Well, its happened. The best heavy metal tour package of the year has been announced. Mastodon will be embarking for a full US headlining tour in support of their hit record Crack the Skye with the live version of Dethklok (The band in Cartoon Networks's hit show Metalocalypse), Boston hardcore legends Converge, and sludge masters High on Fire. You already know how much I like Mastodon.

Presale tickets are availible now, and general public ticket sales begin Friday, August 7, at 10:00 a.m.

The dates are as follows:

Oct. 02 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
Oct. 03 - WaMu Theater - Seattle, WA
Oct. 04 - Orpheum Theatre - Vancouver, BC
Oct. 06 - Big Four Building - Calgary, AB
Oct. 07 - Shaw Conference Centre - Edmonton, AB
Oct. 09 - Great Saltair - Salt Lake City, UT
Oct. 10 - Fillmore Auditorium - Denver, CO
Oct. 12 - Uptown Theater - Kansas City, MO
Oct. 13 - The Pageant - St. Louis, MO
Oct. 14 - Val Air Ballroom - Des Moines, IA
Oct. 16 - Myth - St. Paul, MN
Oct. 17 - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
Oct. 18 - Eagle's Auditorium - Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 20 - LC Pavilion - Columbus, OH
Oct. 21 - The Fillmore - Detroit, MI
Oct. 23 - Sound Academy - Toronto
Oct. 24 - The Fairgrounds - Buffalo, NY
Oct. 25 - Armory - Albany, NY
Oct. 27 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
Oct. 30 - Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY
Oct. 31 - Patriot Center - Washington, DC
Nov. 01 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
Nov. 05 - Tabernacle - Atlanta, GA
Nov. 06 - House of Blues - Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov. 07 - Hard Rock Live - Orlando, FL
Nov. 08 - Pompano Beach Amphit - Pompano Beach, FL
Nov. 11 - House of Blues - Dallas, TX
Nov. 12 - Verizon Wireless Theater - Houston, TX
Nov. 13 - Austin City Music Hall - Austin, TX
Nov. 14 - Brady Theater - Tulsa, OK
Nov. 16 - Pan American Center - Las Cruces, NM
Nov. 17 - Mesa Amphitheater - Mesa, AZ
Nov. 18 - House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV
Nov. 19 - Palladium - Los Angeles, CA

Though the year is not yet halfway over, Mastodon's Crack the Skye will probably cap my end-of-year top 10 list. The Atlanta metal quartet are probably the most compelling metal act to come out since Metallica, hands-down the best American one, and currently the only one to have undeniable relevance outside of the extreme rock community. See their write-up (and drawing) in this week's New Yorker, doubters.

Though I'm still a bit partial to Leviathan, their concept album about Moby Dick from 2004, the new album (from which 'Divinations' is taken) is grander in scope and more deeply layered than anything they've done before. That an album as dark and ambitious as Crack the Skye can crack the Billboard Top 200 (it debuted at #11) is reason for metalheads and easy-listeners alike to celebrate.

Side-note: Many of you may know Mastodon from their guest appearance in the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie.

Every Monday, C&L's Late Nite Music Club will feature an up-and-coming act from every state, alphabetically by state, as part of LNMC's 50 State Strategy. Know a band or artist that you think is the best in their state? Email suggestions to latenitemusicclub [at] gmail.com.