Troy Sanders

Source: Blabbermouth.net

In a brand new interview with ARTISTdirect.com editor-in-chief Rick Florino, singer and bassist Troy Sanders of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band’s follow-up to 2011′s “The Hunter”, tentatively due in early 2014.

Asked if the new material picks up where “The Hunter” left off or if it is a new avenue altogether, Sanders said: “To a degree, I’m going to say it’s picking up where we left off. It’s kind of an open game or a clean slate. Every single day I go to band practice, I feel like I’m going to a chef’s table for a food tasting because there’s an element of the unknown. I’m fascinated with that. Either Chef Brent or Chef Bill will present a tasty riff dish of the day and we all lock in and go for it. Nothing that is out of the box will be turned away.”

He continued: “We’re doing this for ourselves and by ourselves. We’re creating delicious sandwiches every day at band practice. [laughs]

“Yesterday Chef Brent brought down some tasty turkey, and it was delicious. Brann decides what kind of bread is going to sandwich it. I’m just trying to create an intriguing mayonnaise or some kind of glue to hold this sandwich together. Who knows that’s going to happen today? We just don’t know.

“Per usual, in the writing process, I’m completely absorbed in MASTODON material. I’m a late bloomer, and it takes me a while to grasp a lot of things in life, and MASTODON material is one of them. I’ll listen to a demo of a particular song over and over until I can possibly find an interesting vocal melody line or lyrics that’ll fit a certain part. I immerse myself one-hundred percent in our riff writing. I’m also enjoying my home time as we’re about to leave for the entire summer. I’m trying to find a healthy balance of home and tour life.”

Regarding what’s next for MASTODON, Sanders said: “We’ve got the skeletons of enough songs for an entire album. We’re thinking of vocal ideas and putting together as much rough demos as we can before we go overseas so we can listen to everything over the summer. Then, when we return from the tour, we’ll know what we want to keep, delete, and add.”

Read the entire interview from ARTISTdirect.com.

Onslaught Radio conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON earlier today (Saturday, August 25) at the Reading Festival at Little John’s Farm in Reading, England. You can now watch the chat below.

On the band’s ever-evolving sound:

Troy: “The four of us in the band, we always embrace change and we never wanna write and record the same album twice. So we want each album to be a different and fresh chapter in the MASTODON catalog. That’s our intention — to write and record a new-sounding album every time.”

On MASTODON‘s plans for a new studio album:

Troy: “The future is very unknown, I think. After these two festivals — the Reading and Leeds — we’ll take some time off and start working on new ideas. And I’m as excited as anyone else on this planet to see where we’ll take it musically. I have no idea.”

On whether there is pressure on MASTODON to write music that will please fans and critics:

Troy: “We never really tried to cater any riff, any song, any sound to please any [particular group] of fans, any type of journalists, any critics or anything outside of the four of us. Once the four of us leave our practice space after writing a song, or even a riff, or even one line of lyrics, or something, if the four of us agree on it and are proud of it and are happy with it, then that’s all that really matters. Because we need to be happy with it ourselves, ’cause we’re going to be married to this music for life. And we really just write the songs, and we do everything to ultimately please ourselves, and if it carries over to anyone else around the world and they like it, then that’s just a wonderful dessert at the end of a giant, delicious buffet.”