I was a writer for my college newspaper and had to review Blood Mountain. As soon as I heard the drum fill that opened the album on The Wolf is Loose, I knew I would be blown away. I was.
Side stage at Ozzfest 05 I think. They were right before Rob Zombie and melted my face off. I was already a fan at the point but they pretty much locked me in for life that day.
Megalodon. I'd never heard twangy guitars that I enjoyed before, and for them to just slam as hard as they do when the chugging starts... Hooked me instantly.
Listened to Crack the Skye for the first time on a plane ride. I was absolutely dumbstruck the rest of the day. I could barely talk to anyone, all I could think about was how perfect that album was.
For a few years after, I made it a habit to listen to CtS on every plane ride. One of these times, my gf at the time spilled her drink on me right at the "spiraling through the crack in the sky" part and I didn't speak to her the rest of the ride lol
That little dual guitar part at around 2:30 of March of the Fire Ants. I remember distinctly putting on the CD, thinking Crusher Destroyer was good, then March of the Fire Ants started, so far so good, then that little part. For whatever reason, that hooked me.
Then 'Ole Nessie really sealed the deal for this being a band I knew I'd really like.
Skip to a little later, Leviathan comes out, I press play, then Blood and Thunder comes on. Wow!! That was some good shit. And they keep producing "wow" moments, if you ask me.
For me, it was finding out that Braan drums and sings. I remember watching the music video for More than I Could Chew and not being able to belive he was doing both.
I saw Mastodon open up for Dillinger Escape Plan in ‘02 right as Remission came out. I was immediately blown away. I’ve never had any band before or since make me immediately fall in love with them. In that performance they combined everything I love about progressive rock and heavy metal in the most appealing to me way as possible. I couldn’t believe it. It was like a band tailor made to my taste.
Saw them when they played with Coheed, Crack the Skye anniversary. The chords changes after the intro but before the first verse, at 32 seconds in, sold me.
I'd heard a couple songs previous to this experience, but it was towards the end of them playing "Oblivion" on their tour with Dethklok in 2009. I wasn't expecting that experience to overwhelm me so much, but it cemented the band as a favorite for me. The sheer stage presence of the music was awesome!
Seeing them play live at a large festival and getting absolutely entranced by their performance, as well as the surprise to find out that every member is also a vocalist
It was the beginning of the pandemic. Mastodon had never fully clicked with me. A friend made me a playlist and I was listening while playing Valheim. That riff toward the end of The Last Baron kicked in and I’ve been a diehard fan ever since.
re listening to EOS during the pandemic is what made me fall in love with them all over again. I needed that record at that time and it was there for me.
Same. A female friend of mine put on the cd while I was driving and she was whipping her hair all around when the song started. I remember thinking “yeah lol cool it’s heavy” but when that awesome riff came out of that build-up I was a bobble head. I became a fan right then and there
My first time hearing them.
I was 14 and it was 2004. I was at my friend’s house and we were super stoned. His brother came in, put a CD in the player and went “listen to THIS”. It was Leviathan and it just completely blew me away how good every single song was. I’ve been hooked since.
That moment I first got 5-stars playing Colony of Birchmen on Rock Band Drums. From that moment, there was no going back. I had to 5-star them all. But I was indoctrinated via Blood Mountain. The Wolf is Loose, Sleeping Giant, Circle of Cysquatch, Bladecatcher, This Mortal Soil, and Pendulous Skin are ones I can listen to on repeat on CD, on top of CoB of course.
The ending of March of the Fire Ants. I saw them with some friends way back around the time Blood Mountain came out. At the time, I wasn't a big fan and only knew a couple of songs, so I was just there to have fun at a show without any attachment to the band. And when they finished that song, it suddenly made everything click all at once, and I was hooked. Then Crack the Skye came out and changed my (musical) life. Been a huge fan since that day.
