Mastodon are preparing to “dive head first” into new material

Mastodon (Image credit: Jimmy Hubbard)

Mastodon bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders says that he and the rest of the band are preparing to “dive head first” into their new studio album.

It was reported back in December that Mastodon had returned to the studio to begin putting the pieces in place for the follow-up to 2017’s Emperor Of Sand.

However, Sanders says those plans were put on hold when they had the opportunity to tour with Coheed And Cambria this summer – a run of shows that will see Mastodon celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Crack The Skye album.

When asked by Consequence Of Sound about their original plans to work on the new record in early 2019, Sanders replies: “Well that was the intention.

“We just completed the European tour in February and months ago, it felt like that would be a good stopping point of the Emperor Of Sand touring cycle.

“But then this opportunity came up to co-headline with Coheed And Cambria, so we decided this would make sense and it would be the 10th anniversary of Crack The Skye, so we decided to take the summer tour.

We’ve just been enjoying a little home time and rehearsing a lot of old material for this set
Mastodon's Troy Sanders

“So, instead of writing a new album, we’ve just been enjoying a little home time and then rehearsing a lot of old material for this set that we’re doing this summer.

“We don’t really talk about it or mark the calendar, but just knowing how our band has operated for the past 19 years, once we recover and enjoy some home time after the summer tour, we’ll probably, all four of us, will be very excited to dive head first into new material.”

Sanders adds: “We never put timelines on us – we never put those restrictions on ourselves. We just want everyone to be excited about it. So it needs to come naturally. But I would imagine that we’ll work on a new album in the fall of this year.”

Last month, Mastodon released a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven in honour of their late manager Nick John, who died last year after a battle with pancreatic cancer

The track was launched to mark Record Store Day – and it’s now been confirmed that the song will appear on digital platforms on May 17.

Money raised from sales will go to the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Along with his live shows with Mastodon, it was recently confirmed that Sanders had joined Thin Lizzy for their run of European festival appearances.

The Unheavenly Skye Tour 2019
May 28: Louisville Iroquois Amphitheater, KY
May 29: Columbus Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheatre, OH
May 31: Atlanta Coca-Cola Roxy, GA
Jun 01: Simpsonville CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park, SC
Jun 02: Baltimore MECU Pavilion, MD
Jun 04: Asbury Park Stone Pony Summer Stage, NJ
Jun 06: Boston Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion, MA
Jun 07: New York Ford Amphitheater, NY
Jun 08: Camden BB&T Pavilion, NJ
Jun 10: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Jun 11: Detroit Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre At Freedom Hill, IL
Jun 13: Council Bluffs Harrah’s Council Bluffs, IA
Jun 14: Chicago Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island, IL
Jun 15: Minneapolis The Armory, MN
Jun 18: Kansas City Starlight Theatre, MO
Jun 19: Denver Fillmore Auditorium, CO
Jun 20: Salt Lake City The Great Saltair, UT
Jun 22: Seattle Marymoor, MA
Jun 23: Portland Theater Of The Clouds At Moda Center, OR
Jun 25: San Francisco The Masonic, CA
Jun 26: San Diego Petco Park – Park at the Park, CA
Jun 28: Las Vegas The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, NV
Jun 29: Los Angeles Greek Theatre, GA
Jun 30: Phoenix Nevada, Comerica Theatre, AZ
Jul 02: Austin 360 Amphitheater, TX
Jul 03: Irving The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory, TX

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