It is difficult to convey accurately in words the awesomeness that is Mastodon.

This is a band that has released albums and songs about Moby Dick, one-eyed sasquatches that can see into the future, mountains, Rasputin, Russian tsars and space travel. If you don’t find any of those things cool, well, sorry, this ain’t your band. And so what if they’re not the greatest live band in the world?

Actually, the Atlanta quartet’s new album, The Hunter, may be the best one for newcomers to the Mastodon bandwagon (and why the hell are you not on it yet?). The band manages to pull a unique trick: It’s their most accessible record to date, yet it’s complex enough for the faithful, whether you jumped on board with Remission, Leviathan or Blood Mountain.

After three straight concept albums, each more elaborate than the last, Mastodon has decided to strip things down a bit. The songwriting philosophy here is most similar to Leviathan, with its shorter song structures. The longest track clocks in at five-and-a-half minutes.

Things get off to a heavy start with the first single, “Black Tongue,” which gives a nod to previous Mastodon records with its lyrics about running to the seas and forests. The song is as self-aware as anything Mastodon has ever done. If “Black Tongue” is a nod to the past, the next track, “Curl of the Burl,” is a complete break from Mastodon’s traditional style, with its chunky, Zeppelin-esque riff. “Curl of the Burl” may be the closest this band has ever come to writing a mainstream rock song—the record was produced by Mike Elizondo, who has produced acts like 50 Cent, Alanis Morrissette and Avenged Sevenfold—yet it completely fits with what Mastodon does.

My favorite track is “Stargasm,” which mixes sludgy tempos and clean vocals with Brent Hinds and Bill Kelleher’s heavy riffing. The slower, main riff reminds me of one of my favorite songs from Blood Mountain, “Sleeping Giant.” If you ever wondered whether Mastodon is the heavy metal Pink Floyd, “Stargasm” should quell any questions, especially with the slower, harmonic parts. “Octopus Has No Friends” is another track in a similar vein.

Of course, it’s hard to talk about Mastodon without mentioning the gymnastic drumming of Brann Dailor, who somehow never gets mentioned on the subject of great rock/metal drummers. How Dailor plays those crazy fills while still keeping time I’ll never know. He also sings two songs on the album, including the quirky “Creature Lives.”

Dailor is all over “All the Heavy Lifting,” a song seemingly about coping with the loss of a loved one, something the members of Mastodon have had to do in recent years. The title track is about the death of Hinds’ brother, who passed away during the recording of the album.

While the middle of the album slows down a little bit, the band kick things up for the finish with the heavy-as-hell “Spectrelight,” which features a guest spot from Scott Kelly of Neurosis, and the almost funky sounding “Bedazzled Fingernails,” with Troy Sanders’ Flea-esque bassline rumbling underneath the guitars. Like previous Mastodon albums, the closing track is a slower number, in this case, the space-rock jam “The Sparrow.” The iTunes deluxe version of the record also features two bonus tracks, “The Ruiner” and “Deathbound.”

Free from the burden of an overriding concept, The Hunter allows Mastodon to explore all aspects of its sound, mixing sludgy riff-a-ramas with quieter, more progressive moments. I liked that the band stripped things down this time. After writing an 11-minute song about a Russian tsar, there are really only two ways to approach things: double down or go back to basics.

The Hunter is a complex but enthralling record, one that is sure to end up on many a top-10 list at year’s end.