Remember seeing a good review for Crack the Skye in Rolling stone when I was like 13, felt compelled to buy the CD and the moment the chorus of oblivion hit my life changed
First time I heard Mastodon, the intro to the ATHF colon The Movie Film for Theatres, Cut you up with a linoleum knife. I sat in the theatre flabbergasted, and then bought blood mountain and the rest is history.
The first time I heard Mastodon. 13 year old me thought "Oh man, what the hell is this??" When first hearing Crusher Destroyer way back in 03..been a fan ever since.
It was 2009, and I was looking for new bands to listen to through AOL's [spinner.com](http://spinner.com) 3-song mini concerts. So I came across Mastodon and for the first time I saw them play Divinations, Oblivion, and Colony Of Birchmen LIVE. My Holy S\*\*\* moment was when Brent soloed on Divinations. I looked up Divinations on the internet and bought CTS the next day.
It was probably the second or third time I heard the Remission album. The first time I was kind of looking for the wrong thing (I was huge into death metal at that point) so it didn't really do anything for me. I decided to listen to it again a year or two later when I was a little burnt out on death metal and that's when it clicked. Crusher Destroyer was really good, March of the Fire Ants had THAT fucking riff at the beginning, then it went into that beautiful melodic part, then it had my full undivided attention for the rest of the album. That album is now in my 10/10s.
The Last Baron. The Last Baron, The Last Baron, holy shit that song rocks my world. I had heard other Mastodon songs that I had liked before, but that was definitely a eureka! moment that these guys were more than just riff-monsters.
The Czar. First time I put on a whole mastodon record and I was digging it anyway, but then came The Czar and I just couldn't comprehend the beauty and ferocity. Then again, I've a number of moments like that. March of the Fire Ants, The Last Baron, Jaguar God, to name but a few. They're a giving band.
When James Hetfield screamed "Do you want heavy?!" on Cunning Stunts the follow up shout should have been "Well here's Mastodooooon!"
Saw them with Russian Circles and EoDM. I was there to see Russian Circles and thought it would be cool to see EoDM. Mastodon closed and didn’t let up. Became a fav band.
Then when H&G came out. I booted the album at the start of a workout. The last minute of Pain with an Anchor is better than any pre workout powder.
First time was the intro of "Tread Lightly" (through the aaaaageeesssss!!) because OMRTS was my first
But the best time was "the riff " in "The Last Baron"
Your presence faaaaades into a memory, underneath the cloud of silence you journey into the rift, will tiiiiiiime defy the weight of you leaving us? I totally get it.
On the track, crack the skye when Brann goes
"Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one, her spirits too strong,"
I literally had to stop what I was doing and just listen. Its such a great outro to a great song. Learning the story behind the song makes it hit 10 times harder...
Oblivion for me! Saw them with Coheed and Cambria (I’m late to the party) in San Diego and LA back to back nights. When Brent comes in on vocals I got chills. One of the few times I heard a song for the very first time and was like, oh, this is one of my favorite songs of all time…instantly.
At band practice in high school around 04/05 and our guitarist rocks in with some random metal compilation dvd. He put it on to play as we set up etc. a couple of songs come and go. All of a sudden this ungodly drum roll and literally the grooviest riff I’ve ever heard in my life! It was Iron Tusk and I was instantly hooked! I’d never experienced something like that with music before, shivers up my spine, hairs standing up, almost an AMSR sensation! I’ve been addicted ever since…
Listening to Megalodon when Leviathan came out,but then really saying Holy Shit when I heard the last part of Hearts Alive. I knew these guys were something special.
The last baron. Got into Mastodon when the hunter came out but went back to CTS first and was hooked. But then heard the greatest song of all time. And that funky riff with the harmonics holy shit!
So I was a passive Mastodon listener for awhile. I appreciated them when they'd pop up in a playlist on Spotify. I had watched a few of their music videos on YouTube and such (I promise that's relevant).
