Fill your ears with more of the dark, classy and crisp music by one of the biggest names of contemporary metal as their anticipated Christmas gift for you.

Three songs recorded during the sessions for their 2014 album Once More ‘Round the Sun, and another song recorded during the Emperor of Sand sessions in 2017. That was the anticipated Christmas gift American Progressive/Sludge Metal act Mastodon gave us all metalheads by the end of September, when they released a gloomy (and somehow charming) EP titled Cold Dark Place. Displaying an obscure and totally fantastic artwork by British illustrator Richey Beckett, the EP comprised of the songs “North Side Star”, “Blue Walsh” and “Cold Dark Place” (from the Once More ‘Round the Sun sessions) and “Toe to Toes” (from the Emperor of Sand sessions) presents to the listener a more melancholic and introspective side of Mastodon, but still bringing all the dexterity and characteristic punch delivered by the talented Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor.

In one of his interviews about the EP, Bill commented that “When we recorded ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’, three of the four songs were songs that Brent had mostly written. We all kind of arrange everything together as a band, but they were very heavily Brent songs; he wrote the music for ’em and Brann wrote the lyrics, and the rest of us played on it. And I think with ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’, we had, like, 15, 16 songs, and we’re, like… Anything over an hour or… 52 minutes is, like, our cutoff time with records; we don’t wanna make records any longer than that. So what we thought was these songs, they kind of sound like they belong together; they don’t exactly sound like they’d go on ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’. ‘Why don’t we take those and put them out as an EP later on down the road?’ We didn’t feel like they were completely finished or mixed or whatever. We wanted to kind of… We didn’t wanna rush it. So, ‘Let’s just wait. And we’ll put those out at a later time.’ The song ‘Toe To Toes’ was from the ‘Emperor Of Sand’ sessions. And I’m glad we didn’t put it on that record, ’cause that record’s great — it’s great the way it is. I mean, it could have maybe been better with that song on it, but it’s cool to take that song and add it to the ‘Cold Dark Place’ EP.”

Peace and melancholy permeate the air in the first track of the EP, North Side Star, with beautiful guitar lines by both Bill and Brent leading the musicality, while Brann is precise with his smooth but impactful drumming. Moreover, its vocal lines also display a whimsical sense of sadness, with the music growing in intensity and speed halfway through it, showcasing amazing guitar solos and an electrifying vibe. Then we have Blue Walsh, a song that follows a similar dark pattern as the opening track, also bringing their trademark progressiveness and the multi-layered vocal wall built by all band members. In other words, this is an interesting and gentle journey through the realms of Progressive Metal where Mastodon once again captivate us all with their amazing lyrics (“As we hang from the vine, / we swam on the thin red line. / I’m asleep in the deep, / asleep in the dark black sea. / I call out your name, / all I hear is the pouring rain. / When you came into view, / I realize it’s not you.”).

The insanely good Toe to Toes has such a great feel and pace, with the claps added to the song turning it into something very special for us fans of modern heavy music, you’ll catch yourself clapping your hands together with the band without a shadow of a doubt, not to mention how fantastic what they all do with their vocal pieces is, in special Troy who has a beyond passionate vocal performance complemented by his own powerful bass lines and the song’s upbeat vibe. It’s by far my favorite of the EP, and I’m sure it will become a fan-favorite during their live concerts (if they play anything from the EP in their setlist, of course). And in the closing tune, the title-track Cold Dark Place, a semi-acoustic, introspective composition that presents a darker-than-ever Mastodon, you can feel sorrow and darkness flowing from its cryptic lyrics (“You left my heart, / in some cold dark place, / where your love grows on a vine, / and I see it all the time.”). This song might sound very light compared to their usual sound, but it exhales heaviness and depth, ending with a superb guitar solo as the icing on the cake.

In summary, 2017 was definitely the year of Mastodon. After the superb Emperor of Sand, they still had an ace in the hole with Cold Dark Place, making all their fans even happier than before because, as you know, when you like a band a lot there’s never enough of that band for your ears, right? Now just go complete your collection of Mastodon albums by purchasing Cold Dark Place through your favorite music service, stay tuned for their live concerts as they might pay a visit to your city real soon, and keep enjoying the stylish and crisp music by one of the biggest names of contemporary metal.

Best moments of the album: Toe to Toes.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2017 Reprise Records

Track listing
1. North Side Star 6:09
2. Blue Walsh 5:11
3. Toe to Toes 4:28
4. Cold Dark Place 5:58

Band members
Brent Hinds – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals, claps
Bill Kelliher – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, claps
Troy Sanders – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals, claps
Brann Dailor – drums, percussion, claps