After sharing that they had "too much material" for a follow-up to 2017's Emperor of Sand last year, Mastodon's eighth studio album is currently being mixed for a tentative release this fall.
The news arrives via guitarist Bill Kelliher, who gave an update on the band's forthcoming effort during a recent appearance on the Talking Metal podcast.
Late last year, Mastodon shared that they recorded their eighth studio album with Grammy-winning Canadian producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, known for helming Tool's Ænima and Lateralus albums, in addition to work with Muse, Dream Theater, Rush and more.
Kelliher shared with Talking Metal that Bottrill and the band are "halfway through the mixing [process]," calling the album their "fullest" and "biggest-sounding" recording to date.
"Honestly, I hadn't really heard of [Bottrill] before last year," Kelliher shared [via Blabbermouth]. "We were kind of tossing around who we were gonna use for the new record. We have a couple of different producers that we like; I mean, we've liked everyone we've used in the past. But I think, with this record, we kind of were just, like, 'We might need somebody new — somebody really fresh and brand new.' And we got on the phone with David, and we had a couple of other people we had been talking to. With COVID and everything, a lot of people just weren't available or willing to come to Atlanta."
Praising the producer as "a down-to-earth guy and very approachable," the guitarist added that Bottrill is now mixing the record remotely.
"[David will] mix a song every couple of days, and he'll send it over to us in Dropbox, and we all listen to it," Kelliher explained. "I go listen to it in the car, I listen to it in my studio, I listen to it on all kinds of different speakers to make sure that all the things and little details that I wanna hear are there. And we just kind of give him pointers and notes, like, 'Hey, the snare needs a little more treble in this part,' or, 'I wanna hear the kick drum more right here,' 'Turn down the vocals in this chorus.' And he'll be, like, 'Okay.' He'll get all the notes in Dropbox. Technology is pretty cool. He gets all the notes, and then he turns it around an hour later. He mixes everything in Pro Tools, so I think it's pretty easy just to save, that's the way it was, and then go back to something [when needed]."
When asked about a release date for the yet-to-be-titled eighth album, Kelliher revealed, "Well, I was hoping for summer, but I think the powers that be are pushing it back till October maybe — September [or] October."
You can hear Kelliher's complete interview with Talking Metal below.
Mastodon's 2020 included the release of compilation Medium Rarities, Bill & Ted Face the Music soundtrack contribution "Rufus Lives," and some truly wild cooking videos.
The news arrives via guitarist Bill Kelliher, who gave an update on the band's forthcoming effort during a recent appearance on the Talking Metal podcast.
Late last year, Mastodon shared that they recorded their eighth studio album with Grammy-winning Canadian producer/mixer/engineer David Bottrill, known for helming Tool's Ænima and Lateralus albums, in addition to work with Muse, Dream Theater, Rush and more.
Kelliher shared with Talking Metal that Bottrill and the band are "halfway through the mixing [process]," calling the album their "fullest" and "biggest-sounding" recording to date.
"Honestly, I hadn't really heard of [Bottrill] before last year," Kelliher shared [via Blabbermouth]. "We were kind of tossing around who we were gonna use for the new record. We have a couple of different producers that we like; I mean, we've liked everyone we've used in the past. But I think, with this record, we kind of were just, like, 'We might need somebody new — somebody really fresh and brand new.' And we got on the phone with David, and we had a couple of other people we had been talking to. With COVID and everything, a lot of people just weren't available or willing to come to Atlanta."
Praising the producer as "a down-to-earth guy and very approachable," the guitarist added that Bottrill is now mixing the record remotely.
"[David will] mix a song every couple of days, and he'll send it over to us in Dropbox, and we all listen to it," Kelliher explained. "I go listen to it in the car, I listen to it in my studio, I listen to it on all kinds of different speakers to make sure that all the things and little details that I wanna hear are there. And we just kind of give him pointers and notes, like, 'Hey, the snare needs a little more treble in this part,' or, 'I wanna hear the kick drum more right here,' 'Turn down the vocals in this chorus.' And he'll be, like, 'Okay.' He'll get all the notes in Dropbox. Technology is pretty cool. He gets all the notes, and then he turns it around an hour later. He mixes everything in Pro Tools, so I think it's pretty easy just to save, that's the way it was, and then go back to something [when needed]."
When asked about a release date for the yet-to-be-titled eighth album, Kelliher revealed, "Well, I was hoping for summer, but I think the powers that be are pushing it back till October maybe — September [or] October."
You can hear Kelliher's complete interview with Talking Metal below.
Mastodon's 2020 included the release of compilation Medium Rarities, Bill & Ted Face the Music soundtrack contribution "Rufus Lives," and some truly wild cooking videos.