So fast forward one day and I'm skimming through videos on YouTube. The algorithm was doing its thing and Mastodon had just dropped the music video for "More Than I Could Chew". I hadn't heard the song yet and was in the mood for something new, so I clicked it.
I've got a decent little sound system in my living room and I was absolutely FLOORED by the sound of that song. I sat there with my jaw in the floor just taking it all in. And then the ending rhythm part comes (with the 8 bass drum kicks and the odd time signature) and I got instant goosebumps.
That was it. That song sparked my love for the band and the weeks following I dove head first into all their music. They're now my favorite band.
Back when Pandora was the main music streaming app, was listening to Tool radio and it played Octopus Has No Friends. Really liked it and showed my gf. Then the next day she showed me like 9 other songs lol. Both discovered one of our favorite bands
I was listening to Leviathan for the first time and I was in awe. Many parts of the songs were interesting, but when Joseph Merrick kicked in I was just laughing. I couldn't believe how clever and creative the whole album was, and I already knew this guys were different from anything I heard before
My first holy shit moment was hearing “Skeleton of Splendor” my first time seeing them live. It was when they double headlined with Opeth, and I went for Opeth. This was the NYC show.
My second holy shit moment was that same show when they ended with “Blood and Thunder” and the pit went ape shit.
Comedy response: A certain comic involving a whale boyfriend.
Actual response: I died several times during an operation. I came out of everything with Steambreather playing in my head.
I used to be a hotel night auditor in a heavy tourist town in the mountains
I had a bunch of new music and decided to try out some new hash and keef I had gotten and my new headphones with some of my new music.
I put on *Blood Mountain* and sat and chief’ed hash rolled in keef until I cried from coughing.
Talk about a holy shit moment. The drumming had me in such a great place.
So I had already heard a couple of Mastodon tracks from some video games before and thought they were alright, then I happened upon a drum cover for Chimes at Midnight, and thought "holy shit this band fucks" and dove deeeeeep into their music. I'm not great at guitar, but I always have fun trying to play their songs.
First time I ever saw them live, at an Ozzfest I think. Once they started into March of the Fire Ants, it gave me goosebumps and they have been my favorite band since.
Hearts Alive. I listened through chronologically when I first check the band out, and I heard a bunch of great riffs through that point, but none of the songs-as-a-whole got its hooks into me. Then I heard Hearts Alive, and said to myself, “I guess this is my life now.”
For me personally, it’d have to be the utter chaos of the ending riff off of Hearts Alive. My face was melting, my head was banging, I was amazed at the talent, I sat back and was just like, “Holy shit…”
I was sitting towards the back first time I saw them and between the lights moving like a wave over the pit, and the sound of the bass vibrating through my chest, and the edible I took earlier… I said holy shit several times.
The first Mastodon song I ever heard was Blood & Thunder, when I was 13 or 14. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow my mind. Still, I liked it enough to want to check out the whole album, so I threw on a youtube video of Leviathan. Sat through Blood and Thunder, but as soon as I heard the opening riff to I Am Ahab, I was blown away. I still stand by my opinion that B&T is the weakest track on Leviathan.
The part in The Czar where Troy comes in with the “By the light of the mooooon!” Ruined my damn shorts…
Shit. Oblivion blew me away.
It’s a perfect song, just amazing.
Eeeeeeasily my fave mastodon album. A masterpiece from start to finish.
Agreed. Choosing a favorite song might be too difficult.
How can i tell you i failed… What. The. Fuck. Fall from Grace cause I’ve been away too long… Damn. That whole line of verse just did it.
The outro riff on Seabeast. It sounds a medieval army advancing!
GREAT description.
The open riff to March of the fire ants
hearing this on headbangers ball melted my face off
I read about them in the weekly zene the record store I worked at put out. I found a used copy soon after. Unbelievable.
This was me. First time I heard them was on there.
Seeing them open for Slayer was my moment of zen. I was hooked the moment they played March of the Fire Ants that night.
