Mastodon have become one of the defining bands of modern Sludge Metal and Progressive Metal. While it's tempting just to say "every song" due in large part to the superb drumming of Brann Dailor, here are some of the highlights of their career (arranged chronologically by original release date):
- Right out of the gate on their demo they were already crushing skulls. (This material also appears on Call of the Mastodon in different versions and most of the songs also appear on Lifesblood or Slick Leg).
- "Shadows That Move" got things started with the musical equivalent of a boot to the head: a killer 5/4 sludge riff that lets listeners know the band means business. The band continues for 29 minutes with little letup in intensity, and not one of the band's riffs fails to land its punch.
- The original demo ends with "Battle at Sea" (as does Lifesblood, but the song is moved to the middle of Call of the Mastodon). A great indication of where the band would head on their next couple of releases, it opens with a tense section that (on some releases) is overlaid with a haunting sample from the Nuremberg trials. It really sounds like the musical equivalent of its title, and it builds in intensity in a truly spellbinding manner. Most of these guys were already veterans of other bands, and it shows: the material on their demo is already high quality.
- Remission is rightfully regarded as a landmark of Sludge Metal. Some particular highlights:
- "Crusher Destroyer" opens the album with a sample of a T. rex from Jurassic Park. It takes a lot of guts to open an album with such a sample (and a song with such a title, for that matter), since it needs to live up to it. The next 50 minutes of music live up to it, starting with yet another killer riff and proceeding to pummel the listener's face for two minutes straight.
- Since they are from Georgia, Mastodon know how truly evil fire ants are. This must have inspired their song "March of the Fire Ants", one of the band's breakthrough singles. It opens with a superb riff in 13/4 (7+6/4), and proceeds to go through several shockingly well executed changes in its four-and-a-half-minute running time. It beautifully established what kind of band Mastodon were in a way that was easily understandable for the masses, and much of their future success built on it.
- "Workhorse" is like being punched in the face in the best possible way. It contains some of the band's most effective Metal Screams over some of the band's best riffs. Absolutely delightful.
- "Ol'e Nessie" slows the pace down a bit with some fairly languid riffs by the band's standards before it builds in intensity over a sublime Southern Rock riff played in the style of sludge. It has to be heard to be believed.
- "Burning Man" is another one of those song titles that a band needs a lot of guts to use. This song lives up to it; it really does sound like the musical equivalent of a Man on Fire.
- "Trainwreck" is another change of pace, with some subdued moments and wonderful uses of the Boléro Effect to create an almost unbearable tension. It runs for seven minutes, making it the longest track on the album, and it makes good use of every second of its Epic Rocking.
- "Trilobite" is another study in contrasts, with gentle sections contrasting with one of the heaviest riffs Mastodon has ever played. It's another early example of the band using Epic Rocking that more than justifies its length.
- Finally, "Elephant Man" closes things on a serene note. It shows the band haven't been pummelling you in the face because it's the only style of music they know how to play; they've just been doing it because it's what they like to do. However, they're every bit as good at ballads, and this one's a keeper.
- Leviathan was the band's Breakthrough Hit and is now regarded as one of the finest metal albums of the 2000s. (Allmusic, for example, has given it a five-star rating, a rating they do not often give to modern albums, especially modern metal albums). A concept album about Moby-Dick that actually lives up to its subject matter, all of the album's songs are great, but some of them stand as particular highlights:
- "Blood and Thunder" has risen to the level of Memetic Mutation. It opens with one of the greatest riffs Sludge Metal has to offer, and it doesn't let up in intensity from there. The screams of "WHITE WHALE HOLY GRAIL" truly deserved to become a meme; they're really that good. The vocal performance of Clutch's Neil Fallon is well utilised as well. Overall, it's one of the finest metal singles of the '00s.
- "Aqua Dementia" lives up to its namesake with some superb riffing and the frantic Metal Screams of Neurosis' Scott Kelly, who is one of the best metal vocalists alive. The song is one of the most intense on the album, and probably would serve as the most intense, if not for:
- "Hearts Alive", a thirteen-and-a-half-minute epic that justifies every single second of its running time. It sounds like exactly what it's supposed to represent: a climactic encounter between a psychotic sea captain and a sadistic sperm whale at sea. This has completely earned its reputation as one of the highlights of Mastodon's career.
- Blood Mountain got excellent reviews which it deserves. Some highlights:
- "The Wolf Is Loose" carries on Mastodon's tradition of opening albums with absolutely killer cuts. The screaming on this is some of the best ever found on a Mastodon record, and the rest of the music matches the intensity in every way possible.
- "Sleeping Giant" is one of the band's first attempts to record in a '70s prog style. It works wonderfully; it sounds like a musical example of its namesake.
- "Bladecatcher", possibly the heaviest song the band ever recorded. It contains what sound like absolutely psychotic vocals, but it ends up being a subversion as they're all electronic effects that are made to sound like vocals. The song is instrumental. It's utterly frantic throughout its 3:21 running time, in the best way possible.
- "Colony of Birchmen" was named as a Genesis tribute (specifically as a pun on their song "The Colony of Slippermen"). Invoking such august company is a potentially risky move, but in this case it pays off as the song is a delightfully creepy number with some wonderful vocal harmonies ("Ruuuun wiiiiith deeeee-e-eeee-eeath") that underscore the atmosphere wonderfully.
- "This Mortal Soil" showcases Mastodon's move towards more melodic material, and proves that this doesn't have to be a bad thing. The guitar work is utterly gorgeous throughout, and the band's clean singing has grown by leaps and bounds by the examples found on earlier albums.
- "Siberian Divide" manages to make dying in an avalanche sound absolutely badass. The fact that it has backing vocals from Cedric Bixler-Zavala certainly doesn't hurt either.
- Crack the Skye is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of Progressive Metal from the 2000s. It deserves its reputation. Here are some highlights:
- "Oblivion" lets you know that the band has studied its progressive rock and Black Sabbath thoroughly. The vocals are worthy of Ozzy Osbourne and the song incorporates some of the catchiest singing and riffs the band has recorded since "Blood and Thunder". A wonderful way to introduce the album to the masses.
- "The Czar", one of the two epics on the album at eleven minutes in length. It's the only Mastodon composition to date to be divided into movements, and the progression from element to element in the song is utterly masterful. There isn't a dull moment anywhere to be found.
- "Crack the Skye", Brann Dailor's highly emotional tribute to his late sister (who was Driven to Suicide at the tender age of 14). It's a complete Tear Jerker throughout, featuring some of the band's most emotionally effective performances, songwriting, and lyrics. It also features the Metal Screams of Scott Kelly, who gives one of the most effective vocal performances of his career.
- "The Last Baron", the utterly epic conclusion to the album at thirteen minutes in length. It opens with another Tear Jerker melody before going into a head-spinning succession of some of the best riffs the band has ever composed. It's also solid proof that it's not just Brann Dailor in the band who's a virtuoso; all four members in the band have to be virtuosos to be able to play this. The song is truly at Mahavishnu Orchestra levels of complexity. Check out the "YYZ" riff dropped in at six minutes. The band are completely showing off here, and it's every bit as fun to listen to as it sounds like it was for the band members themselves to record. A wonderful closing track to one of the band's best albums.
