“Quintessence” - Mastodon vocalist / bassist Troy Sanders spills the worms regarding fourth studio album Crack the Skye


By Anthony Morgan

In May 2008, Metal quartet Mastodon entered Southern Track Studios in Atlanta, Georgia to begin cutting their fourth studio album, the follow up to 2006's Blood Mountain. One song title was revealed, namely “Ghost of Karelia”. As early as August 2007, writing had begun. Noted producer and mixer Brendan O' Brien, who's worked with the likes of AC/DC, Velvet Revolver and Pearl Jam, was hired to render his services. During late October, the album's title was revealed. Entitled Crack the Skye, the album spans fifty minutes, and boasts seven tracks. Apparently, its lyrical content documents Tsarist Russia's art aesthetics, astral travel, out of body experiences and wormhole theories from the mind of Stephen Hawking. At the time of writing, it's pencilled for an early 2009 issue via Reprise Records.

On October 27th at the Manchester Apollo in Manchester, England, Mastodon began a European tour as part of the Unholy Alliance III tour package, pairing the group alongside Slayer, Trivium and Amon Amarth. One such date took the group to Cardiff's CIA on November 2nd, and so an email was sent so that an interview could be arranged. Scheduled to begin at five p.m. UK time, the interviewee happened to be bassist / vocalist Troy Sanders. Unfortunately, Mastodon tour manager Lewis Lovely couldn't be located, so Amon Amarth's tour manager Chris Parschau was kind enough to take yours truly to the group's dressing room. With drummer Brann Dailer practicing his parts to a compact disc in the corner, me and Troy sat down in respective chairs to begin the interview.

Sanders touched upon a variety of subjects, including; Crack the Skye, Brendan O' Brien's approach, the group's working relationship with him, why the act felt like cutting a self-proclaimed Classic Rock album, its lyrical content, the album's vocal, guitar and bass stylings, the album's length, when it'll be issued, which track will be the album's inaugural single, when a music video will be filmed, the influence Slayer has had on Mastodon, and King Crimson. Casual, and laid back, Mastodon's backstage demeanour betrays the live behemoth that runs rampant onstage. Troy was keen to discuss forthcoming opus Crack the Skye, and seems pleasantly satisfied with the eventual results. Comfortable with its musical content, Troy lends the impression that this is the album the group always wanted to pen. Irrelevant of how its received by critics and fans alike, Crack the Skye has placed a smile upon the faces of Mastodon's respective members.

 

  • First of all, how are you?
  • I'm good man, thank you. I'm doing great.
  • Thus far, how has the Unholy Alliance III tour package alongside Slayer progressed?
  • As of today, groups are a week into the Unholy Alliance III's tour package. Thus far, the tour has gone great. Each group upon the bill happens to be cool, and we're all great friends. The live dates have been crowded affairs, not to mention extremely energetic. I have no complaints.
  • Is Slayer an influence upon Mastodon?
  • Did Slayer influence us at all?
  • Yeah.
  • We all have much respect and appreciation for Slayer; Mastodon guitarist Bill Kellihler grew up, and learnt each and every Slayer song. He's very influenced by the group, and is the Mastodon member who's most influenced by Slayer.

    (Brann Dailer: “I'm the most influenced by Slayer”.

    Troy Sanders: “Bill's more influenced by Slayer than you”.

    Brann Dailer: “No he's not”.

