11 Heaviest Mastodon Riffs | Guitarists Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds' Picks
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- Опубліковано 25 жов 2022
- Mastodon are one of modern metal's most prolific purveyors of the riff. The Atlanta band's eclectic catalog is packed with memorable, technical and physically crushing guitar passages that weave between sludge, prog, and classic heavy metal with a level of proficiency that few other bands have achieved. Their music can be jammy and tuneful, but guitarists Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds always keep their songs grounded with massively heavy riffs. There're so many ten-ton guitar parts in their catalog to choose from, but we had the riff-meisters themselves pick - and play along with - what they deem the heaviest in their repertoire. See their picks above and let us know some of your favorite heavy Mastodon riffs in the comments below!
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#mastodon #heavymetal #riffs #metal #billkelliher #brenthinds #hushedandgrim #remission #leviathan #emperorofsand #mediumrarities #thehunter #bloodmountain #heavyriffs #atlanta #list #crusherdestroyer #handofstone #painwithananchor #morethanicouldchew #bloodandthunder #motherpuncher #spectrelight
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I feel like Bill picked all of these and Brent was just like “Fuck yeah dude, right on” Lmao I love them both so much
that's super accurate lol
It mirrors how they write songs as well, lol.
Lol haha welp bill does write a lot of the riffs haha
Yep.
Brent is so high in this lmao
This is basically a Bill Kelliher interview with footnotes from Brent lol
"... Oh yeah, that riff is heavy"
Yesh.
Brents brain is just footnotes
Lmao and he just reaffirms what Bill just said. It's comedy.
Dont forget the umplugged guitar
Love how Brent is doing a “heaviest riffs” video, playing an unplugged Gretsch. What a guy 😍
That's slightly out of tune
The new Gretsch's are rely good for heavy music. They have a block in the middle which lessens feedback
Brent is performance art
11:13 my fav part😂
@@akrmfkNo demonstration there. 😎
Brent’s tone in this is killer!
😂😂😂
Him playing Seabeast was hilarious. "How ever that goes"
Brent Hinds is a real-life John C Reilly skit, and I love him.
It will eventually come out that Brent Hinds is actually a character who has been trolling us all the past 20+ years.
@@Samtallica Stoner Andy Kaufman
He reminds me of a mix of Dr. Steve Brule and The Dude.
Oh damn, nailed it
Couldn't have said it better/agree more😄🤘🏽🍻
*oh, wait! Matt nailed it! 🤣💦
“Roots remain. They do. I checked.”
Maybe the funniest of all the lead guitarist??
Fucking hilarious
Brent gets a lot of (well earned) credit in Mastodon being the lead player but this video really shows how integral Bill is to Mastodon and just how responsible he is for their overall sound.
Yeah the new album doc really showed me it’s bill and brann doing a ton of the writing lately.
It’s probably cycles also, I think crack the skye was a lot of Brent’s album.
@@portal432 I know “Crack the Skye” and the “Cold Dark Place” EP were largely Brent’s work, but the more interviews and documentaries they put out the more apparent it is that Bill and Brann are largely responsible for most of the Mastodon material. I’ve thought Bill was an underrated guitarist/songwriter for a long time and this just strengthens that fact for me.
He is a rifflord for sure and an amazing songwriter 🤘🏻
He is also way better guitarist when it comes playing live.
@@ericrobert85 agree 100%. Someone should do a “Brent hinds song collection.”
I feel like Bill is the ultimate rock dad, and Brent is like the ultimate rock fun uncle.
1. Best band ever
2. One was sober
3. One was not
4. Love them both
Haha, Brent has done a lot of interviews fucked up but I don’t think this is one of them. That’s just how he acts normally.
He's not drunk, that is how he talks ever since Shavo from System of a Down beat him into a coma.
He's certainly an enigma. Met him in person and yeah odd interaction but I loved every single second of it
@@Treyorrrr Who said anything about alcohol
What relevance do points 2 & 3 have anyway? It was about riffage
I feel like Brent was absolutely BAKED when they were filming this
WHEN is he not baked, man?
It's pretty funny actually. I think someone wheeled him into the room. 😎
Bill is the responsible adult in the room. Writes the riffs and makes sure all the paperwork is done correctly. Brent is like Mastodon's id if it were a whole-ass person.
