Once More 'Round the Sun
by Mastodon
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    Jun 26, 2014
    89
    Metal purists who still long for Leviathan Part 4 will find new reasons to excoriate their former saviors, but the rest will be too busy marveling at Mastodon's near-perfect fusion of might and melody.
  2. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Jun 25, 2014
    83
    Once More 'Round the Sun is the band's most accessible record yet in a lot of ways. The choruses are catchier, the guitar solos are flashier, and the production, while not too overdone, isn't too raw to leave any recognizable barrier to entry.
  3. The A.V. Club
    Jun 24, 2014
    83
    Mastodon has made an album that breaks little new ground--but thanks to Once More ’Round The Sun’s balance between a light touch and a heavy vibe, it doesn’t have to.
  5. Sputnikmusic
    Jun 23, 2014
    82
    Filled to the brim with consistently excellent songs, Once More 'Round The Sun serves as a blueprint of how to go commercial without sacrificing one's artistic identity.
  6. The Wire
    Dec 2, 2014
    80
    The 11 songs here are energised, chest beating anthems that are positively soul elevating. [Oct 2014, p.61]
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  7. Kerrang!
    Jul 22, 2014
    80
    It's the first time that Mastodon have followed up an album with its next logical step. [21 Jun 2014, p.48]
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  8. Magnet
    Jul 18, 2014
    80
    A more suitable representation of the band's dynamic capabilities. [No. 111, p.57]
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  9. The Quietus
    Jul 11, 2014
    80
    Once More 'Round The Sun's many positives are consistently seen in the best possible light.
  10. Record Collector
    Jul 1, 2014
    80
    The radio-friendly gene appears to be lacking entirely from their approach, and as a result the album is among the most immersive listens in some time.
  11. Boston Globe
    Jun 24, 2014
    80
    The new music is more song-oriented, with a verse-chorus format versus some of the loosely knit, stretched-out mayhem of the past.
  12. PopMatters
    Jun 24, 2014
    80
    Because the wealth of emotional depth is brought to the forefront and propelled by the inner workings of Mastodon’s almost-perfected prog-as-hard-rock paradigm, this album really is an interesting development for the band.
  13. Spin
    Jun 24, 2014
    80
    An album packed start to finish with some of Mastodon's best material to date.
  14. AllMusic
    Jun 23, 2014
    80
    The songwriting, playing, and production here are inspired, kinetic, and far more accessible than ever before.
  15. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jun 23, 2014
    80
    Musically Once More 'Round The Sun is equivalent to having several tons of hot molten lava poured into your eye sockets for about an hour.
  16. DIY Magazine
    Jun 19, 2014
    80
    Ultimately Once More 'Round The Sun may not be as brilliant as last album 'The Hunter', but it's a fine piece of work and shows the band are not only ready for, but moreover deserving of their success.
  17. Alternative Press
    Jun 19, 2014
    80
    What glosses over those small, weird choices is the collective strength and sense of purpose found here.
  18. The Guardian
    Jun 19, 2014
    80
    All brilliant stuff, but a bit more self-indulgence and derring-do wouldn't go amiss next time.
  19. Chicago Tribune
    Jun 23, 2014
    75
    If not exactly lighthearted, Once More 'Round the Sun is certainly the brightest and catchiest of the six Mastodon albums.
  20. Consequence
    Jun 23, 2014
    75
    There could be more structural risk-taking and the band could stand to have more grandiose moments, but, well, you know: Consider them six for six.
  21. Rolling Stone
    Jun 24, 2014
    70
    The mercurial metalheads have improved on the lean hard-rock pummel of 2011's The Hunter with lattices of ornate riffs and primal vocals, but those intricacies verge on being too much of a good thing over the course of the album's 11 tracks.
  22. Exclaim
    Jun 20, 2014
    70
    An album that's good, but hard to get excited over.
  23. Clash Music
    Jun 20, 2014
    70
    It’s studied, sure--these guys are superbly technically proficient--but never is the fun obscured by fretwork pyrotechnics.
  24. Filter
    Jun 27, 2014
    66
    “High Road,” “The Motherload,” “Asleep in the Deep” and “Halloween” are keepers, but they don’t quite put Sun in the same solar system as past albums.
  25. Pitchfork
    Jun 25, 2014
    63
    Evolution takes time, and Mastodon continue to publicly work out their growing pains as they determine which traits best represent the unified sound they’ve been chasing this decade.
  26. Classic Rock Magazine
    Dec 18, 2014
    60
    For their fans accustomed to the clattering joyride only Mastodon provide, this will suffice for now. [Summer 2014, p.92]
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  27. Q Magazine
    Jul 2, 2014
    60
    Mastodon return to the dense riffing of old. [Aug 2014, p.109]
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  28. Mojo
    Jul 2, 2014
    60
    If inherent heaviness is the ultimate aim for any metal band, then Mastodon only partly succeed. Fortunately, they hit the right combination between brutal, epic, progressive and endless wild soloing. [Aug 2014, p.92]
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  29. The Line of Best Fit
    Jun 19, 2014
    60
    As heavy, hard rock records go, Once More ‘Round the Sun isn’t necessarily a bad one; it’s just that it seems, like The Hunter before it, to be nudging Mastodon further and further away from what made them stand out in the first place.
  30. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 19, 2014
    60
    Once More ‘Round the Sun has lots to recommend it, but it’s a very safe LP that simply doesn’t provide fans with much they won’t have heard before.
  31. NOW Magazine
    Jul 3, 2014
    40
    The music still branches off into proggy places, especially in the latter half, but nothing hits hard or is remotely memorable.