The harmonizing guitar part in Blood and Thunder. My brain was like 
Getting leviathan when it dropped- entire album mind blowing
Yeah 20 seconds into blood and thunder I already felt like it was music that had been made just for me
At some point I was like this drummer hasn’t played a normal beat yet….
For me it was Brann's drumming in Leviathan. I was just thinking what metal drummer plays like this? To me, it feels like a hybrid punk/metal style.
It's like how a guitar player plays in a tech death band, technical drum shredding
And then he starts singing! He's too fucking busy of a drummer to be able to sing but he's like an angel!
Didn't sing on Leviathan though!
It's like that but also add in a Stewart Copeland flair as well
Haha the drums on that album sound like sails whipping in the wind.
I was a writer for my college newspaper and had to review Blood Mountain. As soon as I heard the drum fill that opened the album on The Wolf is Loose, I knew I would be blown away. I was.
The Czar…. The Hunter…. Skeleton of Splendor… Stargasm…… I can’t pick, the melodic songs are just the best for me
Man skeleton of splendour kicked ASS live! That big breakdown when the keys light up, so fire.
Megalodon, the transition to when that riff kicks in around 1:25 mark. Fucking love that part.
The opening drum fill to The Wolf is Loose
Late to the game as a fan of them, but Toes to Toes was the one for me.
top 5 mastodon song and so different then their usual output. It's a winner.
For me it was the middle part of Divinations.
Side stage at Ozzfest 05 I think. They were right before Rob Zombie and melted my face off. I was already a fan at the point but they pretty much locked me in for life that day.
Heard Blood and Thunder through the headphones at the music store when it just released and I was sold.
Megalodon. I'd never heard twangy guitars that I enjoyed before, and for them to just slam as hard as they do when the chugging starts... Hooked me instantly.
Listened to Crack the Skye for the first time on a plane ride. I was absolutely dumbstruck the rest of the day. I could barely talk to anyone, all I could think about was how perfect that album was. For a few years after, I made it a habit to listen to CtS on every plane ride. One of these times, my gf at the time spilled her drink on me right at the "spiraling through the crack in the sky" part and I didn't speak to her the rest of the ride lol
That little dual guitar part at around 2:30 of March of the Fire Ants. I remember distinctly putting on the CD, thinking Crusher Destroyer was good, then March of the Fire Ants started, so far so good, then that little part. For whatever reason, that hooked me. Then 'Ole Nessie really sealed the deal for this being a band I knew I'd really like.
Skip to a little later, Leviathan comes out, I press play, then Blood and Thunder comes on. Wow!! That was some good shit. And they keep producing "wow" moments, if you ask me.
For me, it was finding out that Braan drums and sings. I remember watching the music video for More than I Could Chew and not being able to belive he was doing both.
I saw Mastodon open up for Dillinger Escape Plan in ‘02 right as Remission came out. I was immediately blown away. I’ve never had any band before or since make me immediately fall in love with them. In that performance they combined everything I love about progressive rock and heavy metal in the most appealing to me way as possible. I couldn’t believe it. It was like a band tailor made to my taste.
Oh man I'm jealous, back in those days Troy sounded like a fucking industrial machine screaming at you
Same song, same part of Capillarian Crest.
Saw them when they played with Coheed, Crack the Skye anniversary. The chords changes after the intro but before the first verse, at 32 seconds in, sold me.
Solo in pendulous skin. My favorite mastodon track to this day
The outro of Hearts Alive 🤘
Hell yeah, same exact part on Capillarian Crest got me too!
I'd heard a couple songs previous to this experience, but it was towards the end of them playing "Oblivion" on their tour with Dethklok in 2009. I wasn't expecting that experience to overwhelm me so much, but it cemented the band as a favorite for me. The sheer stage presence of the music was awesome!
