Bought the official copy today. I'm on Siberian Divide now. Lots to wrap my head around, much moreso than Leviathan. I can't get over how far out some of this stuff is for a major label release. "Bladecatcher?" I had to look at the inlay to tell if those were squealy Seth Putman-type vocals or guitar. Grinding for sure. Nevertheless, the chances taken pay off in spades. I hear lots of old Maiden too. The vocals are the best yet. No complaints except for the anticipation is over. For the album purchase anyway. The Cleveland show is this Wednesday. For those that are going I'll be at the House of Blues snacking on gumbo by 5 at the latest.

"Pendulous Skin" is very maggotbrainey and in the spirit of the other two album closing instrumentals, not just because of the title.

I don't get to see Mastodon on this tour. But what I've heard of the new album is their best material to date.

This is their best album yet.

Ok here's my review, just recieved it this morning thx to good 'ol UPS. (Love ya guys!) Anyway I sat down with it and noticed that while "Leviathan" had an oceanic, water beast, war drums, huge armies marching theme to it... Blood Mountain has more of a Jungle, Tribal, Cannibals hiding in the bushes, Pagan ritualistic theme to it. The songs are classic Mastodon. The ones that really stand out for me are: Crystal Skull, Sleeping Giant, Circle of Cusqatch, colony of Birchmen, and Penduloous Skin. Only problem I have with this album...is that it came after Leviathan. Its really not fair because Leviathan is so good that anything that comes after is obviously going to be less superior, but Mastodon managed to make it be the best attempt. While its not as good as Leviathan its pretty damn close. Leviathan had a flow to it, maybe because it was a theme album, but all the songs led into one another which made for some beautiful fucking music. Blood Mountain is a bit more sharp and random. either way its a gorgeous album, with the classic Mastodon design which I love. They can say even there Cd cases are fucking beautiful. The CD insert booklet looks like a work of art. Great job guys.

(This review may be a bit biased out of my utter dissapointment of my favorite band Bling Guardian's recent release which really upset me)

De-fucking-licous!!!! Only heard it from them streaming it on Myspace and I cant wait for the 12th. At least I think its the 12th. I can tell that I'm going to be listening to JUST this for the next few months/years/lifetime.

Dig the "Astronomy Domine" riffing at the end of "Sleeping Giant."

this mortal soil is fucking mind blowingly good.

Hahah that's pretty funny. That's cool though, I think some people will have the same opinion. I personally think Leviathan is the most "accessible" record they've written, and this is their most daring and experimental. Leviatahn is also their most energetic record in my opinion, it charges forward solid through the whole listen, while Blood Mountain kinda takes some turns here and there, kicks back a bit, and then jump outta the bushes at you. I think this album is a bit more of a fun rollercoaster ride, it's got a lot more atmosphere and depth to it as well. It's a different album for sure, but I love it.

This album also reflects their musical backgrounds, musical interests / inspirations, and even their own place in the "scene" moreso than any other record. This one lets more personality shine through, and references their pasts alot more. Overall, this record could have gone in any direction, and I'm glad it went more for the experimental / show-off side, since the tech/prog shit is my favorite shit to listen to besides straight up hardcore (which the first tune starts out like). Goddamn, this is a perfect record for me.

However, nothing they have done I feel is weak in any way, I own and love it all.

Well I'm in a rare position - I haven't heard enough of the album to pass judgement. I listened to the MySpace stream twice in a row, but you can't really take in an album this complex in that short a time. It took around 5 listens for me to 'get' Leviathan and I haven't stopped listening to it since (in fact I gave it a spi9n yesterday and it still sounds stunning and fresh after all this time).

It will be the same with BM. I can't fucking wait to hear this new stuff live......

Err, sorry, that was me. Nice to have the forum back guys. Nice work Pappy

I suppose you guys know this already but this is new to me...this is from Wikipedia:

Like Mastodon's previous studio work Leviathan, Blood Mountain is also a concept album. According to drummer Brann Dailor, "It's about climbing up a mountain and the different things that can happen to you when you're stranded on a mountain, in the woods, and you're lost. You're starving, hallucinating, running into strange creatures. You're being hunted. It's about that whole struggle." Story Notes:

* The main character is in search of the Crystal Skull which he hopes to place at the top of Blood Mountain.
* In an interview with drummer Bränn Dailor it was revealed that a Cysquatch is "a one-eyed Sasquatch that can see into the future."
* In an interview with drummer Bränn Dailor it was revealed that in "The Siberian Divide" the main character is "caught in a blizzard where [he] becomes frostbitten and frozen and [he's] starving and starts to hallucinate. [Then] this snow queen appears before him and tells him it's OK to start eating his own flesh. And then he starts to do that. Then an aurora borealis appears, and he thinks it's God, and it starts affecting this crystal skull he's been toting up the mountain, and it starts to warm his body. That, coupled with the knowledge of the aurora borealis being God, gives him the strength to start to carry on again."

Has anyone in the UK got it yet, offically!

Damnit, how'd you guys get it so early?!

I'm phoning my record store to see if my pre-orders are in (pre-ordered the CD+DVD and the standard CD versions).

tuesday is when we get in canada. the same day as the new BLS and suffocation albums. i'm going to be one broke motherfucker.

listened to the album a couple times now, and I must say it is spectacular. Every song has some golden moments, and some songs are just beasts unto themselves (i.e., Siberian Divide, The Wolf is Loose, Colony of Birchmen). cannot wait for the pre-order to arrive, and seeing the songs (as well as old favorites [Ole Nessie!!! omg!]) on the 25th in San Fran will be incrediblawesome

Are you only going to the Monday show? Not Tuesday too? I'll be at both...

