Arcadea

Remember that movie from the 80's where that little rocker kid got sucked into the video game and found himself on that desert planet, where he had to throw jewels into a volcano while battling flying lions that had lasers shooting out of their eyes?

No?

That's probably because that movie was never made. But if it had been, Arcadea would be the soundtrack.

Arcadea is the brainchild of Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist/keyboardist Core Atoms. Adding to the mix Raheem Amlani, Arcadea defies all known and unknown possibilities within this realm and rips the space/time continuum wide open with their synth-laden heaviness. 

Ok, ok, that's enough nerd-hyperbole. This is a damn cool album, that God-willing could be the start of a whole new genre of vid-core. The intricacies of the music harkens back to some of the best prog-rock of the past without ever becoming mired in nostalgia. Mastodon members are no stranger to side projects, but Arcadea is a different beast altogether. There's more at work here than meets the eye. As Dailor has already proven with Mastodon, his talent is not to be underestimated, and Arcadea shows just how far the tendrils of that talent can reach.

7.9 / 10 — Kevin Fitzpatrick