The song "Colony of Birchmen" from the band's third album (released in 2006), Blood Mountain, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2007. Blood Mountain was followed in 2009 by Crack the Skye, and in 2011 by The Hunter, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved major commercial success in the United States. The Hunter features the song "Curl of the Burl", which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012. Mastodon's 2014 album, Once More 'Round the Sun, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and features the band's third Grammy-nominated song, "High Road". The band's seventh album, Emperor of Sand, was released on March 31, 2017, and features the band's most commercially successful song to date, "Show Yourself", which peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in June 2017. The followup single, "Steambreather", peaked at number 18 on the same chart in October 2017. The album's opening track, "Sultan's Curse", earned the band their first Grammy award. Emperor of Sand was the band's first album to receive a Grammy nomination; it was nominated for Best Rock Album.
Mastodon was formed on January 13, 2000, after drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moved to Atlanta from Victor, New York, and met bassist/singer Troy Sanders and guitarist/singer Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show. They discovered they had a mutual appreciation of sludge metal bands Melvins and Neurosis, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden, and 1970s hard rockers Thin Lizzy, and shortly thereafter formed Mastodon. In an interview in 2009, Kelliher revealed that the first time Hinds attended a practice with the band, he "showed up so wasted he couldn't play".
The band recorded a demo in 2000, which featured Eric Saner on vocals. Saner left the band for personal reasons after just a couple of months. After recording a four-song demo and a 7-inch picture disc through Reptilian Records, Mastodon landed a record deal with Relapse Records in 2001. Mastodon released the EP Lifesblood in 2001, and its first full-length album, Remission, in 2002, with the singles "March of the Fire Ants" and "Crusher/Destroyer" (which was also featured on Tony Hawk's Underground). On each of Mastodon's first three full-length albums, the last track was an instrumental composition with a title that related to the Elephant Man.
Artist Paul Romano was responsible for all of the band's album art and backdrops up to 2011. The artwork for the band's fifth studio album The Hunter was made by AJ Fosik, a woodcarver who was also responsible for the backdrop the band used live at the time. Oakland-based artist Skinner, who, in his own words, specializes in "psychedelic nightmare paintings", has taken the reins on Once More 'Round the Sun. "It's going to be a work of art for sure. It's going to be very eye-opening", said bassist Troy Sanders before the album's release. "Very striking. It's from another dimension, and a lot of our music is geared toward that idea—taking you to another planet on songs. It's out there, and I think it's incredible."
Studio albums
Remission (2002)
Leviathan (2004)
Blood Mountain (2006)
Crack the Skye (2009)
The Hunter (2011)
Once More 'Round the Sun (2014)
Emperor of Sand (2017)
Hushed and Grim (2021)
EPs
Lifesblood (2001)
Cold Dark Place (2017)
Ísland
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not taken
The flight towards the light
I'll stay in the lava for life
Erupting when gods take us all
Changing the peaks makes us pour
From the mountain and burn
The path of our time
Journey of a land anew
Ram as our liaison
Vision inspire and move
Awe holy island
Breed the lagoon to run free
Raw beauty is ruthless within the golden ring
Precision of Grungir
Spear of the Norse God Odin
Praise our Pagan Father
Founder of the Althing
Given decision to live
Not taken
The flight towards the light
I'll stay in the lava for life
Erupting when gods take us all
Changing the peaks makes us pour
From the mountain and burn
The path of our time
Ruler of sky's thunder
The honorable warrior
All divination
Beware the Hammer of Thor
Lava goddess
Ice and fire
Settling down
Ocean Geysir
Gullfoss
Heimaey '73
The song "Island" by Mastodon is a tribute to the beauty and power of Iceland. The lyrics are full of symbolism and metaphors referencing the country's geography, culture, and mythology. The opening lines speak of the decision to live, suggesting the difficult and resilient nature of the Icelandic people. The flight towards the light may reference the Northern Lights, a cherished natural wonder that can be seen from Iceland. The following lines describe a commitment to staying in the lava, a reference to the volcanic activity that has shaped the country's landscape. The eruption of the gods may be referencing the many Icelandic myths involving powerful deities and supernatural events.
Line by Line Meaning
Given decision to live
Although we are faced with choices everyday, the ultimate decision to live is not one that we get to make.
Not taken
We are not the ones who choose to live - it is simply given to us.
The flight towards the light
Our journey towards the light can be seen as a metaphorical representation of life, and how we aim to achieve our goals.
I'll stay in the lava for life
I will remain in the difficult, high-pressure situations that life throws my way for the rest of my days.
Erupting when gods take us all
Like a volcano, we all have the potential to burst with emotion and passion when the gods (or something/someone more powerful) takes us all.
Changing the peaks makes us pour
When we change the peaks (i.e. conquer our greatest challenges), we become full of ourselves and pour with confidence and pride.
From the mountain and burn
We start at the bottom and work our way up (like climbing a mountain); when we overcome an obstacle we feel as though we have burned with passion and drive to succeed.
The path of our time
The journey we take through life, characterized by time and space, is always unique - no one else has the same path we do.
Hail people of Iceland
Greetings to the people of Iceland, a beautiful country in the North Atlantic. Mastodon is paying homage to them in this song.
Journey of a land anew
The journey of Iceland as a country, evolving and changing throughout its history and time.
Ram as our liaison
The ram is a sort of liaison, or connection, between the challenges and beauty of Iceland.
Vision inspire and move
The incredible landscape and sights of Iceland (as well as the people who inhabit it) hold the power to inspire and motivate people - Mastodon is recognizing this vision.
Awe holy island
Iceland is seen as a sacred, holy island, full of natural wonders that fill people with awe and amazement.
Breed the lagoon to run free
The lagoon in Iceland is known for its breathtaking beauty; Mastodon believes that we should empower the lagoon to run free and be appreciated for its natural beauty.
Raw beauty is ruthless within the golden ring
The beauty of Iceland is raw and unrefined, and Mastodon believe that it should remain that way, even within the so-called 'golden ring' (a reference to a popular tourist route).
Precision of Grungir
Grungir was a magical bow owned by the god Odin in Norse mythology; Mastodon is referencing the precise nature of the bow and likening it to achieving precision and excellence in real life.
Spear of the Norse God Odin
Another reference to Odin, this time to his spear (which was said to have magical powers). Perhaps Mastodon is urging listeners to channel their inner strength and self-belief in order to push past their challenges (much like Odin's spear).
Praise our Pagan Father
Mastodon is referring to Odin once again, this time as a pagan god/father figure who inspires them and many others with his mythos.
Founder of the Althing
The Althing was a medieval legislative assembly formed in Iceland in 930 AD - Mastodon is giving credit to its founder, who fought hard to establish the institution into Icelandic governance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Troy Sanders, William Kelliher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sleepy
"Have fun kids! I'll be in here listening to my tunes!"
Mark Yazzie
scene is freaking hilarious
Noah Smith
I figured it out, I thought that the conversation above was an actual scene lol. Still awesome
MT Infinity
Noah Smith It's just Monsters University, nothing out of this world but that scene is really funny 😂😂
Noah Smith
I have to see this movie, what is it?
MT Infinity
Best scene of that movie hands down lol
Griffin
This was on Monsters Inc University. Only 4 seconds, but it was the most brutal 4 seconds ive ever heard in a Pixar movie. Period.
AGPfan1947
@MT Infinity Especially considering how at peace and happy Squishy's mom looked while listening.
MT Infinity
And funny as hell lol
Tide Pod • 10 years ago
darksquirrel409 And Badass