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)
03 Where Strides The Behemoth
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With visions inlaid
The priest stands to our right
A princess is mine
The regress of some minds
Further chase the prize
Pretentious you follow
Anger precedes my footsteps
Haunting past comes into head
Horizon seems so far away
This life close to end of days
Kill and I will be damned
Forgive and I will be free
Unified eyesight
Grow
ing closer to me
Forged in the heavens
The behemoth it breeds
In Mastodon's song "03 Where Strides The Behemoth," the lyrics depict a world in a state of chaos and uncertainty. The priest, a symbol of religion, stands to the right of the singer, highlighting the conflict between belief systems, and the princess is described as being "mine," speaking to a sense of possession and control over something or someone. The "condition tomorrow" and "visions inlaid" suggest a foreboding sense of the future, adding to the overall feeling of unease in the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Condition tomorrow
Anticipating the impending future
With visions inlaid
Having predetermined expectations
The priest stands to our right
Religious influences are prevalent
A princess is mine
Obtaining a desirable possession
The regress of some minds
Decline of mental faculties for some
Further chase the prize
Continuing to pursue a goal
Pretentious you follow
Following a false persona
Religion is mine
Personal ownership over religious beliefs
Anger precedes my footsteps
Negative emotions fuel actions
Haunting past comes into head
Painful memories resurface
Horizon seems so far away
Future goals appear distant
This life close to end of days
The end of life draws near
Kill and I will be damned
Actions have serious consequences
Forgive and I will be free
Forgiveness provides emotional release
Unified eyesight
Collective perspective
Grow
Advancement and progress
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TROY SANDERS, BRANN DAILOR, BRENT HINDS, WILLIAM KELLIHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheWhiteShaded
Wow, Troy's voice is really great on this gig!
BloodAndThunder00
Anger precedes my footsteps Haunting past comes into head Horizon seems so far away This life close to end of days Kill and i will be damned Forgive and i will be free Fucking incredible!
Rey Francis Films
Mastodon is the best
hideki
マストドン聴くとギターがドラム触りたくなる 感じのいいテクニカルなんだよな~
Larsluster
Unified eyesight. Grow!
BasciBaran
Methinks its you, haha.