Mastodon – Blood & Thunder

General CommentMastodon are a truly awesome band. Any bunch of guys brave enough to do a concept album (on what many consider to be the greatest American novel ever written) as their second album, and pull it off pretty much perfectly, demand some respect.
Blood & Thunder is a summarising introduction to the story of Moby Dick. It focuses pretty much entirely on captain Ahab, describing his paranoia, his ever imminent descent into madness, and his desire for revenge. The entire theme of the book is fantastically contracted into four words: white whale, holy grail. Pure genius...

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  @Nightgaunt88

General CommentNeil Fallon's portion in this song is BADASS. The whole song just paints an incredible picture in your head.

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  @BludgeonedExistence

General Commentleviathan is the shit. shadow is right. presumably, this album would suck, but it's a really an awesome un-cliched concept.

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  @hermanator05
  -2

  yea, leave it to mastodon to do something never done before for music. usually metal is cliched shit like cannibal corpse.....

  Flag thorthundaeron January 03, 2009  

  +1

  dude i like mastodon and cannibal corpse how r they clitche. u probably have never even listen to them you just see there death metal so you write them off listen to them before you make assumptions.

  Flag clown74123on March 01, 2010  

General CommentThis band fucking rules. I just came back from a Mastodon gig last night, I was in the moshpit because it was a pretty small gig. Fucking yes, this band is the new coming of metal.

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  @TruthSpeaker

General CommentThis entire song could be considered from Moby Dick or Ahab's perspective.

"I think that someone is trying to kill me
Infecting my blood and destroying my mind"

Ahab's first encounter with the whale.
could be the start of the obsession
or
moby dick realizing ahab's trying to kill him

"No man of the flesh could ever stop me"
Kinda seems like it's like moby dick's ego.

"The fight for this fish is a fight to the death"
if i was a whale, i'd think i was a fish too. (don't fuck with me attitude)

at the time of the novel did humans know that whales were mammals? Never mind...

"What remorseless emperor commands me
I no longer govern my soul
I am completely immersed in darkness
As I turn my body away from the sun"

it could be either moby dick leaving to the depths of the ocean
or
ahab's obsession taking over his mind.

the last part is definitely ahab, which makes it more likely the
first part is from the perspective of the whale.

either way, awesome song.

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  @unluckymisfit
  0

  I think that the second stanza could also be written from the perspective of the crew or the narrator of the story, Ahab being the emperor of his soul.

  Flag Redverson October 20, 2010  

General CommentGreat song from a great band. Mastodon is unique in that the members of the band are both very talented at the instruments they play, as well as being intelligent enough to write a (good) concept album on classic novel. As far as the meaning of this song, if you have read Moby Dick it's easy to see:

"I think that someone is trying to kill me
Infecting my blood and destroying my mind"

The first verse comments on Ahabs descent into madness. At the beginning of the novel, Ahab is already starting to become paranoid, various characters in the novel prophesize the voyages doom before they leave. He has recovered from losing his leg to Moby Dick, and has even made a peg leg out of a whales jaw bone, foreshadowing Ahabs obsessive drive for revenge. Also, Ahab sneaks a "special" boat crew (the ship had 4 mini-whaling boats that it launches during hunts) on board without telling his crew.

"No man of the flesh could ever stop me
The fight for this fish is a fight to the death"

Before they encounter Moby, one or two members of Ahabs crew tell him that they are at sea to collect whale oil from easily caught whales, and that they do not wish to go on a revenge mission against a very formidable foe. Ahab tells them my way or the highway. Ahab's boat meets another boat, whose captain asks Ahab to help look for his son, who went missing when they ran into the white whale. Ahab says he doesn't have time for that, but asks to be pointed in the direction where they found Moby Dick. The highlight of the "secret" boat crew that Ahab snuck on board is an African named "The Parsee" which the rest of the crew, once they learn of his existance, guess that he is the devil incarnate. "The Parsee" tells Ahab that Moby Dick will most likely kill them both. Ahab says he is prepared for this.

"What remorseless emperor commands me
I no longer govern my soul
I am completely immersed in darkness
As I turn my body away from the sun"

This verse is about the part of the book where Ahab finally loses what little sanity he has left. In the book, this is symbolized when Ahab throws his tobacco pipe overboard, showing he no longer finds joy in the activities he previously enjoyed, and that he is solely bent on one thing: killing the white whale. Going further into this, it is left to the reader to make the connection that once/if Ahab did kill Moby Dick (but he doesnt) he will have nothing left to live for. His hate and lust for revenge kills Ahab on the inside before Ahab gets killed by his own harpoon.

The first 2 verses are not from the perspective of the whale. The Whale's perspective is never given throughout the book. Moby Dick isn't aware that Ahab is gunning for him specifically, as Moby has many run-ins with different whaling boats, and wins them all. Ahab is told by one of his crew members: "Moby-Dick seeks thee not. It is thou, thou, that madly seekest him!" In the book, the white whale is a symbol of the forces of nature, or events that man can't control. Moby has no more presence of mind than Hurricane Katrina did. He literally is an unthinking force of destruction. Ahab chooses to get in the way of Moby Dick, but the whale treats Ahab no differently than any other Whaler that Moby runs into.

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  @HearshotKDS

General CommentA metal concept album about Moby Dick. You'd expect it to suck, wouldn't you?

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  @shadowwiththeeyes

General Commenti find "Leviathan" to be one of the greatest concept albums ever written. not to mention the amazing cover art

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  @Disposition_987

General Commentdude i saw em at jager last december...well sorta i got there during there last few songs and i heard them playing. i think there mash pit was bigger than slayer's but i could be wrong...wtf is with they're video

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  @blink182sux

General CommentOh man, what an amazing song. I haven't read Moby Dick yet, but I fully plan on it after listening to Leviathan. Mastodon managed to write the lyrics to the album much like a good novel. Albums and books both have to grab your attention, and I have seen multiple people stop in their tracks when I start playing this song. The opening riff and the line "I think that someone is trying to kill me." basically forces you to sit down, shut up, and immerse yourself in one of the best metal songs in ages.

P.S. Brann Dailor is a drumming god.

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  @Evan37