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 Ruiner
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And give nothing back
You need to return
What you’ve stolen
You need life
To multiply
Devour all
Heavy weighs the crown
Low hangs the head who wears it
Destroyer of all that’s good
We don’t need a death
That surrounds you
The bolt strikes
To infect
We know your intentions
Are impure
Heavy weighs the crown
Low hangs the head who wears it
Sickness can’t kill this love
Always alive in my heart
Sickness can’t kill this love
Always alive in my heart
Heavy weighs the crown
Low hangs the head who wears it
"Mastodon's song The Ruiner is a commentary on those who take from others without giving in return. In the lyrics, the singer accuses the subject of taking life and not giving anything back, and demands that they return what they have stolen. The subject in the song is portrayed as a destroyer of all that is good, consuming everything in their path without any thought for the consequences. The lyrics also suggest that the subject has impure intentions, and that they are infecting those around them.
The chorus of the song, "heavy weighs the crown, low hangs the head who wears it," is a warning to the subject that their actions will eventually catch up with them. The idea of the "low hanging head" suggests shame or guilt, a recognition of the harm they have caused, and the consequences they must face. The subject is essentially being told that their power comes with a price, and the burden of their actions will become too much to bear.
The final lines of the song suggest that even in the face of destruction and sickness, love will prevail. The singer asserts that sickness cannot kill their love, and it will always be alive in their heart. This is perhaps a message that even in the face of overwhelming darkness, there is always hope and the possibility of redemption."
Line by Line Meaning
You take the life
You steal away people's lives
And give nothing back
And do not give anything in return
You need to return
You have to give back
What you’ve stolen
What you've taken away from others
You need life
You require life for your own survival
To multiply
To reproduce and increase in number
Devour all
Consume everything
That surrounds you
All that is around you
Heavy weighs the crown
Being in power comes with heavy responsibilities and pressure
Low hangs the head who wears it
It is difficult to bear the weight of power and often leads to shame or disappointment
Destroyer of all that’s good
Someone who ruins everything that is positive or constructive
We don’t need a death
We do not require or desire someone's demise
That surrounds you
That which is present in your presence
The bolt strikes
Sudden catastrophe or bad news hits
To infect
To taint or corrupt
We know your intentions
We are aware of your motives
Are impure
They are immoral or unethical
Sickness can’t kill this love
Despite illness or hardship, love survives
Always alive in my heart
It persists in one's emotions and memories
Heavy weighs the crown
Being in power comes with heavy responsibilities and pressure
Low hangs the head who wears it
It is difficult to bear the weight of power and often leads to shame or disappointment
Contributed by Brayden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.