The melodic opener of Crack the Skye — Mastodon's proggiest, most spacious record, tracked live as a four-piece by Brendan O'Brien at Southern Tracks, Atlanta. Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds ran vintage Marshall JCM800 and JMP heads with a Fender Twin Reverb for cleans (no Diezel — that's their later touring rig), boosted by Ibanez Tube King and TS-9 overdrives into Silverburst Gibsons. Warmer and more open than Blood Mountain, with O'Brien's 'let it breathe' room sound.