(One of the first tracks I heard from Mastodon)
This EP starts off with “North Side Star”, and to be honest this is not the opening I was expecting at all. I’m used to hearing Mastodon dive right into these very sludgy Metal anthems. But this is one is diving into almost Folk Metal territory that Mastodon have never even touched. It’s actually done really classy though. This track overall is completely stripped down almost, between the pianos and guitars. But it actually comes off really refined and grand sounding. As far as the vocals go, this is seriously new territory all around. But call me nuts, I feel like I haven’t heard these four so emotionally intact in a VERY long time All of this time, I’ve been scared of them going for a softer tune. But “North Side Star”’s strong Fantasy theme is actually really refreshing. Now of course, since we’re dealing with Mastodon, we’re getting a few different sort of movements and there are certainly progressive elements. But it’s all done so well, and it’s really just refreshing to hear Mastodon take a step back and give us something much rawer. As a matter of fact, it’s done so well that when he heavier instrumentals pop in for the second half, it’s welcomed greatly. It’s still nothing nearly as heavy as the stuff they’ve been releasing in the past though. Overall, I’m loving everything about “North Side Star”. The maracas give it a really nice groove, and the solos are just enough to give this track a little bit of an edge. I didn’t think Mastodon had this in them, but I’m really glad they did. “Blue Walsh” from the start is much more upbeat. But it never really enters the stage of heaviness we know from Mastodon. Obviously, Mastodon has been going for more listener-friendly material like we saw on “Emperor Of Sand”. But in every way, every track on this EP is done so much better. Brann sounds so comfortable with his singing, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I heard him sound this clear. And some of the vocal harmonies between all the members of Mastodon come off fantastic. There are a lot of the same Progressive Elements that come off just as flawlessly as you would expect as well. Overall, “Blue Walsh” is smooth. I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is Mastodon’s take on Folk Metal, but there certainly is an element of it to this. Also, I continue to love just how visual this is. It’s amazing what little changes can do, like a more Fantasy themed atmosphere. So far, I don’t have a single complaint about this EP. Plus, when “Blue Walsh” does get heavy in its final moments, it’s totally refreshing and exciting.
This EP continues with “Toe To Toes”, it’s more and more apparent that this IS still the Mastodon that we’ve known for years. But these are recordings that they did years ago strangely. To be exact, the first three tracks here were recorded around the “Once More Round The Sun” era. But my question is, where the hell were these tracks then?! Because if Mastodon is going to continue trying to appeal to a wider audience, this is certainly miles better than what they’ve been putting out. I love some of the little details here like the handclaps during the chorus. Which, in theory, should be just about everything I hate about current Mastodon. But Mastodon have actually made this sound very catchy and seriously memorable. There’s a little something from all members here as far as vocals go, but they all sound pretty damn solid overall. Also, not to mention, this has the sort of epic and grand sound that I’ve been dying to hear Mastodon return to. Outside of that, it’s business as usual. “Toe To Toes” has plenty of solid solos here and plenty of very visual and Progressive elements there. Overall, this is a really amazing tune, and it’s something that I really wasn’t expecting to hear this from Mastodon. And once again, when the heavier material does show up towards the end of the tune, it’s absolutely welcomed and damn near exotic. “Cold Dark Place” finishes off this EP, and it’s the most recently recorded track. Apparently, this was recorded during the “Emperor Of Sand” sessions. And what do you know, it’s a whole lot more compelling than 90% of that album. I actually seriously love the very somber, bluesy vibe to this. Hell, there’s even a slight Southern flair to this, which I always love to hear from them. It actually ends up making this track a whole lot more emotional. Now, I’ll be honest, of all the tracks here this is probably my least favorite. But still, this track is really deep and interesting for Mastodon. It’s also probably the easiest going of the bunch, as it doesn't really ever pick up much into something slightly heavier. It’s just so weird to even think that this is the same band. Not to mention, these vocals are just so emotional and raw. I digress. This whole side of Mastodon is something that we haven't seen in a really long time. I don’t know where these tracks came from or why they decided to release them, but I’m so glad they did.
Rating: 8.0/10
Genre: Progressive Metal, Sort of Folk metal (KINDA), Progressive Rock
If You Dig This, Check Out: Basically anything from Mastodon's discography. Outside of that, this one sort of just stands on its own.
Overall Thoughts: Being as indifferent as I was about Mastodon's "Emperor Of Sand", I wasn't expecting anything from this at all. Maybe a few outtakes and demos or something, but nothing much more than that. But to be honest, this EP sort of blew me away. I feel like this is a much more raw Mastodon than we've gotten from them in so long. Most of the tracks here are more somber in tone and sound a whole lot more stripped down. But all of that I mean in the best way. This EP isn't the soul-crushing Sludginess that you would expect from Mastodon, but it may just be the best collection of tracks they've thrown together since "Blood Mountain".
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