Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Mostly it comes down to finding the time to get us all together on the same day. We have very different schedules so sometimes that can be an issue. I'm glad we got you to dive into Mastodon again. It's a worthwhile sonic journey in my opinion.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

It's my #1 too. Placing it behind 'Hushed and Grim' is crazy to me.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

Necrotic Nick- Same here, man!

Necrotic Nick- I think we had them on a poll forever ago but they got out voted by another band. I saw them twice this year. Once with Opeth and Khemmis and then not too long ago with Ghost. The one with Ghost was a meet and greet too. They were just solid dudes overall. Very down to earth and humble as hell.

Necrotic Nick- That'll be an insane amount of leftovers lol.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! All the love is much appreciated. It always blows us away.

Necrotic Nick- No worries, bro! There's tons of stuff to check out but I'm glad you dug this one. Much appreciated, bro!

@@thrallsofmetal Thanks for the reply bro. Yes I’ve got heaps to catch up on with fellas at Thralls. You constantly and consistently put out great content. Thankyou again from Arturo one of you biggest fans 🤘🤘

Keep up the good work!!🤘🤘🤘🤘

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

Necrotic Nick- This one was one of the toughest ones to do. I legit love all their albums and I think an argument could be made for any of their albums being number 1 on a list.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Yeah, we can't wait to make that line up announcement around the new year. I'm still in the dark so I'm kinda in the same boat as the fans lol.

Necrotic Nick- Solid ranking, man!

Necrotic Nick- I know they've all done different projects outside of Mastodon but I don't think they've done anything as flat out solo artists yet.

brann dailor made a solo song for marvel called red death

Necrotic Nick- I hope you enjoyed it, man! Enjoy your Thanksgiving, man!

Necrotic Nick- That's a solid ranking, man. Hushed & Grim really moved up the list for me. I listened to that one obsessively when it dropped. Any long trip in the car I would put that one on and just let it play through.

Hell yes, get Blood Mountain up there where it belongs 🤘

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I definitely got into them because of the more raw sound of the first 2 albums but I definitely remained a fan because of their constant evolution. They haven't released a bad album yet and while they've changed they still have that core sound intact.

Necrotic Nick- The next one up is Crowbar actually but after that we're going to have a new batch of stuff to go over.

@@thrallsofmetal Megadeth would be great since there's so many albums of varying quality lol

Necrotic Nick- This one was tough since I legit love every album.

@@thrallsofmetal same here. Every album has its own perfection. They are the definition of progressive.

Necrotic Nick- Giant fan here as well. I do love seeing Hushed & Grim get more love too.

@@thrallsofmetal The right album for me at the right time

Yeah that sums it up for me almost perfectly, except i would switch Leviathan and Blood Mountain. i havent listened enough to Hushed & Grim to know where i would put it though.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I loved doing this one since we're all big fans of the band but I also dreaded it since I love all their albums. I legit know nothing about Keneally but playing Vai on piano has my interest peaked for sure. I totally get having nostalgia play a big part in a ranking. Remission was my first one but it did fall a bit just because others have aged better. I still love Once More 'Round the Sun too but there's a few songs that I don't like as much. They just have a flat out killer discography.

Necrotic Nick- That's way too lofty a praise there but I appreciated it lol.

@@thrallsofmetal well, we're suckers for Mastodon. And for Thralls. Go figure XD

Necrotic Nick- I love that video still. I was already sold on the album but when I saw that video I was blown away with how awesomely ridiculous it was. That riff still lives rent free in my head. One of the best single riffs in the last 15 years of metal in my opinion.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! They're all killer albums in my book but that one did end up falling on my list.

@@thrallsofmetal @ Necrotic Nick, no worries at all on any one of your rankings. We all feel and hear music subjectively and I think it changes day to day and year after year, plus the mighty Mastodon has not put out a bad album (own them all on CD) hails to you guys and your channel, you always introduce me to new bands and music, been stoked of late catching live shows again ie. Maiden, Priest and Mercyful Fate (old school good shit) gearing up for the Amon Amarth, Obituary, Carcass and Cattle Decapitation show early December up here in Minnesota. Good times await🔥

Necrotic Nick- If it's not considered prog metal royalty by now it should be. It's such a masterpiece of an album.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man!

