Complete List Of Mastodon Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: Christian Bertrand / Shutterstock.com

Mastodon formed on January 13, 2000, after drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moved from New York to Atlanta and met bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders and guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show. Dailor and Kelliher had previously played in Lethargy and had also performed on Today Is the Day’s In the Eyes of God, while Sanders and Hinds had worked together in Four Hour Fogger. The four musicians bonded over sludge metal, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, the Melvins, and Neurosis, then began building a sound that combined technical force, southern weight, progressive ideas, and a deep sense of atmosphere.

The early version of Mastodon recorded a nine-song demo in June 2000 with Eric Saner on vocals, but Saner left after only a few months. Hinds and Sanders then took over the vocal roles, creating the multi-voice identity that became one of the band’s signatures. Reptilian Records released a three-song 7-inch picture disc in 2001, and the band soon signed with Relapse Records. The Lifesblood EP arrived in 2001, followed by the debut album Remission on May 28, 2002. That record introduced Mastodon’s fierce early sound through songs such as “March of the Fire Ants” and “Crusher/Destroyer,” the latter later appearing on the Tony Hawk’s Underground soundtrack. The deluxe version of Remission, issued in 2003, included a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Emerald” and live footage recorded at The Masquerade in Atlanta.

Leviathan, released in 2004, gave Mastodon its first major creative landmark. Built loosely around Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, the album turned the band’s heaviness into a full concept-driven work. “Blood and Thunder,” featuring Neil Fallon of Clutch, became one of Mastodon’s most recognizable songs, while “Iron Tusk” and “Megalodon” helped define the album’s crushing, sea-soaked mythology. The record was named Album of the Year by Revolver, Kerrang!, and Terrorizer, and it pushed the band into wider metal conversation. Mastodon toured North America and Europe behind the album, sharing stages with Slayer, Lamb of God, and Slipknot, while tracks from Leviathan found a second life in video games including Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Project Gotham Racing 3, Saints Row, and Guitar Hero: Metallica.

The band’s third studio album, Blood Mountain, arrived on September 12, 2006, after Mastodon moved to Warner Bros. The record expanded the band’s reach with guest appearances from Cedric Bixler-Zavala of the Mars Volta on “Siberian Divide” and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age on “Colony of Birchmen.” That same song earned Mastodon a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance in 2007 and became the band’s first major network television moment when they performed it on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on November 1, 2006. During this period, the group toured with Tool, Slayer, Against Me!, Cursive, Metallica, and other major acts, while songs such as “Sleeping Giant,” “Colony of Birchmen,” and “Divinations” appeared across video games and rock culture outside the album format.

Crack the Skye, released on March 24, 2009, pushed Mastodon deeper into progressive territory. Produced by Brendan O’Brien, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 11 and built its story around astral projection, Czarist Russia, Rasputin, wormholes, spiritual travel, and a quadriplegic figure separated from his body. Brann Dailor sang lead vocals on the verses of “Oblivion,” one of the songs that helped introduce the album’s more melodic direction. Mastodon toured with Metallica during part of the 2009 European leg of the World Magnetic Tour, later joined Dethklok, Converge, and High on Fire on the Adult Swim Presents tour, and recorded Live at the Aragon in Chicago. Around the same time, the band also created the instrumental soundtrack EP Jonah Hex: Revenge Gets Ugly after director Jimmy Hayward reached out during their European tour.

Mastodon’s fifth studio album, The Hunter, was recorded at Doppler Studios in Atlanta with producer Mike Elizondo and released in 2011. The album debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200 and featured “Curl of the Burl,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012. The band followed with Once More ’Round the Sun in 2014, which debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 and included “High Road,” another Grammy-nominated track. By this point, Mastodon had become one of the rare modern metal bands capable of moving between underground heaviness, progressive ambition, strong visual presentation, and mainstream chart success without abandoning its identity.

Emperor of Sand, released on March 31, 2017, became another major chapter in the band’s career. The album was built around cancer, inspired by Troy Sanders’ wife’s diagnosis and the death of Bill Kelliher’s mother from the disease. Its story followed a traveler sentenced to death in the desert, using that narrative as a metaphor for terminal illness. “Show Yourself” became Mastodon’s highest-charting song, reaching number 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart, while “Steambreather” reached number 18. The album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album, and “Sultan’s Curse” won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2018, giving Mastodon its first Grammy win.

The band continued expanding its catalog with the Cold Dark Place EP in 2017, the rarities collection Medium Rarities in 2020, and the double album Hushed and Grim in 2021. Produced by David Bottrill, Hushed and Grim dealt with grief, guilt, the afterlife, and the memory of longtime manager Nick John. Mastodon also released the collaborative track “Floods of Triton” with Lamb of God in 2024. In March 2025, Mastodon and Brent Hinds parted ways after 25 years together, ending the longest-running lineup in the band’s history. Hinds died five months later after a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. The remaining members, Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, and Troy Sanders, continued with touring musicians João “Rasta” Nogueira and Nick Johnston.

Mastodon’s catalog includes nine studio albums, Remission, Leviathan, Call of the Mastodon, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, The Hunter, Once More ’Round the Sun, Emperor of Sand, and Hushed and Grim. The band’s best known songs include “March of the Fire Ants,” “Blood and Thunder,” “Colony of Birchmen,” “Oblivion,” “Curl of the Burl,” “High Road,” “The Motherload,” “Show Yourself,” “Steambreather,” and “Sultan’s Curse.” Awards and honors include a Grammy win for “Sultan’s Curse,” Grammy nominations for “Colony of Birchmen,” “Curl of the Burl,” “High Road,” Emperor of Sand, and “Pushing the Tides,” along with major recognition from Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, and the Danish Metal Awards. Fans have stayed with Mastodon because the band never treated heavy metal as a fixed formula. Their records built entire worlds out of riffs, myth, grief, science fiction, literature, illness, survival, and imagination, while still sounding unmistakably like four musicians pushing each other as hard as possible.

Remission (2002)

Leviathan (2004)

Call of the Mastodon (2006)

Blood Mountain (2006)

Crack the Skye (2009)

The Hunter (2011)

Once More ‘Round the Sun (2014)

Emperor of Sand (2017)

Hushed and Grim (2021)

Check out similar articles on ClassicRockHistory.com

Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Top 200 Classic Rock Bands and Artists of All Time

Top 200 Pop Songs Of The 1970s

Complete List Of Mastodon Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2026

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.

Please leave this field empty

DON’T MISS A BEAT

Be the first to know when a new article is published

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.