Joana Dias of the Portuguese cable television channel SIC Radical conducted an interview with drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON when the band played the Optimus Alive! 09 festival at Passeio Marítimo de Algés in Oeiras, Portugal on July 9. Watch the four-minute chat below.

MASTODON recently launched a "Crack The Skye" tour page featuring pictures, videos, setlists and fan commentary for each show on the band's current trek.

MASTODON in May released two versions of the band's new album, "Crack The Skye", on vinyl. The first is a standard high-quality vinyl issue with beautiful full-size album artwork. There is also a special deluxe edition mastered and pressed on two discs at 45 rpm for maximum audiophile fidelity housed in a gatefold sleeve available in a very limited edition, one-time-only pressing. This edition also includes the complete album on CD.

"Crack The Skye" sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.

MASTODON's 2006 CD, "Blood Mountain", came in with just over 24,000 units — significantly more than the 8,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2004's "Leviathan" — which put it at No. 32.