Emperor of Sand
| Emperor of Sand | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Mastodon | ||||
|
Publication |
March 31, 2017 |
|||
| Label (s) | Reprise Records | |||
|
Title (number) |
11 |
|||
|
running time |
51 min 10 s |
|||
| occupation |
|
|||
|
Studio (s) |
The Quarry Recording Studio, Kennesaw |
|||
|
||||
Emperor of sand is the seventh studio album of American progressive metal - / Sludge - band Mastodon . It was released on March 31, 2017 via Reprise Records and is a concept album on the subject of mortality . At the Grammy Awards 2018 the song Sultan's Curse was awarded in the category Best Metal Performance . and the album was nominated in the Best Rock Album category.
Emergence
Songwriting
For the previous album Once More 'Round the Sun , the band recorded a total of 15 songs, which had a playing time of around 90 minutes. However, since the band aimed for an album length of one hour , around 30 minutes of music remained unreleased. In an interview, singer / bassist Troy Sanders stated that the unused music could be released as an EP . Drummer Brann Dailor added that the music intended for the EP would sound darker and contain more elements of Doom Metal than the songs released on the album. Dailor stated in an interview in the spring of 2016 that the band was writing a new album. The unused material from the last album would also have been used and further processed.
At the end of June 2016, guitarist Brent Hinds announced that the song material had developed into a double album. He himself wrote the first part, in which he processed a bad breakup that he had behind him. For this he wrote, according to his own statement, "very dark, melancholy, creepy, strange music" that would sound a little like the Bee Gees and had the working title Cold Dark Place . Guitarist Bill Kelliher had written eleven songs by the end of August 2016 and recorded demos in the recording studio that he had set up in the basement of his house. According to Kelliher, 75 percent of Emperor of Sand's music comes from the time of the 2011 album The Hunter . The singing of Brann Dailor could be heard almost exclusively at the demos. Kelliher announced that studio recording would begin in October or November 2016.
The songwriting was overshadowed by numerous serious illnesses among family members of the four musicians. Bill Kelliher's mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Troy Sander's wife developed breast cancer and had to undergo chemotherapy . Brann Dailor's mother developed lung cancer . Dailor and Kelliher met regularly while they were writing songs together and initially discussed their mothers' health, especially the frustration that both of them could not help their mothers. Bill Kelliher added that his mother's illness gave him a purpose and that he wanted to write music for her.
“I had to use this energy to keep myself busy. I've flown to her countless times and every time I came back I went straight to my studio. That worked. She was able to hear the songs before she died. "
Recordings
The recordings took place in October and November 2016. The band engaged Brendan O'Brien , with whom the band recorded the 2009 album Crack the Skye , as the producer . According to Brann Dailor, the songs the band wrote needed him and Mastodon wanted "another heavily decorated Christmas tree like Crack the Skye ". O'Brien would be the only producer who could add substance to Mastodon's music because he "would listen carefully". Bill Kelliher added that Brendan O'Brien was totally immersed in the studio and gave many recommendations to the musicians. The band missed these qualities of a producer.
The recording took place at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw , Georgia and lasted about a month. Initially, O'Brien let the band play the songs as arranged by the musicians. Only later were the results discussed and the individual titles partially rearranged. After drummer Brann Dailor had recorded the drums, he started working on the lyrics. Since Dailor had more time to text than his bandmates, he did most of the vocals on the album. In the meantime, his three bandmates recorded guitar and bass. As with the previous five studio albums, Scott Kelly from the band Neurosis appeared as a guest singer and can be heard on the song Scorpion Breath . Kevin Sharp from the band Brutal Truth appears as a guest singer on the song Andromeda . Michael Kenneally also plays the keyboard on the song Jaguar God .
In addition to the classical instruments guitar, drums and bass, a triangle was also used in the song Steambreather , a Marxophone - an instrument from the zither family and a bell ring . After the music was finished, the musicians went to Henson Studios in Los Angeles to mix the album and add some overdubs . Mixing took two weeks and was done by Brendan O'Brien and Tom Syrowski. Billy Joe Bowers was responsible for the mastering .
publication
A so-called deluxe pre-order package was available on the website . This version contained the album as a double LP, which, in addition to the regular protective sleeves, also contained a protective sleeve with the motif of the album cover to paint yourself. The package also contained exclusive Mastodon colored pencils . On the day of publication, buyers will still receive the album as a download. The album cover was designed by Alan Brown, also known under the pseudonym "Medusa Wolf". According to Bill Kelliher, Brann Dailor saw the picture of Brown showing an "evil figure" in a great desert. Dailor then had the idea to use this figure as an embodiment of cancer.
