"'In The Ruins' is inspired by the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene and the havoc it wreaked upon (bassist/vocalist) Troy Sanders and his family,” says the band. “The catastrophic storm severely flooded their home and destroyed personal belongings, leading to a nearly two year period of displacement that coincided with the whole band navigating the passings of Brent and Brann's mother Michele. Yup, it's another deep one, but ultimately it's us channeling the loss into a powerful declaration of resilience and catharsis. We are lucky we have each other, and we are lucky we have you, our fans!
"We collaborated with animation wizards and long-time friends Hey Beautiful Jerk for this visual. We absolutely love it, here is some more about how it came about!"
The vibrant video by animation and VFX studio Hey Beautiful Jerk depicts a fever dream journey by a single-eyed creature named Frank across flooded and ruined landscapes that serves as a metaphor for the song's lyrics.
"The initial inspiration for Frank and the concept for 'In The Ruins' came to me when I was in the ER for 10 hours with the worst eye infection of my life,” explained Hey Beautiful Jerk. “The pain was so bad it felt like my eye was revolting and wanted to escape my head. I had just talked to Brann about the meaning of the song and how it was inspired by his and Troy's recent losses. The expression 'picking up the pieces' came to me and I sketched a very rough version of Frank on my phone, capturing the idea as fast as I could before my eye wanted to escape my face once again."
“In The Ruins” follows “Your Ghost Again” and "Snakes For Dinner" as the third preview to “Marrow Deep”, which will be released on August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings.
"Marrow Deep" was co-produced by Mastodon at the band's own West End Sound in Atlanta with Patrik Berger (Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX) and Kurt Ballou (High On Fire, Converge), and was mixed by Andrew Scheps (Adele, Black Sabbath, Metallica).
Mastodon will celebrate the "Marrow Deep" release with the upcoming "The Poisonous Weapons Tour", a nationwide run of dates with support from Deafheaven and Alcest, which will open September 16 in Orlando, FL.
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