Mastodon are one of the most acclaimed and influential American metal bands of the century. Evolving from raw sludge metal into a singular brand of progressive metal — riff-heavy, intricate and ambitious, built around vivid concept albums — they became unmistakable. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of all eight albums.

The short version

For the heart of Mastodon, start with Crack the Skye, Leviathan, Blood Mountain and Remission. Between them they hold the masterpiece and the towering early run that made their name. The full ranking is below.

From sludge to the cosmos

Across a series of concept albums — several tied to the classical elements of fire, water and earth — Mastodon built music of enormous weight and intricacy, anchored by a four-way vocal attack, twin-guitar firepower and Brann Dailor’s extraordinary drumming. As they grew, their sound broadened from extreme metal toward more accessible hard rock, a shift that thrilled some fans and frustrated others. A note on the catalogue: all eight of their studio albums, 2002 to 2021, are ranked here.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, ambition and impact across two decades. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and with a catalogue this strong, the lower placements are no slight.

The essential four

At the summit sits Crack the Skye (2009), their masterpiece — a deeply personal, conceptually rich prog-metal odyssey of astral travel and Tsarist Russia, where their ambition fully bloomed. Leviathan (2004), their thunderous Moby-Dick concept, is its great rival and a landmark of 21st-century metal; Blood Mountain (2006) is the dense, adventurous album that bridged their early and progressive eras. And it all began with Remission (2002), a ferocious sludge-metal debut still beloved for its raw power.

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Reliably great

The next tier is formidable too. Emperor of Sand (2017) is a powerful, Grammy-winning return to grand conceptual storytelling, woven around themes of mortality and survival, and Hushed and Grim (2021) is a sprawling, sombre double album of grief and loss — demanding, but rich and rewarding.

For completists

Two albums sit a little lower for prog fans. The Hunter (2011) marked their move toward shorter, catchier songs — a fine, accessible record, but a step away from their conceptual heights — and Once More ’Round the Sun (2014) continued in that more straightforward, hard-rock vein. Both are enjoyable, if less essential.

Every album, in order

Their complete studio discography, 2002–2021, in chronological order. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Crack the Skye — their most acclaimed album, and the fullest expression of their progressive ambition. From there, Leviathan delivers their heaviest, most thrilling early peak, and Blood Mountain their most labyrinthine adventure.

Prefer to own them? Find these on Amazon: Crack the Skye · Leviathan · Blood Mountain

The players

Mastodon are famously a band of four equals, each of whom sings: bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, the gifted drummer Brann Dailor, and co-founder Brent Hinds, whose gruff vocals and twangy, banjo-touched lead guitar were a signature of their sound. After twenty-five years together, Hinds parted ways with the band in 2025 and died later that year — a profound loss, mourned across the metal world. The three remaining founders continue, carrying forward the music they built together.

Why they still matter

Mastodon dragged progressive metal somewhere genuinely new — fusing the heaviness of sludge with the scope and ambition of prog, and proving that brute force and intricate beauty could share the same song. Alongside peers like Between the Buried and Me, Opeth and Tool, they helped define modern heavy progressive music — and their best albums stand among its landmarks.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best Mastodon songs. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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