For the songs Sultan's Curse , Show Yourself , Steam Breather and Clandestiny were music videos rotated. The video for Sultan's Curse is purely animated and based on the album cover. In the video for Show Yourself , Robert “Roboschobo” led Schober Regier. Here the actor Brian Posehn , known among others from the series The Big Bang Theory, has a cameo appearance . On April 3, 2017 Mastodon played the song show Yourself in the ABC - late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! . The band played the same song on July 10, 2017 on the TBS late night show Conan .
background
| Track list |
|---|
|
concept
The band got the inspiration for the concept after some close relatives and friends got sick or died of cancer in the past few years . The emperor named in the title is a metaphor for the Grim Reaper , while the sand stands for time . The protagonist of the story receives a death penalty from a ruler of the desert and then wanders through an arid wasteland , a metaphor for disease and damnation . He goes through various stages of exhaustion , dehydration or disorientation. The sun stands for radiation therapy . At the end of the album, the protagonist dies and is saved at the same time.
“We took this frustration, this desperation with us into our rehearsal room and put all our energy into riffs and music. It is the best way to process these feelings. Instead of excluding and ignoring our problems, we faced them directly. It's about fighting cancer, enduring chemotherapy and everything that goes with it. [...] Time is a very big topic on the album. How much time do we have left? What do we do with our time? "
At the same time, the album should also express positive things like hope . According to Brann Dailor, the initials of the album title result in Eos , which in Greek mythology represents the goddess of the dawn . Bill Kelliher added that his mission would be fulfilled when listeners can hang up the album when times are bad and cry until they feel better.
Meanings of the songs
In the first song, Sultan's Curse , the protagonist receives the punishment that is a metaphor for cancer treatment. He wonders how much time he has left. With the song Precious Stones the musicians want to encourage the listeners to be the person you want to be and not to lead a life that other people expect you to be. In Steam Breather are Nazca Lines in Peru mentioned. These are geoglyphs that were created by an ancient civilization as a fertility ritual to combat the long periods of drought in the area. The protagonist tries to let it rain to alleviate his suffering. Roots Remain loud Bill Kelliher a farewell letter of a man who died of a tumor.
“Even if you remove the tumors, metastases remain. This shows us that even rotten roots remain. The song has a very special meaning for me because it not only addresses helplessness from the side of those affected, but also includes loved ones. "
The song Clandestiny symbolizes a kind of snake , since, according to Brann Dailor, many cancer therapies do not work and the doctors only make money. Patients would be desperate enough to try anything. Andromeda is a lament about the eternal cycle of life and death. The final song Jaguar God was influenced by Mayan culture . Among other things, this culture worshiped a god in the form of a jaguar , who was seen as the ruler of the underworld .
reception
|
Chart positions Explanation of the data |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Albums | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reviews
The German magazine Metal Hammer named Emperor of Sand album of the month. According to Frank Thiessies, "the band once again masterfully manages the highly complex balancing act of a musically demanding and at the same time melodic and unmistakable, eclectic approach". The album "proves that currently (still) no other alternative-progressive metal band can hold a candle to Mastodon," for which Thiessies awarded six out of seven points. Emperor of Sand was also voted album of the month in German magazine Rock Hard , but had to share the title with the self-titled album by the band The Doomsday Kingdom . For Thorsten Dörting “a mature band climbs previously unattained heights” and with every run through the album the listener would be “rewarded with new discoveries”. The album would be "seriously playful, as only adult men can", for which Dörting awarded 8.5 out of ten points. For Jordan Blum from the online magazine Pop Matters , Emperor of Sand is “by no means a bad album”. However, there would be "very little on the album that the band has not already explored", for which Blum awarded seven out of ten points.