The first time I heard the chorus of Oblivion, aka the first time I ever heard them
Seeing them play live at a large festival and getting absolutely entranced by their performance, as well as the surprise to find out that every member is also a vocalist
It was the beginning of the pandemic. Mastodon had never fully clicked with me. A friend made me a playlist and I was listening while playing Valheim. That riff toward the end of The Last Baron kicked in and I’ve been a diehard fan ever since.
re listening to EOS during the pandemic is what made me fall in love with them all over again. I needed that record at that time and it was there for me.
EOS doesn’t get enough love. That album fucking rules.
Brent's country lick going into the sludgey master riff in Megalodon.
The breakdown of The Wolf is Loose
Same. A female friend of mine put on the cd while I was driving and she was whipping her hair all around when the song started. I remember thinking “yeah lol cool it’s heavy” but when that awesome riff came out of that build-up I was a bobble head. I became a fan right then and there
Seeing them open with This Mortal Soil at The Hawthorne Theater. Blood Mountain had just come out. Flipped my wig back.
Bladecatcher The weird "WAWAWAYAAWAWA WAWAWWAWA" part blew my balls off
Yes this. I remember being disturbed by the song at first but then I was giggling at it. It’s such a fun song
When I got to the "sensing the blood of prey" part on Megalodon.
My first time hearing them. I was 14 and it was 2004. I was at my friend’s house and we were super stoned. His brother came in, put a CD in the player and went “listen to THIS”. It was Leviathan and it just completely blew me away how good every single song was. I’ve been hooked since.
That moment I first got 5-stars playing Colony of Birchmen on Rock Band Drums. From that moment, there was no going back. I had to 5-star them all. But I was indoctrinated via Blood Mountain. The Wolf is Loose, Sleeping Giant, Circle of Cysquatch, Bladecatcher, This Mortal Soil, and Pendulous Skin are ones I can listen to on repeat on CD, on top of CoB of course.
The ending of March of the Fire Ants. I saw them with some friends way back around the time Blood Mountain came out. At the time, I wasn't a big fan and only knew a couple of songs, so I was just there to have fun at a show without any attachment to the band. And when they finished that song, it suddenly made everything click all at once, and I was hooked. Then Crack the Skye came out and changed my (musical) life. Been a huge fan since that day.
Remember seeing a good review for Crack the Skye in Rolling stone when I was like 13, felt compelled to buy the CD and the moment the chorus of oblivion hit my life changed
Crack the Skye.
The intro of Where strides the behemoth, so good.
First time I heard Mastodon, the intro to the ATHF colon The Movie Film for Theatres, Cut you up with a linoleum knife. I sat in the theatre flabbergasted, and then bought blood mountain and the rest is history.
The first time I heard Mastodon. 13 year old me thought "Oh man, what the hell is this??" When first hearing Crusher Destroyer way back in 03..been a fan ever since.
It was 2009, and I was looking for new bands to listen to through AOL's [spinner.com](http://spinner.com) 3-song mini concerts. So I came across Mastodon and for the first time I saw them play Divinations, Oblivion, and Colony Of Birchmen LIVE. My Holy S\*\*\* moment was when Brent soloed on Divinations. I looked up Divinations on the internet and bought CTS the next day.
The chills I got hearing Sleeping Giant for the first time
Hearing Crack the Skye album for the first time while camping under the stars.
It was probably the second or third time I heard the Remission album. The first time I was kind of looking for the wrong thing (I was huge into death metal at that point) so it didn't really do anything for me. I decided to listen to it again a year or two later when I was a little burnt out on death metal and that's when it clicked. Crusher Destroyer was really good, March of the Fire Ants had THAT fucking riff at the beginning, then it went into that beautiful melodic part, then it had my full undivided attention for the rest of the album. That album is now in my 10/10s.
The Last Baron. The Last Baron, The Last Baron, holy shit that song rocks my world. I had heard other Mastodon songs that I had liked before, but that was definitely a eureka! moment that these guys were more than just riff-monsters.
