Harman Patil (Editor)

Leviathan (album)

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Released
  
August 31, 2004

Producer
  
Mastodon, Matt Bayles

Release date
  
31 August 2004

Length
  
46:43

Artist
  
Mastodon

Label
  
Relapse Records

Leviathan (album) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumbd

Recorded
  
2004 at Robert Lang Studios, Studio Litho, and the Electrokitty Sound Studio, Seattle, Washington

Leviathan (2004)
  
Call of the Mastodon (2006)

Genres
  
Heavy metal, Progressive metal, Sludge metal

Similar
  
Mastodon albums, Sludge metal albums, Other albums

Mastodon leviathan full album stream


Leviathan is the second album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released in 2004 by Relapse Records. The album is the group's first concept album and is loosely based on the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick, and the songs "Iron Tusk", "Blood and Thunder", "I Am Ahab" and "Seabeast" were released as singles. Three magazines awarded it Album of the Year in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. In 2009 and 2015 MetalSucks named Leviathan the best metal album of the 21st century.

Contents

Leviathan was also released with an audio DVD of DVD-Video format in a limited edition set with a black and gold slipcase. The album brought Mastodon great critical acclaim and, thanks to the ensuing tour, a considerably larger fan base. Leviathan had sold 103,000 copies by September, 2006. Guitarist Bill Kelliher considers this album to represent the water element, in keeping with elemental tetralogy of concept albums.

Mastodon blood and thunder


Videography

The "Tour Edition" CD-ROM was released in 2005 which in addition to the main album contained the videos for "Iron Tusk" and "Blood and Thunder". The Tour Edition is presented in a slipcase which shows the complete cover artwork, rather than the detail of the whale shown on the standard edition. This is also the cover for the vinyl edition. A video for "Seabeast" was completed in 2006.

Packaging

Cover art and booklet artwork was done by Paul Romano. The white tower seen in the artwork on the inside cover of the booklet is a revamped version of Martin Heemskerck's 16th century interpretation of the Pharos of Alexandria. The wave seen in the full picture of the artwork is a reflection of Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Reception

Placing Mastodon "among the elite of bands" on the strength of Leviathan, Avi Pitchon wrote in Terrorizer that the album "rampages through in a shining epic flow, the 'crazy' parts never separate from the classic metal parts". Online music magazine Pitchfork Media placed Leviathan at number 126 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. In 2009, MetalSucks compiled a list of the "21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far" based on the opinions of various musicians, managers, publicists, label representatives and writers, where Leviathan was placed at number one on the list.

Track listing

All tracks written by Mastodon.

The vinyl edition of "Leviathan" has a slightly different track listing. The songs "I Am Ahab" and "Ísland" are taken out of their respective place and replaced as the first two tracks on side two:

Songs in video game soundtracks and movies

"Blood and Thunder" was featured in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Saints Row, Rocksmith 2014, Project Gotham Racing 3, Splatterhouse and Guitar Hero Metallica in addition to the film The Big Short. The song was available as downloadable content for Rock Band and features an optional Pro Guitar upgrade for Rock Band 3.

"Iron Tusk" was featured in the soundtrack for Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and NHL 2K9.

The song "Island" was featured in a brief scene in "Monsters University".

Band

  • Troy Sanders – bass, vocals
  • Brent Hinds – lead guitar, vocals
  • Bill Kelliher – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Brann Dailor – drums
  • Guest musicians

  • Scott Kelly (Neurosis) – additional lyrics and vocals on "Aqua Dementia"
  • Neil Fallon (Clutch) – additional vocals on "Blood and Thunder"
  • Matt Bayles – organs on "Joseph Merrick"
  • Phil Peterson – cello on "Aqua Dementia"
  • Other credits

  • Matthew F. Jacobson – executive producer
  • Alan Douches – mastering
  • Paul A. Romano – artwork, design
  • Songs

    1Blood and Thunder3:49
    2I Am Ahab2:46
    3Seabeast4:15

    References

    Leviathan (album) Wikipedia