Just before entering the studio to record their upcoming seventh album, Mastodon completed the ‘Once More ‘Round the Sun’ tour cycle in Greece. I think that some fans had mixed feelings about the show; On the one hand a chance to see one of metal’s best current bands, but, on the other hand, the not entirely positive memories of their previous visits hanging in the air.
Personally, the last time I saw them live was at a festival abroad. The sound was awful, and the fact that they shared the stage with Gojira, Slayer, Motorhead and Metallica made them look like a bunch of amateur football players that suddenly had to appear at the Champions League final.
Thankfully, Mastodon managed to win us over this time. The sound was ok, the execution of the songs was top notch and the vocals (especially when Sanders was the one singing) were loud and clear. All their albums were represented in the setlist, but allow me to give extra credit to the band for choosing to play ‘The Czar’, a true masterpiece off the ‘Crack the Skye’ record. The interaction with the crowd was reduced to the absolute essentials, but letting the music do the talking is a choice that should always be respected.
All in all, the show was very good, but lacking in terms of energy and pulse. One would think that with all the magazine and website writers that keep on voting every single Mastodon album as the best of that specific year the venue would be filled, alas that was not the case.
Romanos Terzis
Setlist: Tread Lightly, Feast Your Eyes, Blasteroid, Oblivion, The Motherload, Chimes at Midnight, High Road, Mother Puncher, Aqua Dementia, The Czar, Bladecatcher, Black Tongue, The Wolf is Loose, Crystal Skull, Divinations, Ember City, Megalodon, Colony of Birchmen, Blood and Thunder
Encore: Emerald (Thin Lizzy cover)
{gallery}LiveReports/2016/Mastodon{/gallery}