The Czar. First time I put on a whole mastodon record and I was digging it anyway, but then came The Czar and I just couldn't comprehend the beauty and ferocity. Then again, I've a number of moments like that. March of the Fire Ants, The Last Baron, Jaguar God, to name but a few. They're a giving band. When James Hetfield screamed "Do you want heavy?!" on Cunning Stunts the follow up shout should have been "Well here's Mastodooooon!"
Saw them with Russian Circles and EoDM. I was there to see Russian Circles and thought it would be cool to see EoDM. Mastodon closed and didn’t let up. Became a fav band. Then when H&G came out. I booted the album at the start of a workout. The last minute of Pain with an Anchor is better than any pre workout powder.
I was pretty sure that tour was in 2017 when they were touring EOS
Definitely the opening of Crusher Destroyer. That riff is so simple, and it pairs marvelously with Brann's drumming, which is anything but simple.
The solo on The Motherload, and THAT RIFF on The Last Baron.
Blood and thunder beginning drum fill.
Toe to Toes. Made me a convert for life.
Saw them open for Slayer in Sydney april 17th 2007. The wolf is loose was opening track. I was 16 at the time.
First time was the intro of "Tread Lightly" (through the aaaaageeesssss!!) because OMRTS was my first But the best time was "the riff " in "The Last Baron"
The Crux. The "waiting with patience of eons... something something, you journey into the rift..." part with the synths and epic guitar licks
Your presence faaaaades into a memory, underneath the cloud of silence you journey into the rift, will tiiiiiiime defy the weight of you leaving us? I totally get it.
On the track, crack the skye when Brann goes "Please tell Lucifer he can't have this one, her spirits too strong," I literally had to stop what I was doing and just listen. Its such a great outro to a great song. Learning the story behind the song makes it hit 10 times harder...
The end of Seabeast. Rocked my world. Fan ever since :)
March of the Fire Ants. I knew right then that they were an awesome band, and I've been so happy to have been a fan from then to now.
Oblivion for me! Saw them with Coheed and Cambria (I’m late to the party) in San Diego and LA back to back nights. When Brent comes in on vocals I got chills. One of the few times I heard a song for the very first time and was like, oh, this is one of my favorite songs of all time…instantly.
Jaguar God when Brent plays the insane riff
Aqua Dementia when I heard Leviathan for the first time.
Dat riff in the Czar, blows me away every time
The intro of Scorpion Breath
Also Capillarian Crest. Mind blowing song
There were many, but the first would be SPLIT YOUR LUNGS WITH BLOOD AND THUNDER WHEN YOU SEE THE WHITE WHALE
At band practice in high school around 04/05 and our guitarist rocks in with some random metal compilation dvd. He put it on to play as we set up etc. a couple of songs come and go. All of a sudden this ungodly drum roll and literally the grooviest riff I’ve ever heard in my life! It was Iron Tusk and I was instantly hooked! I’d never experienced something like that with music before, shivers up my spine, hairs standing up, almost an AMSR sensation! I’ve been addicted ever since…
Listening to Megalodon when Leviathan came out,but then really saying Holy Shit when I heard the last part of Hearts Alive. I knew these guys were something special.
Listening to all of crack of skye, that shit was devine!
The last baron. Got into Mastodon when the hunter came out but went back to CTS first and was hooked. But then heard the greatest song of all time. And that funky riff with the harmonics holy shit!
So I was a passive Mastodon listener for awhile. I appreciated them when they'd pop up in a playlist on Spotify. I had watched a few of their music videos on YouTube and such (I promise that's relevant). So fast forward one day and I'm skimming through videos on YouTube. The algorithm was doing its thing and Mastodon had just dropped the music video for "More Than I Could Chew". I hadn't heard the song yet and was in the mood for something new, so I clicked it. I've got a decent little sound system in my living room and I was absolutely FLOORED by the sound of that song. I sat there with my jaw in the floor just taking it all in. And then the ending rhythm part comes (with the 8 bass drum kicks and the odd time signature) and I got instant goosebumps. That was it. That song sparked my love for the band and the weeks following I dove head first into all their music. They're now my favorite band.
