For heavy metal band Mastodon, 2011’s release of its fifth studio album, The Hunter, was big. It helped propel the band further up the ranks of mainstream metal, earning highly positive acclaim from many major music critics. While Mastodon has yet to divulge much information about the release of its next album, the band played a handful of fan-favorites at the Cleveland House of Blues on its tour with an aging Machine Head. The show made for a night filled with fuzz, be it from the grizzled scalps and chins of most present or the ever-distorted tones that blared from the stage speakers.
This article appears in Jul 24-30, 2013.