AS the most acclaimed metal act of this millennium, Mastodon face a mammoth task living up to their reputation for consistency in producing top quality albums, Jonah Hex soundtrack aside.

Fans can exhale in relief as Once More ‘Round The Sun sees the band on top form and contains the recurring aspects they’re known for: sludgy, pounding riffs, wondrously fiddly lead lines, proggy pretensions and Neurosis’s Scott Kelly popping up on vocals. What makes this band a continuing, ever-evolving force is their tendency to pack their songs so full of fanciful ideas that even the four-minute tracks feel like grandiose epics. If, for some bizarre reason, you’ve fallen out of love with metal, this will rekindle your flagging relationship.

Steven Cookson