In a recent interview with Kyle Meredith, Mastodon’s vocalist, and bassist, Troy Sanders, shared insight into the band’s next studio steps following their 2021 release Hushed and Grim. When asked about their creative process, Sanders noted (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Thankfully, we don’t really sit down. Nothing is really preconceived as far as musically. Whatever riffs are happening with people in the band, those come to the forefront. And if we like it, then we dig in on it and we try to get it to a spot where it can become hopefully a good song.”
He added that potential storylines for the new album could emerge organically, saying, “The storyline, if we decide to have one on the next album, that will come if someone brings in an idea, like, ‘Hey, guys, I’ve been thinking about this thing. What do you think of ta-da-da?’ And if it sounds interesting, compelling, then we’ll dig in and give it a go maybe.”
After three years of touring Hushed and Grim, the band is excited to start working on new material. Sanders explained that they’ve been collecting demo ideas over the years and now that they are back from tour, they’re ready to dive in: “We're excited to dig into some new music. That's for damn sure. But nothing is written in blood or set in stone. But also nothing is off limits. If someone comes and says, 'What do you think of this, guys? Just hear me out.' And if it sounds interesting and unique and potentially fun to pursue, then we're in. We never really think, like, 'Hey, the last record was long. It was good. It was long and dark and the subject matter was really sad. So we need to do something different.' Well, we're gonna do something different anyway. But we're not gonna do anything just to try to please our fanbase. We're not gonna do anything to purposely try to appeal to a new fanbase or anything like that. We've always just felt confident in whatever we do, people will see through it as authentic, and whether they like it or not, it's not in our hands anyway.”
"We've got a lot of loose demos that we've been collecting over the years of touring. So now that we're home, I'm excited to call the guys here in a few days after everyone reacclimates to home after a seven-week tour and be, like, 'Hey, what's happening? How are you feeling? Do you want to dig in? Are you ready? You guys ready?'," Sanders added.
When asked whether playing Leviathan during the “Ashes of Leviathan” co-headlining tour with Lamb of God could influence their new album, Sanders responded: “Good question. We were proud to play that record every night for the past month and a half. It didn’t feel like simply nostalgia. It felt like, ‘Hey, this is a cool record.’ We know what it did for us. A lot of people love it. There’s tons of people out there enjoying it as we’re playing it live.”
On whether elements of Leviathan could influence the next album, Sanders said: “It’s very possible that some of that ferocity and some of those quick riffs will be, like, ‘Hey…’ This is fun to play. It’s very fun to play. So I wouldn’t be surprised if some Leviathan creeps in. But it’s still in the early stages.”