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Most Discussed Album of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 102 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 102
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 102
  3. Negative: 4 out of 102
  1. jjjjbw
    Jun 24, 2014
    1
    Everything from the evident lack of interest in the songs from the musicians (stale dynamics, much?) to the flattest, most bland production toEverything from the evident lack of interest in the songs from the musicians (stale dynamics, much?) to the flattest, most bland production to the lamest, most cheesy lyrics I've heard from a good band in a while points to one thing: the end of the Mastodon their most devout early fans used to know and love.

    Any single moment on this album is a stale rip-off of motifs they covered much better and with more heart and soul in previous albums. Disagree? See Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain, or even Crack the Skye. Even the good-at-best The Hunter outshines this in almost all respects.    … Full Review »
  2. Bairei
    Jun 26, 2014
    10
    After 'The Hunter' I was hoping, that 'Once More 'Round The Sun' will be at least as awesome, as 'Crack the Skye'. And truly it is, maybe evenAfter 'The Hunter' I was hoping, that 'Once More 'Round The Sun' will be at least as awesome, as 'Crack the Skye'. And truly it is, maybe even better! For me, their best song is 'Tread Lightly' (which is also first album track), however all of the album songs are worth listening, the singles 'High Road' and 'Chimes at Midnight' made me very hyped. A must-listen for all Mastodon, Prog and Alternative metal fans!… Full Review »
  3. sexy_math
    Jun 25, 2014
    5
    Perhaps the least dynamic or interesting of any Mastodon album to date, this album suffers from mixing that denies dynamism as well as songsPerhaps the least dynamic or interesting of any Mastodon album to date, this album suffers from mixing that denies dynamism as well as songs that lack defining and interesting moments akin to the intensity of their earlier releases. That being said, the band is tighter than ever and the album is perhaps the most cohesive overall package than in the past. However, the bands highly polished prog approach and increasingly hook-oriented pop focus may be a sign that Mastodon is no longer willing to experiment within their niche.

    This album may not be easy to swallow for early fans, but the band has been slowly moving out of the intense, metal-focused direction since Blood Mountain. The sound that Mastodon has developed seems more to pay homage to their earlier stylistic approach to songwriting, rather than expand upon it. I recommend listening to Once More Around the Sun and Remission in a single setting to illustrate the transition.

    Despite my negative view on this album and the bands current direction, I still recommend giving this album a listen to form your own opinion. It's a highly accessible album (a pro and a con) and has some entertaining moments, but is overall hurt by a lack of risk taking from a band that used to be excellent at keeping its listeners on their toes.    … Full Review »
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