Review Summary: A compelling package full of lyrical genius, drumming perfection, and overly effective thunder everywhere you go. Only on occasion is the tone ever calmed down.
(First Review: Open to any and all suggestions)
Well, for the sake of preserving the simplicity and preserving the legacy Mastodon has left behind in this awesome debut, I don’t plan to combobulate every last word in the dictionary to defend my arguments for this album. I wish to keep everything simple, just like this album, but make myself heard, just like this album.
Mastodon's 'Remission' has undermined sort of a new territory for the industry of grunge. For the men at work here, the overall completion of this album wraps up a decent package that gives you something to chew on if you’re bored. But the composure of this album has explored an interesting passage of land that I feel hasn’t been explored before. The sound presented in this album has taken a major foothold on society, but hasn’t really been crafted into anything that’s revolutionary. But lyrically speaking? Well, it's a whole different story.
Mastodon's lineup is composed of some very skilled musicians. The lead guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds has taken two different paths in this album. His guitar shows his true skill, arguably, close to his best in this album. His singing however takes a different trip. His thunderous voice, (thunderous, representing a huge portion of this label) along with his lyrics take a trip of a very different kind. The rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher is doing mostly the same thing everyone else here is doing. He's just blaring out with his heavy riffs, and distorted features make him a unique and skilled guitarist. A unique addition to this interesting group. The bass guitar in my opinion is of little to no significance on this album. Troy Sanders shows little performance in this piece, considering the fact that most of this album is pure thunderous effect, the bass can only be called upon to blame for much too high an effect. The drums, where to start. The drums are of some of the best quality I’ve ever heard. The snare job in this album, along with the kick presents a rapid style of drumming that compliment this album pretty well.
No true mainstream group can ever consider Mastodon as mainstream quality. But who could blame them? This album as a whole doesn’t really represent the true quality of that of mainstream. But this is probably for the best, considering the fact that Mastodon has undertaken this new lyrical style representing classic elements, Remission being the element of fire. So, (getting off topic a bit) due to this, Mastodon has little to work with as far as publicity goes. So what got them their fans? Well, the raw power of their lyrics says it all. As far as the lyrics go, the simplicity of this album as I mentioned earlier, goes no further. It stops all right at the way the messages are pointed out by lead singer Brent Hinds. His word choice in this album is of a very unique influence that hasn’t been seen many times before.
Some of the best songs in this album include the first three tracks, and "Ole' Nessie". These tracks provide a conclusive scene in the music industry, as well as a substantial sequence of thunderous effects seen so many times in this album. Some of the greater regrets on this album are just that sometimes, the effects get old. This album is a bit too repetitive for my taste. So with this being said, the album gets a little stale on occasion. A cohesive existence between the repetitive aspects of guitar, and rhythm, and the excellent drums does give way to a decent sounding position that is substantial in all that it stands for. But sometimes, it’s just too much.
Mastodon has unveiled a new scene of activity that is undoubtedly a huge success. But fails to occupy an entire space of territory from the pool of grunge. The aspect of grunge on this is nothing more than an addition to the massive cauldron of musicians that is filled to the brink with great and hideous artists. When Mastodon would present itself years later, I can only hope that this is the first thing Mastodon can call upon for the great lyrical inspiration, wherever it came from. But also to the superior style of music, sans the excess thunderous effect that is expressed too many times in this overall masterpiece. Otherwise, decent album with decent features, and exciting aspects that compels the listener to always go forward.
