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Mastodon Announce Fall North American and U.K. Headline Tour

MASTODON ANNOUNCE FALL NORTH AMERICAN AND U.K. HEADLINE TOUR

June 12, 2017 (Burbank, CA) – Internationally celebrated heavy rock icons Mastodon have extended their U.S. headline tour starting on September 26 in Orlando, FL at Hard Rock Live with continued support from Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles. The tour also includes stops at several festivals, including the High Elevation Fest in Denver, CO and Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, KY. Mastodon will also be playing a series of headline shows in the U.K. this December including Brixton Academy in London, England on December 10. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 16 at 10:00 am local time. Tickets can be purchased at mastodonrocks.com/tour.

“Show Yourself,” from the new album Emperor of Sand, remains in the Top 5 Active Rock Chart after several consecutive weeks. The album continues its ascent towards greater heights and is catching the attention of a new legion of fans:
“Emperor Of Sand… a further evolution of the band’s fusion of metal and prog-rock interests. It’s music of complexity and feeling.” – The Los Angeles Times

“Deeply personal…There’s immediacy to it, something intimate in the way it approaches life and death. Emperor Of Sand sees Mastodon laying their rock roots on the table. Mastodon’s strength is in their ability to harness musical madness into a cohesive vision.” – Nerdist

“There is only one band that can go from extreme metal to classic rock and somehow make it all sound seamless, and that band is Mastodon.” – Alternative Press

Mastodon Fall Tour Dates:
# indicates festival date. All other dates are headline shows.
*w/o Eagles of Death Metal

#08/20 Las Vegas, NV Psycho Las Vegas Festival
#09/23 Denver, CO High Elevation Fest
09/26 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
09/27 Charleston, SC North Charleston PAC
09/29 Knoxville, TN Civic Auditorium
#09/30 Louisville, KY Louder Than Life Festival
10/03 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
10/04 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
10/06 Atlanta, GA The Fox Theater
#10/07 Camden, NJ Rock Allegiance Festival
10/09 Montreal, QC Metropolis
10/10 Rochester, NY The Armory
10/11 Grand Rapids, MI 20 Monroe Live
*10/13 Oklahoma City, OK Diamond Ballroom
10/14 San Antonio, TX Aztec Theater
#10/15 Houston, TX Houston Open Air
10/17 Albuquerque, NM Historic El Rey Theater
10/19 San Diego, CA House of Blues
#10/21 Sacramento, CA Aftershock Festival
10/23 Boise, ID Revolution Center
10/24 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
10/25 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre

UK December Tour Dates:
12/02 Cardiff, Wales Great Hall
12/04 Wolverhampton, England Civic Hall
12/05 Nottingham, England Rock City
12/06 Newcastle, England Northumbria University
12/07 Glasgow, Scotland Barrowland
12/09 Manchester, England Academy
12/10 London, England Brixton Academy

Summer 2017 Tour Dates:
06/12 Metal Hammer Awards show London, UK
06/14 Barba Negra Budapest, HUN
06/15 Novarock Nickesldorf, AUT
06/16 Culture Factory Zagreb, CRO
06/21 Sala Tejo Lisbon, POR
06/23 Download Festival Madrid, SPA
06/25 Artefacts Festival Strasbourg, FRA
06/26 LKA Stuttgart, GER
06/27 Tivoli Vrdenburg Ronda Hall Utrecht, HOL
06/28 Hamburg Docks Hamburg, GER
06/30 Bravalla Festival Norrkoping, SWE
07/02 Tuska Open Air Helsinki, FIN
07/04 B90 Gdansk, POL
07/05 Karlove Rock For People Hradec, CZE
07/06 Batcshkapp Frankfurt, GER
07/08 Resurrection Fest Viviero, SPA

For further information, go to: mastodonrocks.com

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Arcadea Featuring Members of Mastodon, Zruda and Withered Sign with Relapse Records; New Album Out June 16th.

ARCADEA (MASTODON, ZRUDA, WITHERED) SIGN WITH
RELAPSE RECORDS; NEW ALBUM OUT JUNE 16TH

April 19, 2017 – Los Angeles, CA – Hailing from the fringes of the cosmos, Arcadea, will make their arrival known in 2017 with a debut, self-titled album due out on June 16th. Today, the synth/psych band has announced they have inked a deal with Relapse Records to release the record. Pre-orders and new music will be announced in the coming weeks.

Stream Arcadea’s previously released song “Gas Giant” now at https://youtu.be/Y36PqRQ3Jc0.

Arcadea was born when drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor (Mastodon) teamed up with upside-down guitarist & keyboardist Core Atoms (Zruda) to create a synth-laden progressive, heavy psych band. Adding guitarist Raheem Amlani (Withered) on synth, the three recorded their visionary,10 song synth odyssey at Orange Peel Studios in Atlanta, GA. The self-titled debut record will see its release via Relapse Records this June.

Unlike their other bands, Arcadea uses only keyboards in a unique blend of crushing, organic drums and psychedelic synthesizers. The music is at once electronic but not electronica, synthetic but not processed, heavy but not metal.

