Guitar World recently spoke with Mastodon's Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher about the band's new album, Emperor Of Sand, and having remained a unit for 17 years without a single line-up change. Following is an excerpt from the story.

“It’s our job to stay together,” says singer-guitarist Brent Hinds. “And we’re not married to one another, so that makes it easier.”

He lets out a throaty laugh, then elaborates on the band’s lasting chemistry: “I think what helps the most is being adults and respecting each other’s personal space. Plus, we’ve got the same goal, which was to be in an awesome band that takes over the world. My bank account says we’re not quite there yet, but we’re working at it.”

Co-guitarist Bill Kelliher affirms that the task of staying together has been the band’s biggest shared goal since their first rehearsal.

“We all felt it right away,” he states. “We said, ‘That’s it. No one is allowed to quit unless we all quit.’ A lot of bands break up for silly reasons. One member decides to hang out with his wife, or he doesn’t want to be on tour so much, and then things fall apart. But we made that pact: No one can leave unless we all leave. That’s how we do it.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Mastodon performed “Show Yourself” April 3rd on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Video of the performance is available for streaming below.

Mastodon’s new studio album, Emperor Of Sand, was released on March 31st via Reprise Records. Get it in various formats at this location.

Mastodon tour dates:

April
14 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
15 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater
16 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
18 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Palladium
21 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Complex
24 - Denver, CO - Fillmore
26 - Kansas City, KS - Uptown Theater
27 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
28 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City
29 - Jacksonville, FL - Welcome to Rockville Festival
30 - Ft. Myers, FL - Fort Rock Festival

May
2 - Washington, DC - Fillmore
3 - Toronto, ON - Rebel
4 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
5 - Concord, NC - Caroline Rebellion Festival
6 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
8 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
9 - Portland, ME - State Theater
11 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE
13 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
14 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
16 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Theater
17 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
18 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
19 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
20 - Austin, TX - ACL Live