This US progressive metal band was formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1999 by Bränn Dailor (drums), Bill Kelliher (guitar), Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds (guitar/vocals) and Eric Saner (vocals). Kelliher and Dailor had previously played with the mathcore bands Lethargy and Today Is The Day, but formed a new band with the intention of exploring a more rock-orientated direction. Their initial nine-track demo CD was sold at the band’s live shows but did not gain an official release until several years later, as part of the compilation set The Call Of The Mastodon. Vocalist Saner left the line-up shortly before the band signed a recording contract with the independent US metal label, Relapse Records. The five-track EP Lifesblood followed in 2001. The album Remission was the first Mastodon release to feature their favoured musical approach, a mixture of sludge metal, progressive rock and metalcore anchored by Dailor’s complex, jazz-influenced drum patterns. The ambitious 2004 follow-up Leviathan was based on Herman Melville’s classic American novel Moby Dick. A clearer production sound helped the band break out of the metal underground and make the first steps to mainstream acceptance, a remarkable feat considering the complexity and downright heaviness of their music.
Following the release of a DVD and a compilation of their early demos, the band relocated from Relapse to Warner Music. Their major label debut was another lengthy concept album based around a character in search of the fabled Crystal Skull to place on top of Blood Mountain. Despite the rather preposterous nature of the concept, the performance and execution was again breathtaking, and the band was rewarded with its first US Top 40 album.
