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)
Crack the Skye **
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rivers ran in blood
Spark fueled to fire
Deep withing the endless void
Searching for a sign
The vessel forged inside me
Watches over like the death
Strike the shepherd
Sheep will scatter
Mountains of despair
I can see the pain
It is written all over your face
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
In the dawn your face is haunting
White ghostly dreams
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Hear the voice of gold
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
Guard your heartache well
Momma don't let them take her
Take her down
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
Her spirits too strong
It's written all over your face
I can see the pain
You can make it all go away
The lyrics to Mastodon's song "Crack the Skye" are complex, poetic, and full of imagery that can be interpreted in various ways. The song itself is a reflection of the band's fascination with history, mythology, and metaphysics, and the lyrics tell a story of a visionary who has been cut by the sun and is searching for a sign within the endless void. The rivers run in blood, and the sparks are fueled to fire, creating a sense of urgency and danger that permeates the song.
The vessel that has been forged inside the visionary watches over like the death of the moon, and the shepherd is struck, causing the sheep to scatter into mountains of despair. The pain is evident on the face of those who witness this scene, and the screaming arrows tear through the soul, creating a haunting image that lingers in the dawn. The weight of the worlds is on the shoulders of those who hear the voice of gold, and the pain is written all over their face.
Desperate heathens flock to sirens, and the heartache must be guarded well to protect it from being taken down. The plea is made to Lucifer that he cannot have this one, for her spirit is too strong. The pain is visible on her face, but the vision is to make it all go away.
Overall, the lyrics of "Crack the Skye" are mysterious and intriguing. They offer a glimpse into the complexities of the human experience, and they challenge the listener to explore the depths of their own soul to find meaning in the words.
Line by Line Meaning
Blessed visionary cut me with your sun
A person with special abilities has impacted me deeply.
The rivers ran in blood
The situation was violent and intense.
Spark fueled to fire
A small event or idea sparked big changes.
Deep within the endless void
In a dark and empty place.
Searching for a sign
Looking for guidance or direction.
The vessel forged inside me
Something important was created or developed within me.
Watches over like the death of the moon
It's an ever-present force, like the lack of a moon during an eclipse.
Strike the shepherd
If you take down a leader, the followers will scatter.
Sheep will scatter
Followers will go in different directions if their leader is gone.
Mountains of despair
A large amount of sadness or hopelessness.
I can see the pain
I sense the suffering someone is going through.
It is written all over your face
Someone's emotions are easily noticeable through their facial expressions.
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
The pain I feel is very intense and painful.
In the dawn your face is haunting
Something about the beginning of a new day reminds me of someone's disturbing face.
White ghostly dreams
Dreams that are eerie and unsettling.
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Someone is carrying an immense amount of responsibility and pressure.
Hear the voice of gold
Pay attention to the wise or valuable advice being given.
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
People who are lost and hurting follow appealing but dangerous things.
Guard your heartache well
Be cautious with your vulnerabilities and emotions.
Momma don't let them take her
A motherly figure is protecting someone from harm.
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
An urgent plea for a dark force to leave someone alone.
Her spirits too strong
Someone's inner strength is too great to be overcome by negative influences.
You can make it all go away
Having the power to ease someone's troubles and pain.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRANN TIMOTHY DAILOR, TROY JAYSON SANDERS, WILLIAM BREEN KELLIHER, WILLIAM BRENT HINDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nathan Diefenbach
Lyrics
Blessed visionary cut me with your sun
The rivers ran in blood
Spark fueled to fire
Deep within this endless void
Searching for a sign
The vessel forged inside me
Watches over like the death
Of the moon
Strike the shepherd
Sheep will scatter
Mountains of despair
I can see the pain
It is written all over your face
The screaming arrows tear through my soul
In the dawn your face is haunting
White ghostly dreams
Weight of worlds is on your shoulders
Hear the voice of gold
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
Desperate heathens flock to sirens
Guard your heartache well
Momma don't let them take her
Take her down
Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one
Her spirits too strong
I can see the pain
It's written all over your face
I can see the pain
You can make it all go away
Protowrath
This album is such a masterpiece.. I can't believe it's been a decade already..
David Bone
xd
David Bone
ty
Ainsophaur
One song got recommended to me... years later I’m still loving this band
Pascal G.
12 years, still timeless
Mateus M.
Time is passing by 😔
drunkenbard16
This album has so much guitar candy it's ridiculous. The opening riff is pure fucking brilliance. It sets the mood amazingly.
Jaromir Bracki
I have used at least 3 different guitars (including a 12-string acoustic) while learning that opening riff, the Brent's part. I even tried to play it on a 7-string guitar in one guitar store (since they tuned it like a 7-string one step lower while missing the actual E string). Employee came to me, smiled and said "Yeah, Mastodon". I smiled back. THis riff is glorious.
A. W. Sum
Hell yeah
Tuomas Saarinen
Yess! The groovy riff in the second half of The Last Baron is THE Mastodon Riff for me