Troy Sanders

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Troy Sanders
Mastodon - Rock im Park 2022 - IMG 2532 - 2 (cropped).jpg
Sanders performing at Rock im Park 2022
Background information
Birth nameTroy Jayson Sanders [1]
Born (1973-09-08) September 8, 1973 (age 50)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Bass guitar, vocals
Years active1990–present
Member of Mastodon, Killer Be Killed, Gone Is Gone, Social Infestation, Thin Lizzy
Website mastodonrocks.com

Troy Jayson Sanders (born September 8, 1973) is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he plays bass and sings alongside Brent Hinds and Brann Dailor. He is also active in the supergroups Killer Be Killed and Gone Is Gone and is the current touring bassist for rock band Thin Lizzy.

Contents

Biography

Sanders performing in 2006 Mastodon Troy Sanders 2006.jpg
Sanders performing in 2006

Sanders first played when he had picked up his older brother Kyle's bass and decided to try it out, even though the bass was strung for a lefty, and he was right-handed. A few months later, he had talked his dad into buying him a bass. He started first playing in such bands as Four Hour Fogger, Knuckle and Puaka Balava. [2] In 1995, Sanders joined the grindcore band Social Infestation as the bass player. Social Infestation has released one EP and two full-length albums. The band hasn't released any material since 2000 and are seemingly taking a long hiatus or the band has split. [3]

In 2000, Sanders met Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher along with Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show and later formed Mastodon. The four began a new musical venture with then singer Eric Saner, touring the Southern United States, working 40-hour weeks and committing to the band in their spare time. The band's mainstream success would ensue after Saner left the band, pushing Sanders to the forefront not just as a bassist, but as a vocalist also, the duties of which he would share with Hinds and Dailor.

In 2012, Sanders joined the supergroup Killer Be Killed, founded by The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato and Soulfly/ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera. The band had been working on a lineup and material before announcing their name in October 2013. [4] [5] They released their self-titled debut record through Nuclear Blast Records on May 13, 2014. [6]

In 2016, Sanders formed Gone Is Gone, a supergroup also consisting of Troy Van Leeuwen, a guitar player for Queens of the Stone Age, Tony Hajjar, the drummer for At the Drive-In, and Mike Zarin, [7] a multi-instrumentalist who appeared with Van Leeuwen on Sweethead's Descent to the Surface . They released an EP in the summer of 2016, shortly followed by a studio album, Echolocation, the following year. [8] Since then, the band has continued to record together, releasing singles in 2018 and 2019.

Influences and style

Sanders in 2009 Troy Sanders, Mastodon (2).jpg
Sanders in 2009

Musical style

Sanders plays primarily fingerstyle, although he sometimes uses a pick, and usually steps out of the guitar parts in Mastodon, and composes his basslines on his own. He has shown a wide variety of playing styles and techniques, so he is known as a very flexible player.

Singing style

Sanders performs clean and harsh vocals in Mastodon, where he shares lead vocal duties with Brent Hinds and Brann Dailor. His harsher vocal style is similar to Scott Kelly of Neurosis and Buzz Osborne of the Melvins, utilizing low growls but not low enough to be death grunts. His harsh vocalism was largely applied in Mastodon's earlier Lifesblood and Remission . In Mastodon's more recent albums, Leviathan through Emperor of Sand , Sanders utilizes a different range of clean vocals along with his harsher style.

Influences

Sanders has cited Cliff Burton from Metallica, Gene Simmons from Kiss, and Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy as some of the major influences on his bass playing. He has also stated in interviews that his favorite albums are Men at Work's Business as Usual , Neurosis' Times of Grace , and George Jones' Anniversary – 10 Years of Hits . Adding to that list, in a 2005 interview, [9] he also mentioned Through Silver in Blood by Neurosis, Sailing the Seas of Cheese by Primus, Melvins' Stoner Witch , Metallica's Ride the Lightning , and White Pony by Deftones as some of his favorites.

Personal life

Sanders is married and has two children, a son and a daughter. [10] Sanders has two brothers, Kyle and Darren, who are both involved in music. Kyle was the bassist of Bloodsimple, and is in MonstrO, and metal supergroup Hellyeah; while Darren is "a one man road crew" and bass tech for Mastodon.

Discography

Sanders performing in 2014 Mastodon-Rock im Park 2014 by 2eight DSC7768.jpg
Sanders performing in 2014

Social Infestation

Mastodon

Killer Be Killed

Gone Is Gone

Guest appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mastodon (band)</span> American metal band

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 2000, the band's lineup of Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Brent Hinds, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals) has remained unchanged since 2001. Mastodon has released eight studio albums, as well as a number of other releases. The band's 2002 debut album, Remission, garnered significant critical acclaim for its unique sound. Mastodon's second full-length release, Leviathan, is a concept album based on the novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Three magazines awarded the record "Album of the Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brann Dailor</span> American drummer and singer

Brann Timothy Dailor is an American musician, best known as a member of heavy metal band Mastodon, in which he is the drummer and one of three vocalists.

<i>Remission</i> (Mastodon album) 2002 studio album by Mastodon

Remission is the debut album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was released on May 28, 2002 through Relapse Records. A deluxe edition was released on October 21, 2003.

