MASTODON have been cursed with the talent to create magnificent works of art out of their most painful personal moments. Feelings of loss and death lie beneath the surface of the prog metal masterpiece 'Crack the Skye' (2009) as well as in the gigantic triumph of 'The Hunter' (2011). It is not surprising then that after two years, in which death had been a regular visitor in the personal lives of the four musicians from Atlanta, Georgia, their response is not despair – but the absolute musical brilliance which lies before you in the form of 'Emperor of Sand.' read more