Call of the Mastodon
collects the influential Atlanta
metal
band's earliest recordings. Remixed and remastered by longtime engineer
Matt Washburn
, five of the nine cuts,
"Shadows That Move,"
"Welcoming War,"
"We Built This Come Death,"
"Hail to Fire,"
and
"Battle at Sea,"
appeared on the group's 2001 debut EP,
Lifesblood
. The other four sound like they were from the same sessions, and rely heavily on the group's trademark bone-crushing rhythmic assault. Even in their formative stage,
Mastodon
-- few groups manage to do such justice to their moniker -- sound like seasoned vets, and while there may be nothing as seamless as 2004's
"Blood & Thunder"
or
"Megalodon,"
is a brutal blueprint for the group's signature
Metallica
-meets-
grindcore
mayhem. [
includes a 20-track bonus sampler of two selections each from artists on the
Relapse
label.] ~ James Christopher Monger