Mastodon - Jonah Hex: Music From The Motion Picture EP

Now, this was an interesting proposition to say the least when it was announced, Mastodon scoring new flick Jonah Hex. First off Mastodon dropped their magnum opus last year Crack The Skye and were subsequently asked to write some of the music for this comic adaptation of a western anti-hero. Oh yeah, and Megan Fox is in it.

For this EP the meandering riffs of Crack The Skye are all intact. The frantic but methodical wall of sound is bulging with lush tempos and grand vibes, but still crunchy, sludgy and frenetic where it needs to be. But for 'Death March', proceedings begin slow with an uneasy thudding pace that scales only somewhat, maintaining a shivering calm for its near nine minutes.

The soothing passages of 'Clayton Boys' however give way to vicious distortion and the tempo boosts continuously through 'Indian Theme', portraying incessantly sharp guitar work and unrelenting drums.

'Train Assault' bursts from the speakers at its highest points with a myriad of cascading fret work. Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher have once again earned their chops with these effervescent angular riffs underpinned by Troy Sanders’ thick ominous bass. The instrumentation of this EP is paramount as it creates familiarity with what is now the Mastodon sound without the aid Sanders’ distinctive bellow.

The important thing to bear in mind with this EP is that it was written for scoring a film. The melodies and riffs may make more sense when accompanied by the visual aid of the film. But even standing alone the EP is six new tracks that more than tick a few boxes from one of metal’s most riveting contemporary acts.

7/10