Crack the Skye

The masters of unconventional rhytms and melody changes

This is much rockier and less metal than I expected, but in the best way. Dreamy but loud and intense. Mastodon pushed technical boundaries on earlier albums; here they're all about mystery, depth, emotion, and atmosphere. "Quintessence" opens epically and shifts into progressive grooves with vocals that elevate everything. "The Czar" reminds me of Opeth. "The Last Baron" goes off at 13 minutes and earns every second. "Oblivion" and "The Ghost of Karelia" also stand out. The production is thick and full. Every layer is audible, which makes for an incredible listening experience, but also a tiring one. It demands your full attention in a way that's both a strength and a limitation. I might not always reach for this even though I have starting to really love this album, simply because it's so dense and exhausting. The vocals took some getting used to as well. Multiple singers, none technically great, plus guest vocals. But it all works perfectly for the vibe. Way better than I expected. A killer album that rewards the effort it demands. 4,5*

My second favorite metal band. It goes hard without the drums breaking your skull, the screams shattering your ears, or the guitar melting your face. Truely awesome.

Exceptional metal. Not the most extreme or unique, but all the better for it - I must admit I enjoyed being able to hear the lyrics rather than having to look them up! Another band I knew by name, but had only heard a few songs - and another to put on my list for after the list to explore fully.

This is a masterpiece!

I've heard a bit of Mastodon before, and it was good but never something I've really loved. This album was surprisingly good, I've never heard anything from it, but I like it a lot. A good solid drone, and a lot of Ozzy baked in. Still not something I'd want to hear every day, but a good addition to the list and to my library.

This fourth album of Mastodon is less aggressive, prog and sludge than earlier work. I like this evolution and compared to for example Blood Mountain this album sounds more original, fresher and energetic. Though it's not exactly my cup of tea, it's certainly enjoyable and a good album within the progressive metal genre with a great production and good musicians.

Sick as hell. I've heard of Mastodon before, but I had no idea they were this proggy. Vocalist sounds like Ozzy so much that I had to double-check if that wasn't actually him.

This is a great metal album, but I'm not a massive fan of Mastodon in honesty. There's a lot of repetition, but overall it's important listening. Probably deserves to be in the main list over all the other shite.

Top 50 of all time album, this is a 10/10 for me.

Mammoth

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Oblivion, The czar, The last baron

This hit really hard the first time I heard it, this time it didn’t. Still a great album though

Love to see metal on this list. I've heard of them before, but never sat down and listened to any of their albums before. I loved it. The singer sounded like Ozzy here and there.

Aw, c'mon! *Leviathan* is the first one to listen to in Mastodon's discography! Everyone knows that! Er... Just read the other reviews now, and it seems I'm the only user to point this out up to now. So, no, not everybody agrees. Are prog-metal fans this amnesiac? Or is it just me who's out of my depth? Metal is not my elected genre, and I now admit I only gave very superficial listens to some of the other Mastodon albums... Honestly, even if this would not be my first choice, *Crack The Skye* is still an excellent record. The only minor gripe I have with this one is with *some* of the clean-sounding vocals (not all of them), kind of foretelling the cheesy future of the band as I perceive it today. Apart from that minor gripe, "Oblivion" is a killer opener, that insane guitar riffing at the end of "Divinations" is extraordinary, and the prog and stoner elements in *all* of the songs are impressive. RIP, Brett Hinds. To be perfectly candid, the fact that such a long-standing member of Mastodon got unceremoniously fired in 2025 (and then died in a freak motorcycle accident some months later, triggering mealy-mouthed tributes from the rest of the band) kind of suggests a slow bitter decline for this act. Those sad events are not a strong incentive to listen to their more recent output, as far as I'm concerned. Internal strifes can always happen, sure, but when they turn ugly like that, it sometime gives you the impression that the music is not worth it. And given that my admittedly superficial listens of those last records suggest a more hackneyed and streamlined sound anyway... 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list dedicated to essential albums, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3.5) ---- Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 81 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 104 (including this one) Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 207 ---- Émile, j'ai vu ta dernière réponse. J'essaie de trouver le temps de te laisser la mienne dans les jours qui viennent

I was always a bit of an indie kid, but this kind of music was so much better than the utter garbage of this time. It was like metal reflected post-millennial and 9/11 angst better than witless bands. And this is great.

This is some decent enough metal.

Not totally my kind of music, but considering I do not follow the progressive metal scene and even I know who Mastodon is tells me all I really need to know. That, or I've played too many fan charts for Guitar Hero.

Solid metal LP, vocals felt a bit unsuited for the instrumentals at times but I enjoyed a heavier addition to the list.

Found this more enjoyable than I expected. I kind of wish it were more metal though. Sort of a cousin to TOOL or Metallica.

Apple Music said it was metal but okay idk

Metal progresivo. Ni fu ni fa.

Pretty kick ass

moar Moeritherium

Not really my thing but seems decently performed.

Solid metal/heavy rock album

Aware of this band but never listened to much, metal being a niche genre in my usual rotations. Solid fairly traditional metal, well done.

I was put on mastodon by my friend who is a huge metal/djent/prog guy and basically told me mastodon was simpler metal music. Yeah that may just be why I enjoy this album a good bit. Mastodons early work is some solid stuff. They are hardcore and technical without going to the extreme that some metal becomes hard to listen to. This album starts great and then levels off a bit but it remains pretty solid. Nice choice. 7.4/10

This was worth the time.

I think I’ve only listened to one Mastodon song before, and it was on Rock Band 2, and it nearly caused me to embed that stupid plastic guitar in my TV. I don’t think that song was from this album, I think it was from the album before this one, so I’m glad I’m not going to have Rock Band 2 PTSD today. I’m not a big prog metal guy, so this album probably won’t be up my alley, but I’m going to give it a shot! As I expected, this wasn’t really my speed, but I still thought it was a pretty good album. The guitar playing really stood out to me, and I liked the Ozzy-adjacent vocals as well. The drumming and bass playing were pretty good too, and I generally enjoyed the way the music was arranged and layered. On some of the songs, there were some really fun and interesting elements buried under all of the louder parts of the arrangements, and I felt like this album rewarded the listener for paying closer attention. I really enjoyed “The Czar,” despite the fact that I typically don’t care for prog songs that are structured this way. I can’t see myself seeking out more Mastodon albums to listen to, but this was a pretty enjoyable listen.

Metal no muy intenso, pero sí con la intensidad precisa. Guitarreo y contundencia a partes iguales. Aunque es un poco mi género, no me ha encandilado o, por lo menos, en una primera escucha, me ha parecido un disco como muchos otros.

I’m not into this kind of heavy rock so this album is not for me.

Det är för mycket metal på den här listan. Jag gillar inte metal.

Not really for me

This ain't it. So boring

yeah i just can’t get on board with music like this

Nope

Fairly routine stuff- just devoid of any inspiration or creativity. Shudder to think how much was spent on expensive studios and SFX heavy videos to promote.