This one is for a certain reader who had the very sad misfortune of celebrating his birthday the other day while laid up in bed with a horrible cold. He’s a big fan of this band- or at least, of its drummer. And with very good reason:

I saw them play live the other night, opening for the one, the only, the almighty JUDAS PRIEST. And yes, that night was every bit as awesome as it sounds- except for the fact that the crowd sucked. I don’t know what it is with American crowds at classic heavy metal concerts; they all just stand there like goddamn zombies, which is an incredibly stupid thing to do when you’ve got JUDAS FREAKIN’ PRIEST up there on stage playing “Breaking the Law” and “Beyond the Realms of Death”. Granted, some of that comes down to this bizarre American predilection for having seats at every major arena- thank God that the last time I saw IRON MAIDEN, at the very same venue, they got rid of the stupid things and just had a massive floor area where we crazy youngsters could just go crazy.

But anyway, getting back to the point- yes, MASTODON are a great band, and yes, their drummer is a badass. They’re not necessarily my cup of tea, personally, but there is no question that they know how to play.