Beware the Birchmen...

Music is a trip; when I listen to it, I want to be taken someplace else other than the place I'm inhabiting at the particular moment. Our lives are full of undesireable elements, so being removed from the place consisting of those elements and taken to another, via an assault of the auditory senses, is absolutely fantastic...

For a solid nine months I've been listening to a band called Mastodon. (I feel it necessary to mention this here because this bands music most definitely had an influence on many things I've done creatively as of late.) I simply cannot categorize this bands sound, as it sprawls across the heavy metal, classic and progressive rock provinces; resulting in some of the most unique music I've ever heard. Which in turn leads me to that desired 'someplace else...', I so wish to tap into. I began with the band's 2007 release, ' Blood Mountain'.



Since this impacting introduction I immersed myself, one by one, into the bands four other albums: Call of the Mastodon, Remission, Leviathan and their latest 2009 release, Crack the Skye. But in my opinion, none topped the experience I gained from Blood Mountain and I can honestly say it's my all time favorite album. To top off the experience there's fabulous artwork and design from Paul Romano.



Mastodon's official 'Sleeping Giant' video from their Blood Mountain release.

Mastodon's 'Capillarian Crest' video, from the Blood Mountain album; from the Unholy Alliance Tour.

And the captivating 'Elephant Man', from their 2003 Remission release.