Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4292 in Music
• Released on: 2003-10-21
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
MASTODON certainly awakened the slumbering heavy music scene on 'Remission.' 'Remission' bridged the soulful and technical as herculean yet incisive songwriting effortlessly fused with an expansive and emotive tenor. Creative, distinct, graceful and strong, MASTODON's 'Remission' features the traits of a benchmark release, a standard to which others will be held and ultimately measured. Rarely is rock so pure and hard-hitting.

Songs such as the galloping "March of the Fire Ants," the beautiful "Ol'e Nessie," "Mother Puncher's" labyrinthine guitar workout, and the punishing "Workhorse" are nothing short of insta-classics, and the album's remaining seven tracks are not far behind.

The quartet dug into their roadwork hard upon the release of Remission. First a two-month North American tour supporting HIGH ON FIRE, followed by strings of dates supporting HATEBREED, CLUTCH, and FIVE POINTE O. The quartet finished out a busy 2002 with a Japanese Tour with HIGH ON FIRE and a quick Eastern U.S. run supporting The DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

MASTODON kicked off 2003 with a much talked about appearance at the Relapse Contamination Festival and their first European Tour with HIGH ON FIRE. The band then embarked on its first headlining U.S. Tour, anchoring the Relapse North American Contamination tour with labelmates CEPHALIC CARNAGE, UPHILL BATTLE, and DYSRHYTHMIA. MASTODON immediately followed up the Contamination Tour with two European headlining tours in the Spring/Summer of 2003, including a plethora of Icelandic headlining dates. In September, 2003, MASTODON criss-crossed the U.S. with hard rockers CLUTCH, further reinforcing the power and beauty of their revered live show.

MASTODON carved its own path, and 'Remission' established the band as one of catalysts aiming to change the face of heavy music for the better. 'Remission' sent shockwaves across the hard rock community as critics and fans alike praised the album's diversity and strength. MASTODON graced the pages of nearly every noteworthy music tome worldwide as well as regional newspapers North America over including New York's Village Voice, the LA Weekly, the San Francisco Bay Guardian, St. Louis Riverfront Times, Orlando Weekly, Broward-Palm Beach New Times, Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, Austin Chronicle and dozens more.

In the Fall of 2003, MASTODON was selected to appear amongst heavy music's biggest names as they were invited to be a part of the MTV2 "Headbangers Ball" 2xCD compilation. MASTODON's "March of the Fire Ants" appeared alongside hard music giants SLAYER, DEFTONES, and HATEBREED, as well as fellow fast-rising artists KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SHADOWS FALL, POISON THE WELL and ARCH ENEMY. The Headbangers Ball album went on to sell upwards of 150,000 units, exposing the band to legions of new devotees.

In November, 2003 MASTODON filmed its first music video.The video catapulted MASTODON into the living rooms of countless metal fans and remained in steady rotation at both MTV2 and Fuse's "Uranium" program well into 2004. On the heels of the video's success, MASTODON was invited to appear in-studio as co-hosts of "Headbangers Ball," and did so alongside host Jamey Jasta, on Valentine's Day, 2004.

The accolades continued as MASTODON was named one of ALTERNATIVE PRESS Magazine's "Bands You Need to Know in 2004" and one of Metal Hammer's "50 Bands You Must Hear" for 2004 (alongside THE BRONX, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, MATCHBOOK ROMANCE and VELVET REVOLVER (ex-GUNS N' ROSES). In February, 2004, MASTODON was named one of the "25 Most Important Bands in Metal" by AP and as one of the "25 Greatest Live Bands Ever" by Revolver Magazine. The Revolver list also included such rock giants as KISS, NIRVANA, LED ZEPPELIN, AC/DC and SLAYER.

MASTODON teamed up with CLUTCH for a successful three-week stint in February and immediately following, made select west coast headlining appearances on their way to Seattle, where they entered both Robert Lang Studios (NIRVANA, PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES, FOO FIGHTERS) and Litho Studios (DEFTONES, SOUNDGARDEN, BOTCH) with producer Matt Bayles to record material for their second album 'Leviathan.

From the Artist
Meet the best band on the planet. The Atlanta quartet are the future of metal. It's high time you were introduced." - KERRANG!

"Smart, serious, densely composed, shredding and grooving and elegiac by turns...MASTODON play as if metal never lost the "heavy" prefix" - BLENDER

"majestic, technically astounding, mind-blowing...electrifying" - SPIN

"awe-inspiring" - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"fantastic...incredible...MASTODON has nearly mastered rock dynamics" - THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Devastating" - ROLLING STONE

"monstrous" - GUITAR WORLD

"Leviathan" is a must-have for any fan of complex, heavy music." - BILLBOARD

"Goodbye METALLICA hello MASTODON" - ROCK SOUND

About the Artist
For fans of: Neurosis,Slayer, Iron Maiden, Metallica, High on Fire,Tool,Isis, and Burst.

Customer Reviews

5 stars for Remission, 2 stars for the concert DVD
I decided I had to buy Remission based on the opinions of two of my favorite reviewers (Wheelchair Assassin and WPA). The bad news was that I was unable to find the original version of Remission anywhere. The good news was that I found the 2003 Limited Edition reissue. It took me about three days to recover from the shock that came from listening to a CD that was so heavy, so intense, and so good.

Relapse records has quite a roster of unique bands. And let me tell you, Mastodon is no exception. They have achieved something on their first album that few bands do in their entire careers; they have established their own sound. Nowadays, it seems that a lot of groups are trying to be the next Dillinger Escape Plan or Meshuggah. And while Mastodon possess a mastery of their instruments that put them in league with both aforementioned bands, they bring in an element that seems to contradict everything math-metal is about. That element is sludgy stoner rock riffing. Of course it helps when two of your members (guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor) were in the technical metal outfit Lethargy. But it really isn't their technical skill that impresses me about Mastodon, it's the feeling they put into every riff and drumbeat. They MEAN every note they play whether it be the unbelievably beautiful intro of "Ol'e Nessie" or the bonecrushing beginning of "March of the Fire Ants".

