Album Review: Mastodon - Emperor Of Sand

Is this what you call a compromise?

Criticised for abandoning metal in an apparent quest for rock festival headlining status, Emperor Of Sand finds Mastodon occupying a neutral space between the two. The album's concept is pure metal mythology, exploring the inner state of a man sent into the desert to die. On the likes of Steambreather and Jaguar God, the band make a welcome return to emotionally complex music, but despite its propulsive sound and singular sense of purpose, there's an overwhelmingly familiar sense that Mastodon have been here before.