Mastodon built Crack the Skye around a single idea: a heavy record that doesn’t stop moving. The Atlanta band wanted to stretch their sound across fourteen tracks and nearly two hours, and mostly they pull it off. This is a dense, atmospheric album that trades simple hooks for atmosphere and scale.
The record opens with Oblivion and Divinations, two short pieces that set the tone before the first real statement arrives. Quintessence follows with a heavier riff that earns its place. Then comes The Czar, a four-part, eleven-minute epic that splits into four parts and runs nearly three minutes before the first glorious steamroller riff appears.
Ghost of Karelia and Crack the Skye keep the pace tight before The Last Baron closes the main album with thirteen minutes of pure ambition. The instrumental versions of each track fill out the back half, repeating the full songs note for note. The whole thing runs past an hour and forty minutes.
“The Czar”, a four-part, 11-minute epic… gargles and fumes and lurches for nearly three minutes before launching into its first glorious steamroller riffs.
Oblivion
Opens the album with a patient build, setting up the record’s patient approach.
Divinations and Quintessence
Shorter tracks that don’t demand attention on their own but set the stage for what follows.
The Czar
The center of the album, a four-part piece that builds slowly before the big riff finally hits.
Ghost of Karelia and Crack the Skye
Keep the momentum moving toward the closer without stealing its thunder.
The Last Baron
Thirteen minutes of pure ambition, the longest track here and the one that best shows the band’s range.
Instrumentals
Repeat the full songs note for note, giving fans the exact arrangements to study.
Final Word
Crack the Skye is a dense, atmospheric expansion of Mastodon’s sound, one that balances complexity with emotional clarity. The Czar and The Last Baron are the tracks that carry the album, while the shorter pieces and instrumentals exist mostly to pad the running time. At 82 out of 100 on Metacritic, it’s a strong, ambitious record that asks for patience and delivers on its promises.
- Oblivion5:47
- Divinations3:39
- Quintessence5:27
- The Czar: I. Usurper / II. Escape / III. Martyr / IV. Spiral10:54
- Ghost of Karelia5:25
- Crack the Skye5:54
- The Last Baron13:01
- Oblivion (instrumental)5:47
- Divinations (instrumental)3:30
- Quintessence (instrumental)5:42
- The Czar: I. Usurper / II. Escape / III. Martyr / IV. Spiral (instrumental)10:56
- Ghost of Karelia (instrumental)5:51
- Crack the Skye (instrumental)5:59
- The Last Baron (instrumental)13:03
