Hushed and Grim

Hushed and Grim is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released as a double album on October 29, 2021, through Reprise Records. The album is the band's longest to date, their first double album. Guest appearances include Soundgarden's Kim Thayil on "Had It All" and Troy Sanders' mother Jody Sanders on French horn.^[4] There is no guest vocal appearance by Scott Kelly from Neurosis for the first time since their 2002 debut Remission, due to Kelly's withdrawal from the public eye that was not announced until August 2022.^[5][6] The album also serves as a tribute to Mastodon's former manager Nick John, after his death from cancer in 2018.^[7]

Hushed and Grim
Studio album by Mastodon
Released	October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
Studio	West End Sound Studio, Atlanta
Genre	Progressive metal psychedelic metal^[1] alternative metal^[2] stoner metal^[3]
Length	86:17
Label	Reprise
Producer	David Bottrill
Mastodon chronology
Medium Rarities (2020) Hushed and Grim (2021)
Singles from Hushed and Grim
"Pushing the Tides" Released: September 10, 2021 "Teardrinker" Released: October 1, 2021 "Sickle and Peace" Released: October 20, 2021 "More Than I Could Chew" Released: July 12, 2022

Artwork

The album artwork was illustrated by Paul Romano, who has illustrated all covers for previous Mastodon releases except The Hunter and Once More 'Round the Sun. The cover features the title plaque before a dormant tree resembling a torso and outstretched arms, rendered in blacks and greys. The face of Nick John, the bands longtime manager, appears within the tree, peering above an Dharmachakra or 8-spoked wheel. The band attributes John's passing in 2018 as the thematic lyrical inspiration for the album.^[8] Also pictured are a stag, a rabbit with a crow mask, a spider, and several hyenas, one of which faces the viewer sporting a Thalia and Melpomene-like saddle on its back, giving an appearance of Cerberus. The cover artwork is the central of five main square panels which combine to form a cross containing the tree, its branches, and roots. Four additional panels form the corners with ancillary themes. The tree is surmounted in the top panel by a hawk with an open exposed heart and rose wreath. Scales seen below the tree on the cover panel develop to a python descending into a cavern containing lascivious scenes supervised by a bull-horned, winged being in the bottom panel. The left branch shows wintering wolves set before Byzantine architecture; at right, The Hanged Man hangs from the branch aside the Emperor of Sand beneath a Spring storm.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100^[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Blabbermouth	10/10^[10]
Clash	9/10^[11]
Consequence	B+^[3]
Distorted Sound	10/10^[12]
Exclaim!	9/10^[13]
Metal Hammer	4.5/5^[14]
Pitchfork	5.7/10^[2]
Rolling Stone	^[15]
Sputnikmusic	4.5/5^[16]

Hushed and Grim was well received, with review aggregator Metacritic indicating "universal acclaim" with a score of 82/100 based on 13 reviews.^[9] AllMusic critic Thom Jurek wrote that the album's tracks are "rendered with abundant creativity, massive power, and searing honesty."^[17] Rolling Stone commented that "Hushed and Grim never stops giving, and the album’s energy, depth, and power make it a completely unique addition to the band’s mammoth catalog."^[7] In an outlying review, however, Chris O'Connell of Pitchfork called the album "an inoffensive, occasionally alluring, but overwhelmingly dull 90-minute slog."^[18]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank
Consequence	Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Albums	8^[19]
Guitar World	The 20 Best Guitar Albums of 2021	8^[20]
Kerrang!	The 50 Best Albums of 2021	12^[21]
Loudwire	The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021	20^[22]
Metal Hammer	Top 10 Prog Metal Albums of 2021	2^[23]
PopMatters	The 75 Best Albums of 2021	62^[24]
PopMatters	The 10 Best Progressive Rock/Metal Albums of 2021	3^[25]
Prog	Top 20 Albums of 2021	7^[26]
Revolver	Top 25 Albums of 2021	7^[27]
Rolling Stone	The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2021	2^[28]
Spin	The 30 Best Albums of 2021	12^[29]
Sputnikmusic	Top 50 Albums of 2021	1^[30]
Ultimate Classic Rock	Top 40 Best Albums of 2021	30^[31]
Ultimate Classic Rock	Top 10 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2021	8^[32]
Loudwire	The 35 Best Metal Songs of 2021 ("Teardrinker")	27^[33]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mastodon

Disc one

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Pain with an Anchor"	Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders	5:01
2.	"The Crux"	Sanders	4:59
3.	"Sickle and Peace"	Sanders, Dailor	6:17
4.	"More Than I Could Chew"	Dailor, Sanders	6:51
5.	"The Beast"	Brent Hinds, Dailor, Sanders	6:03
6.	"Skeleton of Splendor"	Sanders, Dailor	5:04
7.	"Teardrinker"	Dailor, Sanders	5:20
8.	"Pushing the Tides"	Sanders, Dailor	3:29
Total length:			43:04

Disc two

No.	Title	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Peace and Tranquility"	Hinds, Dailor, Sanders	5:55
2.	"Dagger"	Sanders	5:12
3.	"Had It All"	Sanders	5:25
4.	"Savage Lands"	Dailor, Sanders	4:24
5.	"Gobblers of Dregs"	Sanders, Dailor	8:34
6.	"Eyes of Serpents"	Sanders, Dailor	6:49
7.	"Gigantium"	Dailor, Sanders	6:54
Total length:			43:13