This is perfect.
Brent is the id, Bill is the ego, Troy is the superego. Bronn is the tentacle monster on drums.
My love for "More Than I Could Chew" cannot be overstated.
Same bro, hits me right in the soul
Same here. Someone recommended that song to me recently, as I had never heard Mastadon. I was absolutely hooked, bought Hushed and Grim, and saw them live a month later. These guys are amazing.
best track on the new album
That’s fuckin, that can be #1. Not like if they were ranking on riff Richter scale or anything….
WTH Brent talking about? He was in his own world. Love it!
That would be Eyes of Serpents.@@bevrosity
The fact that so many comments are talking about songs they missed, really shows the amount of incredibly memorable riffs came out of these guys. Legendary!
So legendary they haven't released anything decent in over a decade and are absolute assholes to their fans. One of the worst bands I've had the displeasure of meeting.
Bill is too humble to include that riff from The Last Baron (you know the one), greatest of all time
There are so many great riffs in that song and this isn’t the first time I’ve seen someone say ‘you know the one’ lol. Are you referring to the one with the harmonic slide at 8:20 that just kinda comes outta nowhere and is super groovy? Maybe he didn’t pick that one cuz it’s not necessarily heavy but I agree it’s absolutely incredible. That’s gotta be my favorite mastodon song and crack the skye might be my fav album of all time.
Not on a heaviest riffs list anyway
That riff is like crack, it's more like a groove metal riff, it gets you moving.
I got the TAB book as soon as I could and went straight to that riff - absolute melon twister
'The Last Baron' is one of my favorite Mastodon songs. I put it on a mix CD-R for some beginners a few years back.
Definitely missing March of the Fire Ants. The first time I heard that opening riff my mind was blown. Absolutely the heaviest thing I had ever heard and still one of my favorite Mastodon songs.
I really like the riff in the middle of the song, it's not the heaviest but it's very melodic and it hits me.
Absolutely, I wasn't a fan of Mastodon until I saw them live at a festival a decade ago and they opened with March of the fire ants...I became a fan since then.
Fuck yes. They opened with this when they toured with Slayer here \m/
Its the lyrics that complete it to me. Its literally some kind of heavy metal chant / ritual to make you headbang.
This was the song that hooked me initially as well, pure power
Love how focus Bill is explaining every each of the riffs, and also love how Baked Brent is
Only Brent can make a top heaviest riffs without his amp... haha this guy is something
If a riff is heavy, it will be heavy no matter how you play it.
The Seabeast riff is so fucking great. I'd be content with it being played on repeat for the rest of my life.
The ending is so good I want cry every time and yell until I can’t
100% my dude
One of the few Riffs ever, where I get Frisson *and* Headbang at the same time!
I agree bro!!! awesome riff!!
Saw it live, was so damn awesome
I totally imagine the filming of this video being Bill having thought over and over which 11 riffs to pick and then going into detail why, after which Brent came in totally unprepared, asked what songs Bill chose, then giving a comment on each. Done! That’s Mastodon for you!
That's perfect 😂
Brent's demonstration of Circle of Cysquatch just made my day
You edited this and still spelled cysquatch wrong
@@Ottophil I think the reason is obvious, thank you grammar police
🤣🤘🏽
The dude is a national treasure
March of the Fire Ants!!!
Intro rif, and the one after that, and after that, and that
Hats off to Brent for giving so many props to Brann. When you can sing (chant?) the drum beat behind almost every riff, you know it was special.
to paraphrase 2008 Brent, he can really flickity flam them drums
Brann is a legend. A quote from Brann, "I've written some Mastodon riffs and songs on guitar, and then I get them into the more capable hands of Bill and Brent. I wrote Blood & Thunder, Iron Tusk, The Wolf Is Loose, Crystal Skull, and from the new album, I wrote Gigantium and lots of riffs here and there."
@@TMmodify I think I’ve seen this somewhere lol, what’s the video?
I met Bill at a bar in Atlanta just before they recorded Crack the Skye. He was cool to chat for a few minutes, and was just a really nice guy.
