Released: 2011

Genres: Progressive Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal

The Musiquarium’s The Hunter Review Score: 7 out of 10

Having left the concepts of their 2000s albums behind, The Hunter finds Mastodon simplifying their sound (think what Metallica did with their self-titled album, or what Megadeth did with Countdown Extinction), making for their most accessible and radio-friendly album to date. Despite the lack of a concept, the title itself is a tribute to Brent Hind’s brother, who died while on a hunting trip.

Opening track/lead single Black Tongue and Curl of the Burl (also a single), successfully display Mastodon’s updated sound, though songs like Blasteroid, Octopus Has No Friends and All the Heavy Lifting all suffer from their radio-ready choruses, making the band sound less like Mastodon and more like any generic band you’d find on rawk radio. The title track is an impassioned homage to Hind’s late brother. Dry Bone Valley channels some Alice in Chains. Creature Lives starts off with some synthesizers and a laughing voice, followed by some vocal chants, and is definitely the weakest songs on the album.

The Hunter is a solid enough album with plenty of impressive musicianship and some heavy moments, but it’s overlong at 13 tracks and often sounds like your run-of-the-mill hard rock instead of Mastodon’s once unique brand of progressive metal. The Hunter is far from a fall from grace, but it also doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessors either.

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

Back to the 2011 Album Reviews Guide or the Mastodon Reviews page.

Written by Brett Nippard