Although Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher is one of metal’s premier riff writers, he remains in awe of Black Sabbath. Moreover, he’s in awe of being asked to be a part of the July 5 Back to the Beginning event.
“I’m just going to take it in, man,” he says. “I’m privileged to be in a band that’s been asked to be on such a metal experience.”
It’s been a whirlwind for Kelliher and Mastodon, who, back in March, announced the “mutual” departure of Brent Hinds, meaning Mastodon will be sporting a new lead guitarist – most likely Nick Johnston – come July 5.
Still, Kelliher marvels at the fact that the original four members of Mastodon held it together for so long, which makes the lessons learned from Sabbath – who have had trouble doing the same – bittersweet.
“They taught us that you’re never too old to rock,” Kelliher says. “They’ve withstood the test of time. They’ve been a band for over 50 years, since the late ’60s. That’s a long time, man.”
What led to Mastodon getting the call for Back to the Beginning?
“I’m not exactly sure who mentioned us, but I mean… we’re Sabbath-worthy! [Laughs] We toured with Sabbath during Ozzfest in 2005. And they were fans of Mastodon, but I’m not sure if they had anything to do with it. I’m just happy to go. I’m not asking any questions!”
![Mastodon - Steambreather [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/HEubrZV04b0/maxresdefault.jpg)
What was it like touring with Sabbath? Did you rub elbows with the band?
“Those guys are pretty well-padded, you know? They’re kinda like fine china at this point. They’re not rubbing elbows with the common folk too much. [Laughs] But I remember sitting down with Bill Ward a couple of times, and he had nice things to say about us.”
I met Ozzy at one time for a second – but I think both of us had a few substances in us
You didn’t get to talk with Ozzy, Geezer or Tony?
“I believe I met Ozzy at one time for a second – but I think both of us had a few substances in us. [Laughs] The only time I spoke to Mr. Iommi was when we were accepting an award in London, 10 or 12 years ago; he was accepting an award, too.”
What did Tony have to say?
“We were all standing there and were going to perform a couple of songs. He was about to accept his award, and it was dark behind the stage; as he was getting ready to walk out, instead of being like, ‘Hey, man, you’re my favorite guitar player, let’s get a picture,’ I was like, ‘Watch out for that cable running across the floor.’ [Laughs] He was like, ‘Oh, yeah. Thanks, dude.’ That was my interaction.”
Do you regret not saying more – or not getting that photo?
“I’m sure he gets plenty of crazy, weird bands all over him. I don’t ever really like to meet my heroes, you know? I like to think of them as the way they are in my head, like these gods. I don’t want to be disappointed when I meet them.”
Supernaut. I can’t imagine writing that at home and being like, ‘I can’t wait to take this to practice to show the other guys’
How has Iommi impacted your playing?
“They’re the quintessential heavy metal band. They’re like the original fucking metal band, really, in my eyes. His playing influenced just about every metal riff you’ve heard. Whether you want to admit it or not, he created a lot of those iconic harmonies.”
Tony is about as unique a player as it gets. What’s his secret?
“It’s not the proficiency of the playing. It’s more about writing a great riff that sticks in your head and is catchy. A lot of them are simple, but believe it or not, it’s harder to write a three-chord rock song than to write something super-arpeggiated with weird time signatures all over the place.”
Do you have a favorite Sabbath riff?
“Supernaut. I can’t imagine writing that at home and being like, ‘I can’t wait to take this to practice to show the other guys,’ and then showing up and being like [in a British accent], ‘Hey, mates, I got this cool fucking riff. Check it out!’
“It fucking checks all the boxes. It’s very upbeat but dark and evil at the same time. It’s got a great swing to it. Swing is another thing that metal guitar players don’t think about.”
What’s the greatest challenge in trying to cover Tony’s parts?
“A lot of people emulate him. He’s not over-the-top with his guitar solos, really fast or technical. He’s right in the middle. He created sludge metal with those slowed-down, heavy-ass riffs.
“It’s not hard to be like, ‘That kind of sounds like Black Sabbath’ when you’re writing riffs. I mean, it’s hard not to; I don’t know; he just used pentatonic scales in a really evil way and chose his notes wisely.”
Have you discussed what Sabbath song you’ll play at the show?
“I want to play Supernaut! But I don’t have all the details. We’re still in the dark about a lot of that. There’s a lot of bands playing, and there’s only so much time to let Sabbath do their thing… Metallica will probably play a few songs, so we may only get to play one song, which is fine.”
What does it mean to you to be a part of this event?
“It’s a very special occasion. Those guys are getting up there – we all are – so for them to get back together and do this one last show as the original four dudes is monumental.
“It’s great. When we were invited to do it, I was kind of beside myself, like, ‘Really? Wow.’ We’re going to be up there with some really fucking huge bands of our genre that we looked up to. I’m very humbled. It’s super-special that we got asked. It speaks volumes.”
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
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