Mastodon New Album Update: Bill Kelliher Talks Progress

2023-03-17

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher performing live at The Fillmore in Detroit.

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher – Story by Charles Ken, photo by Anne Erickson

Mastodon will “steer Away” from “long, drawn-out songs” on their new album, says guitarist Bill Kelliher

It’s been a couple of years since Mastodon released their latest full-length, 2021’s “Hushed and Grim.” Thankfully, the guys are toiling away on new music, so it shouldn’t be too long a wait for the next batch of songs.

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher recently spoke with Guitar.com about the direction of the new music. He told the publication that “things are happening,” and that, “I want to write music that’s really f***ing heavy and to the point. I want it to sound like Mastodon but steer away from the long, drawn-out songs. I feel like we’ve been on that kind of kick for a while, and I want to move on to something a little more tangible.”

As far as inspiration for the new album, Kelliher cites a newer band in the heavy metal world: Turnstile. He says the guys are “bringing back all the cool things” that he remembers about heavy music from when he was growing up.

“The stuff I’m working on is the sort of stuff that comes out swinging, you know? I’ve been listening to a lot of Turnstile, and their last record, Glow On, to me, is f***ing great,” Kelliher said. “I just love their guitars, and their production of it sounds great. Their songwriting is really good. It reminds me of Bad Brains, but if they were more modern, with some Jane’s Addiction mixed in.”

Regarding if the new Turnstile album has “reinvigorated” his songwriting, he said, “In a way, yes. That Turnstile record kind of [focused] my interest in writing in that way. It’s like, ‘Well, you guys are bringing back all the cool things about the bands that I used to listen to and really look up to. I wanna do more of that.’ I’m a product of the ’80s and early-’90s when all that kind of stuff was really popular.”

In other news, Mastodon will embark on two North American tour legs with Gojira this spring and summer. For tour dates, go here.

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Cat Badra

Meet the expert - Cat Badra is a music writer for Audio Ink Radio and a range of other music, sports and lifestyle publications. She's a graduate of Michigan State University with a master's degree in theater and speech. Contact her at cat@audioinkradio.com.