Classical Composer Reacts to Oblivion (Mastodon) | The Daily Doug (Episode 260) 

Oblivion is a good song, but The Last Baron is definetly their Magnus Opus. Truly a masterpiece of a track

Crack The Skye should be enjoyed as a whole. The album is meant to be listened to in one sitting. It's amazing.

To me this is their best album, it can be listened through and interpreted as a single song and it works beautifully. They also released a instrumental version of this album as well. Seeing this performed live as one long song was definitely a bucket list moment. 🦣🦣 They also do weird cool stuff like how for their first 3 albums they closed out each album with a beautiful instrumental song dedicated to Joseph Merrick aka The Elephant man Remission - Elephant Man Leviathan - Joseph Merrick Blood Mountain - Pendulous Skin

As a huge Mastodon fan it's always fun to see people's reaction to thier amazing music! Thanks for the video.

Thank you SO MUCH for including Mastodon! Looking forward to any and all future reactions to them from you.

Just discovered your channel. Love it. So many of the reaction videos don't actually explain any of the musically theory. So thank you for that!

They’re an absolutely FANTASTIC band. I hope you do some more of their songs on The Daily Doug!

I like how you dug into the lyrics, really appreciated. Thanks for this episode.

Powerful video. The quote, “what is mentionable is manageable” particularly moved me, because I’m coming to terms with realities about my childhood and stepfather that I had never known before, all of which have been strange and awkward to talk about. Even the theme of oblivion is also powerful, because I feel like some of the memory and image that I had held him up to is a little tarnished and has to be let go.

Thanks for the immensely detailed and thorough breakdown of one of my all time favorite Mastodon tracks! Keep up the great content.

Really appreciate the content, Doug! Love your thoughtful approach and dissections as well

Oh man, The Last Baron or The Czar from the same album...just gold.

Hey Doug! New fan, long time audiophile. I'd love for you to hear about King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard! They use a massive variety of musical devices, alternate tuning, and psychedelic approaches. Their discography started with mostly surf rock leading into a very wide genre of rock. Over time they've developed their harmonies in beautiful ways, they use polyrhythms and polymeters, microtonal tuning, and intense attention to detail. A good place to start would be "Crumbling Castle" from their album Polygondwanaland. But their most recent album (Butterfly 3000) has such a unique approach it's crazy.

Great reaction, and we’ll done doing your research. You really dug deep into the meaning. One of the better reactions to this song I’ve seen. Keep it going? More MASTODON!

The Czar (Tzar) and Seabeast have the best riff from whole Mastodon's discography!

sensitive analysis about a very beautiful and powerful piece of music, thank you!

bro i'm a huge mastodon fan but i definitely was not aware of the story about brann's sister and you telling that story seriously had me tearing up thats so rough. and this is one of my favourite songs by them and now it has a much much deeper meaning. thanks for being awesome doug!

Never was able to get into this band. Those solos are epic though, and the chorus is surprisingly catchy

Time for a Mercyful Fate Monday, I'd say. Try "Night of the Unborn".

Good video! Please, continue with the rest of songs of this masterpiece.

Really appreciate his applying music theory and also delving into and understanding the lyrics. The Mr. Rogers reference. Yes! You have a new subscriber. My son has a music degree and I played bass for years; we discuss music together much like he does here.

Cradle of Filth - Dusk and her embrace (studio version)

It’s about time. There’s a huge amount of material to draw from for truly good music for your channel. I think you’ll dig Rishloo as well. Like mastodon, they’re best understood after listening more than once.

The whole album deserves a deep dive. A lot of people don't like the direction Mastodon has taken but they continue to grow. It's like their music matures as they get mature. Not to take anything away from the Blood and Thunder folks but Mastodon just continues to bring it. Every album has unbelievable music and lyrics.

Oh this is gonna be amazing!

Excellent track to start falling into the Mastodon hole, dig deeper into that band backwards and forwards in time. I still get shivers in the chorus, even after all these years. Their new album is pretty much beyond everything.

Love that Mastodon has three singers and they are all unique. Great band.

