Mastodon – Crack The Skye

This sound of this LP is pretty good and is an improvement over my 09 copy. Still stewing over this not being 2x45 RPM, but once I got to the acceptance stage, I actually think the instrumental LP is pretty cool. The noise floor is acceptable but not dead quiet. Like others have said below, my knocks would be to bring the bass up a bit more and whoever did the remaster loves ride cymbal. Overall it’s worth it, this remaster is an upgrade from your 09.

Still unsure what to make of this press. It's pretty quiet and bright. Feel like alot of the lows been removed. But it does sound crystal clear.

The price on this is crazy considering that it is not the 2xLP 45 RPM. This album needs to be spread over two vinyl records. They could easily provide that for its price + some polythene inners. Madness. Hard !

Finally broke down and spent the money to own this as I had the single disc and was disappointed in it. I’m still disappointed. These mixes are just too dense. There’s detail (maybe too much, I’m not a huge fan of hearing the ride getting slapped all the time) but there’s just no swings in level. Just one chunk of compression. It’s too bad.

My experience with learning about this remaster comes two months after its release and its a bit of a funny one. I only own a standard '09 CD copy that I listen to on my home audio system and I stream it on Apple Music while driving once every six months or so. I popped it on earlier this week and thought the SQ sounded 'better' than I was used to but didn't give it much thought and I shrugged off the experience. Then, I ended up at my local record store for RSD on Nov 29 and saw the newly released box set. I did some googling and saw that this was remastered in Oct '24 and that some of the reviews were decent, albiet still not better than the 45RPM, which I keep an eye out for always. Anyhow, I decided to purchase this version as I didn't care much for the box set with all the goodies. I've always decided to on the 2018 release as the reviews were always mixed and in hopes I might come across a 45RPM at a steal of a price. Nonetheless, I'm super happy with this purchase and I think it sounds good. It does sound GREAT, but worth the purchase IMO. It helps I got a 20% discount because it was also Black Friday when I purchased it. The added instrumental disc is a nice added bonus!

The wordplay on this album was tricky. Does the blu ray contain a hi res mix of the album? Or is that just the digital file.

When this was originally announced it had made it seem like there would be a Dolby Atmos Blu Ray but then later found out it was on available on streaming services that the format.

Excellent sounding records (not superior to the 45rpm version). Nice remastering; the box is fine, the artwork is really great; the magnets are a cool treat; what they did on the animated version (Blu-ray) of the album is superb. Worth it. Inflation is cruel, though.

4/5 Finally broke down and paid the money for this! Awesome record. "The Baron" sounds absolutely incredible on here. I'd give it a 5/5 but the surface noise was a lot, and the soundstage on side A/B sounded kinda muddy. Def need to spin clean this thing because after receiving it extremely dirty (like how do you even get that much fuzz and lint on a vinyl record?), I only had time to brush clean it. I'm sure it'll sound even better and get that 5/5 after it's fully cleaned

Love the artwork throughout this edition. All items feel well made, nothing feels flimsy or cheap. No complaints as far as the pressing, sounds amazing to me. Happy to have the included Blu-ray - I’m a huge fan of this album, so any extras are appreciated. If you don’t already have this album on vinyl, you wouldn’t be disappointed w/this edition.

Excellent album and pressing but a very disappointing overall package. Certainly not worth the initial asking price.