That seabeast riff is my fav mastodon riff, one time I was blasted on mushrooms and when I listened to that song, I was on that ship rocking between massive stormy waves fighting off a kraken ever since that trip this riff is held dear to my heart
Brent is always just like perpetually orbiting Neptune, and just shows up when he's told, and I think we all love him for it. Man just vibing and chugging along each and every day. What an absolute legend.
The ending half of Aqua Dementia is one of the heaviest things ever written.
Absolutely agree.
hearts alive ending too
Heavy, or thrashy tho?
Completamente de acuerdo.
@@LexTNevillethe verse section was more thrashy imo
#1 - Bill Kelliher is the best rhythm guitar player in Rock in the last 25 years and should be held in the "best-all-time" conversation of that topic along with Mustaine, Hetfield, Malcolm Y, Scott Ian and EVH.
#2 - This list needed the opening riff from Andromeda :)
He isn't close to that league dude, and I really like him.
I just don't see it. Listen to Eyes of Fire or early In Flames
No he is not. You need to listen to more music if you actually believe so. All-time? No way.
@@Barnabus007 He's a better riff writer than all but maybe Hetfield
He's an excellent riff writer but Jeff Loomis (back in Nevermore & solo career) has to be way up there. Esp Nevermore's last album has insane riffs all the way through
Brent is an absolute goon. We have to keep this man safe at all costs 😂
The last riffs in Hunters of the Sky and Siberian Divide. Blood Mountain is full of these gigantic last riffs.
Love Mastodon. There's such an insane library of riffs. The very beginning of Colony of Birchman and the rest of its rhythms have always been a personal favorite.
I've always loved the Iron Tusk riff. Super Heavy.
One of the things that amazes me is the intricacies of multiple riffs within a single song. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for these guys to remember how to play their full catalog.
First riff I thought of when clicking this video, I was so glad to see it mentioned!
The last riff of “Colony of Birchmen” right before the ending solo always gets me PUMPED. It’s simple, but Heavy af
It's ALL about the keyboard in the back that fades in. 🤘
@@doodlebob3758 Facts
Seabeast always gets me man, it's so fucking heavy not only because of how it sounds, but because of WHEN it comes in. Context in a song is essential and that riff makes me headbang everytime I hear that song because I know there's a buildup to it just to end with such a riff. Gets me everytime, same with THAT one part of Imperium from Machine Head.
I love Bill and Brent's different approaches to this interview. Like Bill has It all figured out, he practiced the riffs again, he got his AxeFX all hooked up and gives a detailed rundown of each riff.
Meanwhile Brent just exudes "hell yeah, man that's cool." And has no ranking or riff ideas of his own. He's just so laid back about it.
I think it speaks to their different personalities, neither approaches are bad it's just funny to me.
Super disappointed that March of the Fire Ants was not on there. Opening riff gives me goosebumps to this day!
It Shoulda been no.1 in the heaviest riffs list
Would require them to have brought two guitars each.
Oop! Nevermind! I just saw they whipped out Mother Puncher.
For me its the riff in the Czar that comes after "leave the Czar to die" where it gets super Heavy!!! Best riff ever created
Thats the riff that first came to mind when I read the video title. Wonderful track.
Ah good shout. Very nice riff.
that one gets me every time, volume goes to 11 and anyone around has to just wait
@@UnkleBen Yeah indeed! I put it on when training and kind of plan to start the set when the riff hits lol
We could make another top 11 list of riffs just from that song!
They're all badass! I really dig "More than I could chew" sick af
Absolutely love that song.
Wow the algorithm recommended this video to me despite never hearing of this band but apparently it knew what it was doing because I'm completely stuck on #4 More Than I Could Chew. Holy shit that riff is amazing on a heavier tone. I can't stop listening to it lol.
im really happy for you, you have so much to explore!
If you like that their first 4 albums will redefine metal for you
Welcome to mastodon
Bill is a legendary song writer. Respect
Crack the Skye main riff super heavy I think
Soooo heavy
March of the Fire ants still blows my mind.
And when they play it live and Bill growls on the chorus...jeeeez
One of the best growls i have heard so far. And i really can judge.
The fact that they had to leave The Czar, Aqua Dementia, Fire Ants, Last Baron, High Road (and many others) out of the list says how gifted those guys are.