Amazing reaction

Favorite band of course Crack The Skye is my favorite album.

I love the read in you do. I’ve started doing it for each song I learn now. Great habit

I love the fact you do your due diligence and it shows in your commentary thank you brother I hope you enjoy Mastodon some of their stuff is repetitious but they do have Epic songs that should be radio Worthy but somehow they're not

It's also a concept album about a paraplegic in Czarist Russia that has out of body experiences to escape his confines. He flew too close to the Sun and burned the golden tether/umbilical cord that connects spirit to body. The rest of the album is his soul trying to return to his body before it gets buried.

Plenty to go at with Mastodon, i think you'll find them really interesting from a compositional point of view. Brent Hinds is a master at avoiding so many cliched metal chord progressions. Also, Brann is a beast on the ol' skins.

Mastodon is one of my absolute favorites. Every album is so unique from the next. Would love to see your take on Between the Buried and me!

I cried when I learned about the meaning behind the song ...

this is my favourite band, for whatever that’s worth. Crack the Skye is a concept album telling a reslly cool story featuring astral projection, time travel… Really solid production from start to end. Probably their best album. But Blood Mountain is my fav album, the opening track is aptly named: The Wolf is Loose. Subbed because of the Grudge, but have been watching for a while. Thanks for the free lectures… 😎

This song always makes me weepy

it's later than this, but several guys in the band were.touched by cancer😢😢

How about a metal Monday with Myrath! A fantastic band from Tunisia where you will hear lots of middle eastern sounds woven into a hard rock/metal platform.

I'm only 4:17 into this I really like that he's touching on modes and he just said I think their going to stay in C I can't wait to hear his reaction when the verse comes in from out of nowhere that could be expected. That's one of the most unexpected things I've heard in a song is the way they just come in with a verse that shouldn't even fit yet they make it work.

Absolutely love Metal, Rock, Prog, but never got Mastodon and I tried....But love the Daily Doug!!

Finally. Mastodon Monday. Keep it up. They’re catalogue is epic. A band that has evolved in so many ways. Infinitely interesting and infinitely fascinating. Check out Capillarian Crest.

Enjoy the faces and the whooos 🤘 musicians know 🤣❤️

You're not wrong about the Icarus mythology connection. There's a lot of heavy subject matters that the guys threw into Crack The Skye. Brann did literally try to dig up Skye's grave with his bare hands but a lot of the actual music was inspired by Brent Hinds' experience in a coma. He was drunk at MTV's Video Music Awards in Vegas and ended up getting in a fight with The Rev. Horton Heat & the bassist from System of a Down and cracked his skull on the curb. It's kinda a miracle that he's alive without any brain damage, but during the time he was in a coma Brent said he experienced astral projection. He describes seeing Saturn's rings with like a spiritual umbilical cord connecting his soul back to his body - on the album there's artwork depicting this. He also described how he came out of the coma: He felt his umbilical cord being tugged when a nurse was changing his catheter, came back to earth, woke up, and promptly threw up all over himself and the poor nurse. Over the next several months of recovery he wrote most of the music for Crack the Skye while suffering from insane vertigo. TL;DR The theme of Icarus is definitely part of Crack the Skye. All the band members put their blood and sweat into making it a great album.

Crack the Skye is their Masterpiece imo. Perhaps the most tragedy filled band in Metal, they are very good at channeling their bad mojo into wonderful music.

Please do "Naked burn" next. The subject matter along with the instrumental feel of the song may be something to look into.

Mario Frangoulis Nights in White Satin, have a listen, one of those rare instances when an Opera Singer does contemporary music and it really works, you might recognise the singer who joins at the end, he wrote it!

hoping for more Mastodon mondays I think the title track is more specifically about Brann's sister, it has Scott Kelly from Neurosis on guest vocals, and it's fucking powerful Roots Remain is another track I feel is powerful, particularly if you know the background full album reaction for Leviathan? it's a metal album more or less about Moby Dick of all things

You should listen to the whole album sir. Will blow your mind

Most of Mastodon albums were born of or intertwined with tragedy. Go for Ghost of Karelia next.

