Call of the Mastodon

The Call of the Mastodon, a collection of Mastodon's first-ever forays into the recording studio, exposes the humble beginnings of hard rock's heaviest hitters. The nine tracks laid to tape here, the first the fledgling quartet had ever written, document a band finding its own voice and place in the musical world. Remixed and remastered by original producer Matt Washburn, and repackaged by the band's longtime artist Paul Romano, The Call of the Mastodon is a vital piece of heavy metal history and the crucial starting point in the still burgeoning Mastodon legacy.

Atlanta-based metal mavericks leave Relapse Records for the majors, but remember their roots with this remastered offering of their earliest recordings.

Call of the Mastodon collects the influential Atlanta metal band's earliest recordings.

Before you do anything, take a close look at the track listing above. If a lot of it looks familiar, you probably already own the out-of-print "Lifesblood" EP — and only you can decide if four more early tracks, for a total of 28 minutes of music, is worth shelling out full price for. But ...