No one doubts that Atlanta’s Mastodon is one of the best and biggest metal bands on the current scene. They have consistently put out engaging and complex music for their entire career, music that manages to be at once brutal, melodic, and thematically cohesive. However their past few studio releases have slowly shifted away from the bludgeoning aggression that made their initial run so gripping, towards a more mainstream sound that can fit (maybe, slightly) on the radio. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not bad stuff. Like I said, Mastodon is one of the best metal bands going, and their recent stuff is no exception. It just hasn’t been as heavy as the first half of their career.

Last year, the band released the compilation Medium Rarities, which rounded up unreleased tracks and stray live cuts from throughout their career. The included material is much more of a piece with their early stuff than the polished constructions of late. In a word, it’s raw. This made me wonder if the band was turning back to their roots, getting in touch with the aggression that made them belles of the headbanger’s ball. 

This brings us to Hushed and Grim, their newest LP – a double album, no less. Inspired by the death of their longtime manager from cancer, it is a rumination on death and remembrance. Mastodon is no stranger to concept albums; in fact, almost every record they’ve ever put out has a unifying theme. They’ve never done one that’s so long, however, but all in all the double album format gives them time to stretch out, incorporate almost every facet of themselves, and put together a fantastic return to form.