Mastodon

A diverse, lyrically-driven heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, Mastodon formed in 2000 by drummer Brann Dailor, bassist Troy Sanders, singer Eric Saner, and guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher. Sanders replaced Saner as the band's frontman in 2001, and Remission marked Mastodon's debut album one later later. However, it was the 2004 concept album Leviathan that established Mastodon's members as leaders of the American metal movement. The record was named "Best Alternative Metal Album" at the 2004 Metal Storm Awards, and Mastodon toured Europe with Slayer and Slipknot before releasing the group's third album, Blood Mountain, in 2006. The album featured guest appearances from Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, the latter of whom sang on the record's Grammy-nominated, Top 40 mainstream rock single "Colony Of Birchmen." 2009's Crack The Skye peaked at Number 11 on the Billboard 200, driven in part by the popular single "Oblivion." Mastodon composed the film score for the 2010 movie Jonah Hex and reached Number 10 on the Billboard 200 with the follow-up album The Hunter, which featured the Grammy-nominated single "Curl of the Burl." 2014's Once More 'Round the Sun and 2017's Emperor of Sand were both Top 10 success in the US, as well, with Emperor of Sand's first track, "Sultan's Curse," earning Mastodon its first Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance." Hushed and Grim followed in 2021, debuting at Number 20 in America while cracking the Top 10 in five countries across Europe.