I reckon Leviathan is the better album as well. I never make it all the way through Remission, as brilliant as the first few songs are.
Blood Mountain is awful, not really heard the new one enough to decide if it's shit or just mediocre.
I'm unsure which of the earlier albums i like best, i'm also partial to a bit of Lifesblood too. Leviathan was the album that got me into them, but there's some wicked tracks on both.
My workmate bought the new album yesterday so that led to talk last night that their first too albums were miles better than Blood Mountain, i quite like some tracks on BM, but it's a bit too experimental in places. I reckon they want to make some big bucks but don't want repeat early efforts or get too trendy but the way they are evolving isn't what many old fans want to hear. Not listened to the new one yet myself, i'm not in any hurry.
my mate's sent me a message to say he's listening to new album, he says "Listening to new album it's weird their singing with clean vocals, it sounds like mastodon musicaly but vocals sound weird n a bit weak will take a few listens I think to get used to it"
None of their albums are a rapid departure from the last really. They've just got progressively more tuneful over the years, like most bands tend to do.