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IN CASE THERE WAS ANY DOUBT THAT MASTODON HAVE CROSSED OVER INTO THE MAINSTREAM…

 Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 4:30pm by

mastodon - crack the skye

…reader Mark VanDeusen just tipped us off that Crack the Skye has been named number three on Time Magazine’s The Top 10 Everything of 2009 list. Which I imagine will be read by slightly more non-metal fans than, say, Decibel’s year-end list. Just a guess, though.

Unfortunately, the author of the accompanying blurb, Josh Tyrangiel, comes across as kind of a tool. For example:

The band name doesn’t inspire confidence. Nor does the warlock-strewn album cover. Nor the fact that Crack the Skye is the last of a four-album cycle about the Earth’s elements.

He sounds like my mom: Ewwww, warlocks! And, by the way, dipshit, I don’t see a single warlock on that cover. Also, “Mastodon” is a great name for a band. Sorry if it’s no “Air Supply,” you putz.

That being said, if a tool speaks the language of other tools, perhaps that’s the best emissary to send to convince people that Crack the Skye is really worth their time.

Read the complete entry here.

-AR

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  • Kye

    I’d also like to point out that it’s a 5 album cycle about elements, with this one being aether, not air.

    • bittercold

      or it maybe kinda is…

      interview with Brent Hinds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_C-UdQ8WBo listen in around 2:20 mark..

      Amongst other quotes “because it’s the last element we haven’t touched on yet, because we’ve touched on Fire with ‘Remission’, Water with ‘Leviathan’, and the Earth with ‘Blood Mountain’, now Air with ‘Crack The Skye’.”

      i cannot wait for the Captain Planet album myself in mid-2011.

  • cougar party

    Mainstream critics always have to qualify anything “metal” by first saying a bunch of negative things, then praising it. I think they feel like it helps them save face when their hipster friends get pissed off that The Decemberist or anything Jack White does isn’t featured in the article.

    • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

      I bet the reviewer eats Miracle Whip and will not tone it down.

      • The Greys

        Man, Josh is too cool for school, isn’t he? He’s so afraid of being branded a fan of metal that he has to salt his allegedly favorable review with quasi-apologies (“Hello Cleveland!” Gosh, that was droll, Josh).

        He needs to relax and just enjoy the music for what it says to him, and stop worrying (I guess) about his music critic image.

        But then again, there is a bright side: If a spread in Time introduces more people to Mastodon, that can’t be bad.

        • cougar party

          another interesting observation from Josh Tyrangiel: Apparently “The Czar” sounds just like vintage Metallica! Seriously?!

          • brandon

            yeah…. that just shows how qualified this guy is

        • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

          I don’t want the people that read Time to enjoy Mastodon

          • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

            Though it will be interesting to read about them in the dentist’s office 25 years from now

          • Fortunato

            I read Time magazine and enjoy Mastodon.

            So..fuck you, I guess?

      • Beereded

        Hahaha +1 to you, good sir. I hate those “edgy” commercials. I actually have to change the channel every time that commercial comes on. And, I’d much rather have regular mayonnaise.

      • cosk!

        i had to go look up that commercial, and holy shit.
        yeah thats that dude…

        or an older guy, who wishes he could hang with the hipsters

        • SourDeez

          Those stupid commercials are a great example of how REAL hipster culture is invading our society. A lot of people who have the idea that Mastodon or even Pelican are hipster bands has obviously never been to a place like Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which is actually full of hipsters. The craziest thing they listen to is noise rock. They love that noise rock, because it appeals to the primal spirit in all of us just like metal, but it’s artsy-fartsy enough for these pretentious douchebags. And now you’re hearing their lame electro-indie shit in car commercials and watching them dance around on rooftops wearing thrift clothing selling fuckin miracle whip trying to make a fucking PLAIN WHITE CONDIMENT seem edgy. There is really no such thing as metal for hipsters, they’re the anti-metal.

          • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

            I enjoyed this comment very much, crap I cannot put up with artsy noise rock or anything indie. Kill all hipsters.

          • Beereded

            And you know, I just gotta say that is one of the biggest reasons I hate Apple/Mac. There’s about a billion others, but that gets to the heart of it.

          • SourDeez

            I hate apple because they make reliable computers that rarely need to be replaced or upgraded and are incapable of getting viruses. That shit is for hipsters. I want to buy a new computer every 2 years.

  • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

    They’ve gotten so big, it’s time for me to hate them.

    • msv81

      I really liked this band before they sold out, but god do they fucking suckass now. What mainstream shit.

      • Atlas Shrug

        You’re a fucking retard. Please explain to me how Mastodon has “sold out.” Just because a lot of people like it and respect the musicianship doesn’t mean they compramised any kind of musical integrity.
        If you think a band that made a concept album about a astral/time traveling kid following a dead Russian mystic back to his body was thinking “holy shit were going to make so much money off of this” on their mind, you seriously need to jump off a bridge or stand in traffic.
        Good musical aesthetics in metal exist outside of screaming and sounding like Neurosis. Go fuck yourself.

