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)
The Czar: I. Usurper II. Escape III. Martyr IV. Spiral
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He has ordered assassination
Don't stay, run away
The henchmen are gathered and waiting
Don't stay, run away
Your role as usurper is found out
Don't stay, run away
Tsarina has warned of the danger
It's your own fault
That is what we wanted
It's your own fault
This is where we lay
By the light of the moon
You must escape into the deep black of the night
Fight the devil inside
Enemies poison deep within my second sight
Wasting valuable time
Ride the tides of blood
Illumination
Beauties sudden hand
Shattered crown
Stretching arms up high
We're on our way now
Leave the Czar to die
Spiraling up through the crack in the sky
Leaving material world behind
I see your face in constellations
The Czar is a four-part song that tells the story of a usurper who rises to power in the Russian Empire. Part I, called Usurper, describes the moment when the usurper is discovered and must flee for his life. The lyrics here function as both a warning and a command to the usurper to escape the danger that awaits him. The repetition of "Don't stay, run away" is both urgent and ominous. The henchmen that are gathered and waiting are a clear threat, and the Tsarina's warning only reinforces the sense that danger is imminent.
Part II, Escape, is about the actual escape. The usurper must move quickly and secretly under the cover of darkness. His enemies are everywhere, and he must fight the devil inside, which could be interpreted as his own fear or self-doubt. The lyrics here create a sense of urgency and peril, with enemies poisoning him and wasting valuable time. The line "Ride the tides of blood" suggests a violent struggle, while "Illumination" and "Beauties sudden hand" hint at moments of clarity and unexpected help.
Part III, Martyr, shifts the focus to the people who have been affected by the usurper's rise to power. The "shattered crown" could refer to the death of the real Tsar or the damage done to the country. The lyrics create an image of the people rising up and leaving the Czar to die. The idea of martyrdom is also present, with lines like "This is where we lay" and "Stretching arms up high." It's unclear whether the martyr referred to is the usurper or someone else, but there is a sense of sacrifice and catharsis.
Finally, Part IV, Spiral, is about transcendence. The singer has spiraled up through the crack in the sky and left the material world behind. There is a sense of awe and wonder in the lyrics, especially in the line "I see your face in constellations." This could be interpreted as a reference to God or the afterlife, or simply as a metaphor for some kind of higher knowledge or consciousness. Overall, The Czar is an epic and complex song with rich imagery and multiple layers of meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't stay, run away
Escape quickly
He has ordered assassination
The ruler has ordered your death
The henchmen are gathered and waiting
Your enemies are waiting to attack
Your role as usurper is found out
Your attempt to take over the throne is discovered
Tsarina has warned of the danger
The queen has alerted you of the threat
It's your own fault
You brought this upon yourself
That is what we wanted
You getting caught was our plan
This is where we lay
This is where your downfall begins
By the light of the moon
Under the moonlight
You must escape into the deep black of the night
Flee in the darkness of night
Fight the devil inside
Confront your inner demons
Enemies poison deep within my second sight
Your enemies' influence affects your intuition
Wasting valuable time
Losing time that you can't afford
Ride the tides of blood
Embrace the violence
Illumination
Clear understanding
Beauties sudden hand
Swift intervention of fate
Shattered crown
Fall of the monarchy
Stretching arms up high
Reaching for liberation
We're on our way now
We're making progress
Leave the Czar to die
Abandon the ruler to his fate
Spiraling up through the crack in the sky
Ascending to another realm
Leaving material world behind
Transcending the physical world
I see your face in constellations
I sense your presence in the cosmos
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