Classical Composer Reaction/Analysis to Blood and Thunder (Mastodon) | The Daily Doug (Episode 459) 

As a non native english speaker, when I started reading Moby Dick after hearing Leviathan, everything clicked. This book is so metal man

Brann Dailor is a treasure. His drumming turns even the simplest riff into "try not to head bang" challenge.

Hearing blood and thunder live was one the craziest things I’ve ever experienced

A crack the Skye album reaction would be so killer. One of my favorite bands ever because of all the different influences of prog, stoner, southern, etc. The range, the exceptional playing, the multiple vocalists, they really have done it for me over the past 15 years (I'm only 28 so lol) Thanks as always Doug!

I strongly recommend a full album listen on this one. Leviathan is imo one of the best albums of all time. There's a metrical theme to it (in addition to plenty of other themes), which I picked up: the play of 6/8 vs 3/4, subdividing 6 eighth notes into 3 duplets or 2 triplets, playing on that ambiguity. This runs through most of the album (except Blood and Thunder, funnily enough, but at least the 5/8+6/8 section tells us that there's something metrically interesting in store). It culminates in the climax of Hearts Alive with the 7/8 section, pushing the duplets and triplet into one measure. And laughs at us on the way out in the Joseph Merrick outro, which is in 9/8, but in places comes off as 3/4+3/8.

I love that they use many actual quotes from the book as part of the lyrics. Example: "aim directly for his crooked brow"

This album is so EPIC. And I don’t use that word lightly.

My favourite Mastodon album - and that opener really sets the agenda… I’d love to see you listen to some Baroness - maybe A Horse Called Golgotha from The Blue Record

Need for speed mostwanted introduced me to this song

They throw in a major chord. Doug: “Major?” 😂😂

Man if you really want some challenge try Behemoth. It's a Polish blackened-death metal band and they recently released a new album. I believe "O Father, O Satan, O Sun" off of "The Satanist" would be best for you to listen to on the next Metal Monday.

Catching lyrics to metal music is a skill. I learned it a lot in high school when the lyrics were more important to me and it taught me a lot about how singers structure their words and tones. I would read the lyrics while listening to songs for albums I loved (System of a Down - Toxicity as an example) and it came more into perspective for me.

Thanks for the reaction! Brann Dailor is an amazing and crazy musician, speading drum fills in every tiny free space in the songs! I love it, even if sometimes it leads me to a drum overdose... And what a voice (when he sings)! Please, consider listening to "Sickle and Peace", from their latest album. Much calmer, and with an interesting structure. And with Brann singing the chorus! Thanks!

This is one of my favorite reaction videos of yours! I love how quick you pull out the key, the mode, the time signatures and all the nuances within.

The last Baron by Mastodon and I’ll make a charity donation!

maaann, from this album you should've listened to Hearts Alive, maybe Seabeast or Megalodon. :v

there's a version of the entire album performed by a string quartet, it's called A Taste of Chaos Ensemble, you should check it out also. :v

One of the greatest albums of the 21st century. Bar none.

Check out Bruce Dickinson solo material, recommend The Tower or Tears of the Dragon

Doug a listen through this entire album is HIGHLY recommended. Another Mastodon song I would love for you to check out Jaguar God, it's the closing song of their "Emperor of Sand" album which is a concept Album with metaphors to Cancer. One of their Proggiest songs. Other Mastodon prog masterpieces I'd recommend are: The Czar, The Last Baron, and Hearts Alive.

Wait until Doug gets back on the Gojira train. A taste with Amazonia, but Flying Whales etc will take him into a different plane.

Mr. Doug, listen to Obscura by Gorguts. You'll be impressed

Another great reaction Doug. Thanks for discussing the novel itself and the symbolism.

holy oh my fuck yes!

Great reaction Doug. That song was an opener to heavy metal for many people around 2006, mostly children or teenagers like me at that time. I heard this for the first time in the racing game Need For Speed: Most Wanted, released in 2005 and an classic in the genre. I'm 24y now. Anybody else heard Blood and Thunder because of the game?

The progressive Metal Band Voivod use diminished 7th chords pretty frequently, and we're a big influence on Mastodon. "Tornado" is a good example of the way the used them to build up tension, although "The Unknown Knows" might be a better overall introduction.

Mastodon is beyond great, what a band

Please do “Jaguar God” by them

You may like 'Hearts Alive' from the same album... Actually, the whole album is great.

Hey Doug! "Sleeping Giant" by Mastodon - One of the MOST BEAUTIFUL guitar-centric songs of all time. Will blow your mind!

