2017 will be remembered for a lot of elements, mishaps, hurricanes, floods and other human endeavoring actions and failures. But one thing 2017 will always be is the year of the Mastodon. They’re ruling the world right now! They’re newest album ‘Emperor of Sand’ shot to number one, outselling Drake and Ed Sheeran. That’s a huge accomplishment for any heavy metal band.
Mastodon have been through a lot to get to where they are. May be not in the typical sense of going through true starving musician status, but in the sense of personal struggles and mishaps that happen to us all. Family tragedies, perseverance and strength are what make this band who they are. And one of the best elements of this group? They genuinely, truly care about each other. They’re grateful to have each other and will do anything to preserve their band, their mission and their friendship. They are in every sense of the word, a band.
And it has been a conscious mission. They’ve set out a goal to bring back metal and make it relatable to people who may not listen to metal a whole lot. And it’s finally payed off. And it’s not just about ‘Metal’. It’s about bringing back music with integrity. Musicianship and effort mixed with passion and feeling. No simple sampling and pressing buttons in front of a couple thousand molly tripping frat and sorority college students. And people are listening and getting it! It’s like the late 80’s almost. Except the lyrical material is much stronger and they don’t look like corner hookers from L.A.. And it’s a little heavier than the metal of the time, but still holds a melodic tone that hasn’t been heard from metal bands since the early 90’s. And it’s worked.
And now the train keeps on rolling. The new ep ‘Cold, Dark Place’ is set to drop on Sept 22. These guys are spoiling the hell out of us and they know it. They do it for that reason and enjoy doing it. But you also get a sense that they’re all fans of what they do as well. And that’s great! It’s alright to listen to your material and like it. If you created something that you know is good that should be celebrated. Art should be that way. It’s one of the four elements of performing.
Don’t forget to check out the new single ‘Toe to Toes’ below. And make sure that you see this band on the ‘Emperor of Sand’ tour.
