Genre : Progressive sludge metal
Released : October 29th, 2021
Label : Reprise Records
FFO : Tool, Opeth, Elder
Since early on in their career, the themes of death and grief have played an essential part in Mastodon's conceptual albums and their overall musical identity.
Unfortunately, "Hushed and Grim" continues to weave this established common thread since the biggest aspect of his album is the band mourning the death of their close friend and long-time manager, Nick John.
This is yet another incredibly lengthy record, clocking in at almost an hour and a half of run-time, which of course means that there is a lot of material to sink into and to digest.
The band reflect on themes of mortality and the passing of seasons by expressing it through a mainly melodic yet deeply melancholic and grim style of progressive rock.
Indeed, the guitar work is deeply emotive most of the time and there are some fantastic guitar and vocal melodies throughout that perfectly set the tone of this album's mood.
One thing that Mastodon do quite well is conveying into sound the general feeling that emanates from the album's cover art.
For example, where "Once More Around The Sun" felt more psychedelic and "Emperor of Sand" warmer and richer in its overall sound, "A Cold Dark Place" and "Hushed and Grim" both have a cold, beautifully melancholic atmosphere of despair.
Although the focus is mainly put on bone-chilling melodies, the album does have its fair share of thunderous moments that call back to Mastodon's earlier style at times, especially on songs like "The Crux", "Pushing the Tides" and "Savage Lands".
The only thing that troubles me on this album, and I was expecting it ever since the singles, is the production.
Yes, it has a nice, raw quality to it, but aside from that I just feel like it does a terrible disservice to the vocals who end up sounding watered down in the mix, especially during Brent's parts and the drums take over too much earspace in my opinion, regardless of how enjoyable Brann's playing may be.
Another thing is, whether or not the album's imposing run-time is justified or not.
I would have a tendency to say, not really, since the albums flow has its meandering moments during which it feels like the focus has been lost, however it doesn't reach a point where it feels like a drag to listen to since it is easy to get lost in the album's singular atmosphere.
Overall, I would say that "Hushed and Grim" is a well-written, mature sounding album that succeeds in its conceptual goal, however, it does have its flaws and although I found it enjoyable and engaging in its spleen, I wouldn't consider it to be one of the band's best offerings despite the fact that I can appreciate the way their sound has evolved up until now.
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