Arguably the defining metal band of their generation, Mastodon have never had a bad album, but their last four outings have been a significant step below the original classic four records that put them on the map. Beginning with the simultaneously simplified yet unfocused and maybe misguided The Hunter in 2011 and ending with the surprisingly successful and deeply personal, yet somehow forgettable double album Hushed and Grim (2021), the second chapter of Mastodon's career has been characterised by paradoxical inconsistencies. Although the band continued to push themselves with new concepts and textures, it also seemed like they'd fallen into something of a reliable holding pattern, emerging every few years to deliver something comfortingly yet never that excitingly Mastodon sounding. Marrow Deep, therefore, represents the beginning of a new chapter for Mastodon,* and presents an opportunity for the band to refresh and re-establish themselves, which they have taken to wholeheartedly.
Whatever you think of the albums in between, it's hard to deny that Marrow Deep is the best Mastodon album since Once More 'round the Sun (2014)—or even longer, for (silly) people who don't like that album for whatever reason. The record continuously conjures up the Mastodonian triumphs of their past, with its overall sonic palette and songwriting sensibilities are something of a mix between what are perhaps the band's two greatest triumphs in Blood Mountain (2006) and Crack the Skye (2009). Even then though, it sounds less like a rehash or a missing link than something like what Emperor of Sand (2017) could and maybe should have been, in its masterful blend of classic and continuous Mastodon sounds.
There are also a few new elements in play. Along with the added keyboards and emphasis on more traditional prog rock textures, "In the Ruins" represents something of a progressive metal Ouroboros, sounding like the sort of song Baroness have been ending their shows with since 2012, while "A Vampire's Demeanor" (featuring Lamb of God's Randy Blythe and Converge's Nate Newton) is an almost nu metal sounding song that joins Meshuggah's "Monstro-City" as perhaps one of the finest modern examples of the genre. This is also the first time Mastodon are working with Converge's Kurt Ballou and co-producer Patrik Berger, who is mostly known for co-writing Robyn's "Dancing on my Own" and a bunch of Charli XCX songs. Neither producer's trademark sound is really present though, with both combining instead into a perfect balance of metallic crunch and progressive clarity.
Marrow Deep is, of course, the first Mastodon album without iconic founding guitarist Brent Hinds, who was ejected from the band last year, amid what appear to be increasingly troubling circumstances, before dying in a motorcycle accident a few months later. Hinds has since been replaced by Canadian guitarist Nick Johnston, whose work I am not familiar with, but who seems to be a good fit. In fact, Johnston does such a good job of fitting in that it's hard to really tell if he's there at all—whether he does such a good job of blending in with the rest of the band, or if he wasn't really that involved in the album's composition and is simply playing parts written with Hinds in mind. Conversely, Hinds' absence, while not necessarily damaging, is certainly noticeable. There are plenty of killer leads across the record, but none of them rip or ripple with the kind of fire he brought to the table. While he was certainly the least-accomplished of the three Mastodon vocalists, the absence of Hinds' distinctively garbled voice somewhat diminishes the album's dynamics, with Troy Sanders solidifying himself as the band's dedicated vocalist and Brann Dailor only really brought in as an added flavour here or there. You can hear the parts where Hinds' might have come in, and it makes you wonder what Marrow Deep might have been if he had continued on with the band instead.
During this shake-up, Mastodon also took the opportunity to officially induct into their ranks Brazilian keyboardist João Nogueira, who has been collaborating with the band since 2021 and also plays in The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Unlike Johnston, Nogueira's contributions are immediately noticeable and largely elevating. Rather than dominating the album's atmosphere, his key sections are more often brought in as little flourishes during bridge and lead sections, that add such an exciting and distinctly "progressive" air to proceedings that it's a wonder Mastodon didn't introduce him or another keyboardist sooner.
