Photo by Jimmy HubbardWitness the fruit of Mastodon's labor with noted Springsteen-and-nü-metal (okay, and a lot of other stuff) producer Brendan O'Brien: Crack the Skye. Wait, as in "'scuse me while I crack the skye"? Is that a thing? [Or is it a reference to the 70s prog band Crack the Sky?-- Ed.]The record comes out early next year via Reprise, and its tracklist, complete with four-movement album centerpiece "The Czar", is below. The cover hasn't been revealed yet, but we're sure it will be just as baroque and mythical as ever.Mastodon just started their huge Unholy Alliance Tour with Slayer, and they've already booked a chunk of summer 2009 with dates supporting Metallica. Old dudes know what's up.Speaking of shows, the 40 people who show up to either of the next two Unholy Alliance shows (October 30 and 31) in London dressed in the best Halloween costume, preferably Mastodon-themed, will get a Mastodon Halloween t-shirt.According to a press release, the person with the "ultimate/best/worst/most Mastodon-related/most creative" costume will win a Gibson Epiphone guitar signed by the whole band. Even if you're not attending one of the shows, you can still enter to win one of 10 more t-shirts and signed Mastodon vinyl by emailing photographic proof of your costume to mastodon@warnermusic.com.read more