Mastodon frontman Brent Hinds has revealed that the metal band's fourth album is more mellow and melodic than the band's previous outings. This change of style stems from a head injury Hinds received after he was attacked outside the 2007 MTV VMAs, which caused a brain haemorrhage and left him with severe vertigo for several months.
Hinds told Rolling Stone: "I was dizzy for eight months. During those months, I just sat with my acoustic and a little marijuana, and wrote all the music. I wanted a more melodic, easy-listening situation, and that definitely came from having head trauma".
Bassist Troy Sanders added: "Musically and lyrically, this is the record we'd be writing if we weren't going to exist tomorrow. We don't feel like we have to do a certain type of record to please a certain group. We're free to change".