    Troy Sander: “No?”)
  • (Laughs) You're not as influenced by Slayer?
  • I am, and love the group very much. I've watched Slayer perform over a hundred and fifty times, and think they're one of the greatest live groups I've ever seen.
  • Of Slayer's albums, do you have a favourite?
  • I don't have a personal favourite record of Slayer's, no.
  • Of Slayer's tracks, do you have a favourite?
  • “Altar of Sacrifice” (from 1986's Reign in Blood).
  • Upon Unholy Alliance III, which tracks comprise Mastodon's setlist? Mastodon has written a new album of course, entitled Crack the Skye.
  • We're just performing some material from Leviathian (2004), and some material from Blood Mountain (2006), for the most part. We're performing one song from Remission (2002), I think. Our setlist only consists of roughly eight or nine songs, so we perform for a forty minute duration, and try to link each track back to back. We try to showcase as much material as we possibly can.
  • Is Mastodon's setlist more of a greatest hits type affair?
  • This is the greatest hits set (laughs). As we're merely a support group, we're going to venture onto the stage, and perform as much material as we possibly can in that forty minute period.
  • Could you provide an introduction to Mastodon's fourth studio album, namely Crack the Skye?
  • Crack the Skye has already been written, and recorded. We're very excited about it's actual release; we're more excited about Crack the Skye than we've been about previous Mastodon albums, so we're extremely anxious for it's street date to finally arrive. Musically, we're very much into Crack the Skye - we love the album. Many of the tracks have opted towards a more Classic Rock approach, somewhat. Lyrically speaking, we were able to pen another tale, and weave that tale throughout the whole record. Right now, we're just dying for Crack the Skye to be released; people can then hear the album, and we can start performing its material live.
  • When did Mastodon begin writing songs in support of Crack the Skye?
  • We began writing during August of 2007. Up until that time, we toured, but following that, we began to work on new material.
  • How would you describe Mastodon's working relationship with Brendan O' Brien?
  • Brendan is amazing, and happens to be a very talented musician - he's great when playing either guitar, piano or keyboards. As far as vocals, and hearing different vocal ideas, are concerned, he has an excellent ear. Brendan was extremely creative with us, and is just a really cool dude. He's funny, and we're very glad that we met him.
  • In producing Crack the Skye, what was Brendan's approach? Was he in the studio every day, or...
  • Brendan was in the studio every day, and that was refreshing. He takes an extremely honest, authentic approach; if you perform a part particularly well, he agrees to using that part within the actual track - as opposed to playing the very same part over and over. Crack the Skye is a fairly raw, authentic representation of how we sound within our rehearsal space. As I said though, Brendan made several suggestions regarding the guitars, and different vocal patterns. We collaborated on such suggestions, so he was a perfect fifth member to collaborate alongside. Both musically and personally, we trust and respect Brendan.
  • Compared to past producers, was Brendan more involved?
  • In making Crack the Skye, he was just able to help us achieve the sound that we sought.
  • Will Mastodon work with Brendan again upon future material?
  • I'm sure that we would work with Brendan again. Working with him was a great experience, and a comfortable one. He's a cool dude, and we laughed a lot. I could easily see us working with Brendan again.
  • In recording Crack the Skye, Mastodon was particularly interested in cutting a Classic Rock album. Was there a reason why Mastodon felt that way?
  • We were finally able to channel really inspirational music, not to mention feelings and overall emotions. The music we wrote began to slightly lean towards a more Classic Rock vein. An authentic style of music surfaced, and we thought we should really hone in on that, and attempt to write an album which features a kick ass heavy Rock 'N' Roll feel. For that reason, we focused on that aspect. Brendan has produced so many Rock records, particularly for the likes of Bruce Springsteen (2002's The Rising, 2005's Devils and Dust, and 2007's Magic), Pearl Jam (1993's Vs., 1994's Vitalogy, 1996's No Code, and 1998's Yield), and AC/DC (2008's Black Ice). He was the perfect guy to help us focus upon these Rock 'N' Roll ingredients, and the perfect guy to help us attempt to gain that overall feel.
  • Do you feel that Mastodon has achieved that, and cut a Rock N' Roll record?
  • Yeah. The four of us are excited about Crack the Skye, and we all feel as though we've achieved something. We had a goal, and an idea. We ventured on the path that we needed to take, and we feel as though we've arrived at that location. Whether people will like the album or not is uncertain, but the four of us are very thrilled.
  • You said that Crack the Skye's material is “epic and involved, extremely layered, broad, melodic, dark, and creepy”.
  • Crack the Skye's material finds these darker notes, and that lends the album a generally creepy vibe, as does the album's chord structures and guitar patterns. Applying some keyboard elements in select instances achieves an atmospheric quality, and some of the tracks boast a nice, dark and creepy Rock feel. Several tracks span ten minutes or more in length, and if a track happens to be that lengthy, then we feel it achieves an epic status.
