The Hunter | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 27, 2011 | |||
Recorded | May – June 2011 [1] [2] | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Heavy metal, [3] [4] sludge metal, stoner metal [5] | |||
Length | 52:54 | |||
Label | Reprise, Roadrunner | |||
Producer | Mike Elizondo | |||
Mastodon chronology | ||||
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Limited Edition cover | ||||
Singles from The Hunter | ||||
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The Hunter is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. Released through Roadrunner Records [8] on September 26,2011,in the UK [9] and one day later in the US via Reprise Records, [10] The Hunter is their first release with producer Mike Elizondo. In its first week of release in the UK,the album reached number 19 on the UK Albums Chart and position number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart selling over 39,000 copies in the first week. As of December 2011,The Hunter has sold over 75,133 copies in the United States. [11]
The album was recorded at Sound City Studios in Los Angeles with producer Mike Elizondo (whose credits include Fiona Apple,Eminem,Alanis Morissette,Avenged Sevenfold,and Maroon 5). [12]
In an interview with MTV Germany,it was revealed that the new album will be called The Hunter in honor of Brent Hinds's brother who died while hunting during the making of the album. [13] [14] Speaking to AOL's Noisecreep,drummer Brann Dailor described the new material as not so much proggy as riff-oriented and "a little more stripped down," akin to that of Leviathan (2004) and "like a really super-heavy Led Zeppelin or something." Asked if Brent Hinds is again responsible for most of the initial songwriting,Dailor replied,"I think it's a little more collaborative,with everyone chipping in." [15]
In April 2011 Mastodon announced two of the titles from their forthcoming album:"Blasteroid" and "All the Heavy Lifting". On June 16,the band's website posted the names of three more songs:"Octopus Has No Friends","Stargasm",and "Curl of the Burl". On July 25,a song from the album,titled "Black Tongue",was released via iTunes,Spotify,and Ovi Music. On August 12,"Curl of the Burl",was uploaded to YouTube on the band's official channel. On September 2,the song "Spectrelight" was uploaded to the channel.
On Rockline Radio on September 26,Mastodon revealed that the song "Curl of the Burl" was based on an episode of the hit show Intervention. It was also revealed that,while the whole album does not have a unified elemental theme,the classical Chinese element "wood" is a common motif throughout the album. [16]
The Hunter is Mastodon's second non-concept album. Moreover,The Hunter marks the first time that drummer Brann Dailor composes and sings a Mastodon song in its entirety ("Creature Lives"),and takes lead vocal duties on more than two songs. Like Mastodon's previous album Crack the Skye ,The Hunter features a mix of clean singing and a few songs with harsher shouting vocals. The song "Spectrelight" features Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly as a guest. It was titled "The Hunter" in honour of singer and lead guitarist Brent Hinds' brother,who died in a hunting accident while the band were making the record.
The album artwork features the wooden sculpture titled Sad Demon Oath by AJ Fosik, [17] a wood carver who is also responsible for a backdrop the band uses live.[ citation needed ] This marks a departure from Paul Romano,who did all their artwork to date. [18]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100 [19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
Alternative Press | [21] |
BBC Music | highly favorable [3] |
Blabbermouth.net | 9.5/10 [22] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [23] |
The Guardian | [24] |
Pitchfork Media | 7.5/10 [25] |
Q | [26] |
Rolling Stone | [27] |
Slant Magazine | [4] |
The Hunter has been met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,the album has received a score of 83,based on 29 reviews. [19] The album achieved an overall rating of 7.7/10 at AnyDecentMusic? based on 21 reviews,making it the year's highest-rated metal album among mainstream reviewers. [28]
Under the Gun Review's Jordan Munson posted one of the first reviews for The Hunter on September 7,giving it a 9 out of 10 score. In his review,Munson summarized his thoughts by stating "It's safe to say that The Hunter can be chalked up as another great step for Mastodon. They've once again stepped over whatever boundaries they feel like,and have ended up for the better." [29]
Toby Gwynne of The Quietus praised the record as a significant progression for the group:"Each of Mastodon's previous four releases exist in their own worlds,and have their own specific characteristics –the genius here is that they've managed to pull in all that made those LP's what they were and combine them to create something both familiar and unexpected." [30]
Mike Diver,writing for BBC Music,concluded:"The Hunter,with its monstrous choruses,powerful percussion and jaw-on-the-floor fret-work,is sure to connect with anyone who's previously rocked out to the band's wares just as easily as it will absolute beginners. Don't like metal? You might just love Mastodon." [3]
