MASTODON Their toughest task yet: reinventing heavy metal on deadline Longtime fans may be surprised by some new twists on heavy-metal giant Mastodon’s latest, The Hunter. There’s the absence of the group’s usual concept-album narrative, and the presence of producer Mike Elizondo—who has worked with artists ranging from Dr. Dre to Carrie Underwood, but has very little hard rock on his résumé. Then again, fans might also be surprised to... 

MASTODON Live at the Aragon [Reprise] Prog-metal juggernaut Mastodon’s first-ever live album, a CD/DVD set recorded in 2009 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, offers an agreeably straightforward (if abbreviated) account of the band’s bruising stage show. The quartet plows through its most recent concept album, Crack the Skye, in its entirety and throws in a few oldies and a cover of the Melvins’ “The Bit.” The members’ performances are...