We had so much fun with our special "Clutch Kicks Ass" mega-tagteam that we decided to do the same for Mastodon's Leviathan. Over the next few week's different antiMusic writers will be giving you their take on this landmark recording. 

Mastodon - Leviathan
By DeadSun

“… however baby man may brag of his science and skill, and however much, in a flattering future, that science and skill may augment; yet forever and forever, to the crack of doom, the sea will insult and murder him, and pulverize the stateliest,  stiffest frigate he can make; nevertheless, by the continual repetition of these very impressions, man has lost that sense of the full awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it.” --- Excerpt from Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”

“What remorseless emperor commands me? I no longer govern my soul; I am completely immersed in darkness, as I turn my body away from the sun. White whale, Holy Grail; split your lungs with blood and thunder, when you see the white whale.”--- Excerpt from Mastodon’s Leviathan.

Our relationship to the sea is as varied as it is ancient. We turn to the sea for sustenance, and for commerce. We stage great battles upon her, and beneath her. We seek glory upon her waves, and some have been claimed by her fury. The sea giveth, and the sea taketh away. So great is her influence upon us, our ancestors wove her into the very fabric our mythos. She inspires the arts; everything from literature, to poetry, to painting, and music. 

Turning to the latter, we examine Mastodon’s 2004 release, Leviathan--- a sonic colossus, heavily laden with the same archetypal references to our maritime traditions listed above. That Mastodon have (in a relatively short time) established themselves as one of heavy music’s most important acts should come as little surprise--- they deliver the goods bi-dimensionally. Leviathan duly fulfills its purpose, when viewed in terms of the music, and in terms of its substantive content. 

Musically speaking, Leviathan simply scores across the span of the heavy metal menu. The guitar work employed swivels and rolls effortlessly in and out of divergent styles--- thrash, progressive, melodic death, NWoBHM, southern prog, and even the sporadic foray into the types of scale work used in neo-classical. The compositional texture is rather like what might occur if the various styles used in heavy metal formed a musical coalition of sorts, not separate, but equal. Even still, these are masterfully synthesized by Mastodon into something distinct to the ears of even the most jaded listener, revealing a fresh and novel approach. The sound is hard, but refined. The arrangements are complex, yet maintain a savage and raw feel. Few take the time to appreciate just what sort of task, by implication, the production of Leviathan itself involved, by way of sound mix and mastering.  Respectively, Matt Bayles and Alan Douches should be regarded as names to look out for, based upon the exquisite performance they gave, behind the controls of Leviathan.

Substantively speaking, Leviathan is utterly world class--- music for the thinking individual which, by default, places it beyond even the outermost perimeter of something like the Top 40. Indeed, it is imbued with the maritime ethos, allegory, and (subsequently) the most fundamental queries into that which compels and drives us, found within the pages of Melville’s “Moby Dick”. The suggestive content follows suit. How many Captain Ahabs are numbered among us? There is indeed a threshold, which when broken, leaves us consumed by our goals, rather than motivated by them. We become corrupted by them, our actions regulated beyond our control by rage, lust, hatred, and jealousy. Therein the trap is sprung. Without his relentless pursuit of the white whale, what is Ahab? His lone, over-arching determination lies in the singular pursuit of the great sea beast Moby Dick. The thirst is a tragic thirst. Such rabid drive comes to exist for the pursuit itself, and predestines that the goal must never be attained. Similarly, what are you and I, without our own goals, actions, and achievements? 

Throughout Leviathan, the sea is the chosen stage for the great play of our existence. Man hungers for the sea, he looks to it for glory, for adventure, for escape, and for the acquisition of riches. He sets out with the intention of mastering nature, and ultimately learns that the sea shall never be tamed by him. Sometimes, the realization of just how small he is before the sea sends him to a briny grave. We falter before the behemoth, the monstrosity, and our fear of the unknown. Our first instinct compels us to subjugate it, or to mock it, or even to destroy it. These are the rather weighty ideas which Mastodon is evidently preoccupied with--- even the closing instrumental ballad on Leviathan is titled “Joseph Merrick”--- better known as the Elephant Man, one of history’s most uncomfortably vivid illustrations of how fear and misunderstanding can misdirect our treatment of others. 

Here is truly what makes Leviathan blaze forth with a jeweled splendor. Here is what the band’s label must never be quick to interfere with--- Mastodon’s penchant for elevating music to a level which far exceeds the ubiquitous practice of consigning music to a form of numb entertainment. 

“Yea, foolish mortals, Noah’s flood is not yet subsided; two thirds of the fair world it yet covers.”--- Herman Melville

In January of 2005, I wrote, here at antiMUSIC, that if only ONE heavy metal album, released in 2004, could be obtained, it simply had to be Mastodon’s Leviathan. The assertion still holds. This release is destined to become a classic.

This is DS… signing off.

DS

Mastodon - Leviathan
By Tim Ferrell

As Jed Clampett was so fond of saying... "Whee doggies! Mastodon knows how to kick up the rug!" Well, he most likely didn't say that about Mastodon since they weren't around on the Beverly Hillbillies, but trust me, he would have had they been! From the opening riff of "Blood and Thunder" through the last fading tones of "Joseph Merrick" this band truly shreds. 

It is refreshing to see such a unique and talented band garnering the recognition and success they so richly deserve. This CD oozes with heaviness and technicality few bands today can match but, much to their credit, Mastodon does not ignore the softer side of things. Songs like "Seabeast" and the aforementioned "Joseph Merrick" complement the frenetic pace of the CD with more moody, introspective passages. 

Another thing I particularly like is the fact that Leviathan is a concept album of sorts, based loosely on Herman Melville's excellent tale of obsession, madness, and tragedy, "Moby Dick". Yes, I know, you may be asking what the Elephant man (Joseph Merrick) has to do with the famous whale story but didn't I just mention that this was only "sort of" a concept album? Anyway, that song still fits because of the tie to the band's name ... so there! 

One final note - drummer Brann Dailor's snare fills on Leviathan deserve special mention. He has a very precise technique and the way he intersperses quick little bass drum licks with fluid, single stroke snare rolls is beyond impressive - it is awe-inspiring. At times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Mastodon's Leviathan is one monster of a record... 

Mastodon - Leviathan
Label:Relapse
 

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