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Here is a ranking of all eight Mastodon<\/a> studio albums, from worst to best.<\/p>\n When all is said and done, Mastodon\u00a0may\u00a0go down as the most important American heavy metal band of their generation \u2013 what Metallica<\/a>\u00a0were to the \u201880s and Pantera<\/a>\u00a0were to the \u201890s.<\/p>\n Bold words, to be sure, but what other\u00a0U.S. band has produced such a consistently innovative and unique discography, succeeding commercially on their own terms while leading heavy metal\u2019s ongoing evolution instead of following its assorted movements and scenes.<\/p>\n Mastodon\u2019s music stands apart from all that. It ain\u2019t metalcore, deathcore, thrash metal or even progressive metal, which they\u2019ve only been labeled for lack of a better term. If anyone sounds like Mastodon, it\u2019s their imitators because, certainly, no one sounded quite like Mastodon before Mastodon.<\/p>\n Though the band was assembled by experienced musicians (guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor<\/a> had played together in Lethargy and Today is the Day, bassist Troy Sanders and guitarist Brent Hinds<\/a> in Four Hour Fogger), they immediately carved a musical direction all their own with the technically proficient sludge metal of 2001\u2019s Lifesblood<\/em> EP and the next year\u2019s full-length Remission<\/em>.<\/p>\n But Mastodon really took off once they started infusing a broader array of heavy metal and even classic rock influences (Thin Lizzy<\/a>, anyone?) into their insistently powerful style on 2004\u2019s Leviathan<\/em>, \u201806\u2019s Blood Mountain<\/em> and \u201809\u2019s Crack the Skye<\/em> \u2013 all of which qualified as full-fledged concept albums, lending further depth to their likewise persistent intricate musicianship.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a021 Photos of Ex-Mastodon Guitarist Brent Hinds Through the Years<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Subsequent albums The Hunter<\/em> (2011) and Once More \u2018Round the Sun<\/em> (2014) found the band dropping those conceptual ambitions so as to focus on finessing their songwriting skills, losing none of their experimental penchant and immediately identifiable style, along the way, and putting fans on the edge of their seats, wondering what may come next.<\/p>\n In 2017, Mastodon debuted at No. 7 on the\u00a0Billboard<\/em> 200 and hit No. 1 on the Top Album Sales Chart<\/a> with the release of\u00a0Emperor of Sand<\/em>, still climbing the ladder of success. They later tried their hand at an experimental double album (2021’s\u00a0Hushed and Grim<\/em>), which proved to be their final record with Hinds before his 2025 dismissal from the group<\/a> and death months later at age 51<\/a>.<\/p>\n See how they all stack up in the ranking below.<\/p>\n See how we ranked all eight of Mastodon’s studio albums from worst to best.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n So much metal, so many subgenres, but these songs stood out above the crowd in furthering heavy music over the last 25 years.<\/p>\n Contributions by Jordan Blum (JB), Chad Childers (CC), Joe DiVita (JD), John Hill (JH) and Lauryn Schaffner (LS).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subscribe to Loudwire on YouTube<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nMastodon Albums Ranked From Worst to Best<\/h2>\n
The 25 Best Metal Songs of the Last 25 Years (2000-2024)<\/h2>\n