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I'm glad you dug it! Solid ranking, man!

Necrotic Nick- When we reviewed Hushed & Grim I was a bit surprised to see how divisive the fan base was when it came down to the first 3 versus the last 5 of their albums. In terms of expanding their sound I think they did it pretty well and didn't abandon their old sound entirely but rather made room for different influences along the way.

@@thrallsofmetal Yeah, the later albums have a lot going on so they might not hit immediately. There are always a couple songs that are balls to the wall riff fests, next to something more experimental or atmospheric. But the depth is nice, the early albums will always be there if I want something more direct. Now that I've grown to appreciate the diversity, I find myself going back to my favorites off the later albums if I need a quick Mastodon fix. Though so many conversations I have about the band now result in a reply of "oh yeah, I used to like them a dozen years ago."

Necrotic Nick- I totally agree that Mastodon have nothing but killer albums but I love seeing Hushed & Grim get some love. I think it got dismissed by some people but, while it's softer and more gloomy, it's that way for a reason and it's the themes that connect to me as well. It's literally the stages of grief in a musical form. Leviathan is still such a banger but Crack the Skye is simply jaw-dropping. I think it's one of the best modern prog metal albums out there.

@@thrallsofmetal I completely agree 💯%... Hushed and Grim is an album that I feel has the purest most sincere writing mastodon has ever done, it's just pure grief and sorrow with elements of peace ,trascendence, love, all conveyed as music. It has helped me with catharsis of what probably was one of the toughest times of my life.. My father was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last year in September, i was overseas at the time and had to wait to travel, this album dropped exactly the day I traveled home to be with him, 29th of October. the lyrics of the album as i view them and as you mentioned, explain the feelings and emotions of suffering from a terminal illness and death of a loved one from many points of view, from the POV of the person who's ill and the care takers as well as different stages of the illness; during and after . 2 days before my father passed i played him "Had It All" the part where it says : *"the light will guide you along i can position your way you are gonna make it"* and translated the lyrics to him , it was at that moment he looked me in the eyes with his last ounce of strength saying to me he was "ready to let go" he passed away the 29th of December. Gobblers of dreg has this part where it says: *Waiting for the sun to rise so I can say my last goodbye all that I needed was your warn embrace.* Was literally what happened with my father as well.... Then songs like : Dagger, skeleton of splendour.. packed with emotions. Knowing that these guys have dealt with so much tragedy and grief as well, Bill losing his mum to brain cancer too (same prognosis as my dad), Nick from pancreatic cancer and so on.. makes this album hit close to heart for me, thus, why i ranked it so high. Sorry for my rant I felt like I had to explain more thoroughly why it's No.2 for me. Nothing will ever surpass *Crack the Skye* tho, musically it's and absolute master piece.

Your ranking is mine exactly just with Once More and Blood and Thunder swapped!

@@garrettbergen2975 you mean leviathan? 😉

@@exortor I actually meant Blood Mountain lol

Necrotic Nick- This one was tough since we all love all of their albums but it was fun. We had some scheduling issues and getting around work schedules can be tough so this took a bit longer.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Crowbar is up next and we'll announce the next batch at the end of that video.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Yeah, this ranking may have been the toughest one yet honestly. All of these albums are incredible in their own rite but they had to be ranked.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Honestly this was a great discography to dive into and maybe coming back to them with some fresh ears might get you into them more. I wouldn't mind doing Rush one day even though they're technically not metal they've had a huge influence on metal as a whole.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! I'm glad you dug the video! As agonizing as it is ranking these albums (because they all rule) this was a lot of fun. This band's level of songwriting talent is other worldly and as individual musicians they're all unbelievable. You just can't go wrong here.

