Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia that is currently embarking on a massive world tour in support of their latest album. As one of the most popular metal bands today, Mastodon has the ability to bring huge opening acts with them on tour to set the stage for their crushing live show.
What is the history of Mastodon?
Mastodon was formed in 2000 by bassist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher, and guitarist Brent Hinds. The band brought in drummer Brann Dailor a year later and released their first studio album Remission in 2002. This debut album already showed the unique style Mastodon was developing, blending progressive rock and sludge metal into fresh and intricate compositions.
Over their next few albums like 2004’s Leviathan and 2006’s Blood Mountain, Mastodon incorporated more prog influences while also embracing some cleaner vocals alongside their trademark growls. They reached new levels of critical acclaim with these releases while their fanbase grew exponentially. By 2009’s Crack the Skye, Mastodon’s music was evolving into more conceptual and complex songwriting. This album in particular is considered by many fans to be their masterpiece.
Mastodon has released four more studio albums in the 2010s to continue growing their audience and expanding their musical ambitions. Their most recent album in 2017 called Emperor of Sand has a looser concept revolving around the themes of time and survival. With every release, the band challenges both themselves and their fans while staying at the forefront of modern progressive metal.
What other bands has Mastodon toured with?
Throughout their career, Mastodon has toured extensively both as a headliner and as a support act for some of the biggest names in rock and metal. Some of the notable bands they’ve toured with include:
- Metallica – In 2008, Mastodon opened for heavy metal legends Metallica on their Death Magnetic tour along with other support acts like The Sword and Machine Head.
- Alice in Chains – Mastodon teamed up with grunge icons Alice in Chains for a co-headlining US tour in 2010 along with Deftones.
- Iron Maiden – Another huge opportunity came in 2012 when Mastodon opened for metal pioneers Iron Maiden on the North American leg of their Maiden England tour.
- Slayer – During Slayer’s farewell tour in 2018-2019, Mastodon were tapped to open for the thrash metal icons along with other supports like Lamb of God.
- Primus – More recently in 2019, Mastodon and Primus teamed up for a co-headlining summer tour across North America.
In addition to these shows alongside veteran acts, Mastodon has also toured frequently with other contemporary metal bands like Opeth, Dillinger Escape Plan, High on Fire, Kylesa, and Red Fang.
Who else could open for Mastodon in the future?
Based on Mastodon’s diverse tastes and willingness to bring along up-and-coming acts, there are a lot of exciting possibilities for who could open for them on future tours as their popularity keeps rising. Here are some predictions:
- Baroness – These prog sludge metal veterans would make an ideal touring partner for Mastodon. The two bands have traded guest musician spots on albums and are often brought up together as leaders in modern progressive heavy music.
- Ghost – The Swedish occult rock band Ghost would bring a theatrical presence and strong melodies that could complement Mastodon’s live show. As Mastodon embraces more clean singing, Ghost could help them reach fans outside of metal.
- Deafheaven – As one of the most talked-about metal bands of the past decade, Deafheaven could draw in younger, indie-leaning crowds to see Mastodon based on their crossover appeal.
- Leprous – These Norwegian prog metallers tour relentlessly and could provide direct support with their angular riffs and sky-high vocals.
- Spotlights – The sludgy shoegaze band Spotlights opened for Mastodon in 2017 and could bring their hypnotic heaviness back to the tour.
Beyond these predictions, Mastodon could also pull in upstart bands across punk, indie rock, synthwave, or any number of genres. Their diversity makes an opening slot for them a huge opportunity for exposure.
Who is actually opening for them on their current tour?
Now getting to the main question – who is actually opening for Mastodon in their upcoming tour dates? The two main support acts set to open the shows are:
Khemmis
Khemmis is a doom metal band from Denver, Colorado that will provide direct support for the majority of Mastodon’s upcoming tour. They began in 2012 and have released three acclaimed albums that take inspiration from traditional doom metal while adding their own spin both musically and lyrically. Their latest release Deceiver was voted the best metal album of 2018 by Decibel Magazine readers. Khemmis offers bone-crushing riffs paired with melodic vocals that will complement Mastodon’s sound well.
Eagles of Death Metal
The second main opener is none other than Eagles of Death Metal. This Palm Desert rock band spearheaded by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme will bring a fun, upbeat energy to contrast Mastodon’s heaviness. Eagles of Death Metal have been around since 1998 and released four studio albums of catchy rock tunes with witty lyrics. While they are not quite as popular as some of Mastodon’s past openers, they represent another intriguing stylistic contrast for this tour’s lineup.
Beyond these two bands, select dates may feature additional local opening acts to showcase regional talent across the tour stops. But you can expect Khemmis and Eagles of Death Metal to kick things off each night with their own flavors of impactful rock music before Mastodon takes the headlining stage.
Conclusion
Mastodon has put together an eclectic lineup of opening bands like Khemmis and Eagles of Death Metal for their latest tour in support of their acclaimed 2017 album Emperor of Sand. Their diverse tastes and willingness to give opportunities to young bands will likely result in even more exciting collaborations as they continue to push boundaries and reach new audiences. Given Mastodon’s adventurous evolution over their career, fans can trust that they will carefully curate their tour packages to make each show a memorable experience from start to finish.
