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 Wolf Is Loose
Mastodon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The crossing of the threshold
The belly of the whale
Refusal of return
Hollow eyes
Dry pale legs
Howling on
Through fields and graves
Symbols to our sight
Guardian to thy throne
Take on form
Daylight
Hide the skin
Cut it off
Scatter ash in the wind
Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make
Fierce lore of fanged horn
Danger all the way
Night's sea reflection
The faces of bodies slain
Returning to the form of natural human's fate
Grown from the cold
Spirits unclean
Dealer of the days
The ice will thaw
As the soldier walks through the crimson side
Researchers of aftermath
Dispelling disarming man
One-toed horses subject of Genesis
And the immigrants
Fundamental side of a human mind
Hulder folk and fairies
So believe
The hero of the gods
The crossing of the threshold
The belly of the whale
Refusal of return
The first few lines of Mastodon's "The Wolf Is Loose" refer to the idea of the hero's journey, a motif found in myths and legends across many cultures. The hero's journey can be broken down into several stages: the hero (in this case, the wolf) is called to adventure (hero of the gods), crosses the threshold into the unknown, faces various trials and tribulations (fields and graves, danger all the way), and eventually emerges transformed in some way (returning to the form of natural human's fate). The belly of the whale refers to a part of the journey where the hero faces his darkest fears and emerges on the other side, stronger for having faced them. Refusal of return, on the other hand, is a term applied when the hero is offered a chance to return to his previous life but chooses instead to stay in the world he has discovered.
The lyrics then seem to transition into a discussion of transformation and metamorphosis, with lines like "shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make" suggesting a creature that can change form at will. The imagery becomes more intense with "fierce lore of fanged horn" and "night's sea reflection / the faces of bodies slain," showing a darker, more dangerous side of the transformation. The section about "one-toed horses subject of Genesis" suggests a connection to spirituality and religious texts, and the reference to "Hulder folk and fairies" adds a folkloric element. The final three lines repeat the opening lines, perhaps to reinforce the circular nature of the hero's journey.
Line by Line Meaning
The hero of the gods
The singer of the divine beings
The crossing of the threshold
Passing through the point of no return
The belly of the whale
Being swallowed by a great challenge
Refusal of return
Choosing not to give up and return back to safety
Hollow eyes
Eyes that convey nothingness
Dry pale legs
Legs that are weak and lifeless
Howling on
Continuing to persevere despite obstacles
Through fields and graves
Traversing through life and death
Language of the signs
The ability to read symbols and interpret their meaning
Symbols to our sight
Visual representations of concepts and ideas
Guardian to thy throne
Protector of one's position of power
Take on form
Assuming a physical shape or identity
Daylight
The period of time during which the sun is visible
Hide the skin
Concealing one's true self
Cut it off
Removing all pretenses and exposing the truth
Scatter ash in the wind
Dispersing memories to the elements
Shapeshifter rolling on winds of tyrants make
Able to adapt and thrive in oppressive environments
Fierce lore of fanged horn
A powerful and aggressive tale of success
Danger all the way
Risk of harm lurking at every turn
Night's sea reflection
The reflection of the darkness within oneself
The faces of bodies slain
The aftermath of violent encounters
Returning to the form of natural human's fate
Submitting to the ultimate destiny of mankind
Grown from the cold
Becoming strong from challenging circumstances
Spirits unclean
Evil entities
Dealer of the days
One who controls time and fate
The ice will thaw
All troubles will eventually come to an end
As the soldier walks through the crimson side
As one endures through the horrors of war
Researchers of aftermath
Those who study the aftermath of events
Dispelling disarming man
Protecting humanity through dispelling negative forces
One-toed horses subject of Genesis
Primitive creatures mentioned in the Bible
And the immigrants
And those who come from different lands
Fundamental side of a human mind
The most basic and instinctual side of human nature
Hulder folk and fairies
Supernatural creatures from folklore and mythology
So believe
Have faith in the unknown
The hero of the gods
The singer of the divine beings
The crossing of the threshold
Passing through the point of no return
The belly of the whale
Being swallowed by a great challenge
Refusal of return
Choosing not to give up and return back to safety
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRANN TIMOTHY DAILOR, BRENT HINDS, TROY JAYSON SANDERS, WILLIAM BREEN KELLIHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kyle benson
Shit needs more views. This is a banger in their discography even to this day.
Christian P
Favorite song from Blood Mountain
Mike Glenn
I'll never forget putting Blood Mountain on for the first time and this song came out and punched me right in the fucking nuts. So good
DownInFlames85
Brann is just a beast (so are Bill, Troy, & Brent) but the drums really stand out in this song!
Joseph Bastidas
DownInFlames85 Mario duplaintier was my favorite but now that i'm really getting into mastodon he's neck-and-neck with brann. Monsters behind the kit
YUB NUB
Orlando Pockets
Bad ass drumming.
Don't you agree?
William Crafton
To go back and listen to this after "The Hunter" is like discovering gold inside of a diamond.
KarmaK
This song is one of my favorites from Blood Mountain. It’s so intense and frantic. Really feels like there’s a wolf on the loose.
Toxic Monster
Mastodon is my favorite to play when I’m drunk, it hits the spot!
Andy Smyth
Thw Wolf is Loose and so is Mastodon! Hail, Mastodon, the best thing to happen to music in a long time!