        • msv81

          Really? Who’s the retard who can’t tell the difference between sarcasm and seriousness. Look at Eluveitie’s post that I was responding to.

          Hahahaha it was definitely worth seeing you flip out like a monkey with downs syndrome smashing the keyboard in anger. So, you can kindly go fuck yourself there, champ.

          • http://www.facebook.com/people/Keith-Brown/537636633 Keith Brown

            msv81 is win for today

          • Atlas Shrug

            Good point, it seams sarcasm can be lost in translation when read instead of heard. Ill man up and apologize: my bad.

          • Double D

            I was thinking the same thing. You musta been a little worked up to get that one wrong, at least you admitted to it. Anyways,

            Ay chingada! Fuck this gay band! Mastodon sucks ass! I hate them now for selling out. I gotta go listen to some frostbitten shit.

          • Masonic Wehrmacht

            Mas Putos.

    • 646

      That’s the metal spirit.

  • rupert

    now that mastodon is nationally recognized it looks many people will turn against them., because god-forbid it be very metal like to get some recognition. and thus the phrase “i like them before they sold-out” will now be used by teenagers everywhere to describe one of the best bands to grace the face of the earth

    • Deaner

      I’ve heard Mastodon at Pittsburgh Penguin games at Mellon Arena, and on This Week in Baseball haha. Nothing wrong with making money, unless you set out to make music that will make (potentially) you money – see Chris Cornell hahahahaha.

    • SourDeez

      Everyone needs to remember that a lot of metal’s most respected bands were fucking HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE in their heyday. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Sabbath, Metallica when they were good….these were all massively popular bands. Huge fucking rockstars. World tours, MTV appearances, coke and hookers… well maybe no coke for Maiden but you get the idea. And even though Metallica did sell out to get even bigger, they were still incredibly famous before the Black Album.

    • Ryan

      @rupert

      But it’s kinda hard to respect a band that plays to 50,000 fans & when you go seem them live is a douchebag saying: Yo bro, my Affliction shirt is tight & that chicks got a nice ass, bro! Nah, I can’t deal with it, I think I’m done with them. The music does still kick ass though.

      • Deaner

        I love how people base their opinion of bands by their fans… that’s rich.

      • SourDeez

        You act like those jersey-shore guido types are running rampant at Mastodon shows. This is simply false. If you go to a Mastodon show, it’s refreshing to see a wide variety of people. All the metalheads are there, including some older people in Priest shirts and younger guys in death metal shirts. Plus there are people who don’t look metal at all. And maybe a guido in a tight affliction shirt, although I’ve never seen one. Point is, there really is not stereotypical Mastodon fanbase, because lots of different people like them, which is just a part of what makes them so great.

  • cosk!

    how is mastodon a bad name? how is a 5 not 4 album cycle about the elements of the earth not interesting? how are those two russian mystic dudes and a bear – warlocks? godfuckingdammit

  • poopsmcgee
    • brandon

      +1 for sure…. thats just gay… end of story. Mastodon fuckin rocks and this guy is a cunt.

  • http://www.flamingtusk.com Zosimus

    Whatever, dudes; I’ve been planning to buy Crack The Skye as a Christmas present to my stepdad for hella long weeks now.

  • bob

    tyrangiel is actually a pretty cool dude

    • TooOld

      Dude has two things going for him:

      1. He has a real job
      2. dude has a supremely metal moniker. NFW that was his birth name.

      • Ryan

        Ehh, fuck off…….the both of ya.

  • Bicro

    From the beardos you were formed, and to the hipsters you shall return.

    Asche zu Asche
    und Staub zu Staub.

    • cosk!

      fuck off

      • Bicro

        Nah.

        • cosk!

          i still suggest it, i suppose the decision is up to you

  • msv81

    # 1: American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley

    • TooOld

      Who? I thought Brad Paisley was the color of the wall paper in my bathroom.

  • http://pandasdestroy.com Greg

    Their #1 album is Brad Paisley.

    Clearly they were just picking albums out of a hat, none of this list can be taken seriously.

  • Myopinionisbetterthenyours

    Brad Paisley and Dirty Projectors are better then Mastodon? Hell no.

  • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

    I expected all the indie and pop country, but this list is about as bad as I could possibly imagine.

    • http://uponwingsofblack.blogspot.com/ \m/Eluveitie\m/

      …and then I read “in partnership with CNN”, and I knew any hope I had going in was completely unjustified.

  • The Great Danton

    I actually enjoy 5 albums from that list, counting Mastodon. I checked the Top 10 songs, no metal, although I was glad to see Grizzly Bear on there.

  • Legions: iron and steel

    As soon as I read that I was reminded of this:

    http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,Paranoid,00.html

    and sure enough it was written by the same asshole

    • Sandman

      Paranoid was not the birth place of metal…if the birth place of metal is Sabbath then at least credit the Black Sabbath album with that.

