411 Music Interview: Troy Sanders of Mastodon

Posted by Dan Marsicano on 03.20.2009

In an exclusive interview, Mastodon bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders talk to 411 Music about the band's new album, Crack The Skye, and much more!

Mastodon has made quite a splash in the metal community, with their last album, 2006's Blood Mountain, being their most successful to date. Crack The Skye is an epic venture for the Georgian foursome, as the band experiments with longer tracks and a classic-rock vibe. Bassist Troy Sanders spoke to 411 Mania about the new album, the most underrated Mastodon song, and much more!



(Credit: Total Assault)


Blood Mountain was received quite well from both fans and critics, getting up to the #32 spot on the Billboard. Going into the studio, did the band feel any pressure in following up Blood Mountain?

No, I don't think we felt any pressure because we create this art we called Mastodon from the heart and focus all our time and energy on our music. We get it to the point where the four of us are completely satisfied with it. That's really all we can do to make ourselves happy. Ultimately, we satisfy ourselves, and that's as far as we can take it. We're the four that create it and live with it forever. Of course, we want people to like it, but we never had the intention of setting out to write music to please others. We've been playing music all of our lives because we enjoy it and we love to do it.

Once we get it to the point where we're satisfied with it, that's what is ultimately rewarding to ourselves. If other people like it, that's amazing, that's the energy that comes full circle. If there was any pressure, it was the pressure of challenging ourselves and trying to write a better record than the previous.

Was the band's original intention with Crack The Skye to play more epic material or was it a natural progression?

It just naturally happened. We've never premeditated any type of ideas, like "hey guys, we need to write a melodic song, then we need to have a couple really long songs." We take one simple good idea and we elaborate and grow with that idea, until we craft a song that feels complete and whole. This music was a solid representation of the band's feel and emotion over the past few years. It's come very natural and that's why to one degree, we're extremely proud of this record, because not only did we feel it turn out well song-wise, but it all came very natural. That's about as authentic as you can get and that's where we believe art should be crafted from, a very natural feel.

What's the lyrical concept behind Crack The Skye?

In a nutshell, it's dealing with astral travels and the ideas of travel through time and space and tapping into spirit realms and dealing with the supernatural. It's all based around the element of ether, which is the dark matter that dominates the universe. It's the purest of all elements and we feel this is the purest of all the records we put out in the past. That was a powerful comparison. This was our fifth record; ether is considered by many to be the fifth element. Our Remission record was loosely based on fire, Leviathan was about water, and Blood Mountain dealt with elements on earth. So with this one, we shot into outer space and wrote a record with a central theme of ether. Once this record comes out, we can close the book on the elemental chapters.

Is Crack The Skye meant to be a concept album, listened to all the way through, or are the individual tracks strong enough to stand on their own?

The art of the album is very much alive to us and we spent a lot of energy on creating the most cohesive flow from start to finish. From the first riff to the last guitar solo on the last song, and the first line of our story to the very last line lyrically, it's all one cohesive piece. We feel this record is meant to be absorbed in its entirety. We feel that the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. We believe that and that's the main reason why when we do our own shows this year, we plan to play Crack The Skye in its entirety. We feel that's the strongest way to convey that emotion.

Do you see Crack The Skye being a harder album for listeners to digest, compared with earlier albums from the band?

I hope not. I think, overall, the music on this record is more accessible and digestible upon one or two listens than any of our records before. We hope that people will pick this up, immerse themselves in the music, read the lyrics, view the artwork, and feel this record as complete and wholesome. We hope and feel this will be our most accessible album we have put out.



(Credit: Total Assault)


The band decided on Brendan O'Brien as producer. What dynamic did he bring to the recording of Crack The Skye?

We wanted to record a "classic rock" sounding record, to the best of Mastodon's ability. He was able to help us achieve the sonic quality that we wanted to record and he really helped us elevate our melodic and deeper vocal patterns. He's a great dude to work with and has an amazing discography of producing credits, including Bruce Springsteen and AC/DC. He's a very rock n' roll guy and it turned out to be true that he was able to help us capture a rock vibe on this record.

The band recorded the new album in their home state. How did being close to home affect the whole recording process?

It affected it in such a positive way. We were able to wake up, and since the studio was only ten miles or less from everybody's house, it was a short drive over. Southern Tracks Studios is a beautiful studio. It's very comforting and relaxing. The entire staff is very welcoming. We were able to do our thing, and when you're done working, you're able to cruise home, pet your own dog, sleep in your own bed, cook your own food, get a good night's rest, wake up, and do it all over again. It created such a stress-free and easy-going environment that this was the easiest record we've ever recorded, strongly due to the fact that we able to be home each and every night.

How did you approach the vocals for Crack The Skye?

The music we were creating not only called for, but demanded that we elevate our vocals. We knew we had to spend effort and time to dig deeper to find the proper vocal pattern to match the song itself. We would have cheapened ourselves if we slapped aggressive vocals all over this material. It wouldn't have been as effective. It was nice to sit back and spent time searching for the best vocal pattern. All four of us would come up with ideas and we find what started to feel right and would elaborate on that.

Do you find that the vocals on Crack The Skye are a lot stronger than in the past?

I think it's been a rather natural progression. We feel that sometimes cleaner and melodic vocals can be heavier than anything that we've ever done before. It's the overall feel and overall match of the vocals to the song that can create the strongest and heaviest impact. Sometimes, less is more, and sometimes going cleaner is getting heavier. I'm very glad we forced ourselves to elevate our vocal abilities and really dig deeper.

Crack The Skye is being released in a limited edition package. Can you tell fans what they can expect out of that?

The art of the album is very alive and we want the artwork to go along with the story of the album. The special edition, which is a little more expensive, but we hope it will be well worth it, comes with a tunnel book that dives into the visual stimulation that taps into the multi-dimensional storyline that goes with the album. We wanted to give something special to those who still believe in the art of the album as a whole. We needed to keep the standard edition for folks who are still willing to spend $12 or $14 on a record. For the thinking music fan, we wanted to create something that was more intricate and visually stimulating.



(Credit: Total Assault)


Do you think the message behind the album gets lost when people download or use iTunes, since the packaging and lyrics aren't given?

We really focus on the music, the lyrics, the art, and the packaging. That's what we focus a lot of energy on to create a wholesome record. It's very alive and important to us, so that we think people will go for. If people only like a song or two, and we know that's going to happen, that's totally fine.

The band recently filmed a video for the single "Divinations" and to say it was unique would be the understatement of the year. Where did the idea for the video come from?

We kind of had that idea about being explorers and discovering our guitarist as a frozen caveman. We had that story for a few years, but never had a song that could go along with the video, because we needed a song with a guitar solo at the end that he could bust out and play. When we realize "Divinations" was short enough to do a video for, and it had the perfect qualities, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-guitar solo-end, we decided that was the perfect song, so it was a matter of timing.

What is the one aspect of Crack The Skye that you most proud of?

I believe that the fact that it is the most cohesive album we have recorded to date. When the four of us listen back to the record, we're extremely proud of ourselves that we were able to make a departure, yet keep it authentic in Mastodon's evolution and really venture to create something wholesome and completely positive.

What, in your eyes, is the most underrated Mastodon song in the band's catalog?

Good question. On our past three records, the last track has been dedicated to Joseph Merrick, the elephant man himself. We had "Elephant Man," then "Joseph Merrick," and then "Pendulous Skin." I think those three songs were beautiful closers for each record, but I like to see those get some more attention, if at all possible. They are beautiful ways to not only end our records, but give a dedication to the incredible existence of that young man.