AllMusic reviewed the album giving it a score of 4 out of 5,saying "Mastodon's increasingly accessible sound may not land them a hit anytime soon,but cuts like 'Black Tongue','Curl of the Burl' and 'Blasteroid',all of which arrive in sequence at the front of the set,show a willingness to write within the parameters of 21st-century pop music's dark side." [31]
Decade-end lists
Publication | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|
Consequence | Top 25 Metal Albums of the 2010s | 19 [32] |
Discogs | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 142 [33] |
Kerrang! | The 75 Best Albums of the 2010s | 4 [34] |
All tracks are written by Mastodon
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Black Tongue" | Troy Sanders | 3:27 |
2. | "Curl of the Burl" | Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Sanders | 3:40 |
3. | "Blasteroid" | Sanders, Hinds | 2:35 |
4. | "Stargasm" | Sanders, Hinds, Dailor | 4:39 |
5. | "Octopus Has No Friends" | Dailor, Sanders | 3:48 |
6. | "All the Heavy Lifting" | Sanders | 4:31 |
7. | "The Hunter" | Hinds, Sanders | 5:17 |
8. | "Dry Bone Valley" | Dailor, Sanders, Hinds | 3:59 |
9. | "Thickening" | Hinds, Sanders | 4:30 |
10. | "Creature Lives" | Dailor | 4:41 |
11. | "Spectrelight" (feat. Scott Kelly [35] ) | Sanders, Scott Kelly | 3:09 |
12. | "Bedazzled Fingernails" | Sanders | 3:08 |
13. | "The Sparrow" | Mastodon | 5:30 |
Total length: | 52:54 |
No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|
14. | "The Ruiner" | Sanders | 3:11 |
15. | "Deathbound" | Sanders, Hinds | 2:48 |
Total length: | 58:53 |
Mastodon
Additional musicians
Production
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [37] | 18 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [38] | 23 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [39] | 27 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [40] | 44 |
Canadian Albums ( Billboard ) [41] | 15 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [42] | 11 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [43] | 33 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [44] | 13 |
French Albums (SNEP) [45] | 73 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [46] | 20 |
Hungarian Albums Chart [47] | 20 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [48] | 26 |
Italian Albums (FIMI) [49] | 55 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [50] | 12 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [51] | 8 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [52] | 15 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [53] | 46 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [54] | 10 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [55] | 23 |
UK Albums (OCC) [56] | 19 |
US Billboard 200 [57] | 10 |
US Top Alternative Albums ( Billboard ) [58] | 4 |
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [59] | 2 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [60] | 5 |
US Top Tastemakers (Billboard) [61] | 3 |
Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2000, the band's lineup of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals) has remained unchanged since 2001. Mastodon has released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other releases. The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record "Album of the Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.
Leviathan is the second album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released in 2004 on Relapse Records. It is Mastodon's first concept album, loosely based on the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. The songs "Iron Tusk," "Naked Burn," and "Blood and Thunder" were released as promotional singles, and music videos were created for "Iron Tusk," "Blood and Thunder," and "Seabeast". Three magazines awarded the album Album of the Year in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. In 2009 and 2015 MetalSucks named Leviathan the best metal album of the 21st century.
Brann Timothy Dailor is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he is the drummer and one of three vocalists.
Remission is the debut album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released on May 28, 2002 through Relapse Records. A deluxe edition was released on October 21, 2003.
Blood Mountain is the third full-length studio album and major label debut by American metal band Mastodon. The recording of the album finished in April 2006 and it was released on September 12 in the UK and September 12, 2006 in North America through Reprise Records. The album in full could be streamed at the band's MySpace page a few days prior to the release.
Troy Jayson Sanders is an American musician, best known as the bassist and one of the vocalists of heavy metal band Mastodon. He is also active in the supergroups Killer Be Killed and Gone Is Gone and is the current touring bassist for rock band Thin Lizzy.
William Brent Hinds is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Atlanta, Georgia heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he shares guitar duties with Bill Kelliher and vocal duties with Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor.
