Photo by Carlo Cavaluzzi
2017 is officially the Year of the Mastodon. The Atlanta heavy metal band recently promised that they’re in for “an incredibly busy and fruitful year,” and they’ve now delivered the first of those fruits in the form of “Sultan’s Curse”, the punishing lead single to their seventh full-length album, Emperor of Sand. Check it out below.
Aside from having a very metal title, Emperor finds Mastodon grappling with heavy themes like death and mortality. As the band revealed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the album’s main protagonist “is handed a death sentence from a desert ruler, and then wanders an arid wasteland – a metaphor for illness and doom.” Illness and doom, you say? Mastodon really are the perfect band for 2017!
Emperor of Sand features 11 tracks recorded in Kennesaw, Georgia and produced by Brendan O’Brien. As of now, it’s set for a March 31st release. Check out the album artwork and tracklist below, and catch Mastodon on tour with Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles this spring.
Emperor of Sand Artwork:
Emperor of Sand Tracklist:
01. Sultan’s Curse
02. Show Yourself
03. Precious Stones
04. Steambreather
05. Roots Remain
06. Word To The Wise
07. Ancient Kingdom
08. Clandestiny
09. Andromeda
10. Scorpion Breath
11. Jaguar God
