Title: Bladecatcher
Artist: Mastodon
Album: Blood Mountain
Bassist: Troy Sanders
Difficulty: Advanced
Tuning: D Standard Tuning
Key: D Major
Tempo: Unhinged
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Bass Diary Entry
This song absolutely melted my brain the very first time I tried to tab it out. Even by Mastodon standards, Bladecatcher is chaotic — riffs flying in all directions, constant rhythmic shifts, and absolutely zero interest in making life easy for anyone trying to play along. It’s one of those tracks that feels like it’s deliberately daring you to keep up.
When I decided to revisit it and give it a proper clean-up, I made it my mission to get all the time signatures and changes as close to the record as I possibly could. That process almost broke me… but in the best way imaginable. Sitting with this song for hours, breaking it down section by section, really highlighted just how intentionally unhinged the writing is.
Bladecatcher is definitely a bit of a marmite song in Mastodon’s catalogue. Some people absolutely love the madness, others just can’t get on board with it at all — but I fall firmly into the former camp. I love how unapologetically weird it is, and how it feels like the band just letting loose and seeing what happens.
Seeing it performed live at Sonisphere at Knebworth in 2011 only added to my appreciation for it. Watching them pull this song off on a big stage, with all its rhythmic insanity intact, was something special and really drove home just how tight they are as a band.
From a bass player’s point of view, this is about as far removed from “comfortable” as it gets. It demands focus, counting, and complete commitment to the groove — even when the groove feels like it’s constantly shifting under your feet. It’s challenging, frustrating, and incredibly satisfying all at once, which is exactly why I keep coming back to it.
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