Necrotic Nick- Solid list, man! Yeah, this was hell to rank since I love all these albums. I have such a nostalgic love for Remission since that's where I became a fan but there's just albums that grab me a bit more now.

Necrotic Nick- Dude, Atlanta needs a statue of the band in the center of town. The behind the scenes stuff is excellent. I have a lot of the special editions of the albums with all the in studio stuff as well as The Workhorse Chronicles. They just solid dudes and remain very humble and approachable. Yeah, I don't think anyone knew how bad things had gotten with Scott but man that is just some disturbing, dark shit. I almost don't want to know the gory details on that one. I still love Neurosis but it's been hard to go back to those albums here lately because of that.

Lee ,I'm from Smyrna 😀 😀I couldn't be prouder of our homeboys MASTODON😀 THEY RULE !!!

@@Jermeister12 nice man! You live close by. It’s not uncommon to see the Mastodon guys at local shows when they aren’t on tour!

@@HeavyArtTalk Sadly 😦I've quit going to shows. There are several reasons why .😀 I'll be 59 on12/24😀 I think it's for the best.😀😀

Necrotic Nick- I'd love to do a ranking for Autopsy but we've still got Crowbar to go and then we'll announce the Patreon picks at the end of that ranking.

If the Thralls did do an Autopsy ranking, Shitfun would be a unanimous dead last from the guys as that record is a dumpster fire!

Necrotic Nick- As much as I love Blood Mountain I still lean more on Leviathan more when it comes down to the earlier material. I love all their albums though.

@@thrallsofmetal I prefer their 1st decade 2000-09 than their 2nd 2010-19 which I found more pop more radio more accessible personally, I really liked the risk taking of a darker atmosphere the double disc the change that they did with their latest, I'm curious what comes next...

Necrotic Nick- That would be a fun idea. Generally those first 2 tracks on an album (minus intros) are the pace setters of an album.

Necrotic Nick- I still remember jamming that entire album for the first time. Such a massively heavy album.

@@thrallsofmetal Agreed 👍 100%

Necrotic Nick- I hope you dig it, man. It was a lot of fun to do.

Necrotic Nick- This is a musical dive worth taking, man. There are very few if any wrong turns in their discography over all.

Necrotic Nick- Dude, this discography is worth a deep dive in my opinion for sure.

Necrotic Nick- We definitely had some intersecting lines on this ranking but we also had some stark differences. I love all of these albums so I found this one really tough to rank.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! Yeah, you can't go wrong with any of their albums in my opinion.

Necrotic Nick- Yeah, this one was tough as hell to rank but a lot of fun to go through. I see a lot of diverse rankings with this one so far too.

Necrotic Nick- Solid ranking. Yeah, I think Leviathan was the only one that could have truly contested with Crack the Skye for me. Crack the Skye is the GOAT though in a discography of nothing but bangers for me.

Necrotic Nick- That's a definite possibility.

Necrotic Nick- I love all their albums and I always find a new favorite song to jam on each album. Word to the Wise might have one of the best choruses they've ever written but honestly, just dive headfirst into Mastodon's back catalog and you'll find a ton of killer music. I'm looking forward to going over Crowbar and I'd love to do Nevermore in the future for sure.

That's more like it.

Necrotic Nick- I was a little surprised by that one. I didn't know he held that one in such high esteem.

Necrotic Nick- Man, you did put yourself through about as much shit as we did ranking this lol. This was a real struggle to rank.

Necrotic Nick- Crowbar is up next and we'll announce the next picks at the end of that video.

Necrotic Nick- Well, since they're in the studio I think it'll have to wait but I'm totally down for that.

Necrotic Nick- Great, now he'll get a big head about this comment j/k lol. Yeah, this one was tough. All of these albums are solid as hell and if not solid then they're fucking brilliant. I do love the story of Moby Dick. I had to read it in high school and honestly I didn't mind that one.

