Mastodon

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2000, the band's lineup of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds (lead guitar/vocals), Bill Kelliher (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals) remained unchanged for 24 years. Hinds departed Mastodon in March 2025, and died five months later in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta, Georgia.

The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record "Album of the Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. The song "Colony of Birchmen" from the band's third album (released in 2006), Blood Mountain, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2007. Blood Mountain was followed in 2009 by Crack the Skye, and in 2011 by The Hunter, which debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and achieved major commercial success in the United States. The Hunter features the song "Curl of the Burl", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 2012.

Mastodon's 2014 album Once More 'Round the Sun peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and features the band's third Grammy-nominated song, "High Road". The band's seventh album, Emperor of Sand, was released in 2017 and features the band's most commercially successful song to date, "Show Yourself", which peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. The album's opening track, "Sultan's Curse", earned the band its first Grammy Award. Emperor of Sand was also the band's first album to receive a Grammy nomination; it was nominated for Best Rock Album. Mastodon's last album with Hinds, Hushed and Grim, was released in 2021. The most recent Mastodon album, Marrow Deep, was released in August 2026.

Mastodon has released nine studio albums and numerous other releases. In 2016, the staff of Loudwire named them the 20th-best metal band of all time.