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Video: Did Mastodon blow the entire video budget for The Hunter before they got to ‘Dry Bone Valley’?

January 24th, 2012 · 2 Comments

Mastodon 2011 promo photo Thrash Hits

That’s not a rhetorical question we’re posing up there in the blog title. Having just watched Mastodon’s latest video – this time for ‘Dry Bone Valley’, the third single off of their superb fifth studio album, The Hunter – we can’t help but think that the Mastodon boys might’ve blown the entire video budget for this album with the tits’n'trips antics of the ‘Curl of the Burl’ video.

Think about it – ‘Black Tongue’ was officially the first single off the album, and what video treatment did that get? We got to watch the guy carving the mad beast-head that adorn’s the cover of The Hunter. A staggering display of a master craftsman at work it may be, but a compelling video? No, no it wasn’t.

And what do we have for ‘Dry Bone Valley’? We have some trippy animated faces, that we’ll no doubt see as part of the animated backdrop when Mastodon’s European tour rolls into the UK next month. The more cynical among us here at Thrash Hits have even been speculating that maybe this was commissioned a backdrop animation first, before being bumped up to “official video” status at a later date. Anyway, enough of our bitching – why don’t you have a gander at the video and make your minds up for yourselves?

Are we being too harsh on Mastodon’s video? Should we shut our stupid mouths because we couldn’t do any better? Or do you agree with us that Mastodon seem to have just kinda shrugged and said “that’ll do” fo the video to ‘Dry Bone Valley’? Let us know with an ill-thought out comment down below.

If our childish whining hasn’t sullied your appetite for Mastodon, now’s probably a good time to go buy tickets for that aforementioned UK leg of their European tour – the Bristol show has already sold out. Given that they’ve got Red Fang, and our old friends, The Dillinger Escape Plan, playing in support, you won’t get many tours hitting harder than this one in 2012.

Mastodon February UK tour dates:
05 Bristol O2 Academy
06 Manchester Academy
07 Glasgow Barrowlands
09 Norwich UEA
10 Birmingham HMV Institute
11 London Brixton O2 Academy

Tags: Video

  • Tom Of Iron

    I agree with you, they had no budget for this vid or the person who made it is taking the piss out off them. Either way not good. Any band these days wanting to progress or trade on already won status can not afford to drop the ball when it comes to your promos. I would say a really good video is your best promotion tool for your music today, Ironically Red Fang (Tour mates) are a perfect example of the mediums current power.
    The problem for me is that I love Mastodon, The Hunter album is great but I was bored halfway through this vid and prob won’t watch again. More importantly I won’t be sharing it, or telling mates to check it out. 
    I have shown Curl of the Burl and the Red Fang vids to pretty much every one I know at some point and consider myself an active ambassador for bands I like and want to see do well. If they can’t engage with the already converted how do they expect to attract new disciple’s to the cause.

  • Xname

    I think that you’re missing the point… the point being that if you’re high as fuck, then this video is a hypnotic masterpiece.