Naturally one is a bit suspicious of any metal album that receives accolades from indie/hipster types, but I have to say that Mastodon’s new album Blood Mountain is pretty darn incredible.

The critical hype about them being the second coming of Metallica (circa 1986) may be a bit overstated, but their dizzying mix of thrash, power, death, and prog elements is impressive (actually, the drumming along might be worth the price of the CD).

Plus, the album’s about, well, a blood mountain. I mean, c’mon!