MASTODON — Oblivion EP (review)

MASTODON — Oblivion EP album cover EP · 2009 · Sludge Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
FMOTP
It seems to me there are a couple of reasons for a band to release an EP. The first is to give curious listeners an introduction by offering a taste of the band's music. The other is to give existing fans of the band some extra material or songs to satisfy them between albums. I think the OBLIVION EP succeeds brilliantly at the first task. I really enjoy Mastodon's music, although I haven't listened to many of their CD's yet.

This EP is a good introduction to the band's sound. I would pick the title track and the last one, "Colony of Birchmen", as my favorite songs here. Since they are listed as Mastodon "Top Tracks" on YouTube, these two seem to be among the band's most popular and well-known songs. They just strike me as more creative than the middle two songs, although all four are very good.

One way to judge a band is to compare it to similar bands in the same category. Mastodon are often compared to Baroness. Although I can respect what Baroness does, Mastodon are stronger songwriters IMHO. I won't discuss the contributions of individual band members at length; I usually don't care to do so in my reviews. I will reiterate what others have said about the drummer, Brann Dailor. His handling of the band's often complex music is a major part of Mastodon's success. He is without a doubt one of the best drummers in progressive metal music (using a broad definition of that phrase). To wrap things up, I'm giving four and 1/2 stars to this excellent EP.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

… And the Universe Keeps Silent Death Metal
MAERE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Le bannissement Atmospheric Black Metal
CANTIQUE LÉPREUX
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tarantula Heart Sludge Metal
MELVINS
Buy this album from MMA partners
God Damned You To Hell Traditional Doom Metal
FRIENDS OF HELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Absence Melodic Death Metal
THE ABSENCE
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Fallen Ashes - Wage War (Official Lyric Video)
FALLEN ASHES
Bosh66· 9 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Unreality (Single) 2024
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 9 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Cold Hands
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 9 days ago
IRON MONKEY - Misanthropizer (Official Music Video)
IRON MONKEY
Bosh66· 11 days ago
??? (Losing ART) - "????" (Official Music Video) [HD]
漂浮者樂團
Bosh66· 12 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed