NEWSLETTER

Metal band Mastodon mastered proggy riffs and thundering drums to on their latest, Blood Mountain (Reprise). That album’s “Colony of Birchmen,” which features Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, appears on the set list in Rock Band 2.

Why did you want to include “Colony of Birchmen” in Rock Band 2?

Troy Sanders, bass/vocals: We have to spread the Mastodon love—the Masto-love. We do this for a living. We believe in our music. We were quite flattered and honored that they even approached us.

In terms of complexity, how would you rate “Colony of Birchmen” against your more daring songs?

“Birchmen” follows a more standard path of song. It’s got a catchy sung melodic verse. It’s got a prechorus. It’s got a really catchy dual-sung chorus, and then a kick-ass guitar solo at the end. It’s your classic rock and roll song. It’s not challenging like a DragonForce song or some of our other songs. Obviously, someone at that company liked the song itself, and that’s probably why that song was chosen. I mean, would we rather have one of our really bizarre, tricked-out, incredibly tough, insane songs on there? Hell yeah. We were just thrilled that they would approach us.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to lock into the groove?

Well, I would say “Close your eyes and drift off into Fantasyland,” but you have to keep your eyes open when you’re playing that game. So, my advice is don’t close your eyes. And for God’s sake keep your pants on when you’re playing our song. People are gonna wanna get naked. Please keep your eyes open and your pants on.

How will your new record be different from Blood Mountain?

We really stretched our soundscapes and our textures, and we tried to find creepy and darker vocal melodies to accommodate the songs. We’re using cleaner, creepier vocals over the entire record. That’s the biggest departure.

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