Style Weekly
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During the past decade Mastodon has grown to wield a juggernaut-like influence within metal. With exponential scope and ambition, this Atlanta-based quartet has delivered the kind of blood-curdling menace that fuses intricate guitar heaviness and progressive percussion with conceptual undercurrents (opting away from the typical death-metal fire and brimstone, its 2004 breakthrough, “Leviathan,” was loosely based on the sea-faring settings and themes within Herman Melville's “Moby Dick”). Abrasive and visceral, the band's career trajectory has led beyond its early cult appreciation to international critical acclaim, sold-out arena shows and even Grammy nominations from mainstream audiences. Supporting its latest album “Crack the Skye,” a prog-laced concept album about wormholes, time travel, tsarist Russia and out-of-body experiences, Mastodon is scheduled to play the National on Sunday, April 18, at 7 p.m. $25-$28.
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