Emperor of Sand

"Emperor of Sand" is the seventh studio album by American progressive metal band Mastodon. The album was released on March 31, 2017 through record label Reprise. The concept and story in Emperor of Sand follows a desert wanderer who has been handed a death sentence. Themes of death and survival are woven into the song's lyrics, which were inspired by experiences members of the band had when family and friends were recently diagnosed with cancer. "We're reflecting on mortality," bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders said in a statement. "To that end, the album ties into our entire discography. It's 17 years in the making, but it's also a direct reaction to the last two years. We tend to draw inspiration from very real things in our lives." At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".