Now that I think about it, you're right. Good point. Kind of like how Hamlet has a low, moaning throughout the diction while Macbeth has a hissing that reoccurs. Or is it the other way around?

hah yeah only monday for me. being in highschool and all, usually having to get up around 6am, all kind of contributes to it. I just hope they don't pull some big surprise on the second night or anything (like Scott Kelly singing Aqua Dementia or something). gonna be a rocking show nonetheless

I'm still trying to raise a party to go to the Cleveland show, no luck yet. It's gonna suck missing it. To see Ole Nessie live would be like a dream come true. They seriously need to come to Columbus.

what exactly is that vocal/guitar/noise/mess part all about in bladecatcher? iv only heard it once on the myspace stream, and i thought it was well weird! (cool tho)

It's out in Greece...i bought it yesterday...it's so fucking good...

i agree!! i loved seeing them at little brother's.....would love if they could play at the newport

I find Blood Mountain a hell of a lot better in some aspects than Leviathan. Sure Leviathan has Hearts Alive which will no doubt stay with us for a hell of a long time, but I don't see that album as some major big unbeatable album - if anything that title would be handed to Remission.

I suppose some people will have that opinion as it's the album that brought Mastodon to their attention, but as much as I love the album it just isn't the holy grail of Mastodons releases for me.

So yeah, on a whole, I love Blood Mountain. It impresses me and gives me goosebumps every time I listen.

totally agree with you on the remission bit, that's what got my attention, still blows me away everytime too, sure i loved leviathan too but blood mountain??!!!! in one word...WOW!!

Eeeexactly my friend!

Maybe it's just my view on it, and as much as the albums are so different you shouldn't compare them but Blood Mountain to me is the sound of Leviathan with the added heavyness and pure emotion of Remission. I don't know if I'm alone in thinking that, but it kinda makes sense in my head.

It's driving me fucking mad that I haven't heard the album properly yet. 1 more day of waiting.....

Without a doubt, I haven't looked forward to an album this much in my enitire life

I think it's the best release to come out in a long time by anyone. Musically, it pushes boundaries in metal and the song structures are AMAZING!!

I gotta wait at least another week cos I ordered it from Relapse :cry:

Fuck. Just called my record store.. the shipment is in, but they're not putting them on the shelves 'til tuesday! :evil:

I have to wait until payday on Friday.

Those evil bastards!!

gah, just 1 1/2 days left... it needs to be tuesday, now.

I need the back to the future car. haha.

I doesnt come out till sept 12 in maine :evil:

Haha seriously man.

But yeah Firestorm, same release date as the rest of the U.S. We need to get like a countdown going on somewhere on here.

::Does a happy dance:: Already have mine!

TODAY I GET MINE!!!!

I'm tempted to go into the city centre JUST to find a copy of it. Maybe I should wake Mr Sea Hag up and tell him to get his skates on.

Had it for awhile now. Gotta wait till I get some money so I can order the DVD version.

Ok just got back from town and buying it. Had a frustrating morning at work before i could finally leave early and pick this up. Came about 10 times looking at the booklet on the way home and now again that im listening to it.

I finally got it too on my lunch break, for the bargain price of £8.67

I love what I hear so far, it's got a different feel to Leviathan (the cleaner vocals especially). Favourite tracks so far

Circle Cysquatch - I just love that intro, Brann's drumming and the fucked up vocals

Crystal Skull - again, that intro is brilliant. I have listened to this over and over, I just love the riffs, drumming, vocals - a classic

Colony of Birchmen - this wouldn't sound out of place on a QOTSA album, Josh's vocals fit really well

Does anybody know when the cd's are supposed to ship (or arrive) if you preordered them from the mastodon website? I ordered the cd/dvd/tshirt bundle and cant wait to get it.

Gotta agree there, an amazing intro and an amazing song. Colony is also awesome, the vocals aren't something I usualy would of fallen in love with but they fit perfectly.

Hunters of the Sky, This Mortal Soil and Siberian Divide are really doing it for me. No matter how many times I harp on about it, after the 3 minute mark of Hunters Of The Sky it just blows my mind and gives me goosebumps. Really takes me back to Remission times and just the powerfulness of the sound Mastodon can create.

Man, I'm going to get weepy soon.

That part gets to me too. The whole song actually does it. I really, truly cant find one thing I dont love about Blood Mountain!!!!!

Ahh goodstuff, I'm glad I'm not the only one then. It reminds me of Neurosis, but not in a Mastodon ripping them off - just the power of it all. Very ace.

And I agree! Some of it is an instant love whereas other bits took a bit of time but I love it all. Brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. No other words.

i hear you. i ordered 2 shirts on July 10th and its now...September 11th so yea backordered for 2 months....fucking sweet. i got the album online for my anticipation got the best of me. but the cd has never left my cd player and tomorrow when i get to the record store and buy it, I'm certain it will never leave my sight. I met the masto'dudes thursday and got the album artwork and lyrics and shit already. i've been rifling through those lyrics for 5 days now..... all i need now is the tablature to be up and running for blood mountain....

What are people's opinions of Pendulous Skin? I'm so far regarding this as the (relative) weak spot of the album. It just doesn't fit in the way that Joseph Merrick did as far as I'm concerned. Still, I guess it might grow on me…..

Oh and has anyone found out the reason behing this track being 20 minutes long? I assume there is one of these hidden tracks towards the end - haven't had the chance to listen to it properly yet. I never see the point in them personally. If there is music on there, just stick it on as an extra song.