Review by Tomek on November 23, 2013.

“Hexed” album cover gives me the creeps. Lifeless picture of a deceased woman with arms in pharaonic pose with wavy veil that covers her mummified face just enough to keep it secretive, dress covered in peculiar writing, her hands positioned in a way to possibly give a message to the living. I’m creeped out by it but yet I cannot stop myself from looking at her. Could she be Yidhra herself, or is it one of her shape shifting forms? Is that how you end up when she is done with you? I guess I’ll never know. “Hexed” is the first full length studio album from a band Yidhra, and if that’s how they start there is no telling where they could get. I think top is the only way.

‘Witch Queen’ (coincidently an explanation to a name Yidhra) is the opening track and it sets the tone for the whole album from the very beginning. Dark, slow guitars start a dirty groove to get things into motion and then this frightening occult motive surfaces out of nowhere to set the mood for the rest of the album. It doesn’t get better than that, believe you me. Guitars produce a lot of epic riffing and create sinister atmosphere throughout a whole album without any lack of momentum. Over an hour of high quality Doom Metal with plenty of variation and crushing gloom. Drums are perfectly positioned in the mix and for a Doom Metal album are very entertaining. As with any Doom release, I wish every once in a while for the drums to just surprise me with something wicked but it doesn’t happen here. Good, professional and very solid but no surprises. Thick rumble of the bass with its deep and fuzzy tone is something that originally grabbed me by the ear. It sounds so freakishly evil that it should have its own kingdom or at least its own castle in the kingdom of bass. Thick as molasses, fuzzy like a wooly Sasquatch and monstrous like Mothra. Massive vibrations. The last part of this evil creature is vocalist Ted. Sound of his voice, the manner he sings with and the overall tone that his voice gives to the album is spine chilling. He has this hypnotizing quality to it but you know that if fall under it you’ll end up in the tombs without a way to get back. No snap of his fingers and no waking up from that one. Frightening.

“Hexed” is an album that brought my interest in Doom Metal back. Everything that I look for and desire from a Doom Metal album is on here, and it is all superbly produced, recorded and played out. As a matter of fact it is an album that anyone with an interest in Doom Metal should get accustomed with. Like it or not it has a classic quality to it and don’t just go by what I say. Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Corrosion Of Conformity, Trouble, D.R.I., Sacred Reich, Hirax, Dark Angel, Morbid Angel and many more…) which produced the album says: “not since Trouble have I worked with a band in his genre so talented. Yidhra! I have no clue what the name means, but to me it means DOOM!” Need I say more?

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Tomek on November 23, 2013.

“Hexed” album cover gives me the creeps. Lifeless picture of a deceased woman with arms in pharaonic pose with wavy veil that covers her mummified face just enough to keep it secretive, dress covered in peculiar writing, her hands positioned in a way to possibly give a message to the living. I’m creeped out by it but yet I cannot stop myself from looking at her. Could she be Yidhra herself, or is it one of her shape shifting forms? Is that how you end up when she is done with you? I guess I’ll never know. “Hexed” is the first full length studio album from a band Yidhra, and if that’s how they start there is no telling where they could get. I think top is the only way.

‘Witch Queen’ (coincidently an explanation to a name Yidhra) is the opening track and it sets the tone for the whole album from the very beginning. Dark, slow guitars start a dirty groove to get things into motion and then this frightening occult motive surfaces out of nowhere to set the mood for the rest of the album. It doesn’t get better than that, believe you me. Guitars produce a lot of epic riffing and create sinister atmosphere throughout a whole album without any lack of momentum. Over an hour of high quality Doom Metal with plenty of variation and crushing gloom. Drums are perfectly positioned in the mix and for a Doom Metal album are very entertaining. As with any Doom release, I wish every once in a while for the drums to just surprise me with something wicked but it doesn’t happen here. Good, professional and very solid but no surprises. Thick rumble of the bass with its deep and fuzzy tone is something that originally grabbed me by the ear. It sounds so freakishly evil that it should have its own kingdom or at least its own castle in the kingdom of bass. Thick as molasses, fuzzy like a wooly Sasquatch and monstrous like Mothra. Massive vibrations. The last part of this evil creature is vocalist Ted. Sound of his voice, the manner he sings with and the overall tone that his voice gives to the album is spine chilling. He has this hypnotizing quality to it but you know that if fall under it you’ll end up in the tombs without a way to get back. No snap of his fingers and no waking up from that one. Frightening.

“Hexed” is an album that brought my interest in Doom Metal back. Everything that I look for and desire from a Doom Metal album is on here, and it is all superbly produced, recorded and played out. As a matter of fact it is an album that anyone with an interest in Doom Metal should get accustomed with. Like it or not it has a classic quality to it and don’t just go by what I say. Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Corrosion Of Conformity, Trouble, D.R.I., Sacred Reich, Hirax, Dark Angel, Morbid Angel and many more…) which produced the album says: “not since Trouble have I worked with a band in his genre so talented. Yidhra! I have no clue what the name means, but to me it means DOOM!” Need I say more?