<i>Call of the Mastodon</i> 2006 compilation album by Mastodon

Call of the Mastodon is a compilation album of early recordings from the American metal band Mastodon. It was released on February 7, 2006, by Relapse Records.

<i>Blood Mountain</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Mastodon

Blood Mountain is the third full-length studio album and major label debut by American heavy metal band Mastodon. The recording of the album finished in April 2006 and it was released on September 12 in the UK and September 12, 2006 in North America through Reprise Records. The album in full could be streamed at the band's MySpace page a few days prior to the release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brent Hinds</span> American guitarist and singer

William Brent Hinds is an American musician best known as a lead guitarist of the Atlanta, Georgia metal band Mastodon, in which he shares guitar duties with Bill Kelliher and vocal duties with Troy Sanders and Brann Dailor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colony of Birchmen</span> 2007 single by Mastodon

"Colony of Birchmen" is a single by American heavy metal band Mastodon. It was featured on the group's third album, Blood Mountain. The song features backing vocals from Josh Homme, lead singer of the alternative rock band Queens of the Stone Age and former guitarist of Kyuss.

<i>Crack the Skye</i> 2009 studio album by Mastodon

Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009, through Reprise, Sire and Relapse Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. In Australia, the album debuted at number 19. It had sold 200,000 copies in the US as of September 2010, making it one of their highest-selling albums to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oblivion (Mastodon song)</span> 2009 single by Mastodon

Oblivion is the second single from Crack the Skye by American progressive metal band Mastodon. It is their second-most successful single and song from Crack the Skye, reaching #30 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart; however, it has since been surpassed by "Curl of the Burl," which peaked at #16. It is the opening track on the band's live album Live At The Aragon.

<i>Live at the Aragon</i> 2011 live album by Mastodon

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<i>The Hunter</i> (Mastodon album) 2011 studio album by Mastodon

The Hunter is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon. Released through Roadrunner Records on September 26, 2011, in the UK and one day later in the US via Reprise Records, The Hunter is their first release with producer Mike Elizondo. In its first week of release in the UK, the album reached number 19 on the UK Albums Chart and position number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart selling over 39,000 copies in the first week. As of December 2011, The Hunter has sold over 75,133 copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curl of the Burl</span> 2011 single by Mastodon

"Curl of the Burl" is a single by American heavy metal band Mastodon from their fifth studio album, The Hunter. It was released August 16, 2011, as the second single from the album. The single was the band's most successful song on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart at release, peaking at No. 15. It would eventually lose its title to Emperor of Sand's "Show Yourself". It was nominated for a 2011 Grammy award in the category Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killer Be Killed</span> American heavy metal band

Killer Be Killed is an American heavy metal supergroup founded by Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato and Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera in early 2011. The lineup also features Mastodon bassist and co-vocalist Troy Sanders and Converge drummer Ben Koller. The band had slowly been working on material before announcing its name in October 2013, along with their signing to Nuclear Blast. The group's self-titled debut record was released in 2014. In September 2020, the group returned with a new single, and released their second album Reluctant Hero in November of that year.

<i>Killer Be Killed</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Killer Be Killed

Killer Be Killed is the debut studio album by American heavy metal supergroup Killer Be Killed featuring Greg Puciato of the Dillinger Escape Plan, Max Cavalera of Soulfly/ex-Sepultura, Troy Sanders of Mastodon, and Dave Elitch of the Mars Volta. It was recorded in September 2013 at Fortress Studio in Los Angeles and released May 9, 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records. The album reached No. 58 on the U.S. Billboard 200 during its first week of release and sold around 5,500 copies.

<i>Once More Round the Sun</i> 2014 studio album by Mastodon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Motherload</span> 2014 single by Mastodon

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<i>Live at Brixton</i> (Mastodon album) 2013 live album by Mastodon

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Show Yourself (Mastodon song)</span> 2017 single by Mastodon

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<i>Medium Rarities</i> (Mastodon album) 2020 compilation album by Mastodon

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References

  1. Sanders, Troy Jayson. "Songwriter/Composer: SANDERS TROY JAYSON". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  2. "Troy Sanders – Encyclopaedia Metallum". The Metal Archives. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  3. "Social Infestation – Encyclopaedia Metallum". The Metal Archives. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  4. Project Featuring MAX CAVALERA, GREG PUCIATO, TROY SANDERS Gets Name Blabbermouth.net. October 18, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  5. Max Cavalera/Greg Puciato/Troy Sanders Supergroup Finds a Label Home MetalSucks. October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  6. Killer Be Killed Featuring Cavalera, Puciato, Sanders: Debut Album Cover Artwork Revealed Blabbermouth. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  7. Reed, Ryan (April 13, 2016). "Mastodon, At the Drive-In, QOTSA Members Form Gone Is Gone". Rolling Stone .
  8. "Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age, At the Drive-In Members Form Supergroup Gone is Gone, Tease New Song "Violescent": Listen". Pitchfork. April 13, 2016.
  9. Archived November 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Archived November 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Orange Amplification's Micro Terror Saves The Day For Mastodon's Troy Sanders". Blabbermouth.net. January 9, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2014.