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 ideaātaking 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)
02 Hail To Fire
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Go seek find the red seas fire
Blow ship by those sail blind
Choosing one loosing blood
You try exchanging
No I don't think so
Cannot escape me
No sound reason
The lyrics of Mastodon's "Hail to Fire" are full of esoteric and mystical imagery, and are open to various interpretations. The lines "All see light in oceans black / Go seek find the red seas fire" seem to suggest a search for illumination in a dark and chaotic world, with the "red seas fire" perhaps representing a guiding light or a purifying force. The next line, "Blow ship by those sail blind", may symbolize the dangers of blindly following a path without taking heed of one's surroundings.
The phrase "Choosing one loosing blood / You try exchanging / No I don't think so" could be interpreted as a warning against making sacrifices or deals without fully understanding the consequences. The singer seems to imply that there is no easy way out of such agreements, and that even attempting to renegotiate them would result in more harm than good. The final line, "Cannot escape me / No sound reason", is somewhat enigmatic, but it could be read as a statement of inevitability or an affirmation of the power of fate.
Overall, the lyrics of "Hail to Fire" are rich in metaphorical language and can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the listener's perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
All see light in oceans black
Even in the darkest of situations, there is always a glimmer of hope or positivity that can be found.
Go seek find the red seas fire
Search for your inner strength and passion, symbolized as a burning fire, even if it means facing challenges and difficulties.
Blow ship by those sail blind
Some people are unaware of the dangers that lie ahead and continue on their path, but they may ultimately face consequences for their ignorance.
Choosing one loosing blood
Making a decision can sometimes be painful or require sacrifice, but it is necessary in order to move forward.
You try exchanging
Attempting to negotiate or bargain may not always be successful, especially if the other person is not willing to compromise.
No I don't think so
Rejecting an offer or idea because it does not align with one's beliefs or values.
Cannot escape me
No matter how hard one tries, they cannot evade their fate or destiny.
No sound reason
Sometimes there is no logical explanation or justification for certain events or outcomes.
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