Thought for sure the riff at 8 minutes from The Last Baron would be there. I guess it's not extremely heavy but holy crap is it gnarly. Most Unique Mastodon Riffs should also be a thing.
That riff is the stuff of legends. I have a classically trained guitarist who is just obsessed with that riff.
The last section of Capillarian Crest is just moshpit inducing, wish they've included it here
"Crystal Skull", the part where Scott Kelly comes in.
Yeah was waiting for this.
"Riff Richter Scale" is a pretty fucking fantastic concept, not gonna lie
The part from the song “crack the skye” when Troy’s vocals start is my fav heavy mastodon riff
The whole song "Where strides the behemoth" is basically start with a heavy riff and end with one of the heaviest riffs ever
And complement it with mad energetic rolling tribal drums that writhe seamlessly between fills and beats, quadrupling the heaviness of each riff
@@tomchamberlain4329 Amen to that :)
Cada vez que escucho el segundo riff me veo en la necesidad de comenzar a hacer headbang jaja.
@@tomchamberlain4329 my dad got me a cameo from brann bc I’m a drummer and he’s my favorite. He told me to learn where strides the behemoth. I’ll get it when I’m 50 maybe
@@tomchamberlain4329 glad im not the only one obsessed w/ that and so many of their other songs...GOATS
Insane that they didn’t include the main riff in High Road (my favorite Mastodon riff). But hey, that just shows how many gut wrenching riffs they have!
That’s also my favorite riff!
Their best riff definitely is the opening riff from Asleep in the Deep :p
Bill wrote that one too so a little surprised it wasn’t on the list, fuckin stellar riff tho
Totally agree
To me the best riff is absolutely the last part of Seabest, i can listen to that for hours and never get bored, also i think Siberian Divide is extremely underrated, all the riffs of the song are abolutely awesome.
Revolver did an amazing job juxtaposing the two energies of Bill and Brent in this. I especially love the part at 3:06. Bill playing perfectly through an amp, while Brent dicks around and makes up an ascending line, "However that goes."
Bill is such a goddamn beast! Arguably the greatest riffsmith of the past 20 years and primary songwriter for most of the bands career
Island goes hard af. That one has been on my gym playlist for like a decade.
Island RULES. It has to be in my top five songs by them.
11:05 - "I mean I, I, I think that 'Circle of Cysquatch' is he- real heavy at the end, I mean it's like...y'know, um...I, it, whatever it does there... No demonstration."
Another perfect evaluation by Brent! 😆
Crusher destroyer being the first riff made me so happy, definitely one of my favorite mastodon songs
Same here. Glad to see it made it on the list.
As much as I love Mastodon's music, their personalities are what make them one of my favourite bands. Holy hell is Brent an entertaining dude.
Correct #1 choice. That ending is absolutely insane.
Bass line n drums add for heaviest outro ever
To me that riff always sounded like a big creature thrashing through a crowd of people tossing them around and sniffing through the pile of corpses.
Hear me out but one of the most brutal, crushing Mastodon riffs is also one of simplest. The middle section of Crystal Skull gets me every time. It's just four chords but it's heavy as fuck!
Hell yeah! I love that riff, when Scott comes in to sing. Brann hammering on the toms just gives it more depth. Awesome pick!
The song is heavy…then you get there and it gets HEAVVVVY
Such a great shout
More than I could chew is for me the heaviest and possibly their best song. The vocals and riffs mash blows my mind
My heavyest Mastodon song is March of the fireants of Remission. no clean vocals just mmm good! The riff in seabeast is awesome.
gotta love these boys. phenomenal musicians, band, art.
The first riff in mother puncher, the fast part in megalodon, the riff in aqua dementia with scott kellys vocals on it, the last riff in scorpion breath, that one groovy ass riff in the last baron. mastodon has so many good riffs i love em
More than I could chew us epic, the video is absolutely jaw dropping 🤘
Rock and metal can’t even fathom Mastodon cuz they’re heavy af. Bill is a riff genius 🎸
Watching interviews of these guys for over fifteen years, I’ve always thought, “these guys can’t stand each other and the band is about to break up.” Never happened.
So many great riffs, but Brent is like, “yeah whatever that’s a good one too i’ll go with that”😂
I had the pleasure of meeting both of them in 2017! I attended Bill's guitar lesson! Cool dudes! Love 'em!