Great choice Doug! The whole album is worth your time, such a killer opening track.

André Matos would have turned 51 last 9/14...how about getting Angra back on the channel, Doug? Many great songs to pick and I'm sure you'll like whichever you'd choose: Stand Away, Never Understand or Angels Cry, from Angels Cry; Make Believe, Silence And Distance or Nothing To Say from Holy Land; Lisbon, Fireworks or Gentle Change from Fireworks

One of the best metal bands around for the last few years. What a great song!

Please please please do more Mastodon. They are probably the greatest song writers of the last 20 years. Crack the skye is an absolute masterpiece of an album.

Neil Fallon has the voice of god and the beard to match, and Clutch is the most consistent band out there; they do no wrong and kill it every time. Definitely recommend checking them out!

Every mastodon album is better than the last

Would be great to hear you do the whole album!! You are so awesome picking apart these songs... ✌️

Georgia's masters of Prog Metal.

I love all of Mastodon's albums, but Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Crack the Skye are absolute masterpieces front to back that I can't recommend enough. Mastodon truly is the greatest rock/metal band of the 21st century.

Wow, that's an impressive reaction. It's really cool to see how you dissected the song in a way I've never quite seen before. Give Dillinger Escape Plan, Killer Be Killed, High On Fire, and some others a try.

TIL Neil Fallon did vocals on this track. Whoa.

Wanting Not so Much to as To - Dilliinger Escape Plan

I love this album, I hated Moby Dick

Brann Dailor is a god on the drums, hell of a vocalist too. Mastodon absolutely rules. Good stuff man, honestly you should do this whole album, one of the best metal albums of all time and widely considered a masterpiece that’s pretty much perfect, shit is legendary.

You must listen to "King Diamond - At the Graves", it will blow your brains out :)

mastodon is the best metal band, today

Great to see you check out a little classic Mastodon. This album is still the band in pure progressive sludge territory, much less melodic and ethereal than more recent works, but truly spectacular stuff. I love Neil's guest vocal. To me he has always been the voice of pure testosterone, and there are few more testosterone-fueled tales than Moby Dick.

any chance for some Clutch, perhaps? I'd go with 10001110101

Listen to the Rest! Then go and listen to the Newest album Hushed and Grim ! You will be blown Away! Best Metal Band in the 2000’s hands down.

Listen to the whole record please.

Splendid album. And Moby Dick is one of my favourite novels! For as much as I've enjoyed listening to Mastodon over the years, and it's frequently complex and thrilling music, I've never really paid much attention to their lyrics.

I think Mastodon is a band you could really dig into, much like Opeth and Maiden. Everything in their discography is beautiful in so many different ways. Their albums are best enjoyed in one sitting. Masters of their craft.

you should listen to "Autotheist Movement 1-3" by the band The Faceless. you'd get a kick out of the composition.

I already watched this from the future

I would be so thrilled if Clutch ever makes it to the channel.

I think you'd really get a kick out of Protest the Hero. One of the best kept secrets in all of progressive metal. They combine super technical playing with some more punk inspired elements and a sense of theatricality. A real musician's band, the type that re-releases all their tracks as instrumentals and left proper record labels to avoid being told what kind of music to write. Their most recent album, Palimpsest, is broadly about American mythology and its contradictions with actual history. I think the songs you'd find most interesting would be Soliloquy, which is about the gangster Baby Face Nelson or All Hands, which is about the Great Molasses Flood. My personal favorite is Little Snakes, which is a song about the theft of The Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore that's a bit more overtly political (drawing more from their punk elements).

CUUUUUUURSE YOU BAYLEEEEEEE!!!!!

Mastodon forever man. Aqua Dementia gets my vote for the next Mastodon to try out.

You have to listen to hearts alive, such a masterpiece

If I may recommend a song: Hadopelagic II: Let Them Believe by The Ocean

Hello... I hope in the close future we will see reaction to Visions by Haken. Their best song to my mind.

Still the best song of Mastodon and one of the best songs in the history of Metal!

cookie monster thrash not a fan

Doug and I resurrected a rainbow before it turned to madness.

I am once again here to suggest Celestial Elixir from Haken

Lol. You'll get used to the growls the more you listen to them. When you said you wished you could understand them better I had to laugh because it was very clear to me after more than 20 years of this kind of music lol.

Some others have commented that Crack the Skye album would be great as an entire album review. Yes.... Voivod has also been mentioned. Very cool French Canadian metal band from way back in the 80's still producing great music. Yes....

