Mastodon have offered the story behind the themes of their adored album Leviathan.
The sludge/prog metal band’s second full-length album, released in 2004, is a loose concept piece inspired by the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick. Speaking exclusively in the new issue of Metal Hammer, drummer/co-vocalist Brann Dailor explains that the idea of basing Leviathan on the book came to him shortly before a flight from Hawaii to London in 2003.
“I had in the back of my mind that it would be cool to involve Moby-Dick somehow,” he tells Hammer’s Joe Daly. “I read it on the flight over to London, and by the time I got there, I had my whole sales pitch ready for the guys.”
Dailor continues: “I basically said, ‘Hey, I think it would be cool if we did a concept album loosely based on Moby-Dick. You guys don’t have to read the book to participate.’ I just thought it would be cool aesthetically, first and foremost.”
During his pitch, Dailor came up with such song titles as Blood And Thunder and lyrics about crossed harpoons, based on lines and imagery in Moby-Dick. The drummer also drew parallels between the protagonist Captain Ahab’s obsession with the white whale Moby-Dick and Mastodon’s own obsessions with making music.
“I explained that scene to the guys: split your lungs with blood and thunder,” he says. “It was such a cool passage that conjured the image of these guys in rowboats, with everybody going after Moby-Dick.
“The obsession with Moby-Dick was like our obsession. It wasn’t about chasing fame, it was about what kind of music we could create together.”
The rest of the band were instantly sold. As guitarist Bill Kelliher tells Hammer: “I saw the similarities in what we did as a band. We were a bunch of dirty, stinky pirates jumping into the white van, leaving our families behind to row out to sea in search of this white whale.”
Bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders adds: “It made sense to give it a shot. We did realise at the time that a heavy metal band putting out a concept album about Moby-Dick could be career suicide, but we loved the idea, because we’re fans of conceptual albums by our heroes like Genesis and Iron Maiden and King Diamond. The idea was very bold. Brent [Hinds, guitar/vocals], Bill and I said, ‘Let’s go for it!’”
Read the full interview with Mastodon in the new issue of Metal Hammer, now available as a limited-edition bundle featuring a Leviathan-inspired front cover and an exclusive Mastodon t-shirt. Order yours now and get it delivered directly to your door.
