BURBANK, CA (Warner Bros. Records) - Anticipation is building for the
September 12 release of "Blood Mountain," the Warner Bros. Records debut from Atlanta rock visionaries and fan favorites Mastodon. Long known for their outstanding album package designs (featuring art by Paul A. Romano), the band felt it was time to kick things up a notch and offer their devoted fans not only a CD version, but also a special CD + DVD configuration of "Blood Mountain," which features expanded packaging and artwork, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album, a gallery of still images taken during the recording process, and a live video of the track "Capillarian Crest." Also available exclusively online (www.mastodonrocks.com) is a deluxe edition of "Blood Mountain," which includes the CD + DVD package coupled with an exclusive "The Wolf Is Loose" t-shirt.
After looking at still and video images that documented the spring recording sessions for "Blood Mountain" (Mastodon's third full-length studio recording) with long-time producer Matt Bayles, it became apparent that the images told a visual story much in the same way the album does. The images, shot by rock photographer Jimmy Hubbard, capture the meaning behind many of the songs, and the band felt they should be viewed simultaneously with the album. Hubbard, who directed and produced "The Making of Blood Mountain" DVD, saw his vision extend into a 45-minute video version of the recording process; both sets of visuals will be available on the DVD.
After blowing minds and eardrums all summer on Slayer's Unholy Alliance tour, Mastodon selected live footage shot by Adam Rothlein during a performance on July 13th at the GM Palace in Vancouver to become the video for the first single from the new album, "Capillarian Crest."
It's a blunt-force performance from a band that has logged hundreds of thousands of miles touring and essentially defined their career on the road. Recording sessions have peppered their "downtime" since Mastodon - bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, and drummer Bränn Dailor - first formed in Atlanta, GA, in 1999. They released an EP, "Lifesblood," and two albums, "Remission" and "Leviathan," followed by a compilation of their band's early recordings, "Call of the Mastodon," all on Relapse.
For their debut album for Warner Bros., Mastodon drew inspiration from within, combining their favorite musical styles, including doom, prog, and psychedelic metal to concoct something utterly original, undeniably devastating and irrefutably entrancing. "Blood Mountain" features several special guests, including Queens Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme and Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler-Zavala. The album is sure to appeal to the band's legion of fans, who have grown accustomed to their accessibility and "blue collar" touring ethic, which has earned them consistent accolades as a working man's band. Rare is the artist who achieves that critical balance, coupled with the level of fan support Mastodon has attained thus far in their career.
The power of Mastodon can next been seen on their September Headlining Tour:
9/6 Baltimore, MD Ramshead Live
9/7 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)
9/8 NYC Webster Hall
9/9 Worcester, MA Palladium
9/13 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
9/14 Chicago, IL Metro
9/15 Detroit, MI Majestic
9/16 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
9/18 Lawrence, KS Granada
9/19 Denver, CO Cervantes
9/21 Boise, ID The Big Easy
9/22 Portland, OR Roseland
9/23 Seattle, WA Showbox
9/25 San Francisco, CA Slim's
9/28 Phoenix, AZ Marquee
9/29 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda
9/30 San Diego, CA Soma
10/3 Dallas, TX Gypsy Ballroom
10/4 Austin, TX Emo's
10/5 Houston, TX Meridian
10/7 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
www.mastodonrocks.com