  • Does Crack the Skye's material boast much texture? For example, do tracks opt towards a heavier stance, and then favour a darker vibe, and so on?
  • Somewhat, as some tracks vary in terms of feel. Overall, we just attempted to write an album that was a great journey from beginning to end.
  • You mentioned the likes of King Crimson as being amongst Mastodon's favourite groups. King Crimson are a more progressive act, so is Crack the Skye a lot more progressive?
  • Some aspects of Crack the Skye are extremely progressive I think, but I don't feel it's going to be labelled as a Progressive Rock album. As far as Prog Rock goes, we all love King Crimson. Roughly ten years ago, our guitarist Brent introduced me to King Crimson. I've fallen in love with the group, and listen to their material all the time. King Crimson are both amazing, and mind blowing.
  • Within Crack the Skye, will Heavy Metal fans still discover aspects which they can appreciate?
  • I would hope so. We feel as though it's a good, heavy Rock 'N' Roll record.
  • In asking this, I am wondering if Crack the Skye features solely Rock, or features both Rock and Metal elements.
  • Crack the Skye features slight aspects of all our influences, I think. I don't know, though I hope people enjoy the album. We want people to enjoy Crack the Skye, but we didn't write the record so that people can love it. We cut the recorded we wanted to write, but people will hopefully love it.
  • Of King Crimson's albums, do you have a favourite?
  • Which album features “Frame by Frame”? That's my favourite record... I think Discipline might be my favourite King Crimson album. I listen to all of King Crimson's albums.
  • What can you reveal about Crack the Skye's lyrical content?
  • Crack the Skye's lyrical content is both broad, and deep. The album's story continues our journey through life, love and the supernatural, and takes the journey into different dimensions. We see whether we can survive the numerous elements, and obstacles, that we will encounter. It somewhat forms a parallel against the path our life and career as a group is venturing upon, and that's how we've penned stories within our past records. Crack the Skye is extremely bizarre, and extremely deep - anyone who listens will form a different opinion of the album. The record is extremely open to interpretation, with even us in Mastodon having differing perspectives on certain tracks. That's half the reason why we really want Crack the Skye to be issued; as opposed to explaining various aspects of the album, we can just let them listen to it.
  • So if you placed five different people in five different rooms, and let them listen to Crack the Skye, they'd all have varying opinions?
  • Yeah. To a degree, us in the group have slightly differing opinions on each respective track, and that's cool. As far as the meaning of each respective number is concerned, and which section of the story that number represents, I think that's great. This only causes Crack the Skye to be more intriguing, and bizarre.
  • Is Crack the Skye's lyrical content more introspective, as opposed to tackling social issues?
  • I think Crack the Skye's lyrical content is more introspective as you said, yeah.
  • In recording your vocals in support of Crack the Skye, what were you aiming towards?
  • We really tried to achieve vocal patterns, styles and melodies that contributed to the track itself, thus enhancing the track's quality. You try to use your voice as a fifth instrument somewhat, and really make it a part of the track. That was the goal.
  • In light of the fact that Crack the Skye is more progressive, did you opt towards using vocal effects?
  • No. For the most part, we didn't apply any distortion towards the vocals. As far as effects and so on are concerned, the vocals are rather clean.
  • Are there much aggressive vocals?
  • Crack the Skye features some heavier, aggressive vocals, but only where we felt a track demanded that... (song plays in background). I can't get enough of this track, right here - this is “Frame by Frame” by King Crimson. You can hear all these underlying sounds, but especially with headphones. You feel as though you've taken drugs, but you haven't - it's that good... Crack the Skye boasts much clean vocals, but additionally much dark vocals. We tried to discover the right patterns, melodies and style that could appropriately match each respective track, and that was the goal we attempted to achieve. We accomplished that goal, I think.
  • So you can execute clean vocals? Some vocalists cannot do that.
  • Yeah, totally.
  • Fair enough. In cutting the guitars, what did Mastodon aim towards?
  • Brent and Bill just tried to play good, I think. They wanted the guitar parts to be solid and tasteful, but wanted them to additionally possess a large Rock 'N' Roll sound.
  • In cutting bass parts, what did you aim towards?
  • The same goal. I wanted my bass parts to be tasteful, simplified, but also to Rock. Within the clean parts, I aimed towards a nice, round, solid bass tone, yet within the heavy parts, I merely aimed towards growling balls.
  • You said that some of Crack the Skye's tracks span over ten minutes in length. What lengths do other tracks boast?
