Much of the metal world was sitting on a certain uneasiness over the last 18 months or so when it came to Mastodon; first with the departure of founding member and songwriter Brent Hinds, then with his unfortunate passing solidifying the impossibility of any future contributions to the progressive sludge metal tyrants. The looming question of how deeply it was going to affect the band’s sound and writing was in the back of the minds of listeners as they queued up their ninth album Marrow Deep. Guitarist Nick Johnston stepped in to fill truly impossible shoes, and while the essence of Brent Hinds is missing, he brings a respectable and similarly powerful homage to the riffing and song structure Mastodon are known for. The addition of João Nogueira on the keyboard rounds out the slight shift in sound on Marrow Deep that still is true to the spirit of Mastodon while allowing them room to creatively breathe in the midst of the various tragedies surrounding this album.
The band opens with the apocalyptic ‘Barbarians Blood’ and sets both the tone and the pace you’re about to experience through this album, with a small feature of percussion from Converge drummer Ben Koller (no doubt just hanging around, given that the album was produced by Converge guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou). ‘Your Ghost Again’, the standalone single that was later announced to be a part of the album, has a certain ear-worminess that has you singing and humming it repeatedly, and in retrospect was a great choice for how this album was going to end up playing out. Another personal favorite was the other lead single for the album, ‘Snakes for Dinner’ featuring Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, executed the other half of the riffing and ferocity that would play out in the album with the constant between the two being the weight and grief surround this album once again. That grief is expounded in ‘In the Ruins’, which shows off the dynamic capability of the band once again and is probably one of the best riffs on the album in terms of the emotion it’s communicating. Other notable standouts include ‘Golden Spires’, which has quickly become a fan favorite in discussions on the album, and the combined ending tracks of ‘The Vanishing’ and ‘The Three Fates’ that round out Marrow Deep’s 65 minute run time as strongly as it began.
Marrow Deep can certainly constitute a sigh of relief for many, knowing that Mastodon still has it with arguably one of their best records since the critically acclaimed Crack the Skye (a personal favorite). Nick Johnston proved he can hang with the sludge metal juggernauts, and João Nogueira adds a neat texture to many of these songs that are setting up to be an interesting addition in future releases as the band continues to explore that presence. The future might still be a bit shaky, but the band has given the metal world something to truly reckon with and has a relisten quality that will leave you finding something new to identify with every time you press play.
Rating: 89/100
Notable Tracks: Barbarian Blood, Snakes for Dinner, In the Ruins, Golden Spires
