Heavy metal band Mastodon is set to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their revolutionary album Crack the Skye with full album performances. Mastodon will be heading on their Unheavenly Skye Tour with Coheed and Cambria  where they will perform across North America. Exclusive merchandise for the tour is sold here and the band has released some behind-the-scenes videos and announced that they will release more videos in the coming months.  

In a comment about Crack the Skye Dailor states, “Back in the summer of 2008 when we finished recording our fifth full length album Crack the Skye, we felt like we had created something very special. That is why, to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of one of our proudest moments, we decided to take it out on tour and play it start to finish along with some other golden oldies of course.”

Mastodon originally formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. The band consists of Troy Sanders on bass and vocals, Brent Hinds on guitar and vocals, Bill Kelliher on guitar, and Brann Dailor on drums and vocals. Mastodon made their debut in music when they released their first studio album Remission. This first album was critically acclaimed for its unique metal sound and experimentation. Many of the songs off the album display diversity in sound. In particular, their song “Trainwreck” begins with a slow pace and the guitar plays sustained notes that create a tension which is not resolved until the song speeds up towards the middle. Like “Trainwreck” many of their songs go up and down. Remission established the theme and sound of the band that was carried on throughout the rest of their studio albums which include Leviathan, Blood Mountain, Crack the Skye, The Hunter, and Once More ‘Round the Sun.”

Crack the Skye, was by far the most commercially and critically successful albums from Mastodon. It was their third studio album and popular songs from the album include “Oblivion”, “Divinations”, and “The Last Baron.” The songs are well constructed and all the musicians meld together to create one sound. Songs like “Oblivion” provide a plethora of different vocals which make the song interesting and other songs like “Divinations” feature fast and repetitive guitar riffs and solos. Lyrically, the songs demonstrate cathartic themes of identity and morality. All the songs off the album are well thought out and each track provides a new and exciting sound that never gets old.

Here’s the track list for Crack the Skye below:

Crack the Skye

1. “Oblivion”
2. “Divinations”
3. “Quintessence”
4. “The Czar”
5. “Ghost of Karelia”
6. “Crack the Skye”
7. “The Last Baron”

UPDATE (4/3): Mastodon released the second part of “The Making of Crack the Skye.” The video shows the members of Mastodon giving updates about what they were doing at different points of the creation of Crack the Skye, features behind the scenes rehearsal clips, and more.

UPDATE (5/13): Over the last few weeks, Mastodon has released more episodes of “The Making of Crack The Skye.” Watch episodes 3-5 below:

Photo Credit: Owen Ela