Mastodon’s take on heavy metal is at once thick and intricate, crusty and progressive. The band formed in Atlanta, GA in 2000 when the four founding members met at a metal show being held in guitarist Brent Hinds’ basement. In 2001 they were signed by Relapse Records, a label known for taking on bands with devoted underground followings, and in the following year Remission was released as their first full-length album. Their next album, 2004's Leviathan, features lyrics loosely based on the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, while 2006's Blood Mountain has a more esoteric storyline, involving a quest for enlightenment at the top of a mountain.

Hinds serves the roles of lead guitarist, songwriter, and sometimes-lyricist within the band, whose fluid and dynamic form of heavy metal encourages cooperative music composition.