EMPEROR OF SAND

In the years following Mastodon's all-time prog metal masterpiece, 2009's 'Crack the Skye', Mastodon's output focused on perfecting their propensity for heavy hitting and catchy sludgy riff metal. While the two albums from that period were acclaimed by the heavy metal community generally, they had let their prog fans out in the cold. 2018's 'Emperor of Sand' was the band's attempt to rectify this. A concept album, the lyrics and music of 'Emperor' were inspired by a string of cancer related deaths amongst band members' family and friends. Similar to 'Crack the Skye,' 'Emperor' tells a daring and fantastical story that doubles as an exploration of the band members' deep-seated fears and emotions during that period of their lives. Musically, the album comes out swinging with slamming riffs while eventually segueing into songs with more experimental sounding licks and emotionally heavier choruses. For the prog metal world, 'Emporer of Sand' is a truly welcomed return to form for Mastodon.