MASTODON
Putting Demons to Rest
By: Chris Bruni
Photo: Scott Kinkade
Ever since releasing their landmark pillaging outburst, Remission, Atlanta's MASTODON have been on an unreal journey. Clearly making their mark as the best new act to surface in the illustrious extreme music scene, MASTODON have single-handedly proved that not only does creating a sound that no other band can even touch reap its rewards, but also that destiny does have its magical charm.
Since the release of Remission, MASTODON have not only reaped the rewards of praise -- from press and fans alike -- but have been on a relentless tour jaunt around the world (along with intense North American touring, they have done Europe and Japan) making their immense, monolithic, crushing impact. For those who have seen MASTODON live, the experience of seeing this band play is something else. The intensity, the grace, and the overall searing power that encompasses their wall of dense sound is something to truly behold.
No rest for the wicked indeed, as RESOUND caught up with drummer Brann Dailor, who has just returned from the band's European jaunt with HIGH ON FIRE, just finished playing the South By Southwest festival and are preparing to not only headline this year's Relapse Contamination tour, but in about a week or so after this conversation took place, MASTODON were heading right back to European soil for a devastating tour with none other than THE HAUNTED.
How did this tour with THE HAUNTED spring up?
"We just got home and it was like, 'Hey you guys wanna go to Europe again?' This will be super metal. It's cool with me because I love metal and I like THE HAUNTED. This tour will be 30 days. THE HAUNTED guys had a list of bands to choose from and I guess they chose us. I guess they like us. But we will be playing some of the same cities and some different cities."
The last year for MASTODON has been quite overwhelming. Please reflect on all the touring you have endlessly been forging on...
"I guess in March of last year we started out touring with CEPHALIC CARNAGE and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, and then when Remission came out right after, we hit the road with HIGH ON FIRE, did two months with them and then came back, summer was over. We did a bunch of stuff with CLUTCH and DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and just played hundred of shows like crazy. We played Japan in November. That was insane... it was like being on Mars. Going to Europe is cool because it's different, but being in Japan is like a totally different thing. It was like 'woah!' When we came back from Japan we did the States with DILLINGER and then we went to Europe in January and February with HIGH ON FIRE."
Since MASTODON is still considered a new band would you say that it was word of mouth that made people take notice?
"I guess so. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that we just toured our asses off and we got lots of awesome live reviews and lots of awesome reviews for the record. So I guess it peaked some people's interest and people wanted to work with us. And we're pretty easy going dudes. We're easy to work with and that word also got around that we're pretty decent dudes. I dunno, I think we got lucky with a lot of stuff, but I think we also worked really hard for it. Maybe we wrote our music at the right place and the right time. It hasn't really been that difficult to be in this band -- it's been a lot of fun and, I don't know, I guess it is what you make of it. We just toured our asses off. We keep getting these tours, and we keep going on them."
Speaking of the Japan experience what were your expectations?
"I dunno. I heard that it was going to be crazy... I heard this, I heard that, so I was going to see for myself. Man, people are just insanely into music there -- they are super music fans over there. In Tokyo we played to 800 people and it was insane! People went crazy! It's like when you finished a song, everyone went completely silent, and they clapped for two seconds! They're super-polite people... they watch you and wait on what you have to say. I can't wait to go back. We hope to go back in August and do a few dates with IN FLAMES.
What was Europe like?
"We did 26...about 30 shows in Europe. The reactions were great, especially in England. London was insane!"
Any fascinating stories to share with us?
"Everyday was an adventure pretty much. Let's see... we got lost on the subway, we went to check out the Kolone Cathedral in Kolone, Germany. It's so kick ass this Cathedral, it's totally huge and we were like... just before we got off the subway, 'I wonder if we'll see it, if we can find it?' If not, then we'll ask someone...'. And then we walk out of the train station and it was right there, this huge thing right in front of us. You couldn't even see the sky anymore because it was completely consumed by this old-ass church which was totally incredible!"
How did you observe the Euro crowds and their take on the band?
"There were a lot of metal people, but there were also a lot of hardcore kids. It's like, we would see kids with DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN t-shirts and kids with MANOWAR t-shirts, all at the same time.
So I take it no plans for Ozzfest?
"Oh fuck Ozzfest! A hundred thousand dollars to play that fucking thing? I just kinda feel like... well if any label has a hundred thousand dollars to put into my band, I would rather have it placed something else. Not to dis' the Ozzfest -- it has done a lot of great things for a lot of bands -- but I just feel that there are other ways to get our name out. I don't think that Ozzfest is the only way to get your band to a bigger status, you know what I mean? I think we can just tour our asses off, get hooked up on big tours here and there... and plus if you get on Ozzfest, we'd probably be on a second stage and once a week play at 9:30 in the morning and that's not rocking."