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Tomek on November 23, 2013.

“Hexed” album cover gives me the creeps. Lifeless picture of a deceased woman with arms in pharaonic pose with wavy veil that covers her mummified face just enough to keep it secretive, dress covered in peculiar writing, her hands positioned in a way to possibly give a message to the living. I’m creeped out by it but yet I cannot stop myself from looking at her. Could she be Yidhra herself, or is it one of her shape shifting forms? Is that how you end up when she is done with you? I guess I’ll never know. “Hexed” is the first full length studio album from a band Yidhra, and if that’s how they start there is no telling where they could get. I think top is the only way.

‘Witch Queen’ (coincidently an explanation to a name Yidhra) is the opening track and it sets the tone for the whole album from the very beginning. Dark, slow guitars start a dirty groove to get things into motion and then this frightening occult motive surfaces out of nowhere to set the mood for the rest of the album. It doesn’t get better than that, believe you me. Guitars produce a lot of epic riffing and create sinister atmosphere throughout a whole album without any lack of momentum. Over an hour of high quality Doom Metal with plenty of variation and crushing gloom. Drums are perfectly positioned in the mix and for a Doom Metal album are very entertaining. As with any Doom release, I wish every once in a while for the drums to just surprise me with something wicked but it doesn’t happen here. Good, professional and very solid but no surprises. Thick rumble of the bass with its deep and fuzzy tone is something that originally grabbed me by the ear. It sounds so freakishly evil that it should have its own kingdom or at least its own castle in the kingdom of bass. Thick as molasses, fuzzy like a wooly Sasquatch and monstrous like Mothra. Massive vibrations. The last part of this evil creature is vocalist Ted. Sound of his voice, the manner he sings with and the overall tone that his voice gives to the album is spine chilling. He has this hypnotizing quality to it but you know that if fall under it you’ll end up in the tombs without a way to get back. No snap of his fingers and no waking up from that one. Frightening.

“Hexed” is an album that brought my interest in Doom Metal back. Everything that I look for and desire from a Doom Metal album is on here, and it is all superbly produced, recorded and played out. As a matter of fact it is an album that anyone with an interest in Doom Metal should get accustomed with. Like it or not it has a classic quality to it and don’t just go by what I say. Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Corrosion Of Conformity, Trouble, D.R.I., Sacred Reich, Hirax, Dark Angel, Morbid Angel and many more…) which produced the album says: “not since Trouble have I worked with a band in his genre so talented. Yidhra! I have no clue what the name means, but to me it means DOOM!” Need I say more?

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Originality: 8
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Allan on January 7, 2005.

Mastodon prior to their 2002 debut Remission could be likened to a blip on the radar. Today, they might just be compared to a giant sea-beast not unlike that which their new album, Leviathan, references. With two years of non-stop touring behind them and the chops to pull it off, Mastodon has engraved their name practically everywhere in a relatively short amount of time.

So, why Mastodon? Of all the commercially viable material the underground metal scene has to offer, how did these guys end up picking up the ball? It’s quite simple: balance. While everybody else is hammering out thick, metal/hardcore riffs and shredding their throats to pieces, Mastodon is combining a bit of melody and excellent songwriting within their noisy palette, with the ambition to pull it off.

Remission enthusiasts really have nothing to worry about. Leviathan, while not a stylistic or progressive departure in much of the sense, offers enough change to at least make listening to either album a noticeably different journey. While Remission was about as gritty as the mud on your boots, Leviathan, while maintaining that aesthetic, presents that same idea in a slightly cleaner manner, mostly in regards to the production. The change is hardly drastic enough to detract from the music, however.

Leviathan easily has its fair share of stunning moments and songs. Probably the greatest thing upon listening to Leviathan for the first time was actually being surprised and impressed by some of the things that Mastodon has come up with this time rather than merely enjoying it. There is a driving creative force within this band and the end result is more than rewarding. Of course, things such as Brann Dailor’s remarkable drumming and the chemistry between Bill Kelliher and Brent Hines are spectacles to be enjoyed. Most importantly however, the music leaves no doubt that Mastodon is a band that deserves the success and praise that they’ve received.

"Hearts Alive," Mastodon’s thirteen-minute epic, is a clear indication of the abilities of this band, all elements included - the distinct, melodic guitar progressions, thick, mammoth riffing, vibrant clean and screamed vocals, emotion and atmosphere – presented in a tight, excellently composed package. That said, every song, be it the rapid-fire accessibility of "Blood & Thunder" or the unstoppable blow that is "Megalodon," is of the same high quality.

Like they did in the summer of ’02 with Remission, Mastodon’s Leviathan easily steals a spot as one of the most important and greatest releases of the year. There are a few other big fish in the sea, but Leviathan is most certainly the one beast the casts a shadow over the rest.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8.5
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.0 out of 10