Mastodon are one of the most acclaimed and adventurous heavy bands of the twenty-first century — an Atlanta quartet who took the heaviness of sludge and metal and bent it into something genuinely progressive, ambitious and strange. Across a run of bold concept albums and ever-evolving sounds, they fused brute force with intricate musicianship and grand storytelling, becoming one of the defining metal bands of their era. Heavy, smart and fearless, they have spent two decades pushing at the limits of the genre.

The short version

Formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000, Mastodon play heavy, adventurous progressive metal — sludgy and powerful, but also intricate, melodic and conceptually ambitious. Across albums from the acclaimed “Leviathan” (2004) and their masterpiece “Crack the Skye” (2009) to the Grammy-winning “Emperor of Sand” (2017), they evolved from raw aggression into one of the most respected progressive metal bands in the world. Few modern heavy bands have been so bold, or so beloved.

Atlanta: a meeting at a metal show

Mastodon came together in Atlanta in 2000, when drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher — who had moved south from New York — met bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show. Bonding over a shared love of sludge pioneers like the Melvins and Neurosis, heavy metal greats Iron Maiden and the 1970s swagger of Thin Lizzy, the four began writing together. After early releases on Relapse Records, their unusual setup — with three of the four members sharing lead vocals — and their raw, powerful sound quickly marked them out as a band to watch.

Heavy, adventurous prog metal

Mastodon’s music is built on heaviness, but it never stays still. Across their albums they have blended sludge, progressive rock, psychedelia and classic heavy metal into something all their own, anchored by Brann Dailor’s astonishingly busy, melodic drumming and Brent Hinds’s distinctive, country- and banjo-influenced lead guitar. With Troy Sanders, Hinds and Dailor trading vocals between clean melody and ferocious roar, and a fondness for sprawling, intricate compositions and ambitious concept albums, they brought a rare intelligence and scope to modern metal — heavy enough for the pit, but adventurous enough to reward the closest listening.

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The concept albums

Much of Mastodon’s reputation rests on their remarkable concept albums. “Leviathan” (2004) reimagined Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” as a churning metal epic, and was named album of the year by several magazines. “Blood Mountain” (2006) followed a perilous quest up a mountain, and “Crack the Skye” (2009) — their progressive masterpiece — spun a dizzying tale of astral travel, Rasputin and Tsarist Russia, named in memory of drummer Brann Dailor’s late sister. Years later, “Emperor of Sand” (2017) confronted mortality and illness through the story of a man lost in the desert. Few metal bands have ever told stories so ambitious.

From Remission to Hushed and Grim

The sludgy, ferocious “Remission” (2002) announced the band, before “Leviathan” (2004) and the major-label “Blood Mountain” (2006) brought wider acclaim. “Crack the Skye” (2009) marked their full embrace of progressive rock and remains a high-water mark, while “The Hunter” (2011) and “Once More ’Round the Sun” (2014) leaned into sharper, more melodic songwriting. The Grammy-winning “Emperor of Sand” (2017) returned to grand concept, and the sprawling double album “Hushed and Grim” (2021), a meditation on grief, showed a band still reaching higher.

Album by album

Eight albums of heavy, ambitious, ever-evolving progressive metal. Tap any title for its guide.

The players

Mastodon’s line-up — bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor — remained unchanged for some twenty-four years, a remarkable run of stability that allowed them to grow into one of metal’s great bands. Hinds, whose singular, country-tinged guitar playing was central to their sound, left the band in 2025 and died later that year; his bandmates remembered him as a brother and one of the most creative people they had ever known. Mastodon, profoundly shaped by the music the four made together, continue on.

Where to start

Begin with “Crack the Skye” (2009) — their progressive masterpiece, and the perfect showcase of how far Mastodon pushed beyond ordinary metal. From there, “Leviathan” (2004) captures their early, ferocious brilliance, while the Grammy-winning “Emperor of Sand” (2017) shows their mature, melodic power. Three albums that map the rise of one of modern metal’s most important bands.

Why they still matter

Mastodon matter as one of the boldest and most influential heavy bands of their generation — a group who proved that metal could be as intelligent, ambitious and emotionally resonant as any progressive music, without ever sacrificing its power. Their concept albums expanded what the genre could attempt, and their restless evolution kept them vital across two decades. For anyone who loves heavy music with real depth and adventure, Mastodon are essential listening.

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