Leviathan: the Beast From Below. A whaling boat, a crew of shipmates, and a harpoon to take on the storm; the

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1 1 Chris 5/1/15 Robinson Literary Analysis/ 6 Leviathan: the Beast From Below A whaling boat, a crew of shipmates, and a harpoon to take on the storm; the monstrous waves, and a ferocious creature of epic proportions, in a battle of strength and pride. Perhaps, a battle of inner struggles? A battle in life? Moby Dick captures universal battles, and shows the struggle of one man, on the journey to fight such struggle without fear, and with determination. The album Leviathan by Mastodon is a concept album based upon the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville. In the story, the book describes a pursuit that defines one man s life, and the battle to capture a monstrous white whale, which is a symbol of the constant struggle between good and evil, what lies beneath, or an end goal something to strive for. Meanwhile, the album captures the essence of being at sea, fighting for the catch, and other various elements of the story. With the mixture of whaling themed lyrics, ocean sounds, heavy vocals and instrumental parts, and a sea themed vibe to the songs, the music captures key details of Melville s story. One song in particular, Iron Tusk, explains the story of the sailors trying to capture the whale. The song title likely refers to the harpoon used to capture the whale. Straight line. Feel it burst liver and lung

2 2 This line seems to describe the harpoon being thrown into the whale, and feeling it sink in. This is a powerful opening line, as it gives a feeling for the intensity of the scene right off the bat. The song then follows: Long and strong. Til she spills the back blood This, again, seems to describe the intensity of the battle, as well as the commitment to capturing this behemoth. It could also be intended to portray the will to survive and the internal fight the whale is battling. Center down. Vast the head, body, and tail This is a description of the sheer size of the mammal. The term center down means to be steady or concentrated. This line could refer to the focus needed to take such a massive creature on. This song is played with a lot of vigor, aggression, and speed, as though the situation would be, with adrenaline pumping through the veins of the whaler as he tries with all his might to capture the sea beast. The words chosen are those that would suit an expedition such as this. The band chooses a slew from the text, mostly referring to the whale, the tools used, and water (lines such as left to recess a watery grave and rolling over, falling into jaws, from the song Megalodon). These come together to construct the songs, and create a piece that brings out power through the melody, and intensify that feeling through the lyrics. Iron Tusk is just one example, but there are other songs on this album that relate to whaling. Another song that contains lyrics just as powerful is Blood and Thunder. In this, there is described a much harder struggle to capture the whale.

3 3 No man of the flesh could ever stop me. The fight for this fish is a fight to the death! This line shows the determination of the sailor as he tackles this beast. This could also allude to the struggle of life, and man s inclination to take on large tasks. There is a true sense of determination, and you can practically feel the struggle through the intense growling of the lyrics, and the immense sound of the guitar, backed up by a Naval invasion like force of rhythm from the bass and drums. Split your lungs with blood and thunder. When you see the white whale This paints a picture of a massive battle in the middle of a vast, angry ocean, with grey clouds overhead, casting down lightning, and in the dead center of it all, a ship, bearing a crew bent on capturing the beast, restoring pride, fulfilling fate, and vanquishing evil. The sound of thunder and waves crashing cracks in the ears while trying to remain focused on the task at hand: fulfilling their destiny by catching the whale. This ivory leg is what propels me. Harpoons thrust in the sky. Aim directly for his crooked brow, and look him straight in the eye This is the last verse in the song. It contains perhaps the most power and emotion in the whole song, and really gives you a feel for the kind of mindset this crew has. They re determined to end this whale s life, and making it known to the universe that they won, thereby avenging the taking of Ahab s leg. There are many factors that make these songs work. Such factors include word choice, genre, and symbolism, as well as some of the thematic sounds in the song,

4 4 including regular use of waves crashing and thunder roaring. All of these factors add up to create intense, aggressive, and powerful songs. The words used in this album all relate to Moby Dick in some way or another. There are several small connections, such as referring to the water and sailing, and there are a number of outright references, such as the line Dear Mr. Queequeg in the song Seabeast. This is an underlying factor, as you can only understand parts of the lyrics without looking them up, due to the harsh metal vocals. Regardless, these are still in the mix, and they add to the overall theme of the album, which is fighting a battle of good versus evil, and the life struggle that accompanies the battle. In the album, there are many themes surfacing in the lyrics. There are plenty of issues to overcome in the situations portrayed in the songs. There are mental struggles, such as building up the courage to face such a beast twice. Building up such courage would be very difficult considering the whale s size and the weather conditions described in the music. Additionally, there is overcoming the challenge of facing other men, or in this case, a monstrous white whale. There s an ultimate end goal of defeating and demeaning Moby Dick, and the crew will stop at nothing, mentally or physically, to achieve this. The reason that heavy metal portrays this work best is because it has more aggression than any other genre, and, as one could imagine in a situation like this, there would have been quite a bit of aggression. Thus, heavy metal is a much more suitable genre than, say, bluegrass. However, I feel there s more to it than just heavy metal, because the progressive elements in the music are what make all the difference. More

5 5 emotion can be shown through progressive metal than any regular metal, as progressive metal generally varies in many ways within one song, including tempo, velocity, key signatures, and with it, the feeling of the song changes to either feel faster, more aggressive, or euphoria. There is quite a bit of symbolism contained in the music. The whale, it seems, holds the spot of a rather difficult obstacle or adversity in life. The crew symbolizes the people surrounding you to help out along the way. The boat and the harpoon are the tools used to conquer the task at hand, and the sailor, captain Ahab, is the conflicted individual. Mastodon, the American metal band, does incredible work in every album they produce. This album was no exception, and even went above and beyond in some aspects, such as references and themes, and tying sound effects into said themes. As for the symbolism of the album, I feel it connects to my current life situation, and also serves as motivation to get through the struggle, whether it be school, work, or my own personal adversities. No man of the flesh could ever stop me.