Mastodon - - Blood Mountain

Switching to a major label could change a heavy metal band, and turn them into the next pop-rock powerhouse. But Mastodon’s move to the Warner Bros. affiliate Reprise did anything but that, as the band turns in probably their most bizarre, non-radio friendly album to date. The 60 something minute, 12 track album is a mixed of slow trudging stoner rock, that comes off challenging and intriguing at the same time.

To many, it may seem like the 12 songs run together. The riffs courtesy of Brett Hinds and Bill Kelliher rip through the album with a professional precision though, that most bands cannot duplicate. The band does get many singers from other bands involved in the mix on “Blood Mountain”. Neurosis lead singer Scott Kelly adds a sleaze and eerie factor to the slithery “Crystal Skull”, and Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler lends a vocal to the fantasy track “Siberian Divide”. Meanwhile, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme makes his song on the album sound like a carbon copy of a Queens song (Which isn’t always a bad thing, but doesn’t work on this record). That is not to discredit lead singer Troy Sanders’ vocals: Sanders does a fine job of using his best metal growl throughout most of the record.

The band has a theme of a quest up fictional “Blood Mountain” that runs throughout the album, but don’t call it a newly thought out approach. Mastodon has been doing themes in their albums since their inception earlier this decade, hitting a peak with the Moby Dick influenced “Leviathian” album in 2004.

Even though there is no cut as memorable as that album’s “Blood and Thunder”, “Blood Mountain” does prove that you can tell a fictional story in your album, and most of it can still rock.

GRADE: B-

Papa Roach - The Paramour Sessions

After 2005’s career saving power ballad “Scars”, California based Papa Roach had a second lease on life and headed quickly to the studio, to capture the fire of the hit song. Fortunately for most of us, the remains of that song do not dominate “Paramour”, but some taste of that material still exists.

The album gets off to a catchy start with the leadoff single “To Be Loved”, which is simple in its lyrics, but will have you singing along in no time flat. The album continues to remain up tempo in the early going, with hard rockers “Crash” and “I Devise My Own Demise”. The album keeps in much of the same vein as their last record “Getting Away with Murder”, and mixes the rockers with the ballads. Towards the end of the album, the band goes into power ballad mode, with the sure to be all over radio “Reckless” and the attempt to sound epic “Roses on My Grave”.

The songs on “Paramour Sessions” are of better quality than those on “Getting Away withMurder”, and the guitar work from Jerry Horton and bass work from Tobin Esperance continue to be the backbone of the band. Lead singer Jacoby Shaddix’s lyrics haven’t become any happier over time, with the band dealing with similar themes as on past albums.

Overall, “Paramour” does well, but does not top the band’s best record, the severely misunderstood 2002’s “Lovehatetragedy”.

GRADE: B

John Mayer - Continuum

Borrrriiinnnngggg!

What, was that said outloud?

On his third major label album, usually dependable singer/songwriter John Mayer tries to fool his fans, by saying that is a return to his pop-rock sensibilities, after a critically heralded turn with his John Mayer Trio. But on his latest album, Mayer does not excite his old fans with this fusion of the blues material he has been working on with very downtrodden pop-rock.

There is nothing on “Continuum” that has the lasting impression of earlier singles “No Such Thing”, or “Bigger Than My Body”. Songs such as the opening track “Waiting for the World to Change”, and his cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Bold As Love” are the closest that this albums comes to being exciting.

“Continuum” sounds like a complete abandonment of his poppier and more well known material, most of that due to Mayer’s absolute hatred of his songs like “Daughters”. It is sad, because some of his best material comes from those sessions he now hates.

Mayer is a very capable and respectable artist, but on “Continuum”, he comes nowhere close to his full potential.

GRADE: D