Reprise

After four fantastical concept albums, Mastodon’s latest doesn’t follow a storyline. Fueled by the sudden death of guitarist Brent Hinds’ brother in 2010 and the drawn out demise of a close friend to cancer, The Hunter is the genre-busting metal band’s most diverse, accessible and instantly enjoyable release to date. Mastodon has been slowly inching toward more melodic terrain for years. Here, they hit full stride with monster riffs, pummeling rhythms and (limited) guttural screams riding shotgun with clean guitar leads, patient, restrained vocals and graceful compositions. Replete with a Beatles reference ( “All the love I make is equal to the love I take” ) and a spacey keyboard section right off Dark Side of the Moon, Mastodon has transcended genre lines with an album sure to top more than a few critics’ best-of-the-year lists.