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)
Mastodon: Curl Of The Burl
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I put my hands around his throat
He tried to reason with the sky and the clouds
But it didn't matter, 'cause they can't hear a sound
Oh
Oh oh
Oh
It's just the curl of the burl
It's just the curl of the burl
That's just the way of the world
It's just the curl of the burl
Splinters in my skin, just like needles and pins
I cut through the pine, love the feeling it gives
Been out here for days running through these trees
I'm using my hands, cuttin' through the disease
Oh
Oh oh
Oh
Oh oh oh
It's just the curl of the burl
It's just the curl of the burl
That's just the way of the world
It's just the curl of the burl
I feed the powerless
Chewed it up, spit the rest
I feed the powerless
Chewed it up, spit out the rest
It's just the curl of the burl
It's just the curl of the burl
That's just the way of the world
It's just the curl of the burl
Oh
Oh oh
Oh
Oh oh oh
Oh
Oh oh
In Mastodon's song "Curl of the Burl", the lyrics tell the story of a man who killed another man because he killed his goat. The singer describes how he put his hands around the man's throat and killed him, because the man had killed his goat. When the man tried to reason with the sky and the clouds, the singer realizes that it doesn't matter because they can't hear a sound. The lyrics then go on to describe how the singer cuts through pine trees and how it feels like needles and pins in his skin. He has been running through these trees for days and is using his hands to cut through the disease.
The lyrics of "Curl of the Burl" reflect on the consequences of our actions, and how we are all a part of the "curl of the burl" or the way of the world. The singer feeds the powerless, chewed it up and spit out the rest, which could represent the way our society treats those without power. The song's heavy guitar riffs and intense drumming provide a powerful backdrop for the raw and intense lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I killed a man 'cause he killed my goat
I sought revenge on a man who killed my precious goat
I put my hands around his throat
I strangled him with my own hands
He tried to reason with the sky and the clouds
He attempted to plead with nature for mercy
But it didn't matter, 'cause they can't hear a sound
His pleas were ignored because nature has no power to hear
It's just the curl of the burl
This event is just a part of the way the world works
That's just the way of the world
This unfortunate event is just the nature of the world
Splinters in my skin, just like needles and pins
I have cut myself on the rough bark, causing pain similar to needles and pins
I cut through the pine, love the feeling it gives
I enjoy the satisfying sensation of chopping through the pine tree
Been out here for days running through these trees
I have been spending many days wandering through the forest
I'm using my hands, cuttin' through the disease
I am using my own hands to cut through the diseased trees
I feed the powerless
I provide nourishment to those who are helpless
Chewed it up, spit the rest
I consume what I need and discard the rest
It's just the curl of the burl
This is just a part of how the world works
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
ryanexsus
I love how Mastodon still has that Southern sound to them. Keeping the sludge metal alive.
Tyler
Check out DopeThrone. I love Electric Wizard and Mastodon. But in my opinion DopeThrone do sludge metal better than anyone. I love the versatility of Mastodon and Electric Wizard (see Crack The Skye and Witchcult Today).
Joseph Hartsock
@Tyler yo check out this smaller band I found the other day called Baardvader, illuminate and understand are two great songs that just came out. Huge electric wizard vibes
Jack McGrath
Mastodons song the beast is great
loaked3000
The burl is the knot that’s found in various trees — it’s almost like a cancer of trees. Within that burl are unique swirls or curls. A lot of people will cut those down and sell them to wood-makers, wood sculptors, and furniture makers because it’s got a unique design to it. And this is a true story which happens in the Pacific Northwest — a lot of people go out in the woods with chainsaws, they find these burls, they cut them down, they load their pickup trucks with these burls, take them in to town sell them to various wood-makers, take the money from that, purchase more meth, go back in the woods and continue that circle of insanity. So it’s based on a true story. People will steal your cars, steal copper…and people will go out there in the woods and steal burls. - "Troy"
Guitar Dunce
Well today I learned. Cheers.
Tim Bagnall
dude thanks for that info -seriously-youre obviously pretty intelligent ,i was wondering the meaning of the song and you nailed it thanks bro
CRYIPTIC CREEP
Interpretation Is Free....Knowing Is Forever
Casey Plooy
loaked3000 ......thanks for explaining the song that explains itself.
heatto jones
Cool.. i thought i was the only one who new what this song was about