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)
Hearts Alive
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our hearts alive
Lurking dark underground
Descend to the bottom
Swim below eternally
Into the deep blue sea
All alone
It can be a lonely place
There it goes
Opening up
I can't stand
I can't breathe
Rolled fin out
Oil stripped
Hold is filled
Ocean coil
Water boils
He swims to the surface
Flame from mouth
Smoke he breathes
Enter the caverns of the deep
Time and space
All alone
It can be a lonely place
There it goes
Opening up
I can't stand
I can't breathe
Terrified
Ghastly cry
Spiraled lives
Taken down
Taken down
The iron side
Bucket of lead
Battle is she
Not for defeat
The iron side
Bucket of lead
Battle is she
"Mastodon's song Hearts Alive" is a cryptic exploration into the darkness that lies within us. The opening lines of the song, "Taken down with hearts alive, Our hearts alive," are perhaps indicating that we are being defeated even though our hearts are still pumping with life. The lyrics are describing a descent into the depths of the sea, which is symbolic of the journey into the darkness within oneself. The singer is swimming below eternally, where it is dark, and time and space can be a lonely place.
In the second verse, the singer battles the ocean's elements, which are symbolic of the internal struggles that one goes through when searching for their true self. With lyrics like "Rolled fin out, oil stripped, hold is filled, Ocean coil, water boils," Mastodon is describing the singer's battle with his inner demons, which are making him feel helpless, isolated and overwhelmed, much like one would feel while in deep waters.
The final verse, "Terrified, ghastly cry, spiraled lives, taken down, taken down, The iron side, bucket of lead, battle is she, not for defeat, The iron side, bucket of lead, battle is she," portrays the singer's experience of facing their fears head-on. The battle is tough, but it's not impossible. The "iron side" is the singer's own strength and determination, portraying that with enough faith, one can summon the strength to move forward with their own battles. The song ends with the sound of a ghastly cry, concluding the singer's journey of self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Taken down with hearts alive
Going into the deep with passion and vitality.
Our hearts alive
We are alive with the passion to explore the unknown.
Lurking dark underground
Plunging into the depths of the unknown.
Descend to the bottom
Going deeper and deeper down to the depths of the unknown.
Swim below eternally
Endlessly exploring the unknown depths of the sea.
Into the deep blue sea
We are diving into the vast unknown depths of the sea.
Time and space
We are at a different time and space than before.
All alone
We are on this journey by ourselves.
It can be a lonely place
The depths of the unknown can be daunting and unsettling.
There it goes
As we explore deeper, we continue to move forward.
Opening up
The sea reveals itself as we plunge deeper and deeper down.
I can't stand
The pressure and stress of our explorations are taking a toll.
I can't breathe
The extreme depths and pressure make it difficult to breathe.
Rolled fin out
A creature of the sea swims past us as we explore.
Oil stripped
Our exploration has stripped away the illusions of the surface world.
Hold is filled
Our vessel is filled with newfound knowledge and experience.
Ocean coil
The vast and unknown depths of the sea stretch out before us.
Water boils
The pressure at these depths make the water literally boil.
He swims to the surface
A creature from the depths of the sea comes to the surface in a rare sighting.
Flame from mouth
This creature exhibits an extraordinary ability to produce fire from its mouth.
Smoke he breathes
The creature breathes in smoke as if it is air.
Enter the caverns of the deep
We take a side journey into a deep and dark cave in the unknown depths.
Terrified
The unknown terrifies and unsettles us.
Ghastly cry
Strange and otherworldly sounds echo in the dark depths of the cave.
Spiraled lives
The creatures in the cave live in a world far different from the one we know.
Taken down
Our overwhelming emotions take hold of us in this strange and eerie place.
The iron side
Our vessel is a stalwart and strong force that can withstand the unknown waters we explore.
Bucket of lead
Our vessel is heavy and weighted against the extreme pressure we face.
Battle is she
Our vessel is our fighting force against the daunting and dangerous depths of the sea.
Not for defeat
Our vessel is strong and unflinching in the face of danger and the unknown.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRENT HINDS, TROY SANDERS, BRANN DAILOR, WILLIAM KELLIHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind