Alright, so I completely realize that this album has been out for almost a year... but I felt like doing an album review anyway, cause I've been listening to it alot lately. It's my first one, go easy on me!
Crack The Skye is Mastodon's fourth studio album [Remission-2002, Leviathan-2004, Blood Mountain-2006] and has quite the complex story behind it. Drummer Brann Dailor has given two background stories explaining the album. One of which describes the album as a homage to his sister who commited suicide at the age of 14. Her name was Skye and he describes the moment of hearing that you've just lost someone you love as "enough to crack the sky."
The other story he gave in an interview pretty much encompassed what the album is about, and the story it tells:
"There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in a spirit realm and he talks to the spirits telling him that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul inside Rasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that he is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down... there are some obstacles along the way."
Well, enough background info. Let's get on with what I think about the album.
Simple put: I love it.
Everything about this album just blows me away. One of the big things for me, is just how dark it is. As soon as the percussion breaks in at the beginning of the first track, Oblivion, it's darkness is undeniable. What blows me away about this, is that it doesn't have that depressing after-taste. I find with a lot of dark metal bands, you can't help but feel like shit afterwards. That, for me, is a big plus.
Something weird about the sound on this album, not only does it sound better through headphones, but it almost seems to have a texture to it. Not really sure how else to explain, or even how to explain what I mean by texture. But it just feels right. haha!
The music in general on this album is amazing, but Mastodon is usually pretty good for that. One thing I love is that there is so much going on, all the time. You can listen to the album over and over again, and you still won't be able to get it all in. Not to mention how intricate yet melodic the guitar alone is. It's hard to put into words the sheer awesomeness of the percussion on this album, so I'll leave it to my favorite comment made about this album:
"- think of a thousand metal drummers plus kits tossed off the edge of a particularly high precipice. Actually, fuck that: a million of 'em falling from the heavens in a shower of sticks, skins and sinew. It's breathtaking stuff..."
Amen Brotha.
My favorite song on the album has got to be the first track, Oblivion. I just love everything about it, especially the vocal effects in the chorus. Here are a few lyrics from it:
Fallen from grace I have been away too long
Leaving you behind with my lonesome song
Now I'm lost in oblivion
Would I recommend this album? Without a doubt.
Rating based on the number scale: 8/10
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