The DVD, which was filmed in Mastodon's hometown of Atlanta, really isn't much to write home about. The sound quality is atrocious. Bassist Troy Sanders' vocals are entirely too loud (he's actually louder than the instruments). and guitarist Bill Kelliher's vocals aren't loud enough. But I give it two stars for two reasons:

1. It was free. That appeals to cheapskates such as myself.
2. It proves that Mastodon are capable of backing up live what they do on the album.

Also included on the LE CD,but not on the original version, is an outstanding cover of Thin Lizzy's "Emerald". The vocals actually sound a bit like Phil Lynott. It's far better than that crummy "Whiskey in the Jar" from a certain little-known band from San Francisco.

Overall rating (for both CD and DVD combined): 4.25 stars

here strides the behemoth
Mastodon's "Remission" is bound to become a classic in not only the stoner and math breeds, but the genre of metal as a whole. Building upon a simple formula (musical brutality contrasted with occasional outbursts of nuanced serenity), Mastodon have erected a marvel of modern metal, complete with song titles and musicality that lend credence to the group's namesake. Layer upon titanic layer of hard-hitting heaviness comprise the majority of this CD, taking no prisoners and damn proud of it. The guitars often give way to a relentless, pummeling percussion section, blending the two massive elements to create one lumbering, vitality-injected monstrosity. The beast is tamed from time to time, as on the rather melodic and mellow introductions to "Trainwreck" and especially "Ol'e Nessie," or the unannounced arrival of an all-out groove right in the middle of "March of the Fire Ants." And "Elephant Man" features some moodier, slower-paced riffing, and is entirely instrumental, letting all the elements flow together smoothly. The rest of the beast is basically given to primal rhythms and melodies. Highlights of this aspect include the aptly named "Crusher Destroyer," "March of the Fire Ants," "Where Strides the Behemoth," and the Zeppelin-esque titled "Trampled Under Hoof." "Trilobite" is a nice hybrid of the two breeds of poetry on display on this incredible disc. The end result is a powerful creature, albeit one that is sometimes too overbearing and dense in its aural assault. A prime example of this is the drumming, which, while nearly unmatched in technicality, tends to rely too heavily on fills and thus often times overpower many of the guitar and bass riffs, which are bone-crushingly extreme and dissonantly beautiful in turn (and often at the same time). A minor complaint, as is the grievance about the lack of clean vocals. In this vast sea of intensity, they are scarcely needed. Overall, a great development of Mastodon's sound, which would only be improved upon with their towering follow-up, "Leviathan".

Mastodon will CRUSH you
Mastodon were one of the big metal breakout bands of 2002, and were quickly heralded as one of the premiere metalcore acts in the world. I didn't get around to checking them out until fairly late in 2003. All I can say is better late than never, and if you are even a slight fan of 'extreme metal' you must check this out immediately.

The first thing that you are likely to notice when you listen to this album is the drumming. To be perfectly blunt, I believe that this album has the greatest metal drumming performance that I've ever heard. Forget Christy and Hoglan and Portnoy and Mournier and Longstreh, Brann Dailor crushes them all.(And don't tell me that so and so is more technical; I don't care. I'm speaking from a purely subjective, artistic standpoint) He's an utterly maniacal metal-fusion drummer who unleashes some truly spectacular and wildly shifting rhythms along with the most frenetic and powerful fills around. And it goes without saying that he can still groove with the best of them. He plays with such unbelievable intensity and energy that even after dozens of listens he's still truly exhilirating to listen to every time. Some might say he's too busy and overbearing, but he's just to damn fun to listen to, and most of the energy in the album comes from his performance. The rest of the band are no slouches, to be sure. The guitars are extremely distorted, hissing and rasping wildly while they throw out some nicely varied riffs, ranging from crushing stoner or doom groove-riffs to bizarre, lightning-quick licks. They manage to be crushingly heavy one second and surprisingly melodic and lucid the next. They also are clearly technical without being overly flashy, and thus never sacrifice groove or memorability for self-indulgent excesses. The vox are first rate as well. They are a somewhat monotonous and distorted roar (for the most part) which frequently provides a sort of base for the instrumental madness around them. They even manage to write some rather catchy vocal lines every now and then, rather surprising considering the anti-melodic nature of their basic style.

There are no throwaway tracks here, so I'll just cover a few highlights. Crusher Destroyer(the songs have great names, by the way) is a massive opener. Dailor drums with unbelievable ferocity while the others throw out some unusual and highly abrasive riffs, which leads nicely to the more melodic section in the middle. Great Song. Workhorse is the absolute best track here. A nice little intro cuts to an utterly fierce and stomping groove with an instantly memorable vocal line. The breakdown in the middle is fabulous as well. Trainwreck is calmer, more epic. It's got some distinctive, softer and raspier vocals and some eerie melodic guitar which alternate with the most powerful groove riffs on the album. The faster, more intense section later in the song brings it all together nicely. Probably the second best song. Elephant Man is a very solid, generally fairly mellow instrumental. Lots of melody and some beautiful leads combine with a good amount of atmosphere and an understated but very real undercurrent of intensity which threatens to explode all throughout the track. The bonus track Emerald is very cool as well. A nice Thin Lizzy cover which both provides a good contrast to the rest of the album, yet still fits in very well.

But enough specifics. Mastodon are one of the best new metal bands out there, and the best metalcore band around. Get it.