Mastodon - Remission [2LP Violet]

Remission is where Mastodon first came stampeding out of Atlanta, and this double LP on violet vinyl gives the 2002 debut all the room it needs to roar.

Released on Relapse and produced with Matt Bayles, it introduced the lineup that would define the band: Brann Dailor on drums, Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher on guitars and Troy Sanders on bass, with Hinds and Sanders sharing the bellowing vocals. Fire runs through the songs as a recurring image, and Dailor has said the title speaks of forgiveness and healing after the loss of his sister. That grief gives the record a ferocity that feels personal rather than staged.

Things begin with a roar, literally, as "Crusher Destroyer" kicks off with a dinosaur's bellow before two minutes of sheer stampede. "March of the Fire Ants" sets galloping riffs against a crushing groove, and the eight-minute "Elephant Man" closes the album with the patient, winding ambition that would define their later work.

Running through all of it is Dailor's astonishing drumming, busy, intricate and somehow always in control. It is sludge metal with a progressive brain and a hardcore heart, heavy enough to flatten but too clever to be predictable.

Before the concept albums and the arena stages, this is the beast in its rawest form.