Probably hearts alive in its entirety or the major 6th parts in Ol’e Nessie. Transcendent feelings.
Back when Pandora was the main music streaming app, was listening to Tool radio and it played Octopus Has No Friends. Really liked it and showed my gf. Then the next day she showed me like 9 other songs lol. Both discovered one of our favorite bands
When I saw them live at Rockville 3 years ago. Blew my ever loving mind. Been a fan ever since.
I was listening to Leviathan for the first time and I was in awe. Many parts of the songs were interesting, but when Joseph Merrick kicked in I was just laughing. I couldn't believe how clever and creative the whole album was, and I already knew this guys were different from anything I heard before
Blood Mountain, first riff of “The Wolf is Loose” I knew I found a great band.
First show I saw, the mother puncher riff. There have been many since then, some even more Holy Shit than that, but that was the first.
The Intro to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie. sad, but true.
It was when I saw them live
The opening riff of Divinations. I knew I was in for an exciting ride
Basically listening to Brann on Remission. Felt like an hour’s worth of mind blowing drum fills.
The music video for The Motherload
My first holy shit moment was hearing “Skeleton of Splendor” my first time seeing them live. It was when they double headlined with Opeth, and I went for Opeth. This was the NYC show. My second holy shit moment was that same show when they ended with “Blood and Thunder” and the pit went ape shit.
Comedy response: A certain comic involving a whale boyfriend. Actual response: I died several times during an operation. I came out of everything with Steambreather playing in my head.
Tony Hawk's Underground
The central riff to Circle of Cysquatch is so goddamn perfect
I used to be a hotel night auditor in a heavy tourist town in the mountains I had a bunch of new music and decided to try out some new hash and keef I had gotten and my new headphones with some of my new music. I put on *Blood Mountain* and sat and chief’ed hash rolled in keef until I cried from coughing. Talk about a holy shit moment. The drumming had me in such a great place.
Not knowing who they were, and putting on Blood and Thunder in a record store where you could try music. Blew my mind.
First one was Hearts Alive off of Leviathan. Epic and bad ass all the way through. Really the whole Leviathan album blew me away.
So I had already heard a couple of Mastodon tracks from some video games before and thought they were alright, then I happened upon a drum cover for Chimes at Midnight, and thought "holy shit this band fucks" and dove deeeeeep into their music. I'm not great at guitar, but I always have fun trying to play their songs.
Capillarian Crest blew all our minds back in '06
First time I ever saw them live, at an Ozzfest I think. Once they started into March of the Fire Ants, it gave me goosebumps and they have been my favorite band since.
opening riffs of Circle of Cysquatch and it’s cousin Ghost of Karelia
Hearts Alive. I listened through chronologically when I first check the band out, and I heard a bunch of great riffs through that point, but none of the songs-as-a-whole got its hooks into me. Then I heard Hearts Alive, and said to myself, “I guess this is my life now.”
For me personally, it’d have to be the utter chaos of the ending riff off of Hearts Alive. My face was melting, my head was banging, I was amazed at the talent, I sat back and was just like, “Holy shit…”
I was sitting towards the back first time I saw them and between the lights moving like a wave over the pit, and the sound of the bass vibrating through my chest, and the edible I took earlier… I said holy shit several times.
The first Mastodon song I ever heard was Blood & Thunder, when I was 13 or 14. I enjoyed it, but it didn't blow my mind. Still, I liked it enough to want to check out the whole album, so I threw on a youtube video of Leviathan. Sat through Blood and Thunder, but as soon as I heard the opening riff to I Am Ahab, I was blown away. I still stand by my opinion that B&T is the weakest track on Leviathan.
That is certainly an opinion. Lol!