Mastodon – Hushed And Grim

It sounds incredible and really the only complaint I have is the inner sleeve situation, its just more plastic to toss. The album itself is amazing and Eyes of the Serpents is just amazing.

Incredible work of art from the best metal band out there. They constantly break new musical ground and move forward and this shows of all of their abilities in one massive album.

My copy sounds astonishing. This album is a powerhouse of sound, and this pressing does it justice. So good.

Excellent pressing that sounds very well!

The records are seriously protected with the double sleeves.

Enjoying my copy. Yes, just toss the paper sleeves and keep the poly sleeves. They were selling these for $20 at the show, great deal if you can find it.

My copy has Disc 1 being more of a milky clear, and Disc 2 is a lot more transparent. The inner sleeve situation is super odd, strange how they packed in these plastic bags which don't even fit the paper outers to hold the records- why not just a normal poly-lined sleeve or one or the other?? Regardless, this album is fantastic, and the pressing is equally good. A slight bit of noise in really quiet portions and between tracks, but overall it's great. The noise might also be as my stylus is super revealing and picking up all the tiny imperfections. Sound-wise- my copy absolutely shreds, the low end is kicking, mids are super punchy, and vocals are a bit more upfront and present than on digital. It is still a bit bass heavy which can cause a bit of the more delicate parts of tracks to be a bit murky, but that is present on the digital release and the physical improves on it so I am more than happy. This has quickly become one of my favorite mastodon albums.

Yeah mine sounds really good also, It might have been that I adjusted the weight on the arm, but cant complain. The pressing is really nice also. Mine is kind of like a clear smoke.

Excellent pressing, almost digital quiet, spacious Soundstage. Clear vinyl looks killer. Inner sleeves are annoying (separate poly-bags inside of paper) but will at least protect from scuffing. Still wish they'd used the more common kind with the poly liners glued into the paper.

All in all, not much to complain about. With all the quality issues going around today, this release is as close to flawless as you get. Yes, the inner sleeves are annoying, I replaced them immediately. Yes, there's too much music on each side and probably should have been expanded to 3LPs, but the industry is making elaborate packaging prohibitive right now. Plus, the pricepoint of $32-$35 isn't anything new. It's a lot but I can recall paying about that amount for Emperor of Sand and Once More Round the Sun. As for the sound, it's super solid for what it is. Hardly any pops or clicks and a reasonable amount of dynamic range. And the music is so good you're gonna wanna crank this one anyway.

This double album from Mastodon offers a dizzyingly creative trip. The limited clear vinyl is thick and nearly transparent; the booklet hefty and full of art accompanying the lyrics; the gatefold and sleeve art impressive. I do wish the spine had a readable font, but that's the only caveat.