Mastodon to Release 20 Years of Rarities

Geez, has it really been 20 years since Mastodon first trudged onto the Earth? Indeed, it has, and to commemorate the milestone Reprise Records is releasing an album of rare recordings from the Atlanta-based bombardiers on Sept. 11.

Medium Rarities includes a bevy of B-sides, soundtrack contributions, cover songs and other castoffs such as instrumental versions of “Asleep in the Deep,” “Toe to Toes” and “Jaguar Gods,” live renditions of “Iron Tusk,” “Crystal Skull” and “Capillarian Crest,” covers of songs by Feist, Metallica and The Flaming Lips, and much more. An advance taste – the previously unreleased workout “Fallen Torches,” featuring vocals by Scott Kelly from Neurosis – is included as an instant download with album pre-orders directly from the band.

And that’s not all. Another new Mastodon song, “Rufus Lives,” is included on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted Face the Music; the long-in-coming third installment of the Bill & Ted film saga. Work also continues on the band’s ninth full-length album.