Mastodon are a four-piece progressive rock/metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, United States.  Mastodon formed in late 1999 when drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moved to Atlanta from Rochester, New York and met bassist/singer Troy Sanders and guitarist/singer Brent Hinds at a Hardcore Punk/Metal show[1]. Mastodon was formed under the band members’ mutual appreciation of sludge, hardcore punk and classic rock artists such as the Melvins, Neurosis, Thin Lizzy & Godspell[2].  Evident in their early incarnation was the influence of hardcore punk music and classic rock, emphatically illustrated through the bands strong emphasis on riffs and rhythm as opposed to typically melodic popular music. Mastodon’s second full-length album Leviathan was released in 2004 to critical acclaim by underground music press, receiving album of the year in both Kerrang[3] and Terrorizer[4] magazine. The song Blood & Thunder is the opening track featured on the album Leviathan and illustrates the bands departure from the full blown chaos of their first full-length Remission, illustrated through a refined thematic basis and greater focus in song structure.

Mastodon’s second full-length album Leviathan is loosely based on the novel Moby Dick written by Herman Melville. Mastodon seeks to convey the very grand and epic themes of Moby Dick through both a lyrical and musical interpretation. On a much broader scale, Leviathan elicits ideas of striving to achieve goals, regardless of how gargantuan or farfetched they may seem. Thus it can be seen that the Leviathan can be regarded as a metaphor of aspiration or of desire. The opening track entitled Blood & Thunder emphatically kicks of the album with a heavy rhythm base seeking to elicit the very majestic and magnificent themes of Melville’s Moby Dick. Lyrically, Blood & Thunder is centred on the character Captain Ahab and his battle to find the ‘White Whale, Holy Grail’ in order to take revenge on the creature who left him with an ‘ivory leg’[5]. Thus it can be emphatically seen that the themes and ideas explored in Moby Dick requires and equally emphatic and huge sound, delivered by Mastodon in the form of a song heavily focused on rhythm.

Melody & Texture

Blood & Thunder has a very limited focus on melody. The melody occurs during the verse sections of the song and is homophonic (homophonic vocal melody with accompaniment). The vocal melody is sung/shout in a very narrow range, with no real sense of register. Moreover, the melodic profile is practically static, essentially repeating the same pitch. The lack of definition and repetition found in the melody emphatically enhances the forward and propulsive rhythmic nature of the song. The static nature of the melodic profile enhances the repetitious rhythm found in the verse, increasingly eliciting tension as the listener becomes interested in what will break the monotony of the repetitive rhythm found in the verses. Mastodon very cleverly utilises this undistinctive melodic profile to convey the often brutal and revenge oriented themes of Moby Dick. Mastodon realise that a highly decorative and subtle melody would be unfitting in conveying the desire of revenge stirring deep down in Captain Ahab. Moreover, Moby Dick is a massive creature of gargantuan proportions and cannot be conveyed through delicate or precise melody because it would be completely misrepresenting its strength and fortitude. Furthermore, Moby Dick is not a romantic goal for Ahab, the white whale is purely a source of revenge thus illustrating why Mastodon utilised rhythm more heavily with its emphatic and resounding qualities.

Rhythm

Blood & Thunder is heavily focused on rhythm. The opening verse and subsequent repetitions of the verse are all in regular quadruple metre (4/4 time) and have a clear regular pulse that is broken up by the erratic drumming. This regular quadruple metre propels the song forward and elicits urgency and tension as the listener questions what is going to happen next. However, the drumming is incredibly erratic with Brann Dailor utilising a flurry of drum fills and rolls to create a sense of the potentially explosive nature of the rhythm. Brann’s use of drum fills and rolls illustrates a sense of wanting to break out of the regular rhythm, he is trying to burst out of the regularity of the quadruple meter through the syncopation produced through the erratic nature of his drum fills. Brann’s drumming emphatically enhances to the sense of adventure and excitement of the song, the urgency is creates ties in with the thematic qualities of the song, it illustrates the urgency of Captain Ahab in finding the white whale.

Directly proceeding after the verse is the chorus, which is repeated twice. The chorus, similarly to the verse, is in regular quadruple metre (4/4 time) and is started of by an extremely erratic drum fill. The chorus explodes into the song with yet another drum fill that is perhaps more overstated than some of the other fills mid-verse, illustrating the explosive quality of the chorus. The chorus is equally as propulsive as the verse but is less constrained, with the use of the crash cymbal creating a sense of openness and repetition of the words ‘White whale, holy grail!’[6].  Unlike in the verse, the words are shouted in an entirely unmusical manner and directly illustrate the idea of Ahab on his boat with his crew shouting out this chorus in a primitive and hedonistic manner. More than just a direct representation of Ahab on the boat with his crew, it can also be seen as a potential means of the band connecting with the audience in a call and response manner, with the band screaming ‘White whale’ and the crowd replying ‘Holy grail!’ Thus it can be seen that Mastodon has thoroughly connected the chorus as a direct representation of the novel and also as a means of emotionally connecting with their audience. The entirely rhythmic nature of the chorus emphatically enhances the primitive nature of Ahab’s conquest to find the white whale and its representation in this song. A melodic chorus would seem mildly inappropriate in eliciting the bloodlust and unquenchable desire of Ahab and his crew in finding this whale, they would not sing ‘White whale, holy grail!’ they must scream it!

