You could say that Atlanta’s Mastodon smashes to bits the extreme metal mold. Like peers Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon’s testes-shriveling bottom-end serves as a leap-off point for a din that mixes the prog sense and technical wizardry of, dare we say, King Crimson, with the blunt face-blast of Slayer. Yet their ear-bending time changes and rich melodic passages are couched in an intermittently sludgy, brutal attack, which upholds the honor of such heavenly meltdown scorchers as Entombed and Morbid Angel. True, the vocals still sound like a large man getting murdered in the bottom of a well, but the guitar, uh, slays; think speedy Sabbath-y crunch beer-sprayed with bits of loose-limbed jazz and art skronk. Brann Dailor is the band’s drummer, and, like guitarist Bill Kelliher, did time in metal fist-jackers Today Is The Day and Lethargy. Here are Dailor’s five, rather domestic, monomanias of the week:
5. Paint the kitchen: We’ve been on tour for so long. This was actually on my list of things to do back on July of 2004. Then the record came out.
4. Mow the lawn: I’ve almost forgotten how to do this (kidding). Sure have been on the road a while.
3. Make dinner reservations: Going to enjoy a nice dinner tonight with my lady at our favorite place. This is going to kick ass over backstage catering.
2. See the Mars Volta: Playing in Atlanta tonight. Not to be missed.
1. Make whoopee! Enough said.
Friday, May 6, Harpo’s (14238 Harper, Detroit; 313-824-1700) with Death By Stereo and Cult of Luna.
Send comments to [email protected]
