User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 198 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 179 out of 198
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Mixed: 4 out of 198
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Negative: 15 out of 198
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Jul 17, 2022timeless psychedelic prog metal, not much more to it than that. The instrumental version of this album is almost even better if you can find it
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Jan 2, 2020This album gets the second spot on mastodon catalog in my opinion (after blood mountain)
It represents a dramatic change of style by the band, they got even more progressive and abandoned some of the sludge production
The Last Braron is in my opinion the highlight of the album, such an epic masterpiece -
Jul 16, 2018More accessibility if compared the previously albums, bringing more well-tuned with everyone in band singing and playing even better. Creativity and innovating still remains, beside interesting album's theme (Czarist Russia). If isn't better than Blood Mountain, both albums are outstanding, it's very difficulty decide one of these ones.
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Jun 5, 2018Pretty tight concept album where the mirror the journey of our protagonist with the suicide of the lead singer's sister. Also world war one russia and rasputin are here.
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Mar 17, 2016This album is bloody great. It has prog rock influences, and the riffs are **** heavy: guitars scream through possessed vintage amps fueled by burning valves, while the bass and the drums sculpt frenetic and massive paces. The band wanted to sound fatter and also less metal, but this record can't be labeled to one genre. It's great, that's it.
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Jan 6, 2016Crack the Skye is filled to the brim with fantastic heaviness and incredible prog music. It's also brilliant musically, showing off the band's impressive musical ability. It's Mastodon's masterpiece, and one of my favourite albums.
97/100 (rounded to 10/10). -
Oct 21, 2015
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Sep 12, 2014Responsible for getting me back into metal, this is pretty much everything I could hope to hear in an album. Deep, heavy, complex, melodic, technically astonishing and reasonably accessible too.
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Jun 22, 2014
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Dec 30, 2013Hand down the best metal album ever! Opening with oblivion and closing with the last baron is a experience you will not forget.trully mastodon claimed the metal crown with this one.
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May 17, 2013Instant masterpiece for the band. Following 2 incredible albums in leviathan and blood mountain, Mastodon takes things to an entirely new level of song writing and inspiration. The best of the themed elemental albums and a magnificent precursor to what was still to come, in the hunter. Overall great band.
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Apr 24, 2012This album is a masterpiece from start to finish. Mastodon continue to redefine the progressive metal sound. I feel this will be the album all other Mastodon albums will be judged by for years to come.
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Jul 10, 2011This album had the ability to grab and hold your attention through out, each sound flows fluidly into the next and each new riff is more awesome and fulfilling than the last.
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Nov 22, 2010No matter what you may think of Mastodon's music there is no doubt that the lyrics in the songs of Crack the Skye delve very deep and is rich in their story. In this critic's opinion, musically, it is a masterpiece of stoner/prog metal and a transcendent tone that almost brings euphoria to the attuned ears.
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JohnASep 21, 2009From rapid crushing riffs to shimmering melodies Crack The Skye has it all, something for everything. The interplay between Troy Sanders and Brent Hinds with the vocals ia fantastic, and the guitar solos are astounding. There's twists and turns, here Mastodon take you on a thrilling journey through beautiful soundscapes.
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JoeS.Aug 31, 2009Best album from the best metal band alive. Need I say more?
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PatrickDJul 25, 2009Mastodon can now place themselves among the elite with the recording of Crack the Skye, emotion can be felt throughout the entire Disc, from funky basslines to pounding guitars to the tag team sonic fury displayed by Bill Keliher and Brent Hinds. It all leads to one of the, if not the Best metal albums of the last decade.
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MikeIJul 22, 2009Easily a 10 for just pure replay value. It's tough to find any weak points in this album. I haven't heard a record this good in a long time like most others have stated.
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DannyFJul 7, 2009Amazing! Just lite up a joint and slip into Oblivion. I'm glad Mastodon doesn't pump out the same album every time! Every album has been skillfully crafted, and Crack The Skye displays the band beautiful textures and song crafting ability in fine detail.
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MarkKJun 28, 2009
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paulcJun 16, 2009Wow. i haven't been this hooked on a metal album in a long time. great melodies, brutal passages and an interesting theme. their best yet by a long shot.
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DanielHJun 16, 2009Awesome, absolutely awesome. Remids me of the first time I heard Metallica's "Ride The Lightning". Kazem is right, it gets better every time you listen to it.
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JohnSJun 13, 2009The best album I have heard in a long, long time.
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SmenkharonJun 12, 2009Huge disappointment for me. Too much melody and not enough rhythmic pounding. Prog-ish noodling instead of compelling riffing. Weak vocals. Nowhere near the replay value of the last three discs.
