The Hunter is perhaps Mastodon's most accomplished released to date; a very focused, mathematically precise, anvil-heavy showcase. Hinds & Kelliher are at their mechanical best, it's rather evident the riffs were well thought of & executed. But I have always looked forward to a Mastodon release for the drumming- Brann Dailor... well he's the human drumming encyclopedia, to say the least.
I'm rather put off by the guitar tones here, thin & fizzy. It's calamitous that I have to pacify myself with any songs from Remission & Leviathan as a reminder that Hinds & Kelliher know their meat when it comes to tone, these days, it's about keeping up with the technical facility when it comes to production. Enough said, I'm not too into this release despite looking forward to its acquisition. I respect the musicianship, though.
