Emperor of Sand (2017) - Mastodon

 

Tracklist:

  1. Sultan’s Curse – 4:10

  2. Show Yourself – 3:02

  3. Precious Stones – 3:46

  4. Steambreather – 5:03

  5. Roots Remain – 6:27

  6. Word to the Wise – 4:00

  7. Ancient Kingdom – 4:54

  8. Clandestiny – 4:28

  9. Andromeda – 4:05

  10. Scorpion Breath – 3:19 (feat. Scott Kelly)

  11. Jaguar God – 7:56

By 2017, Mastodon had been through the fire — both personally and professionally. With Emperor of Sand, they returned not just with another concept album, but one rooted in real-life pain. Built around the metaphor of a desert wanderer marked for death, the album mirrors the band members’ own experiences dealing with cancer diagnoses and loss in their families.

Emperor of Sand isn’t just heavy — it’s emotionally loaded. It asks hard questions about mortality, time, and the toll of illness, all wrapped in Mastodon’s unique fusion of progressive metal, sludge, and melodic rock.

Musically, the album strikes a balance between the melodic sensibilities of The Hunter and Once More 'Round the Sun, and the proggier depth of Crack the Skye. Songs like Sultan’s Curse and Roots Remain burn with urgency, while Show Yourself surprised fans by leaning into near-radio rock territory — catchy, but still dark and thematically relevant.

The album’s finale, Jaguar God, is a standout — a sprawling, multi-part composition that showcases everything Mastodon does best: lush clean passages, thunderous riffs, emotional crescendos, and dynamic tempo shifts. It’s both a farewell and a fight — a farewell to loved ones, a fight against the inevitable.

Scott Kelly of Neurosis once again appears (for the final time) on Scorpion Breath, maintaining his tradition of contributing to the band’s most emotionally intense moments.

Emperor of Sand was a commercial and critical success, earning the band a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for Sultan’s Curse. More than that, it reaffirmed Mastodon’s place as one of the most consistent and fearless bands in modern metal — unafraid to get personal, unafraid to evolve.

This is an album about death — but it’s also an album about resilience, memory, and the deeply human desire to hold on just a little longer.


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