@@thrallsofmetal - As your (self-appointed) favorite writer-fan of Thralls, you have made me very happy. My long silver beard thanks you, Mister Necrotic Nicholas LOL

Necrotic Nick- I heard March of the Fire Ants on a Relapse Records sampler and I had to hunt down Remission. I was a fan instantly and my fandom only intensified when I heard Leviathan. I didn't mind the vocals but when they let Brann start singing the 3 vocalist dynamic became such a signature thing of theirs. They really do have their own sound. Call of the Mastodon does rip as well.

That must've been a hell of an experience. The amazing artwork and the fact that the first 4 albums were based on elements (CtS is ether) just sealed the deal for me. And yes, when Brann sung on Oblivion it was like "well why didn't you let him do that earlier lol". Their evolution as a band has been quite the journey and I'm happy to find there are so many devoted fans because at the time there was no one else I knew that was into them.

Necrotic Nick- Honestly, you can't go wrong with selecting any of these albums to jam. Regardless of the direction they're going on the album it'll be good music.

Necrotic Nick- I never thought it was weak but I do think it's pretty much a flat out radio single though. That isn't to say it weak but just noticeably different. This band really has done no wrong in my eyes so far though. I'll check out your videos at some point when I get some time.

Necrotic Nick- I love all these albums but Crack the Skye has always been a flat out mesmerizing album from start to finish. It's some the best songwriting in modern prog metal I think I've ever heard still. This was tough to rank though since all their albums are so damn good.

Necrotic Nick- I've always loved that word in general. It just sounds evil and mysterious at the same time. One of my favorite Alien rip offs/ underwater horror flicks is called Leviathan too. Solid flick with killer special effects.

Necrotic Nick- Thanks, man! As soon as I heard that monstrous opening riff to March of the Fire Ants I was pretty much hooked. Leviathan was closer than the others to overtaking Crack the Skye but that album is truly something otherworldly. I'm still in awe of the songwriting on to this day. I like that they now have a 3 person vocal dynamic with 3 distinctly different vocalists. I still love all the heavier stuff but man can Brann make a chorus soar.

Necrotic Nick- Solid ranking, man!

Necrotic Nick- That's probably the first time I've seen Emperor of Sand at #1 on anyone's rankings and that's probably the lowest I've seen Crack the Skye. This is tough one to rank though and honestly I think all their albums are good.

you need to make time and dedicate energy for hushed and grim. it's long and consuming. but worthwhile. don't ask for entertainment out of it. it's more challenging than that in it's diversity.

Necrotic Nick- I was pretty sure Crack the Skye would be my #1 here but Hushed & Grim really grew on me even more after reviewing it. It's worth going back and jamming.

@@tibicostea2029 it's not that I don't like challenging stuff. Imperial Triumphant had one of my favorite albums of the year with Spirit Of Ecstasy, but you definitely have to be in the mood for that one to really enjoy it. I guess I'll give H&G another chance one of these days

@@thrallsofmetal it's always between that one and Leviathan for me, but CTS wins for sure. I've been in the mood for nothing but death metal lately so maybe when I feel like listening to something else I'll give it another listen

Necrotic Nick- Well, it's up now. I hope you dig it.

@@thrallsofmetal dig it I did man, this band has brought me much enjoyment over the years, they are in rarified air around my house! Hold them in the highest regard along the few metal/rock gods. This was my fave ranking vid yet, happy Turkey Day to all 🤘

Necrotic Nick- I mean, we may have telegraphed that just when we mention that album lol.

@@thrallsofmetal haha yeah its nothing short of masterpiece

Necrotic Nick- Nice list, man! It's good to see Hushed & Grim get some more love.

@@thrallsofmetal all of their albums are great. Crack The Skye is one of my favorite albums of all time. It took a couple listens for Hushed and Grim to really click with me but once it did, it definitely became one of my favs.

Necrotic Nick- I had Hushed & Grim up pretty high but the impact that Leviathan and Crack the Skye had on me, and still does, is still huge so those two won out.