How do you reflect on Remission a year later?
"It's still crazy. I still love all the songs on it. I'm ready to write new material. Tonight we're going to start digging into some new songs that we have written and really start putting them together. We have like ten songs written, but we haven't been able to sculpt them yet. But Remission is also just starting to take off, it's picked up tremendously in Europe."
It is also quite amazing that MASTODON have already reached the echelons of Relapse along with NILE, the DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, and NEUROSIS. Quite an achievement for a new band!
"I don't really think about it. It doesn't come into my head because we just play our best for people. We've seen that the crowds have picked up dramatically and that's awesome. We see that, and it's nice to bring home a few extra dollars to keep the machine turning. But we're not famous rock star guys or anything."
I guess it must like in the appeal that MASTODON can cater to any fan of extreme music.
"It's everybody. I mean when we play, everybody from rock n' roll people to death metal people. Power metal people. Old metal fans who are like, 'Oh I have given up on metal', or something like that and they are into MASTODON now. Some chicks dig it as well (laughs)."
Maybe because the music is hard to identify and that the band doesn't really think about trying to make original music?
"We don't try to make it different, I mean as long as it has melody, people like melody, without melody you don't really have a song. That's what we try to do, put a pretty little melody in there (laughs)."
Give us some insight on the new material...
"It's taking shape right now. I think there is going to be a lot more dynamics. I'm looking for more dynamics and the other guys are too. And there will be more complexity. Brent (Hinds - guitars) seems to be on that kick. He's like, 'Oh that's too easy...', but he writes some meat and potatoes as well."
So you plan on hitting the studio sometime soon?
"We plan on going into the studio in December. We've still got a lot more touring to do. We've got the next two months, and I think we are going back to Europe to do England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Scotland, and Ireland, for two weeks in July I believe. We're taking June off because we need time to write the new album. I don't want to rush anything. I want to be ready to go in the studio, because we had all the time in the world to write the last album, and I want it to be like that again."
You once mentioned thought that you wanted to get a new album out as soon as possible.
"I wanted to. But I didn't expect the touring thing and our record to just start taking off now. There are people that are just starting to take notice of us now and they're like, 'These guys have a record out?' But I mean, that's what happens when a new band comes out. It's like DILLINGER have been touring on their first record for three years. I don't think we're going to do anything quite like that. I guess we could, but I'd rather put out some new material as soon as we can. My main thing is that I want to start playing the new songs live. We'll play at least two new songs for the next U.S. tour. We'll play them in Europe first actually, just to get them ready for the U.S. tour."
How is the new material going to be different from Remission?
"I mean, you're definitely going to tell that it's us playing it. But hopefully, there will be some growth. Over this past year of constant touring, we've grown as musicians and players and gotten better at our instruments and can now write better songs."
Any drastic changes in the music?
"I don't think so. Maybe..."
Any new influences? I could see the new stuff getting more prog oriented.
"It could probably go more prog... I just can't tell the future at the moment what's going to happen to the new songs."
Harder / faster maybe?
"Some. A little bit more of everything than we did on Remission. It just has to be perfect. But there's some super-heavy fast stuff. I wrote something that's all double bass fast crap...IRON MAIDEN-like."
What about the epics?
"Definitely!"
Any song/album title ideas?
"I wrote down 'Rasputin', that might be the name of a song. 'The Wolf Is Loose' is another title that turned up. 'Flaming Swords' is another. That one has a very biblical reference and 'The Wolf Is Loose' I took from that movie The Dead Zone with Christopher Walken... the scene where he takes the hand of the doctor and he goes into his past and was like, 'The wolf is loose!' It's just so bad-ass."
Any pressure?
"I'm trying not to pay attention to it. I don't want it to stifle any kind of spontaneous creativeness. I try to not look at it... we as a whole are not going to base this album off of Remission. We're just going to write a bunch of songs, try not to pay attention to what we've done in the past, and write music that we like. If it's good, then we'll know it's good. We knew that the Remission songs were good, so maybe it'll be the same."
Any ideas for the artwork?
"It has to have killer artwork! We're thinking about some stuff. Like this giant squid... something nautical. This whole nautical theme with this old sea captain, an old fisherman.. .there's just so many ideas that are up in the air. I have a notebook filled with ideas."
It looks like the inspiration shall never stop and it goes much beyond the music.
"Dude, life inspires more than music I think. It's like fuck... we're at war, what does that sound like? I don't like it, but I dunno... just to reach deep down and pull 'em out. We just try to work everything out in the practice room and write music that's going to help us as people."
When you finally feel satisfied then...
"Yeah, put those demons to rest per se. But there's always demons to be dealt with I guess."
Any more goals then to conquer?
"Fuckin' just try to ride out the storm and take it as far as we can take it. Just so we can make it comfortable for ourselves and do it for our life."
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