You've dipped your foot in the sludge/doom genre, Doug. Glad to see it. You should check out YOB.

Negative energy is where it all flows from and to get to the point where you can break away from that and move into positive energy is the sole that every human needs to tap into very quickly as a matter of fact or else we might end up in a dark Bleak call of Doom

Would love to see you go through this whole album song by song.

Please do Dimmu Borgir "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse"

Glad you did some Mastodon. And Oblivion is one of the greatest metal song ever written. 🤘 May I recommend you to react on Beyond Creation - Earthborn Evolution. Thanks

Holy hell. I thought you're never gonna play them. You should do "The Last Baron" too!

You should hit up Divinations next! Full album review! I think this disc might be their masterpiece!

What I find impressive about this song is, that the harmony in the chorus are parallel 5ths (A#/D# to G/C) over a Cm9 chord. I believe it's a jazz influence and not commonly heard in metal.

Great album.

I'm not their biggest fan, except this song, but Brann is a beast of a drummer, all the while he's also singing.

I cried when he said Brann

HUSHED AND GRIMM NEW fantastic album

Doug, check out their song Colony of Birchmen. You'll love it.

You should check "The Czar", it's from the same album and it's probably their best song imho.

Excellent choice. Killer band Mastodon is. The Czar is my favourite off Crack the Skye. Any chance you could feature Haken’s ‘Cockroach King’ ?

Yes! I knew I wasn’t the only one that got Ozzy vibes from their vocals…especially this album…. 🤘🏼

Saw them on their 10th anniversary of Crack the Skye tour and I'm not kidding when I say I would pay $1000 to have the visuals they released as an AMV

My Mastodon recommendations, take it for what it is worth: Dry Bone Valley High Road A Commotion Eyes of Serpents Steambreather Toe to Toes Sleeping Giant The Last Baron *No particular order

Mr. Helvering, Stravinsky said that there are only two kinds of music, good and bad. How do we know that what we are listening is good music? For instance, something I learned in my musical training is the difference between tonal and modal music. There is also the issue of harmonic progressions, or the lack of them and what is in their place. Perhaps you might want to add these elements to your evaluations of bands.

I enjoy listening to you, Mr. Doug. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mastodon! They are going to break huge in the near future...their music is incredible! Keep Rockin'! Oblivion, btw, is not one of their better songs, imho...

Next Mastodon reaction: Jaguar God

Mastodon = The Pink Floyd of Metal

My first high school band was called Oblivion. It's safe to say we were not on the same level as Mastadon lol.

Check out the new double album. It's the bands best work in years.

Great choice for your first Mastodon. Perhaps their single greatest song. The spectacular solo sounds like David Gilmore. The video is coo, too. Each musician contributed a personal song to this album. On the CD, the next sound you hear is a claw hammer banjo riff. Brent’s goal is to write the mother of all riffs. But pay attention to the drums.

Thanks as always for the insightful commentary. Would love to hear your thoughts on Russian Circles. "Mladek" or "Afrika" are great tracks that I feel really display the sonic depth they can create as a three-piece.

Hopefully you check out their previous albums too. Megalodon off of Leviathan is essential.

Mastodon Monday? Mastodonday.

...You should probably check couple other songs by Mastodon! =) Not to mention they are plain great live. Maybe checking live versions would be even better.

Now It's GOJIRA time Doug!

SKY OVERTURE by Uli Jon Roth!!!!!!!!