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bradjMay 17, 2009Amazing cd, i get more from it with each listen~ this is "Master of Puppets" good, and pretty close to "Reign in Blood" good!
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ChipCMay 12, 2009More music, less screaming. Great tunes played by great instrumentalists.
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OlegKMay 9, 2009Must Or Don't listen? No question. This is a relic! Certainly worth a cracking the Hinds' brain in Vegas!
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KazemEApr 24, 2009An album that gets better each time you listen to it. What makes it better is that they released it with an instrumental version: Same music, sans vocals. Brilliant.
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SteveKApr 18, 2009
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RandyMApr 10, 2009While, arguably, not as good as "Blood Mountain", Crack the Skye is still an amazing metal album. Mastodon may be the premier metal band of this generation. Period.
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JoshKApr 9, 2009
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JasonWApr 9, 2009One of the best albums I have heard in awhile. The songs are all thoughtful and technical beyond much of what is out today. It is a nice departure from the norm these days. Still classic Mastodon for me.
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KevinRApr 3, 2009Though more focused on experimentation and prog-rock style than previous Mastodon work, Crack the Skye is an absolutely grandiose album. More than anything, it shows that Mastodon has that rare ability in metal to transcend its own genre, putting them on a stage with such luminaries as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Anthrax.
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PRApr 1, 2009Best metal album since Blood Mountain. I can hear the metal purists name calling Mastodon as "sell outs"... I don't know why Metacritic isn't putting any full 100/100 Crack The Skye reviews on the list. There are plenty. And from well known sources too.
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A.TaylorMar 31, 2009Great metal album, this album gets better with each listen, true talent shines through with the bands new album.
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TimSMar 31, 2009This album is absolutely amazing. It is unlike any of their past works, in that it lacks, for the most part, the heaviness that mastodon had back in the Remissions/Leviathan days. It replaces the fire with a more mellow, spaced out sound, with plenty of groove thrown in. The progression in sound, though, is a good one, and i think many people will agree.
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JoeSMar 31, 2009
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DylanH.Mar 30, 2009I've always liked Mastodon... but this album is one of their best... Slit your lungs with Blood and Thunder Mastodon Rocks.
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jesselMar 28, 2009Screw the hardcore devotees that will call this a sellout because of their own mindless opinion of what THEIR band should sound like!
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JonnyDMar 28, 2009its different. its epic. just listen. 3 times will let you decide if u want to go 4.
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Schmidty15Mar 27, 2009Somewhere between the Allman Bros and Slayer lies Mastodon. They're the most refreshing band in metal music these days.
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DianaFMar 27, 2009This band has not failed me yet.
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RichardHMar 27, 2009Fantastic. A natural progression of their work, in many ways it is their best. It may not be quite up there with Leviathan in terms of classic status, but this album is damn close. It only gets better with repeated listens, and the DVD (for the most part) truly enhances the experience. The lawnmower scene in the DVD is friggin weird, though. *shrug*
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PaulLMar 27, 2009We'll be listening to this in twenty years time. That's all I have to say about it.
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JesperMMar 26, 2009Absolutely brilliant. More homogenous in sound, more melodic, more ambitious on a grand scale (as always .. every time I wonder how far they will go next time). They have learned to sing and write proper songs, and the sheer musical talent on display is awesome. Played with the conviction of a band doing excactly what they aimed to do. Instant classic. Frankly, this one deserves an 11.
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ChrisMar 26, 2009Stunning work from these guys--again. Much praise is due to Mastodon for pushing the envelope.
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codykMar 25, 2009This album is amazing. The first time I heard it I was a little weary because it is NOTHING like the past 3 albums. With this all being said you can listen to Crack the Skye and not hear a bad thing about it. I am going to see them May 5th and I hope they play the whole album from start to finish.
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DanielMMar 25, 2009Just read the Q magazine review to see why this has as low a score as it does. Reviewers talk about how incredible it is and then say thats a problem.
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ThomPMar 24, 2009Logical next step for Mastodon. Solid from top to bottom, and The Czar is UNBELIEVABLE.
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Awards & Rankings
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BlenderMastodon present a prog-metal concept that would make Stephen Hawking bang his head.
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If this all sounds a bit heavy going, Crack the Skye offers plenty of simple pleasures as Mastodon heap on the musical melodrama, with a more-is-more approach to fretwork that's bound to see them liven up moshpits when they support Metallica this summer.
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There will be naysayers among the band's extreme, tatted legions. But Crack the Skye is an awesome display.