Crack the Skye
Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009, through Reprise, Sire and Relapse Records.[8][9] The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week.[10] In Australia, the album debuted at number 19.[11] It had sold 200,000 copies in the US as of September 2010, making it one of their highest-selling albums to date.[12]
For other uses, see Crack the Sky (disambiguation).Crack the Skye
March 24, 2009[1]
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According to an interview on the DVD The Making of Crack the Skye, this album represents the element of aether, which is represented by the souls and spirits of all things, a theme closely related to the context of the album. Because the elements of fire, water and earth have already been represented by the band's first three albums Remission, Leviathan, Blood Mountain and the band's seventh album Emperor of Sand, respectively, the element of air is the only classical element which has yet to be represented by a Mastodon album, as their follow-up studio albums The Hunter and Once More 'Round the Sun do not represent an element, nor are they concept albums.
Crack the Skye is the first studio album to feature drummer Brann Dailor as the band's third lead vocalist.
Packaging[edit]
Paul Romano, who had done all of Mastodon's album artwork to that point, created the art for Crack the Skye.[19] The piece features various ethereal images tied in closely with the overall concept of the record. Crack the Skye was released in two editions: the standard and limited edition. The latter has an elaborate packaging with a tunnel book that, when looked through, reveals three-dimensional-like imagery. A "hidden" picture of Brann Dailor's sister, Skye, can be seen on both sides of the tunnel book as well.
Release[edit]
Crack the Skye has been released as standard CD version and CD/DVD version, which included a bonus DVD with a documentary and a track commentary. Furthermore, standard single-disc LP and limited-edition 2xLP were released. A "super-deluxe" CD/DVD version that includes a tunnel book and a lithograph of the album art sold out during pre-orders, and a "Royal Edition" with a CD of the instrumental versions of the songs and an entirely new black-and-gold artwork was released on December 15, 2009.
Accolades[edit]
Crack the Skye was named amongst the most well received albums of 2009 by numerous music publications. Classic Rock magazine placed it a No. 3 of its Top Albums of 2009, while Kerrang! place it at No. 4 in its Top Albums of 2009. Time magazine placed "Crack the Skye" at No. 3 on its Top 10 Albums of 2009 list,[34] and Rock Sound named it their Album of the Year for 2009. In addition, Spin magazine listed it as the 17th best album of the year.[35] Rhapsody called it the 7th best album of 2009.[36] The album was also voted the No. 1 Album of 2009 by Metal Hammer's critics and contributors.[37] In 2014, TeamRock put Crack the Skye at No. 57 on their Top 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time list, commenting: "Mastodon's 2009 album has the blood and thunder from previous releases, but takes everything to a new musical level. A restive and sophisticated piece of work from the prog heavyweights".[38]
The album was honored with a 2009 Metal Storm Award for Best Alternative Metal Album.[5] It also won the 2009 Danish Metal Award for Best International Metal Album.[39]