I remember I first heard Mastodon when their first single, March of the Fire Ants, came on MTV late night. I knew then they were going to be big. They were the first band I'd heard since Metallica that seemed to be making metal that was really catchy/memorable but without sacrificing an ounce of heaviness or aggression. Then Leviathan (their second album) came out and, sure enough, it was a massive hit and one of the candidates for the best metal album of the 00s. After Leviathan they basically became a prog metal band on Blood Mountain and Crack the Skye. I loved Blood Mountain, but I think they lost some of what made them unique on Crack the Skye (fwiw, most fans vehemently disagree with me). After that they kinda went back to basics with their subsequent albums, almost transforming into a hard rock band ala 90s Metallica. Fans have been split over the change. I think they've been good, but I also don't think they ever quite lived up to the promise of Leviathan and Blood Mountain, which to me were their peak.

i would love to see you react to toe to toes by mastodon

Well I haven't scrolled the entire section, yet I see a lot of highly upvoted strings saying specific songs (mostly The Last Baron) would have been preferred choices... But come on, this is from Crack The Skye. It's a concept album, the entire thing is wrapped together so tightly that six of the seven total tracks are directly connected by fading outros leading into the next. I personally can't find myself enjoying The Czar without Quintessence, nor The Last Baron without Crack the Skye. Even Ghost of Karelia takes an important spot, serving as a subtle buffer between two sprawling double features... Hell, hearing Oblivion without so much as the banjo section that leads into Divinations? Seriously, the album release spaces the cuts so the split is right where the lead instrument of the next track comes in, not at the "ending" where someone who only wants the one song can comfortably check out! All this is not to say that I'm particularly upset with Doug for doing this video the way he did, nor any of the commenters here for naming favorites from such a landmark album in this band's history rather than encouraging him to go through CtS as a whole... it's just a little disappointing, that's all.

Very Ozzy like in that part for sure

This album is both about skye and also tells a story of a kid in a hospital who astral projects and is summoned into the body of rasputin, simultaneously.

Yeah, Troy Sanders can sound like Ozzy at certain times. I think he's their most interesting and versatile vocalist.

Could you react to Jason Becker’s ‘Perpetual Burn’. Or any of the works of the Japanese composer ‘Revo’ in his compositions for the game ‘Bravely Default’?

Love Mastodon. Steambreather is their best song imo

Finally, Doug finds a metal band that almost never uses double kick drums. Whatever you do though, don't interview Brent Hinds. He'll say crazy nonsense that'll make you regret interviewing him just to mess with you He wrote most music in this album, by the way The album, like all early Mastodon albums, is a bit dualistic and has two concepts intertwining The song both tells about Skye and the trauma of her, and also a protagonist who stuck in spirit world when he's astral voyaging and he got seperated from his body. That flying beyond the Sun thing is about that. He broke the cord that held him to himself

there best album, and the last baron there best song

Megladon is a great tune of theirs, probably my favourite although Sultans Curse comes a close 2nd.

la voz de uno de mastodon se parece un poquito a la de ozzy osbourne

hey prof. doug, can we get a shirt that says "Y'all" + some very music nerdy things on it? Maybe one of the music theory concepts you've mentioned in these Daily Dougs

If you're thinking about making more videos about Mastodon, i recommend the song Sleeping Giant!

10:30 You'll find that plenty of Mastodon's material is inspired by the band members' personal tragedies and losses. Crack the Skye is about Skye Dailor, the album The Hunter was named so after guitarist Brent Hinds' brother died in a hunting accident, the album Emperor of Sand is a whole bunch of allegory and metaphor about the fight against cancer because guitarist Bill Kelliher's mom died of it and bassist Troy Sanders' wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. And their latest album Hushed and Grim was inspired by the passing of longtime friend and manager of the band Nick John

I sincerely hope that this is the start of going down the rabbit hole with Mastodon. I sure would enjoy a reaction to the album "Emperor of Sand" from beginning to end!

Mastodon's tag-team of vocals is such a brilliant element in their music, as this song shows: Brann sings the verses, Troy sings the pre-choruses, and Brent is in charge of the choruses. Vocal harmonies by whomever whenever. Quite splendid.

Oh, I would've wished for a reaction to the real prog epic of this album (The Last Baron). It's got so many twists and turns. Oblivion is a great introduction to Mastodon though.

They're an interesting band. There really isn't a lead singer - in almost every song more than one guy will sing lead at some point. Here Brann sings on the verses, Troy on the bridge, and Brent's voice is clearest on the chorus. And Brann is an AMAZING drummer.