The interlude that occurs after the second chorus is emphatically abrupt and stifles the regularity of the song. The interlude sees the rhythm radically shift from the regular quadruple metre to changing between the irregular metres of 5/8 and 6/8. This change in metre elicits excitement and a sense of the unknown in the listener as they are forced to reckon with the technical and constantly changing metre. Moreover, with the lack of vocalisation during this part of the song the listener can intensely focus on the rhythmic progress of the interlude in all its irregularity. Once again the rhythm is not at all subtle, it is quite clearly stated with a strong accentuated pulse whilst remaining irregular. Interestingly, the drumming is more understated allowing for increased focus on the dual guitar interplay. In the absence of vocals, Mastodon convey images of Captain Ahab with a hundred ideas floating through his head but unable to express them in a vocal manner. The irregularity of the rhythm potentially illustrates Ahab’s thoughts as strewn and perhaps not as centralised and regular as it once was. Moreover, it could also potentially illustrate a sense of instability and imbalance on the ship, the irregular rhythm metaphorically representing the ship swaying in a chaotic and unpredictable matter. The listener also feels this feeling of unpredictability, as they are forced to establish a sense of balance between the irregular beat shifting between metres.

Once the interlude has concluded, the song is thrown into a bridge verse, which restores a sense of balance and stability with a regular quadruple metre once again. With this sense of balance re-established the listener is propelled unto the final chorus to hear the final repetition of the chorus in a decisive act of defiance prior to the final coda.  The motoric rhythm of the bridge verse really feels as if Mastodon are giving that big final push into the concluding chorus and coda, with its regular and forward moving inclination. Metaphorically speaking the bridge verse can be seen as the final push unto the depths of the white whale, the last final gasp before truly epic possibilities can happen. Whilst the final chorus is merely a repetition of the same chorus heard previously, it can be seen as a final call to arms. It essentially ties in the themes of camaraderie and aspiration, it re-emphasises the already explicit rhythmic nature of the song. The concluding part to the song is the coda, marked by large definitive chords signalling the end to an epic battle. The big emphatic chords resonate strongly with the gargantuan size of the whale and add to a sense of completeness in the song; the listener is not left feeling what could’ve been. Whilst it is not explicitly stated in the lyrics if the whale was indeed defeated, we at least know that the final battle was of epic preportions.

Form, Structure & Timbre

+ Intro ~ A (Verse 1) ~ B (Chorus) ~ A (Verse 1 repeated) ~ B (Chorus repeated) ~ C (interlude) ~ BRIDGE VERSE ~ B (Chorus repeated) ~ D (Coda) +

Mastodon has cleverly constructed this song to the tie in with the epic themes of Moby Dick. In particular, the use of chorus to convey ideas of camaraderie, companionship and aspiration emphatically illustrates the ideas found in Melville’s Moby Dick. The strong structure of the song unquestionably elicits a sense of forward movement and of progression. Moreover, the final Coda emphatically ends the song with a wholesome sense of completeness whilst not overshadowing the rest of the song. The regularity of the song is cleverly broken up by the interlude, which radically spikes the listeners’ interest and creates a sense of undeniable excitement. The use of typical rock instruments makes creating an indisputably heavy rhythm based song quite interesting even the absence of a defined melody. Moreover, the heavy percussive element adds to the sense of explosiveness in the song and emphatically emphasises the highly rhythmic nature of the song.

Through the analysis of this piece, I have developed greater understanding of the emphasis of rhythm in exploring particular themes. Analysing Mastodon’s music has helped to establish why musical elements are used to explore particular ideas and themes. The heavy emphasis on rhythm emphatically tied in with the themes of Moby Dick and illustrated why melody isn’t a proponent of music entirely essential to make a song worthwhile and interesting. People often say that melody is the most memorable element of music, whilst this is true, my analysis has illustrated that emphatically rhythmic music can be tremendously moving and is particularly effective in exploring themes that aren’t typically found in popular music, such as love and romance. Rhythm is a terrifically powerful element in music.

Anyway, besides their apparent love for Attack Attack!, Sweden destroys you. Look no further than Cult of Luna & Breach. I could fill ancient scriptures professing my love for Cult of Luna so I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible. They play beautifully dynamic songs of crushing heaviness and uplifting beauty. I know that sounds sentimental and stupid as fuck but I don’t care, I really do love this band. Seeing them was the highlight of this year, no fucking doubt and seemingly had moments were I actually professed to see some kind of god… oh wait, that was just THOMAS HEDLUND on drums.. Jesus christ, that guy is amazing. When they played Echoes I had one of those very special moments were something snaps in your head and you just lose your shit. AMAZING!