Few bands in the 21st century have been showered with as much acclaim as Mastodon. Each of their albums, from 2002's Remission to 2017's Emperor of Sand, has been a landmark in its own right, each pushing the boundaries of metal further in terms of complexity, musicianship and mind-melting concepts, raising the bar ever-higher in the process.
By 2011, the band’s upwards trajectory was more or less unstoppable. At least that’s what it looked like from the outside. In reality, the Atlantans were in a fragile situation as they prepared to write their fifth album, The Hunter. The intensity of the recording and touring cycle of its predecessor, Crack The Skye, combined with ever-increasing external expectations, had conspired to add a degree of fraughtness to inter-personal relationships within the band. The four-piece were determined that they wouldn’t put themselves through that again.
