Hear Mastodon’s Ode to ‘Game of Thrones’ Villain ‘White Walker’
Winter is almost coming to Westeros as the fifth season of Game of Thrones draws near, but before George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series returns on April 12th, HBO will drop the second volume of their Catch the Throne: The Mixtape, a mix of hip-hop and heavy metal tracks inspired by the show. The first cut off the compilation was Talib Kweli’s “Lord of the Light,” and today Mastodon premiered their Throne track “White Walker,” an ode to the terrifying frostbitten undead that sulk beyond the Wall.
Mastodon’s foreboding contribution features interplaying acoustic guitars and funereal drums as the band sings, “Hide away your children / Then hide away yourself / Dig deep into mountain / Dig far beyond the sky / They come down / They come down the Wall” in honor of Game of Thrones’ neighbors to the North. The track keeps building until the three-minute-mark, when the band unleashes a monster guitar solo.
Catch the Throne: The Mixtape, Vol. 2 is due out March 17th and will feature new tracks by Method Man, Killswitch Engage, Ty Dolla $ign, Melanie Fiona, Estelle, Anthrax and Snoop Dogg, who said of the HBO series in a statement, “Off the top, I love Game of Thrones – I even gave my expert analysis of this season on my GGN show. It’s like the rap game, it’s gangster, about family, loyalty and trying to get to the top. I had to get involved. Give the fans a little bit of how I see it.”
In addition to crafting new music for Game of Thrones, Mastodon’s Brent Hinds, Tool drummer Danny Carey and Off! guitarist Dimitri Coats have teamed up to form the new side project Legend of the Seagullmen.