Chart placements
Emperor of Sand reached number seven on the US album charts with 43,000 album-equivalent units . If you take into account all sales as physical records and downloads, Emperor of Sand was even number one with 41,000 units in the first week after its release, ahead of number one on the Billboard 200, rapper Drake . Mastodon reached number one on the top album sales charts. However, streaming and digital sales have also been taken into account when determining the Billboard 200 since 2014 . The album reached further top ten placements in Canada (fourth place), Australia (third), Finland (fourth), Sweden (fifth), Norway (sixth), Ireland (seventh) and New Zealand (ninth) ). Emperor of Sand entered the German, British and Austrian album charts at number eleven . In Switzerland , the album reached number 13 and in the Netherlands Place 16th
Awards
At the Metal Hammer Awards 2017, Emperor of Sand was nominated for Best Album and Show Yourself for Metal Anthem . The prizes, however, went to the bands Heaven Shall Burn for the album Wanderer and to Ghost for the song Square Hammer . At the Loudwire Music Awards 2017, the album received a nomination in the category Metal Album of the Year . The band was also nominated for Metal Artist of the Year , Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher for Best Guitarist and Brann Dailor for Best Drummer . However, Mastodon received nothing. At the 2018 Grammy Awards, the song Sultan's Curse won in the Best Metal Performance category , while the album was nominated in the Best Rock Album category.
The British magazine Metal Hammer chose Emperor of Sand as album of the year 2017. In German Metal Hammer, the album took second place behind Gods of Violence by Kreator . The German online magazine laut.de led Emperor of sand in eighth place in their list of the best metal albums of the year 2017th
Individual evidence
- ↑ MASTODON Wins 'Best Metal Performance' GRAMMY Award. Blabbermouth.net , accessed January 29, 2018 .
- ↑ METALLICA, MASTODON, MESHUGGAH, BODY COUNT, AUGUST BURNS RED, CODE ORANGE, NOTHING MORE Among GRAMMY AWARDS Nominees. Blabbermouth.net, accessed November 28, 2017 .
- ^ Tyler Kane: Mastodon's Troy Sanders Talks New Album Once More Round the Sun. Paste , accessed April 8, 2014 .
- ↑ Joe DiVita: Brann Dailor Says Mastodon EP Plans Turned Into Full Album. Loudwire , accessed June 11, 2016 .
- ↑ Philipp Gravenhorst: Mastodon - probably bring out a double album. Metal.de, accessed on June 29, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Tom: Mastodon open up about the tragic inspiration for new album Emperor Of Sand. HMV Group , accessed on May 7, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c Lothar Gerber: wormhole of feelings . In: Metal Hammer , April 2017, page 28
- ↑ MASTODON To Enter Studio In October Or November. Blabbermouth.net, accessed August 30, 2016 .
- ↑ a b c Wolfgang Liu Kuhn: Angel choirs in the Jammertal . In: Rock Hard , April 2017, page 28
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Martin Burger: Clock without hands . In: Visions , edition 289, p. 46ff.
- ↑ Tom Lanham: Cover Story: Mastodon. Illinois Entertainer, accessed March 24, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Steve Appleford: Inside Mastodon's Dark, Emotional New LP. Rolling Stone , accessed December 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Sam Sodomsky: Mastodon Get Chased By the Grim Reaper in Silly New “Show Yourself” Video. Pitchfork Media , accessed on March 21, 2017 .
- ↑ Watch MASTODON Perform On 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Blabbermouth.net, accessed April 5, 2017 .
- ↑ Video: MASTODON Performs 'Show Yourself' On 'Conan'. Blabbermouth.net, accessed August 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Mastodon - The Making of 'Emperor of Sand' Part 1. YouTube , accessed on January 29, 2017 (English).
- ^ Graham Hartmann: Mastodon Unleash Crushing New Track 'Sultan's Curse'. Loudwire, accessed January 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Chart sources: DE / AT / CH / US Mastodon in the Official UK Charts (English)
- ↑ Frank Thiessies: Mastodon - Emperor of Sand. Metal Hammer. Retrieved March 17, 2017 .
- ↑ Torsten Dörting: Mastodon - Emperor of Sand. Rock Hard, accessed October 18, 2018 .
- ↑ Jordan Blum: Mastodon - Emperor of Sand. Pop Matters, accessed March 26, 2017 .
- ↑ Keith Caulfield: Drake's 'More Life' No. 1 for Third Week on Billboard 200; Kodak Black, Mastodon Debut on Top 10 Billboard, accessed April 10, 2017 .
- ↑ METAL HAMMER AWARDS 2017: These are the nominees! Metal Hammer. Retrieved August 13, 2017 .
- ↑ 2017 Loudwire Music Awards Nominees Revealed. Loudwire, accessed August 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Scott Munro: Metal Hammer name Mastodon's Emperor Of Sand best album of 2017. Team Rock, accessed December 10, 2017 .
- ↑ Your Metal Hammer editors: United Metal Powers . In: Metal Hammer, January 2018, page 26
- Jump up ↑ The Metal Albums of the Year. laut.de , accessed on November 30, 2017 .
Web links
- Emperor of Sand at Allmusic (English)