Released: 2021

Genres: Progressive Metal, Alternative Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal

The Musiquarium’s Hushed and Grim Review Score: 6 out of 10

After spending ten years as something that resembled a hard rock band more than a metal one, Mastodon enters a new decade, but the commercialized sound they achieved with The Hunter is going nowhere, as Hushed and Grim is more of their safe, radio-friendly, metal-adjacent hard rock, so look elsewhere if you want another Leviathan.

The album starts off strong enough, with heavier songs like Pain with an Anchor, The Crux, Sick and Peace, and More Than I Could Chew (though none of these are Mastodon classics), but it takes a nosedive after these tracks, with a few exceptions like Pushing the Tides, Teardrinker and Savage Lands.

The Beast has more in common with country music than progressive metal. Peace and Tranquility begins with some ferocious riffs, but then it loses all its steam shortly after. The end of the album has no sense of urgency, with a string of slower songs like Dagger, Had It All, Gobbler of Dregs, Eyes of Serpents, and Gigantium

As Mastodon’s first double album, Hushed and Grim had the potential to be an epic and grandiose return to the conceptual progressive metal of the band’s earlier works (like Crack the Skye), but instead, it’s the band’s most safe and uninteresting record yet, with far too much filler. I was already on the fence with everything Mastodon had released since The Hunter, but like its monochromatic cover, Hushed and Grim is devoid of any colour and is the band’s least essential album yet.

For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Mastodon on Discogs.

Back to the 2021 Album Reviews Guide or the Mastodon Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard