I guess it is inevitable. When a band is widely recognized and has an incredible expansive fanbase, there will be many bands trying to ride the coattails or capture the same audience. For some bands, their sound is so unique it is nearly impossible to effectively replicate (i.e. Tool), some are easier but don’t always measure up to the original source (i.e. Meshuggah and all the poor excuses for copycats), and some manage to capture the vibe and pay proper tribute before becoming their own thing (i.e. Mudvayne). Now, it appears it is Mastodon’s turn with Norway’s Dunderbeist.

Dunderbeist’s sound is very reminiscent of Mastodon’s “Crack The Skye” album. “Black Arts & Crooked Tails” has an exceptional tight fluidity to it melodic delivery. The opening track, ‘La Guerre Du Feu’, could be mistaken for a B Side to any of Mastodon more recent releases. However, the dual vocals of Torgrim Torve and Asmund Snortheim are a little more soulful than that of the Mastodon crew. In this regard, they sound slightly like Mike Patton.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Like how Mudvayne has transformed into an amazing band demonstrating their capability of synthesizing their influences, I suspect that Dunderbeist will follow a similar path. The musicianship is tight and the ideas, while not entirely new, are headed in a good direction. They definitely know how to build tension in their songs (listen to “Fear and Loathing” and try not to hum along or get caught up in it’s groove).

“Black Arts & Crooked Tails” is an enjoyable album – at least the first half of it. I found myself expecting some effort to diversify their sound but the last songs lacked something that the first ones had in spades. They kind of lost me with ‘More Me’, ‘Crows And Counting’, and ‘Hum Hum’ (which, incidentally, means about 75% of he album is quite good).

If you like Volbeat, Mushroomhead, System Of A Down (but find them a little too erratic), Faith No More, and like a little more soul in your metal, then Dunderbeist may be right up your alley.