Myth Metal
Mastadon’s Brann Dailor on Moby Dick and the power of the concept album
2005-09-06
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It can’t be easy being touted as the savior of anything, let alone the savior
of the previously dormant realm of “real” metal. And while bands like
Slayer or King Crimson somehow found a way to light the path for these up-and-coming
purveyors of punishment, steadily honing their craft for over twenty-some years,
the fact that the genre will never really be mainstream is a constant source of
comfort in the sweaty domes of shred-heads everywhere. Atlanta, GA’s Mastodon
understand this calculation, perhaps moreso than any other band lucky enough to
grace the stage of Ozzfest 2005 this year. Certainly, the fact that Mastodon were
in fact ballyhooed as the torchbearers of “real” metal belies the
fact that they just enjoy the subtle intricacies that math-metal affords, and
that if anything, they’d rather be immersed in the mythical underground
dementia of metal then to take things to the next level. Seriously, could a band
who outlines an entire album based on Moby Dick, 2004’s brilliantly
epic Leviathan, really break through? Drummer Brann Dailor seems more
concerned with the conclusion of the wrath that has been a year-long tour than
the fodder provided by metal music’s mystique. Synthesis caught
up with Dailor while the band rested between Ozzfest stops.
“I think at this point, we’re pretty burnt out. We’re ready to go home,” relates Dailor, obviously fatigued. Indeed, the rigorous tour schedule of the band in the wake of the explosion that is Leviathan has taken its toll on the foursome.
“After you’re doing this so much, it’s nice to go home and sleep in a bed,” continues Dailor. Still, you can’t blame Mastodon for reeling a bit; playing the second stage at Ozzfest, appearing on television shows nationwide and lending their support for the fight against AIDS and HIV, as well as Save the Children, with a wristband campaign spearheaded by Whateverittakes.org. The wristbands were designed by vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds (adorned with the statement “May We All Get the Fuck Along,” with 50 percent of the profits going towards Save The Children and the other half going to benefit the fight against AIDS and HIV); the whole process being something of an anomaly for a metal band in any era of rock music.
“We don’t get approached that much to do charitable events; we’ve done a few charity shows but, ya know, anything we can do to help. If we can use our music to help anything or anybody, then we have to,” explains Dailor.
Listening to Mastodon is like an exercise in awe. The fact that their music is definitely chaotic, certainly epic and irrevocably conceptual and technical does more to bear the brunt of metal’s new breed of monster than any one metal-core boy band. And though fashion-metal still dominates the malls and Warped Tour main stages, it’s groups like Mastodon who prevail ethically in this regard; pounding out writhing opuses of oceanic travels and marathon battles with the mammoth mammals of the sea — certainly not your standard subject matter for a genre that aligns itself mainly with the influences of the Dark Lord more than the deep blue void. “As far as [what we do] versus nü-metal, I think things just kind of go in cycles. I guess it’s our turn for a little bit…and then we’ll go away again [laughs]. Hopefully not, though,” says Dailor. The group dynamic of, what Dailor describes as “never fully realizing a song until each person has a say in it,” adds even more to the complexity of their songs.
“We enjoy each other’s musicianship, and we trust each other’s musicianship to come up with something cool. Everyone brings something to the table. I read Moby Dick and I thought it would be a good idea to do a record based on it. It motivated us to write the record; to come up with ideas. There was a lot of subject matter there, we’re really into that kind of stuff and so it gave us direction, it gave us somewhere to go,” explains Dailor. The concept album revival (perhaps the most supreme throwback in music this millenium) did more to garner a broader fanbase than the group possibly could have imagined. “I kind of enjoy the concept album thing and I wish more groups would do it. For me, I like a nice common thread that goes through the whole record. I think without that, you just have a bunch of songs that are kind of lost,” relates Dailor.
“I think at this point, we’re pretty burnt out. We’re ready to go home,” relates Dailor, obviously fatigued. Indeed, the rigorous tour schedule of the band in the wake of the explosion that is Leviathan has taken its toll on the foursome.
“After you’re doing this so much, it’s nice to go home and sleep in a bed,” continues Dailor. Still, you can’t blame Mastodon for reeling a bit; playing the second stage at Ozzfest, appearing on television shows nationwide and lending their support for the fight against AIDS and HIV, as well as Save the Children, with a wristband campaign spearheaded by Whateverittakes.org. The wristbands were designed by vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds (adorned with the statement “May We All Get the Fuck Along,” with 50 percent of the profits going towards Save The Children and the other half going to benefit the fight against AIDS and HIV); the whole process being something of an anomaly for a metal band in any era of rock music.
“We don’t get approached that much to do charitable events; we’ve done a few charity shows but, ya know, anything we can do to help. If we can use our music to help anything or anybody, then we have to,” explains Dailor.
Listening to Mastodon is like an exercise in awe. The fact that their music is definitely chaotic, certainly epic and irrevocably conceptual and technical does more to bear the brunt of metal’s new breed of monster than any one metal-core boy band. And though fashion-metal still dominates the malls and Warped Tour main stages, it’s groups like Mastodon who prevail ethically in this regard; pounding out writhing opuses of oceanic travels and marathon battles with the mammoth mammals of the sea — certainly not your standard subject matter for a genre that aligns itself mainly with the influences of the Dark Lord more than the deep blue void. “As far as [what we do] versus nü-metal, I think things just kind of go in cycles. I guess it’s our turn for a little bit…and then we’ll go away again [laughs]. Hopefully not, though,” says Dailor. The group dynamic of, what Dailor describes as “never fully realizing a song until each person has a say in it,” adds even more to the complexity of their songs.
“We enjoy each other’s musicianship, and we trust each other’s musicianship to come up with something cool. Everyone brings something to the table. I read Moby Dick and I thought it would be a good idea to do a record based on it. It motivated us to write the record; to come up with ideas. There was a lot of subject matter there, we’re really into that kind of stuff and so it gave us direction, it gave us somewhere to go,” explains Dailor. The concept album revival (perhaps the most supreme throwback in music this millenium) did more to garner a broader fanbase than the group possibly could have imagined. “I kind of enjoy the concept album thing and I wish more groups would do it. For me, I like a nice common thread that goes through the whole record. I think without that, you just have a bunch of songs that are kind of lost,” relates Dailor.
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