passages that stand out for how perfectly they have been inserted into the song's context. The drummer astonishes with speed and precision in execution, as can be seen, for example, in the beginning of "Aqua Dementia," a song that then continues with a shouted, boisterous singing style, only to slow down later becoming more mastodonic (indeed!). The album also starts wonderfully, thanks to the introductory guitar piece of "Blood And Thunder" which immediately grabs attention up to the third track, "Seabeast", which I consider one of the best of the entire album, with a constantly pressing rhythm that always suggests the imminence of something, easing during the deliberately draggy sung verse, and finally exploding in the destructive refrain! Notably, "Iron Tusk," is also very well constructed. What I think is truly a stroke of genius can be found in the sixth track, "Megalodon", which starts slowly, then abruptly accelerates, driven by a bright guitar that is subsequently given space for a very brief solo, which is sublime not so much for the technique but just for the idea of placing it at that exact point, completely stopping the other instruments. . . which of course then kick off again full throttle, demolishing everything and everyone!

In short, a beautiful album to the end, one that can't bore you, provided you are not initially scared off by the dirty sound that will instead reveal itself as the icing on the cake of the masterpiece that is this Leviathan! A band like this, with its invincible rhythm (the bassist, who is also the main vocalist, is remarkable as well), two venomous guitars, and apparently plenty of ideas to offer, now just needs to reaffirm itself successfully with the next album. If it succeeds in this rather daunting task, it could, as far as I'm concerned, rise with head held high to the Olympus of current metal bands that constitute a reference point for the genre!