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)
Ghost Of Karelia
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Holding skulls
Filled and laced
With human blood
Wrathful one, nine eyes gaze
Holding skulls
Filled and lacedWith human blood
Shades of darkened skies
Emptiness
Twilight holding through
Offering
Lie in zenith
Bulls' bloodshot eye
Flattened portrait of night sky
Feel crust hum
Facing the north
Vapor space
Between heaven and earth
Wisdom and the knower
A planet collide
Divisible we fall
Hear dirt waves
Wading forth
Vapor space
How long has it been
Since we flew through shadows?I have walked on many other planets
How long has it been
Since we flew through shadows?
I have walked on many other planets
Sinister twin
Choking on fear
Bonded iron
Sink to the core
Hear dirt waves
Wading forth
Vapor space
Shades of darkened skies
Emptiness
Twilight holding through
Offering
Wrathful one, nine eyes gaze
Holding skulls
Filled and laced
With human blood
The lyrics of Mastodon's "Ghost of Karelia" are rich in imagery and metaphor. The song seems to be about a mythical being, the "wrathful one," who holds skulls filled with human blood, while gazing with nine eyes. One can imagine this creature as a terrifying and powerful force of nature, embodying the darkness and emptiness of the world.
The song also references the sky, the north, and other planets, suggesting a cosmic perspective that transcends human concerns. At times, the lyrics are surreal and dreamlike, as in the lines "Feel crust hum / Facing the north / Vapor space / Between heaven and earth". There's a sense of wonder and awe, as if the band is exploring a vast and mysterious universe beyond our grasp.
In the end, the lyrics return to the motif of the wrathful one and the skulls filled with human blood. This image is both disturbing and fascinating, suggesting a primal and violent aspect of human nature that we cannot escape. Overall, "Ghost of Karelia" is a haunting and evocative song that explores themes of darkness, emptiness, and mortality, while also hinting at the infinite possibilities of the universe.
Line by Line Meaning
Wrathful one, nine eyes gaze
The singer is describing a wrathful being with nine eyes that is gazing upon something.
Holding skulls
The being is holding skulls in its grasp.
Filled and laced
The skulls are filled with something and possibly connected to the being in some way.
With human blood
The substance inside the skulls is human blood.
Shades of darkened skies
The sky is dark and shadowy.
Emptiness
The emptiness of the sky is emphasized.
Twilight holding through
Twilight is present and lingering on.
Offering
It is unclear what the offering is referring to, but something is being offered.
Lie in zenith
The object in question is at its highest point.
Bulls' bloodshot eye
An eye, possibly belonging to a bull, is bloodshot.
Flattened portrait of night sky
The image being described is a flattened portrait of the dark, shadowy sky.
Feel crust hum
The feeling of the earth's crust vibrating is being described.
Facing the north
The singer is facing northward.
Vapor space
There is an empty, ambiguous space.
Between heaven and earth
This empty space is between the earthly realm and the heavens.
Wisdom and the knower
The concept of wisdom and the one who possesses it is brought up.
A planet collide
Two planets are colliding.
Divisible we fall
The line is suggesting that as individuals, we are weaker than when we come together.
Hear dirt waves
The sound of waves made of dirt can be heard.
Wading forth
The sound of these dirt waves is growing stronger and closer.
Vapor space
The same empty space is mentioned again.
How long has it been
The artist is asking a rhetorical question about a long period of time.
Since we flew through shadows?
The question is about the amount of time that has passed since the last time 'we' flew through shadows, implying that this is something that normally occurs.
I have walked on many other planets
The artist is claiming to have been to many other planets.
Sinister twin
There is an ominous doppelganger or twin present.
Choking on fear
This twin is being personified as being afraid and suffocating on this fear.
Bonded iron
There is a connection between the sinister twin and iron.
Sink to the core
Whatever the connection between the twin and iron is, it is pulling them down towards the core of the planet.
Wrathful one, nine eyes gaze
The song returns to the wrathful being with nine eyes holding the skulls filled with human blood.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRANN TIMOTHY DAILOR, TROY JAYSON SANDERS, WILLIAM BREEN KELLIHER, WILLIAM BRENT HINDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ShockTheMonkey35
Didnt see any LYRICS in comments so here ya go homies! LYRICS:
Wrathful ones nine eyes gaze
Holding skulls
Filled and laced
With human blood
Shades of darkened skies
Emptiness
Twilight holding through
Offering
Life in zenith
Bulls blood shot eyes
Flattened portrait of the night sky
Feel crust hum
Facing the North
Vapor space
Between heaven and Earth
Wisdom and the knower
A planet collide
Divisible we fall
Hear dirt waves
Wading forth
Vapor space
How long has it been since we flew through the shadows
I have walked on many other planets
Sinister twin
Choking on fear
Bonded iron
Sink to the core
@Ja-mbi
happy 15th anniversary to this masterpiece
@alexrizzo7874
When this came out my mom was recovering from a surgery which resulted in a stroke, she became paralyzed from the left side permanently. As a teen I would walk through fields at night screaming along to this whole album. It helped heal me, still does. There is pure emotion here, pure coddling through it's entire sound. Its going to be alright; follow the sounds and crack the sky.
@digletttexano678
Yes it's gonna be alright, rock on
@mapinguarimonster
Such a coincidence, Brent wrote this entire album recovering in a hospital
@adalmeister666
Love and respect for your mom, BRO! In the end, this is only thing true music blesses all with!! Blessed be you both!
@heathervenom251
I know this is a year late, but I do hope you’re doing well ❤️ stay strong!
@alexrizzo7874
@@adalmeister666 Thank you so much for your sentiments. It means so much to me.
@ShockTheMonkey35
Didnt see any LYRICS in comments so here ya go homies! LYRICS:
Wrathful ones nine eyes gaze
Holding skulls
Filled and laced
With human blood
Shades of darkened skies
Emptiness
Twilight holding through
Offering
Life in zenith
Bulls blood shot eyes
Flattened portrait of the night sky
Feel crust hum
Facing the North
Vapor space
Between heaven and Earth
Wisdom and the knower
A planet collide
Divisible we fall
Hear dirt waves
Wading forth
Vapor space
How long has it been since we flew through the shadows
I have walked on many other planets
Sinister twin
Choking on fear
Bonded iron
Sink to the core
@toukosiren9004
Definitely my favorite Mastodon song of all time, also my favorite one to play on bass.
@samreeve9738
Ditto! Such a great mix of parts to play