Did Mastodon actually make a single that sounds like a single? I think they did!  “Curl of the Burl” is still a big ball of unrelenting riffs and guitar solos wrapped into a neat under 4-minute package but wait ’til those vocals come in. Are they singing throughout? I think they are. And it’s very melodic! Who knew? And is that a huge pre-chorus filled with “Ohhhh’s”?

It’s a little scary when you think of it as a Mastodon song but if you paid any attention to their last two, then you can clearly see that they are capable of this and if they wanted, could evolve into this. Fear not people, evolution is good.

One thing’s for sure, The Hunter is shaping up to be one hell of an album (Didja already check out “Black Tongue“?) and I, for one, will be first in line on September 27th to hear how it all fits together.