The discography of heavy metal band Mastodon consists of eight studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, one video album, six extended plays, 28 singles and 23 music videos.
Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009, through Reprise, Sire and Relapse Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. In Australia, the album debuted at number 19. It had sold 200,000 copies in the US as of September 2010, making it one of their highest-selling albums to date.
Oblivion is the second single from Crack the Skye by American progressive metal band Mastodon. It is their second-most successful single and song from Crack the Skye, reaching #30 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; however, it has since been surpassed by "Curl of the Burl," which peaked at #16. It is the opening track on the band's live album Live At The Aragon.
Jonah Hex: Revenge Gets Ugly EP is the official score for the 2010 film Jonah Hex directed by Jimmy Hayward and starring Josh Brolin. It was composed by American heavy metal band Mastodon and film composer Marco Beltrami. It was released digitally on June 29, 2010, through Reprise Records.
Live at the Aragon is a live CD/DVD by the metal band Mastodon. It was released on March 15, 2011. It was filmed on October 17, 2009 during a Mastodon live show in the historic Aragon Ballroom of Chicago, part of their world tour to support their fourth album, Crack the Skye. It features Crack the Skye at its entirety as well as other Mastodon songs from Remission, Leviathan and Blood Mountain, their first, second and third records respectively. To promote the album the band released the live versions of "Oblivion", "Ghost of Karelia" and "Crack the Skye" on YouTube. The DVD also features the Crack the Skye film, which is the album in video format, in its entirety.
"Curl of the Burl" is a single by American heavy metal band Mastodon from their fifth studio album, The Hunter. It was released August 16, 2011, as the second single from the album. The single was the band's most successful song on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart at release, peaking at No. 15. It would eventually lose its title to Emperor of Sand's "Show Yourself". It was nominated for a 2011 Grammy award in the category Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.
Once More 'Round the Sun is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released on June 24, 2014, via Reprise Records. On April 17, 2014, Mastodon released the album's first single, "High Road". On June 16, 2014, the album was made available for streaming on iTunes. Once More 'Round the Sun sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the band's highest-peaking album on the chart and their second consecutive Top 10 debut after their previous album, The Hunter, peaked at No. 10.
Emperor of Sand is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released on March 31, 2017 through record label Reprise Records. The album's first single, "Show Yourself", peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2017. The second single, "Steambreather", peaked at number 18 on the same chart. It was ranked on several year-end lists, including at number three on The Independent's "Top 20 Rock & Metal Albums of 2017".
"Show Yourself" is a single by American progressive metal band Mastodon, off of their studio album Emperor of Sand. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2017, making it their highest-charting song to date.
Cold Dark Place is an EP by American metal band Mastodon. It was released digitally and on CD on September 22, 2017 via Reprise Records, and a limited-edition ten-inch vinyl followed on October 27. Three of the tracks were recorded during the recording sessions of 2014's Once More 'Round the Sun, while "Toe to Toes" was recorded during the recording sessions of 2017's Emperor of Sand.
"Steambreather" is a song by American metal band Mastodon. It was the second single off of their album Emperor of Sand, the follow-up to first single "Show Yourself". As of October 2017, it had peaked at number 18 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
Medium Rarities is a compilation album by American metal band Mastodon. It was released digitally and on limited edition vinyl on September 11, 2020 via Reprise Records. The album is a collection of rare tracks that include covers, instrumental versions of previous songs, and live recordings. Its opening track, a new song titled "Fallen Torches", was released on July 31, 2020. The song features Scott Kelly from Neurosis for his final guest appearance with Mastodon before his withdrawal from the public eye that was not announced until August 2022.
Hushed and Grim is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released as a double album on October 29, 2021, through Reprise Records. The album is the band's longest to date, their first double album. Guest appearances include Soundgarden's Kim Thayil on "Had It All" and Troy Sanders' mother Jody Sanders on French horn. There is no guest vocal appearance by Scott Kelly from Neurosis for the first time since their 2002 debut Remission, due to Kelly's domestic abuse allegations, which the singer confirmed were true in a statement in August 2022, where he also stated his intention to withdraw from the public eye. The album also serves as a tribute to Mastodon's former manager Nick John, after his death from cancer in 2018.
As a first stab in the direction of avant-garde pop-metal, The Hunter is pretty damn compelling.
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