Date: July 5, 2025
Location: Villa Park, Birmingham
Stage: Back To The Beginning Main Stage
Band: MASTODON (USA)
Time: Somewhere between ancient prophecy and space-time rupture
๐ โBIRMINGHAM, ARE YOU READY TO BE ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED?โ โ MASTODON BRING THE COSMIC SLUDGE TO VILLA PARK ๐ช๏ธ
You could feel it coming. Like tectonic plates shifting under your feet, the tension in the crowd before Mastodon took the stage was heavier than one of Bill Wardโs old drum kits. Weโd already been battered and bruised by the likes of Orange Goblin and Clutch, but this? This was the real earthquake. Strap in, butt โ itโs Mastodon time. ๐๐ธ
๐ OPENING WITH CHAOS: โBLOOD AND THUNDERโ ERUPTS ๐
If youโve ever wondered what it sounds like when a volcano explodes underwater and the shockwave hits a doom cult’s rehearsal roomโฆ thatโs โBlood and Thunder.โ Brent Hinds snarled the opening riff like a man possessed, while Brann Dailorโs drumming practically rewired everyoneโs brains. ๐ฅ
Birminghamโs steel bones rattled. A lad next to us tried to scream the chorus and literally popped his beer can with the soundwave. Only in Villa Park, munโฆ ๐
๐ธ SETLIST STRAIGHT FROM THE COSMIC ABYSS ๐
Hereโs what they belted out like gods on a celestial bender:
- Blood and Thunder
- The Wolf Is Loose
- Crystal Skull
- Divinations
- Oblivion (the crowd lost it, proper lush moment)
- High Road
- Teardrinker (Yes, Brann can make grown men cry)
- More Than I Could Chew
- Mother Puncher
- Circle of Cysquatch
- Steambreather
- Gigantic final blow: Crack the Skye into Megalodon ๐
It was like being inside a Lovecraft novel during a meteor shower while your eardrums wrote a will. ๐ต
๐ง TECHNICAL MASTERY MEETS FULL-THROTTLE CARNAGE
Mastodonโs musicianship is stupidly good. Itโs annoying, really โ how can four blokes sound like a prog-metal octopus with machine guns for arms?
Troy Sanders stalked the stage like a warlock at a D&D rave, all grimaces and gallops.
Brent Hinds looked like a wizard whoโs been kicked out of every pub in Valhalla and still shreds like a beast.
Bill Kelliher had his riffs tighter than your nanโs Tupperware lids.
Brann Dailor is the kind of drummer who makes other drummers rethink their life choices. His vocals on โOblivionโ = ๐ฅฒโจ
๐ฏ๏ธ EMOTIONAL MOMENTS โ YES, MASTODON CAN MAKE YOU WEEP
Letโs talk about โCrack the Skye.โ That tune hits differently live. As soon as the opening notes started, the crowd went still โ even the blokes in Motorhead vests with pint helmets paused their headbanging.
Itโs a tribute to Brannโs late sister, and somehow amidst all the doom and destruction, thereโs this beautiful moment of grief and grace. Goosebumps everywhere. Even the goth couple by the kebab stand looked emotional.
๐ค CROWD VIBES โ WALL OF DEATHS & WIZARD CAPS
The pit was ridiculous. Not quite Slayer-at-Bloodstock level, but close. There were folks in Mastodon capes, someone in a full woolly mammoth costume (fair play), and more beards per square foot than a ZZ Top family reunion.
Shoutout to the lad who crowd surfed while holding a model of the Atlanta aquarium โ iconic. Tidy effort.
๐ฅ FINAL THOUGHTS: MASTODON CONQUER THE MIDLANDS
You know when people say โthat band melted my face offโ? This was literal. The security team were handing out complimentary faces in the lost property tent. ๐ง
Mastodon donโt just play music โ they channel something ancient, mystical, and unrelentingly heavy. From the wildest riff to the deepest emotional gut-punch, they delivered a masterclass in modern metal.
Score: 10/10 Flaming Tridents ๐ฑ
Brummie legend Tony Iommi wouldโve been proud. This was doom, sludge, prog, and pure class, all wrapped in one molten fireball of a set. Diolch, Mastodon โ you cracked the bloody skye.
๐ธ GOT PHOTOS OR PIT BRUISES?
Tag us at @theriffreportblog and show off your Mastodon meltdown! Bonus points if your ears are still ringing or you met a time-travelling space walrus. ๐๐ซ
