Rolling Stone magazine named Mastodon the best heavy metal band of 2008. The Atlanta-based quartet have impressed fans and critics alike with their powerhouse progressive metal sound, all thumping drums and brutally intricate guitar licks. “Crack the Skye” is their fourth album. It has received rave reviews from the critics, and managed to break into the top 20 all around the world.

Mastodon love concept albums. 2004s Leviathan was about Moby Dick, and the 2006 follow-up, Blood Mountain, featured a Peer Gynt style romp through mountainous caves full of ogres and dwarfs. Crack the Skye is equally intriguing, being a mystical exploration of Tsarist Russia. It’s a gentler and more melodic album than it’s predecessors. The sound texture is thick and rich, but there are subtle moments as well. The whole thing reminded me a bit of latter Led Zeppelin.

Some hard-core metal fans might be a little disappointed, but just about everyone else will find Crack the Skye to be a fascinating and rewarding listen. Mastodon are a band at the peak of their game, and they clearly have plenty more to show us.