Personnel

Mastodon Brann Dailor – drums, vocals (except 2, 10, 11) Brent Hinds – lead guitar, vocals (5, 9) Bill Kelliher – rhythm guitar Troy Sanders – bass, vocals Additional musicians João Nogueira – keyboards Darby Rose Tapley – intro vocals (3) Marcus King – solo guitar (5) Dave Witte – percussion (10) Rich Doucette - sarangi (10) Jody Sanders – French horn (11) Kim Thayil – solo guitar (11) Kevin Fox – cello, string arrangement (15) Drew Jurecka – viola, violin (15)

Technical David Bottrill – production, mixing Ryan McCambridge – engineering Tom Tapley – recording Billy Joe Bowers – editing Miles Landrum – recording assistance Braden Griffith – additional engineering (5) Nathan Yaccino – additional engineering (11) Ted Jensen – mastering

Charts

Chart performance for Hushed and Grim Chart (2021) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)^[34] 16 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[35] 7 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[36] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[37] 19 Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[38] 18 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[39] 24 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[40] 16 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[41] 4 French Albums (SNEP)^[42] 32 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[43] 10 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[44] 6 Irish Albums (OCC)^[45] 27 Italian Albums (FIMI)^[46] 53 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[47] 29 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[48] 10 Polish Albums (ZPAV)^[49] 35 Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[50] 9 Scottish Albums (OCC)^[51] 10 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[52] 24 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[53] 25 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[54] 7 UK Albums (OCC)^[55] 14 UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)^[56] 1 US Billboard 200^[57] 20 US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)^[58] 1 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)^[59] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Hushed and Grim" Chart (2021) Position Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)^[60] 88

References

1. Jurek, Thom. "Mastodon: Hushed and Grim Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. O'Connell, Chris (October 29, 2021). "Mastodon: Hushed and Grim Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
3. Hadusek, Jon (October 30, 2021). "Mastodon Explore Every Facet of Their Musical Language on Hushed and Grim: Review". Consequence. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
4. "Hushed and Grim Review by Thom Jurek". AllMusic.
5. "Neurosis' Scott Kelly Admits to Abusing Family, Announces Retirement From Music". Pitchfork. August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
6. Blabbermouth (August 29, 2022). "NEUROSIS Members Blast Former Bandmate SCOTT KELLY: 'There Is Nothing Brave About Systematically Abusing Your Wife And Children'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
7. "Mastodon Crush/Redeem You on 'Hushed and Grim'". Rolling Stone. October 27, 2021.
8. "Mastodon: The Pain And Purpose of 'Hushed And Grim'". Revolver; revolvermag.com. October 29, 2021.
9. "Hushed and Grim by Mastodon". Metacritic.
10. "Mastodon 'Hushed and Grim'". Blabbermouth.net. October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
11. "Mastodon – 'Hushed and Grim'". Clash. October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
12. McCarthy, Laura (October 25, 2021). "ALBUM REVIEW: Hushed And Grim - Mastodon - Distorted Sound Magazine". distortedsoundmag.com. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
13. Heilman, Max (October 27, 2021). "Mastodon's 'Hushed and Grim' Is the Grandest Realization of Their Artistry - Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
14. Lawson, Dom (October 25, 2021). "Mastodon's Hushed And Grim: Atlanta riffmasters' boldest adventure yet - Louder". Metal Hammer. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
15. Weigell, Jon (October 27, 2021). "Mastodon Crush/Redeem You on 'Hushed and Grim'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
16. Garland, Robert (October 31, 2021). "Review: Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
17. "Hushed and Grim - Mastodon | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
18. O'Connell, Chris (October 29, 2021). "Mastodon: Hushed and Grim Album Review". Pitchfork. from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
19. "Top 30 Metal & Hard Rock Albums". Consequence. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
20. "The 20 best guitar albums of 2021". Guitar World. December 22, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
21. "The 50 best albums of 2021". Kerrang!. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
22. "The 45 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2021". Loudwire. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
23. Metal Hammer (December 12, 2021). "Top 10 prog metal Albums of 2021". loudersound.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
24. "The 75 Best Albums of 2021". PopMatters. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
25. Jordan, Blum; Spiess, Andrew (November 30, 2021). "The 10 Best Progressive Rock/Metal Albums of 2021". PopMatters. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
26. "The Anchoress's The Art Of Losing voted Prog Magazine writers' Album Of The Year". Prog. November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
27. "25 Best Albums of 2021". Revolver. November 25, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
28. "The 10 Best Metal Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
29. "The 30 Best Albums of 2021". Spin. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
30. "Top 50 Albums of 2021". Sputnikmusic. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
31. "Top 40 Best Albums of 2021". Ultimate Classic Rock. December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
32. "Top 10 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 2021". Ultimate Classic Rock. December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
33. Al-Sharif, Rabab; DiVita, Joe; Hartmann, Graham; Richardson, Jake; Trapp, Philip; Summan, Yasmine (December 6, 2021). "The 35 Best Metal Songs of 2021". Loudwire. Townsquare Media. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
34. "Australiancharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
35. "Austriancharts.at – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
36. "Ultratop.be – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
37. "Ultratop.be – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
38. "Mastodon Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
39. "Danishcharts.dk – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
40. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
41. "Mastodon: Hushed and Grim" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
42. "Lescharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
43. "Offiziellecharts.de – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
44. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 44. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
45. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
46. "Italiancharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
47. "Charts.nz – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
48. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
49. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
50. "Portuguesecharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
51. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
52. "Top 100 Albums: Week 44 (2021)". El portal de Música (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
53. "Swedishcharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
54. "Swisscharts.com – Mastodon – Hushed and Grim". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
55. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
56. "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
57. "Mastodon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
58. "Mastodon Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
59. "Mastodon Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
60. "Összesített album- és válogatáslemez-lista - eladási darabszám alapján - 2021" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved February 1, 2022.