Leviathan by Mastodon

Leviathan is the sophomore full-length studio album by American metal band Mastodon. It was released on August 31, 2004 via Relapse Records. Leviathan was conceived as a concept album based on Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick; or, the Whale, with the tracks "Iron Tusk", "Blood and Thunder" and "Seabeast" released as singles. Magazines Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer awarded the record with "Album of the Year" in 2004. Leviathan was also released with an audio DVD in a limited edition set with a black and gold slipcase. The album brought Mastodon great critical acclaim and, thanks to the ensuing tour, a considerably larger fan base. Leviathan has sold 103,000 copies as of September, 2006. Guitarist Bill Kelliher considers this album to represent the water element. Leviathan has a rather vague concept when compared to Mastodon's future endeavors. It tells the story of Captain Ahab and his obsession with the White Whale. Mastodon members have constantly stated that Ahab's story is a parallel to the band's journey towards success, fame and renown. The White Tower seen in the artwork on the inside cover of the booklet is a revamped version of Martin Heemskerck's 16th century interpretation of the Pharohs of Alexandria. The wave seen in the full picture of the artwork is a reflection of Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa. The song "Blood and Thunder" was featured in Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Saints Row, Konami's Guitar Freaks and Drummania, Microsoft's Project Gotham Racing 3 and is a playable track in Guitar Hero Metallica. The words "Blood and Thunder" are said by male orc NPCs throughout Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft, although it is unknown if this was intended to be a reference to Mastodon or purely a coincidence, the game was released on the same year as the album Leviathan. The song "Iron Tusk" was featured in 2K Sports's NHL 2K9 and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. ℗ 2004 Relapse Records