Mastodon

Emperor Of Sand finds Mastodon returning to a deeply imaginative and complex conceptual storyline that ponders the nature of time. Threading together the myth of a man sentenced to death in a majestically malevolent desert, the band conjures the grains of a musical and lyrical odyssey slipping quickly through a cosmic hourglass. "Emperor of Sand is like the grim reaper," says drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor. "Sand represents time. If you or anyone you know has ever received a terminal diagnosis, the first thought is about time. Invariably, you ask, ‘How much time is left?'"

Dream big, aim high, and unleash the beast within. That’s the philosophy behind Mastodon’s mutant form of prog-metallurgy, as evidenced on 2006’s Blood Mountain. Singer/guitarist Brent Hinds rages like a maddened prophet confronting every Angel of Hell imaginable, howling himself raw with defiance.

"Emperor Of Sand" finds Mastodon returning to a deeply imaginative and complex conceptual storyline that ponders the nature of time. Threading together the myth of a man sentenced to death in a majestically malevolent desert, the band conjures the grains of a musical and lyrical odyssey slipping quickly through a cosmic hourglass.

"Emperor Of Sand" finds Mastodon returning to a deeply imaginative and complex conceptual storyline that ponders the nature of time. Threading together the myth of a man sentenced to death in a majestically malevolent desert, the band conjures the grains of a musical and lyrical odyssey slipping quickly through a cosmic hourglass.

When his village is enslaved and his wife kidnapped by the malevolent Mastodon Mathematician, a simple farmer must find his inner warrior! Granted the form of the Sabertooth Swordsman by the Cloud God of Sasquatch Mountain, our hero embarks on a treacherous journey to the Mastodon's fortress, along the way getting beaten to a pulp by ogres, plague mutants, the king's army, and goats! From rising stars Damon Gentry (Eerie) and Aaron Conley (Prophet)! Pinups by Mike Allred, Brandon Graham, David Lafuente, and more!

'This tale begins Thomson's look at the early years of American fossil hunting. In addition to a history of paleontology, it is an account of the opening of the West and of how adventurous and often egotistical men mined the new land for fossils. The book explains how Darwinian evolution made the second half of this 'golden age' important scientifically, but Thomson really succeeds by bringing to life the fossil-finders and their world.' Marc Kaufman, Washington Post 'this unique and fascinating book… but what makes the book unique is that Thomson links the emergence of the new nation to the discovery of its fossils. Along the way, he turns up many surprising gems.' Michelle Press, Scientific American

"The Legacy of the Mastodon is a delicious read, instructive and amusing, and will entertain anyone who has wondered how we came to know the mastodon and its tribe."-Ross MacPhee, Nature

"A one-stop resource for understanding the major currents of vertebrae paleontology and associated sciences, plus all the relevant dramatis personae, right up to the end of the nineteenth century. This book is a gold mine."-Kevin Padian, University of California, Berkeley