He does, "Chuggy," so well. "Blood & Thunder", got me through a seriously suicidal part of my life back in 2009, and I will never forget it.
You know the list is gonna be heavy when they start with crusher destroyer at 11th place
Brent brings nothing to interviews except comic relief. I love Brent but it must be frustrating trying to get him to play for the cameras 😂 Love ya work Brent 😊
I love all of your guys music from the first EP to the last album but the # 1 riff for me would gotta be the first riff of peaceful tranquility. Thanks for another cool video much love yall keeping rocking!
That Seabeast riff slays me since the time I first heard it!!! My favourite Mastodon riff of all time, and one of my all time faves from any band!!!
"Riff Richter scale" is a legendary comment!
It’s real sick Bill and Brent both referenced Burnt By The Sun.
Bill and Bran were huge fans of Human Remains, Dave Witte's old band, back in the day and they were a big influence on both of them as well.
@@unknownenemy2027 I love when their hardcore influence pops out. It’s so cool. The Today Is The Day record they played on is insane
That was very cool. Personally I think Adubato has them beat in the heaviest riffs dept.
I so enjoyed that video! 🤘
Seabeast ending is one of the best ever riffs in the metal music , so much emotion in me when I hear it . 🤘❣️🤘
that riff towards the end in the Last Baron is among top 5 riffs of all time not just by Mastodon but any band.
I'm coming away from this realizing I've underrated Kelliher all these years. No more. Dude is a badass.
That end riff on Seabeast is one of my favourite heavy riffs of all time. I could put that part of the tune on repeat.
Still love this band so damn much after all these years. This was so fun to watch. Great riffage 🤘👹
I've always thought that the ending of circle of cysquatch is the heaviest Mastodon riff ever. Get's me hyped every time I hear it.
I'm so glad my favorite riff made it, Mother Puncher is by far my favorite Mastodon track and that section there just absolutely rips
The grinding riff from "Thank You For This" that starts at 45 seconds into the song. Since it was written before Remission, it still has that old Mastodon sludgy style. Absolutely love it.
One of my favorite bands of all-time, plus love the hometownish connection
The ending riff of the ATHF movie song is literally one of the best riffs I've ever heard.
Athf?
@@bufonoiseAqua Teen
I wish they would produce more songs like Fallen Torches... that song is soooo heavy and brings some off that old mastodon vibe while still being new
Agree
These two are a good team. Amazing g sounds and personality
Every single one of their songs have masterful riffs. I find the riffs on Colony of Birchmen to be quite under appreciated. Needless to say how incredible Brann's drumming ties everything together so perfectly.
More than I could chew and ole Nessie(verse) are definitely my top picks. Nessie isn't necessarily the heaviest ever but the tension and relief of that long build up delivers a very euphoric heavy wall of sound.
When I picked up their newest album and I heard "More than I Can Chew" I was blown away. That riff would've destroyed my speakers if I could've turned it up any louder.
High Road makes me head bang every time! Thanks guys!
I love them so much. All their albums are great. 💚💚💚
I can help but laugh every time they cut from Bill's heavy distortion to Brett playing 😂
Mastodon are the riff lords of the universe. All hail their splendor!
Man I have so many fav/heavy mastodon riffs that come to mind.
Love all the Mastodon riffs! Some of my heavy favs are Chimes at Midnight, Sultan's Curse, Steambreather, Dry Bone Valley, Blood and Thunder, and Iron Tusk. But like I said, they are all great...
Honorable mentions:
Crack the Skye (whole song)
Battle at Sea (whole song)
The Czar: Escape & Spiral riffs
High Road intro riff
Tread Lightly "thru the ages" riff
Jaguar God "the prophecy" riff
Pushing The Tides opening riff
Savage Lands opening riffs
Honestly for me honorable mentions are:
Entire discography
@@MrLelo17 😂 yes!!
The ending riffs to Seabeast and Mother Puncher will forever be two of the greatest riffs to headbang to by Mastodon.
Mother puncher in general is so fuckin glorious. What a song, brings me immense joy that it’s still a staple in their live sets
Love these guys!!!!
I love seeing shit like this, it sounds so amazing on the albums and full band, but its just riffs from some dude at its heart and thats beautiful