The Moon Tower

Mastodon

Civic Hall, Wolverhampton 04/12/2017

Metal is a funny genre. Whilst there have been so many bands over the years that are instantly identifiable to even the casual fan by only a few seconds of music (Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Type O Negative, Pantera, Korn, Slipknot), there are also a countless number that insist on recycling the sounds of their forebearers (no names mentioned here, I'm not one for controversy). Mastodon are undisputably in the former category. Since their first full length album in 2002, bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds, and drummer Brann Dailor have been purveying a brand of progressive metal that's firmly in the stoner/sludge category. Think of early King Crimson crossed with the Melvins, with a bit bluegrass thrown in... actually, you'll still get nowhere near to imagining what they sound like. Let's just say that they're as unique a proposition in today's rock/metal landscape as you're likely to find.

I've seen Mastodon live a few times over the years, catching them first back in 2006 when they were touring the Blood Mountain album, and most recently in Austin, Texas on the Once More 'Round The Sun tour at the end of 2015. Although I love the band on record, I've always found them a bit of a mixed bag live. I don't doubt that the musicianship has always been on point, but the sound for the most part previous times I've seen them has left a lot to be desired. Whether this has been due to the venue acoustics, bad mixing, or a combination of both, I'll never know.

Thankfully the sound in the Civic Hall tonight is pretty much perfect. It's usually a good sounding venue anyway, so maybe that has something to do with it, but tonight each guitar part, every drum fill and all three lead vocals are expertly mixed with none of the mudiness I've experienced in the past. This does wonders for the experience, enhancing the enjoyment of their many complex, multi-layered songs.

Tonight's set kicks off unexpectedly with the closing epic from the band's 2009 Crack The Skye album The Last Baron. It's a bold move opening with a near 15 minute song, but when the song in question contains so many mosh-worthy riffs and twists and turns, there's never any danger of losing the audience's attention. The first six songs of the setlist cover four of Mastodon's albums. An interesting tactic, perhaps to keep fans happy who have been critical of their more recent output as too commercial.

Compared to the previous time they graced a West Midlands stage at the O2 Academy, Birmingham in 2014, the stage set budget has clearly been upped considerably. There's no simple canvas backdrop here; instead, eight 20 foot tall pillars are arranged symetrically on the stage. These pillars alternate between illuminating towers of light and various psychedelic projections, depending on the song being played. It's an awesome sight to behold, especially from further back in the room where you get the perfect perspective on everything, and something the band has clearly invested a lot of time and money in.

All seven Mastodon albums are represented by at least one song tonight. Understandably, material from their latest disc Emperor Of Sand makes up a good portion of what they play - seven songs in this case. The new songs sit well in the setlist though, even the super-controversial pop hit (well, probably as much of one as you're going to get from Mastodon) Show Yourself slots in nicely after Crack The Skye favourite Oblivion. When the band breaks out Mother Puncher from their debut album Remission a couple of songs later, it really emphasises how far Mastodon have come in the last 15 years. They can still break out progressive music when they want to, but have added a lot of accessible melodies over recent albums too.

Given the increasing size of venues they're now playing, and each new album placing higher in the charts than its predecessor, they look well placed to become that rare beast: a metal band that people who aren't generally into metal like. This will doubtless not go down well with "hardcore" fans who don't think they've ever topped Remission as an album, but every truly great band in the history of rock and roll has evolved from album to album, and that is exactly what Masotdon are doing. Long may it continue.

Setlist: The Last Baron / Sultan's Curse / Divinations / Ancient Kingdom / Bladecatcher / Black Tongue / Colony of Birchmen / Ember City / Megalodon / Andromeda / Oblivion / Show Yourself / Precious Stones / Roots Remain / Mother Puncher / Steambreather / Blood and Thunder

Check out Mastodon's official website here.

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Established July 2017