Concert preview: Mastodon and Deathlok at the House of Blues (November 11)

by Justin Press of Justin Press: Dallas Rock Music Examiner

DALLAS — Mastodon & Dethklok w/High On Fire at the House of Blues - November 11

One word: Brutal! Mastodon is undoubtedly the world’s best metallic progressive band tag-teaming with the world’s best faux death metal commodity. A masterful record, Crack The Skye pivots Mastodon to the heap of the bonfire of metal heads with lots of King Crimson records in their collection, while Dethklok (of Metalocalypse fame) delivered Dethalbum II two weeks ago to big sales numbers and a fourth season on Adult Swim, making metal, brutality, death, twin-guitar attacks, and coffee safe for the rest of us.

Mastodon has been expanding their sonic palate now since their first “true” record, Remission, and have harnessed some of its earlier fury with tempered on Crack The Skye. These set pieces would be at home on early Rush recordings, including the 13-minute “The Last Baron” that goes through more stylistic changes and time signatures than Metallica’s first four albums. Led by a clobbering rhythm section and the twin axe attack, Mastodon is the steely fist that pulverizes lesser rock. In a cage match I’d take the mighty Mastodon foursome against the nine-headed Slipknot any minute of the day. Plus they’re southern boys, dog!

Dethklok, the mastermind of Brendan Small, are no mere illusion; they are carnage imagined. They are furious paced, Scandinavian-based death metal with cryptic meanings that only the blackest of hearts can pick up on. Debut tracks like “Happy Dethday,” “Mermaid Murder,” and “Thunderhorse” held the chalice that somehow fits between Yngwie’s doodling and Marduk’s pure grinding death sounds. Their latest, the aptly-titled Dethalbum II leaves no bone unbroken as “Bloodlines,” “Burn the Earth,” and “Black Fire Upon Us” are non-yielding elements of melodic-dueling guitars matched with glass shattering brutality. If one wonders how a “cartoon band” of sorts plays live, well, like the show, it’s ingenious and you’d just have to go to see how they pull it off. After one song, you’re sucked in and beaten to death with a maelstrom of metal.

Also check out High On Fire, Oakland’s answer to Motorhead. Guitarist and vocalist Matt Pike was the mastermind behind Sleep, the infamous stoner kings. These days they are busy laying down Black Sabbath sounds with Lemmy gusto. Not to be missed!

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