Unfortunately, while he might be a perfect sonic fit for the band, his personal associations raise some serious concerns. Outside of music, Nogueira has a longstanding association with conservative/right-wing, historical "revisionist" organisation Brasil Paralelo, where he goes by the name "Rasta" and hosts a sort of Daily Show-style comedy show. I don't speak Portuguese, so I can't comment on what he's actually saying in these videos, but—given Brasil Paralelo's associations with the rise of modern, neo-facisim, and their documented defenses and conspiracy theories about things like colonialism, slavery, sexism, homophobia and more—it's probably not good and certainly isn't being published somewhere that is. Hinds certainly had his own problems, but there's a big difference between personal gripes and uncoothness and being a mouthpiece for an institutionalised and (somewhat) influential right-wing conspiracy-spreading organisation. As far as I know, Mastodon have not addressed Nogueira's involvement with Brasil Paralelo in any interviews or other press material, and it is unclear whether they are aware of, or aware of the extent to which he serves as a spreader of their harmful, right-wing rhetoric, but I—and I'm sure many other Mastodon fans—are very interested to see how they respond once it is brought up.
Additionally, for all its brilliant excesses, there's one other thing clearly missing from Marrow Deep, and that's big, fat, fuck-off riffs. The band's trademark, wiry guitar leads are on full display, and there are plenty of killer moments to be had throughout the songs—often simultaneously—but there's no "March of the Fire Ants", "Blood and Thunder", "High Road" or "Curl of the Burl" here, and hardly a "Wolf is Loose", "Oblivion", "Teardrinker" or "Sultan's Curse" either. Lead single "Your Ghost Again" is clearly the album's standout song, though that has far more to do with its luscious progressive layering and vocal melodies than the force of its six-string savagery. Opener "Barbarians Blood" lumbers rather than roars in, and while "Out like a Lamb" perhaps comes closest to becoming a classic Mastodon rocker, it's more in the "Spectrelight" style of anachronistic throwbacks than its own, definitive statement. Maybe its the lack of Hinds' contributions to its composition, but—as good as they all are—none of Marrow Deep's tracks announce themselves in the way the true Mastodon classics do.
The other, arguably minor—but also rather unnecessary—weakness of Marrow Deep is its length. Mastodon have never been ones for short record lengths, with most of their outings sitting around the 50-minute mark. Considering the complexity of their compositions though, this length usually makes for a surprising and rewardingly concise experience, especially when it comes to something like Crack the Skye. At 65 minutes, Marrow Deep is easily Mastodon's longest, single-disc experience and you definitely feel it. What's more, the responsibility for this arguably bloated longevity lies squarely on superfluous final outing "The Three Fates." The album already had something of a false/elongated ending with "A Vampire's Demeanor," which provided a perfectly natural climax, before "The Vanishing" comes slinking in for one more round. Here, the encore presentation works perfectly, with the very "Planet Caravan"-sounding track —which features the actual Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler, alongside Gojira's Joe Duplantier—adding a natural and fitting epilogue to proceedings, whose spaced-out sounds allow the listener time to "come down" and reflect on the journey they've just been on—only to have "Three Fates" come crashing in again and ruin the whole effect, only to awkwardly end on a random riff that comes out of nowhere and simply stops suddenly. The song itself isn't bad and worth it on its own just to hear Clutch's Neil Fallon carrying on like a mad preacher, but I'd definitely say its the weakest track on here though and not nearly as suitable for closing the record as the two tracks before it, and might have worked better earlier on in the album.** As is, however, it feels tacked on and an instance of over-egging the progressive pudding.
Marrow Deep is an album that asks a lot of its listeners, as the last couple Mastodon albums have as well. Unlike its immediate predecessors though, Marrow Deep feels fresh and inspired, pushing forward once again when it felt like Mastodon had maybe run out of things to say. While it sounds distinctly like Mastodon, it also sounds like a band who are still hungry and aren't satisfied to rest on their laurels the way they arguably have been for a while now. Get a few more riffs in there, cut down on the length and sort out the whole keyboardist situation, and they might yet be capable of delivering another definitive classic.
*Take a shot every time someone writes that while reviewing this album.
**Due to promo streaming's penchant for playing final tracks second when listening on mobile for some reason, I can confirm it does indeed work quite well as the second rather than final track.