    • cougar party

      That was possibly the worst review outside of a Rollingstone magazine. Seriously, fuck this guy.

  • cosk!

    i just read the whole mastodon review, now im more mad

  • major

    this idiot should stick to billy joel

  • Sandman

    The band’s name doesn’t inspire confidence? I guess “Dirty Projectors” or “Grizzly Bear” does?
    Who the fuck would sneer “Hello Cleveland”?
    Bass drum carpet bombings…..where do you get carpet bombings out of Crack The Skye?

    I could go on but I’d rather listen to the album.

  • max

    just to clarify, it is not number 3 out of everything in 2009; it is number 3 on the top 10 albums (any genre) of 2009.

  • http://www.noisecreep.com Jay

    Face-tattoo metal.

  • SonOF

    What would be a band name that inspires confidence, Mr. Tyrangiel?

    “Mastodon” brings to mind a giant, prehistoric creature, crushing everything underfoot (hoof). That sounds pretty confident to me….at least as confident as Franz Ferdinand (or whatever dumb band the hipsters dig these days).

  • Ryan

    More exposure is never a bad thing, but I’m semi-appalled to see Mastodon mentioned in the same feature as Lady Gaga.

    Half of all their lists are moronic anyway. Some iPhone game nabbed #6 in the Video Game list and Princess and the Frog was the number one movie. Seriously?

  • meow

    oh shit son is that some Raekwon up in this bitch

    • cosk!

      yeah i know right, they knew they had to pick one rap album, why the fuck not some Raekwon

      • Masonic Wehrmacht

        Because there are countless better hip hop artists. Check Immortal Technique. If you appreciate the hip hop sound and love you your metal, this guy is a win win.

        • Ryan

          Yeah but Raekwon is still the shit.

  • TXHellbilly

    I find it odd that fans of bands like Mastodon will all try to turn their friends on to the band, then once they get big, the fans get pissed. Be happy for the fucking band that their hard work has paid off. Just because the record sells tons of units doesnt mean that the band sold out, it means they made a great fucking record. And on the other hand, just because an album sells doesnt make it good.

  • Metalguy

    Thankfully iwrestledabearonce has such an inspiring name that all it’s fans will now have the courage to go out and fight bears. Then fail miserably just like the band

  • Joshie

    I just like that, in the top 10 animals stories, number seven is simply “Chimp Mauls Woman”. Now that’s metal.

  • SHOCKTROOP

    not only is mastodon’s crack the skye the album of the year, but the album art is the coolest I’ve seen in many many years. how could this guy rip it? and mastodon is most definitely a great band name. whatever. I’m just glad to see this record getting its due.

  • o0Stacey0o

    Well, Time has obviously set my opinion in stone. Along with this website and every other interweb blog, I can now officially say Mastodon is my favorite band. Cheers to hanging on every single word every blog ever says about anything…ever. #srsly

    • Ryan

      Fuck you.

  • SourDeez

    I’m glad this made such a prominent list, but what a douche. “Please ignore all of the stuff that’s, you know metal. Fantastical imagery is childish, but at least the music is good!” Dick. I’m sorry, I forgot that in order to be taken seriously, music has to contain commentary on current events or your relationships with people of the opposite sex. Because that shit it really interesting and thought provoking. Anything creative and imaginary is just, like, Spinal Tap shit man.

  • Chimp-O-Neg

    I love this album, and Mastodon. They haven’t sold out. Whilst many of the lyrics are personal and heartfelt even they know that the album’s themes and imagery are pompous and overblown – that’s all part of the fun.

    In light of that, I’m happy with it being on the Time list and I’m really not bothered by what this guy said (even though I know he IS a dick).

    • Ryan

      He is a dick. Fuck Josh Tinkerbell or whatever the hell is name is?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Rik-Powell/286400508 Rik Powell

    The more I hear Mastodon, the more I dislike them. The singing is beyond irritating, I can’t stand that guy’s voice at all. Musically they’re okay but it doesn’t really hold my interest.

    • Austin

      I wasn’t a massive fan when I first heard them, but they grew on me once I started thinking of them as a fucking brilliant rock n’ roll band as opposed to a metal band.

      • Rick

        So what, you don’t like Metal?

  • vaste burai

    great album, great dudes. i could care less if they were smoking weed with me in the fartbox opening for clutch in shreveport,la years ago(they did) or ride around in seperate buses eating only brown m&m’s 10 feet from any crowd in the future, there music rules, popular or not….btw the decibel interview on mastodon was the greatest piece of literature i have ever read in there(which is hard cause it’s all good)…really brought out their humbleness through the popularity surge. loved them, years ago….will love them, years from now.

  • hellboar

    im glad i always didnt like this band

  • Facebook User

    I think this Josh fellow is a great critic… FOR ME TO POOP ON!