Knowing that Mastodon is an offshoot of pioneering progressive post-hardcore band Today Is the Day may give prospective listeners a clue as to what awaits them on LEVIATHAN, but will probably not prepare them for the sheer metallic thrust and organic complexity of the Mastodon sound. Often recalling the most jaw-droppingly facile passages from Rush's 2112 mixed with the heaviest bits of Metallica's MASTER OF PUPPETS, the group's music is slightly less heady than that of peers Dillinger Escape Plan or Coalesce, but no less technically demanding. The difference may be Mastodon's obvious roots in metal rather than hardcore or emo; even the screaming vocals sound more like Slayer than Sick of It All. LEVIATHAN is at once serpentine and thundering, simultaneously positioning itself as one of the genre's most ambitious and accessible works, delivering 10 tracks that more than live up to the mammoth image suggested by the disc's MOBY DICK-inspired cover art and lyrics.

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 8/31/2004