Capillarian Crest. Please. Hear me now believe me later, it'll blow your mind.

Hey Doug, as a bit of a recommendation I highly recommend listening to a song from Coheed and Cambria, their most popular one is Welcome Home but In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 is also a really good song, I'd love to hear your thoughts about them

Hell Doug..I cannot listen to anything but Dire Straits...Whats wrong with me,,,,>>>All the Best Ron The Philippines..

So, Ahab wrote the lyrics?

I had to replay 7:08 to 7:11 a few times and had a good laugh the first time: *Doug stops headbanging and freezes* "... major ?! ..."

Hi Doug I recommend Budgie you will liked

Mastadon music plays so very good on HD600s. I have some slight EQ to make up for the fact that it's not 3 grand electrostatics, but yeah, excellent headphone choice.

Well, seems ya gotta do CLUTCH one of these days. They cover several styles . Go deep-dive. Like #902 LOVE this channel, thanks, Doug!

Checkout Crack the Skye Doug, Brendan O'Brien produced and I think it's peak Mastodon - three vocalists and an absolute rollercoaster of a record.

I would appreciate a reaction to JPEGMAFIA - 1539 N Calvert it's very musically complex

Mastodon is one of the few American metal bands I like (and I’m American). They’re so phucking original.

Someone here on RU-vid did this entire album on the piano and it’s amazing and sounds like classical music, at least to me with no formal music education. But it’s amazing. You really can appreciate how dynamic Mastodon is. Anyone know the video I’m talking about?

On the whole I quite liked it, I just don't like growled vocals. I like a whole range of different styles when it comes to singing, like, Jon Anderson, Tom Waits, Greg Lake, Ian Anderson, Don Vanvliet, Kate Bush, Ozzy Osborne, Bjork, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Maddy Prior, June Tabor, Neil Young, Freddy Mercury for name but a few.

hi doug! in case you ever missed rad metal instrumentals, take a listen to "textures" by cynic. you will be completely blown. either that, or death's "voice of the soul"

Doug you gotta do More Than I Could Chew by Mastodon. Amazing song.

HI the song is called A BRIDGE THAT BINDS by SOUTHERN EMPIRE thanks again mate.

Great reaction. Anyway, can i request your reaction to superb band from japan? The band is call "Lovebites" They all The Beautiful Queens heavy metal band right now in the earth. They are really really World class musicians. Phenomenal. Many reactor has been reaction to them. And they have a lot diehard fans like me😁. The fans called Wolfpack. The song is "Set the world on fire" Hope you check out, and can enjoy it too. Big thanks🙏

Well delivered! Such a fantastic song and album. Their newest album Hushed and Grim would be a good one to follow up with to hear the evolution of the band.

Do the song Hearts Alive from this album!! A 13 minute masterpiece!

Hi Doug can you have a look at a Aussie band called SOUTHERN EMPIRE they are very good and have played around the world well worth a listen thanks mate cheers..

I got to see Mastodon open up for Ghost two weeks ago in Atlanta.

When you start to Joe Pesci "Ok. Ok. Ok ", you know it's badass.

_"Vengeance on a dumb brute!" cried Starbuck, "that simply smote thee from blindest instinct! Madness! To be enraged with a dumb thing, Captain Ahab, seems blasphemous."_ _"Hark ye yet again - the little lower layer. All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks. But in each event - in the living act, the undoubted deed - there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask. If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there’s naught beyond. But ’tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him._ _Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me."_

PLEAASSEE ...MACHINE HEAD ...ashestics of hate

I was doing weights the first time I listened to this song....I just put 10% more in every lift that day....

This MUST have a full album reaction at some point. It is such a great work! It's intense, to be sure, and a lot for "non-headbangers" but worth working through.

Go with all of Crack The skye! A modern progressive masterpiece

You haven't listened to Jaguar God Doug? I really thought you had, well then I guess you should :) It's super proggy and one of my favourites of theres.

If it helps they tune below 440 for the most part. Low to high: DGCFAD is their guitar tuning

important detail: it was Brann Dailor, the drummer, who wrote the riffs for this song (as well as several other songs in which he wrote guitars, drums and lyrics)

You should do something from Emperor of Sand. Jaguar God is a long one but it shows off everything Mastodon can do. Or Show Yourself if you want to hear a slightly different Mastodon sound

Please check out "Always" by Killswitch Engage

You should listen to some death metal. Like "Trapped in A Corner" by Death - that is an experience. That's some metal for monday. I have no doubt it'll keep your interest.