The album envisions a future 5 billion years from now, where the impending collision of galaxies creates a new order of planets. Where cold, distant moons pledge alliance to new suns and expanding gas giants implode into black holes. Ancient drones, forever adrift, record toxic tales of love between dying stars. Where lifeforms in suspended animation, dream among the ice rings of Saturn and cosmic war wages among gods and planets. It is in this universe that Arcadea reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction.

For More Information:
https://www.facebook.com/arcadearocks/
http://www.arcadearocks.com/
http://store.relapse.com/

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CD Review: Mastodon “Emperor of Sand”

“Emperor of Sand”
Mastodon
Reprise
Producer: Brendan O’Brien
Tracks: 11

Our score: 4 out of 5 stars

Atlanta, GA rockers Mastodon return with their 7th studio album titled “Emperor of Sand”. The 11 track album is a dark and foreboding piece that revolves around the story of a desert wanderer who has been handed a death sentence. Produce by Brendan O’Brien (AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine) and released via Reprise Records “Emperor of Sand” serves as the follow up to the bands 2013 release “Once More ‘Round the Sun”.

Ever since seeing Mastodon play the second stage of Ozzfest in 2005 the band has always been able to catch my attention. “Emperor of Sand” did that and them some as the album runs the gamut of styles and sounds over the course of its eleven tracks. Tracks like the rawkus “Sultan’s Curse” and the catchy “Show Yourself” featured more straight forward arrangements while songs such as “Clandestiny”, “Scorpion Breath” and “Jaguar God” allow the band to stretch their legs some while showcasing a unique range and diversity through a variety of tones, texture and subject matter.

“Emperor of Sand” is an entertaining album which offers something a little different each time you listen to it. One thing that always seems to surprise me about Mastodon is that despite being only a four piece band they have a very immense sound capable of filling every nook and cranny of your senses. Combined with the members impressive musicality and the groups continued use of unique subject matter “Emperor of Sand” is a must have.

Track Listing:
1.) Sultan’s Curse
2.) Show Yourself
3.) Precious Stones
4.) Steambreather
5.) Roots Remain
6.) Word to the Wise
7.) Ancient Kingdom
8.) Clandestiny
9.) Andromeda
10.) Scorpion Breath
11.) Jaguar God

CD Review: Mastodon “Once More ‘Round the Sun”

Mastodon
“Once More ‘Round the Sun”
BMD Fox Records
Produced By: Nick Raskulinecz
Tracks: 11

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Don’t let the opening seconds of “Tread Lightly” fool you. While the acoustic guitar may lull you into a state of peace, the heavy guitar licks that Mastodon have meticulously churned out for over a decade lurk around the corner; ready to pound and enchant. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” pushes Mastodon farther from their murky sludge metal roots, but progresses once again into a more experimental sound that showcases their ability to mold, but remain durable to their changing appetites.

Lately Mastodon has created an accessible, mainstream appeal while continuously maintaining that heavy metal template they implemented back in 2002. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is their most melodic release to date and solidifies the fact that Mastodon is still successful when sailing into uncharted territories because they never stray too deep. While remaining diverse, they’re still nestled into their own sub-genre they’ve seemingly created in a myriad of metal categories by blending thrash, doom and a stray pinch of alternative.

On their sixth studio album, they appear to be perfecting their guitar structuring and resurrecting more of their haunting hooks on solos. The drumming continues to be unpredictably manic and catchy, while the vocals have traveled into cleaner territories and set up camp. Straying away from the growls has big one of the biggest complaints over the years by fans, but this path has led to a more popular tone that’s more approachable to audiences. Mastodon has enlisted Nick Raskulinecz as producer to help craft a hard rock sound that slyly pays homage to some of the early 90’s rockers that were birthed during the post-grunge era. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is commercially acceptable without forsaking any of the originality Mastodon has long cherished.

The track “Motherload” encompasses this album’s direction while “Chimes at Midnight” steps back into the ferocious sound that Mastodon has riled up crowds across the world with. Their hunger for experimentation is heard most in “Aunt Lisa”, a trippy song that fluidly changes tempo and cheerfully climaxes on a gleeful pep rally chant by the Coathangers. Every song has an epic flair built up by simplistic yet powerful choruses and juicy riffs that induce head bobbing. Mastodon is still a relentless beast that craves inventiveness with every evolution.

I’ve told people this Mastodon’s “Crack the Skye”: They are no longer a band for metal masses, but instead a treat that should be enjoyed by everyone who’s ever loved music; a possible gateway drug for someone looking to dip their feet into metal music. Mastodon’s expanding sound prevents them from being mundane, but it’s slowly filling a worrisome thought bubble in my head. I have to ask myself after another successful outing, when will Mastodon finally peak and release a bloated mess that’s unbecoming of their usual, beautifully woven metal masterpieces? If “Once More ‘Round the Sun” is any indication, it’s not anytime soon and it may never happen.

Track Listing:

1. Tread Lightly
2. The Motherload
3. High Road
4. Once More ‘Round the Sun
5. Chimes at Midnight
6. Asleep in the Deep
7. Feast Your Eyes
8. Aunt Lisa
9. Ember City
10.Halloween
11. Diamond in the Witch House

Tag: mastodon

Mastodon Announce Fall North American and U.K. Headline Tour

Arcadea Featuring Members of Mastodon, Zruda and Withered Sign with Relapse Records; New Album Out June 16th.

CD Review: Mastodon “Emperor of Sand”

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