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Mastodon

Published February 24, 2009

Drummer Brann Dailor attempts to sum up Mastodon's fourth full-length album, Crack The Skye, in this manner, "This story is a multi-dimensional journey starting in the present day. Leaving a crippled body using astral travel, up into outer space, too close to the sun. Ripped into a wormhole and sent to the spirit realm. Convincing spirits that you're not one of them. Channeling you into a Russian Orthodox sect called the Khlysty in the early twentieth century. Into Rasputin's body for his assassination. Out of his body and up through a crack in the sky and passing through the Devil's dominion without being dragged to hell and back into the present day." Well ok, then, how can you not want to listen to this music?

Mastodon.

From their first EP, Lifesblood, in 2001, through subsequent albums Remission (2002), Leviathan (2004), and Blood Mountain (2006) which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance for the song "Colony of Birchmen," the band has explored esoteric themes. Guitarist Brent Hinds says, "We were thinking about the next element. We've got water with our album Leviathan and earth in Blood Mountain. So what next? Skye, the spelling is that of Brann's sister, who passed away as a kid. That's her name. He has it tattooed on his neck. Blood Mountain was metaphorically about us signing with Warner Bros., climbing this mountain. Leviathan was about chasing the white whale, which we could understand—getting into our white van and leaving our families and friends and jobs like those fishermen did. Crack The Skye could mean we're going through the roof with this one. Go up and crack a hole in the sky."

Mastodon in studio.

That's almost certainly what they will do, working with legendary producer Brendan O'Brien on their new effort. Bass player Troy Sanders was happy to work with O'Brien. "He brought an extremely natural representation of what Mastodon sounds like live. Not a lot of bells and whistles, not a lot of compression. Raw yet big-sounding representation of what Mastodon plainly is … overall stripped down, raw and big."

Now that's what metal is supposed to sound like. Mastodon consists of Bill Kelliher (guitar), Brann Dailor (drums), Brent Hinds (guitar), and Troy Sanders (bass). Crack The Skye releases on the Reprise label March 24.

If you want a taste of Mastodon's music, check out these two videos available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace:

• "Colony of Birchmen"
• "Sleeping Giant"