Whether as a cynical contract filler or poor second to simply being there, the live album has rarely shone through such charges over the years. As such, metal behemoths Mastodon haven’t made life easy for themselves; choosing to chronicle the mind-warping prog machinations of fourth album Crack The Skye in its live entirety via a CD/DVD combo.
Being Mastodon, the super noodle-ry of Quintessence is exciting to hear, but being their most progressive set of songs, there’s a lot less room for the monster truck riff tectonics and shake around that have made the Atlanta quintet such a thrilling catch live (a sludge-tastic cover of Melvins’s The Bit and Remission’s neckbreaker anthem Mother Puncher being exceptions).
Happily though, Mastodon are way ahead of you here, supplying a 50-minute film of the visuals screened during shows as a bonus feature, so you can immerse yourself in some prime, psychedelic eye candy while Skye’s intricate sonics rip open your third ear.
