Blood And Thunder by Mastodon

Album: Leviathan (2004)

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"Blood And Thunder" is the beginning of Mastodon's concept album revolving around Captain Ahab's obsession with catching the Great White Whale in the book Moby Dick.
Three magazines awarded Leviathan Album of the Year in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. In 2009 MetalSucks named it the best metal album so far of the 21st century.
Brann Dailor counts "Blood and Thunder" as one of his favorite song contributions to Mastodon.

"I wrote that one on guitar," Dailor recalled to Full Metal Jackie. He elaborated on his creative process, "That was one of the songs that I had really super mapped out in my mind before it happened. I was really proud of the way that it came out."

Dailor, known for his thunderous drumming, readily admits his limitations as a guitarist. "I'm not a very skilled player," he chuckled, "so you can kind of tell when it's my riffs because they're kind of meaty and easy to play."

Dailor's strength lies in crafting strong foundations. He transforms his raw ideas into something special by collaborating with the band's virtuosos, guitarists Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds. "When I get them into the hands of Bill and Brent," he explained, "the songs become way better and they become beyond what I was able to kind of eke out."
Dailor often hums his ideas to the guitarists "to see if they can get it into their fingers and more capable hands." He considers "Blood and Thunder" a prime example of this successful collaboration.
The Full Metal Jackie interview also sheds light on the band's creative process for Leviathan, including "Blood and Thunder." Dailor reminisced about touring with Clutch before the age of YouTube. Inspired by Neurosis' pre-recording touring routine, Mastodon decided to road-test "Blood and Thunder."

"We were on tour with Clutch for about a month and a half," Dailor recalled, "and we didn't have fleshed out lyrics or anything." This meant the song was taking shape live, in front of audiences. Dailor even remembers writing lyrics on the tour bus and handing them to vocalist Troy Sanders between gigs. "Like, here, try these tonight."

The band were working the songs out live in front of people, "but you could get away with it back then because those versions wouldn't show up on YouTube the next day and no one really knew who we were yet," he said.

This pre-internet era offered a space for bands to experiment and refine their music on the road, a luxury largely lost in today's digital age.

Comments: 6

Tino from Sulphur, LaI'm not a Jesus freak, but what I got from this is that there is religious symbolism in this song. I think that the lead singer symbolizes Christ as the whale and the Sun. A white whale particularly to symbolize purity. "What remorseless emperor (Christ) commands me; I no longer govern my soul; I am completely immersed in darkness; as I turn my body away from the Sun (Christ)"
Johnny Thunder from Lakeside, Caawsome my favorite mastadon song
Aki from Sunrise, FlI know it's about Moby Dick, but I find it hilarious that a certain quote from The Watchmen goes "Waiting for a flash of enlightenment in all this blood and thunder." Maybe we have some Watchmen fans in the band?
Joel from Columbia, ScThey have a song, not sure what it is called, but it references One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
Tristan from Marstons Mills, MaMastodon is probably the sickest metal band out there, they have the most unique sound, unlike trivium trying to sound like metallica now, hopefully they go back to their Ascendancy ways. But mastodon is niiiiicccceee
Mitch from St. Louis, MoThis song is amazing, and mastodon is amazing.

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