  • In length, Crack the Skye spans fifty minutes. Certain tracks span three minutes, whilst a few others span five minutes. One track is ten minutes in length, whilst another is fourteen minutes in length. The length of each respective track varies.
  • Crack the Skye's track listing has been unveiled, and one track is called “The Czar”. As it has four sections, does that song comprise one of the album's longer tracks?
  • “The Czar” is a ten minute track. It felt as though several different musical bodies collectively worked together to form one track, so we opted towards naming each body - it made sense to us.
  • Will any singles be issued in support of Crack the Skye?
  • Yeah, definitely. A single will likely be issued during December or January. Crack the Skye won't be issued until February 2009, I think. We're just waiting for the record company to say which track they feel should comprise the album's inaugural single, and when they wish to issue that single. We can then either agree with their thoughts, or share any thoughts that we have.
  • Crack the Skye will be issued during February 2009?
  • I think so. Any day now, they'll likely be able to tell us Crack the Skye's exact release date.
  • Which of Crack the Skye's tracks will be the first single?
  • Crack the Skye's first single will be one of the album's shorter tracks, I'd imagine. We're just waiting to hear what the record company's thoughts are, I guess.
  • Of Crack the Skye's tracks, is there one that you'd like to be issued as the album's first single?
  • Not in particular, no.
  • By your descriptions, it seems as though Crack the Skye is better appreciated as a collective album, as opposed to appreciating individual tracks.
  • Yeah. Of course, I can individually select one or two tracks, and listen to them. However, I love all of Crack the Skye's tracks. My perspective certainly differs to that of the powers that be, though it'll be the powers that be who will ultimately decide which tracks will form Crack the Skye's singles.
  • In support of the inaugural single, when will a music video be recorded?
  • We'll likely film a music video as soon as we get home, and that'll be in December sometime. If we can film a music video then, it can hopefully be issued in roughly February or so, though it depends upon the length it takes to complete the video process.
  • Crack the Skye's inaugural music video will be recorded prior to Christmas?
  • We hope so, and that is still a subject of discussion. We're discussing which track should be Crack the Skye's inaugural music video, and who can helm the video's direction. We're ready to film the music video as soon as we arrive home, though nothing is currently set in stone.
  • How would you critique Crack the Skye against Mastodon's past releases?
  • Within tracks, we've achieved sounds that we've always wanted to achieve, I think. We feel as though Crack the Skye is as strong, or even stronger, than any of our previous records. Our unity, and songwriting, is continuing to both climb, and ascend.
  • Is there anything else you would like to say regarding Crack the Skye?
  • In light of the blood, sweat, emotions and time we channelled into making Crack the Skye, we hope that fans will feel something towards the album. Hopefully, Crack the Skye will come across to music fans in a very positive, inspirational way.
  • What do you hope Crack the Skye will achieve for Mastodon?
  • I hope that Crack the Skye will open doors, and allow us to continue performing our music across the globe. When you complete an album, you feel extremely liberated - mentally, we've already achieved that emotion.
  • In ten years ten, how would you like fans to reflect upon Crack the Skye?
  • Hopefully, Crack the Skye will be an album that fans will revisit, and listen to frequently. Even today, we revisit albums by our favourite groups, whether they be from the sixties, seventies or eighties. We hope fans constantly revisit the album, and listen to its material. They can give Crack the Skye eternal life, as opposed to merely listening to the record a few times, not caring afterwards, and just placing it upon the shelf. As opposed to having a shelf life, we want Crack the Skye to possess more of a longevity. Time will tell though, and people will decide.
  • Are there any leftover tracks from Crack the Skye's recording sessions which may surface as B-sides?
  • Yeah, there's some leftover material. I don't know when that leftover material will surface, or what'll feature that material. In short, we completed Crack the Skye, and then embarked upon this tour. We knew which tracks wouldn't make the final cut whilst recording the album, so we just focused on the tracks that would feature upon Crack the Skye's final track listing.
  • So leftover material hasn't been recorded?
  • No; they're not recorded, finished, mastered, mixed, and so on. However, they're still in the armoury alongside other tracks. If the right opportunity arrives, we'll possibly have some time to work on those songs, and will be able to eventually issue them.
  • Do you have a message for the fans of Mastodon?
  • We love our fans, and wouldn't be here without them (laughs). Thanks for being open, and attempting to like our material. Hopefully, you'll feel some of the feelings that were channelled into creating the material itself.
  • Thanks for the interview Troy - it's much appreciated.
  • And thank you as well.