Brann Timothy Dailor was born on March 19, 1975, in Rochester, New York. Growing up surrounded by music — his parents introduced him to Frank Zappa, King Crimson, and Yes at a young age — Dailor was drawn to progressive, boundary-pushing sounds from the start. Rochester’s underground music scene gave him his first stages, and his drumming would eventually help redefine what heavy metal could be.
Rochester Underground
Dailor’s early career was spent in a succession of Rochester-area bands: Evisceration (1991-1993), the progressive funk metal outfit Gaylord, and the influential mathcore band Lethargy. He also played with Today Is the Day, appearing on their albums In the Eyes of God (1999) and Live Till You Die (2000). These formative years honed a drumming style that blurred the line between rhythmic foundation and lead instrument.
Mastodon
Dailor co-founded Mastodon with guitarist Bill Kelliher and bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, where the band became one of the 21st century’s most important metal acts. Their discography reads as a masterclass in progressive heavy music: Remission (2002), the concept album Leviathan (2004), Blood Mountain (2006), Crack the Skye (2009) — a deeply personal record that addressed Dailor’s sister’s suicide — The Hunter (2011), and Emperor of Sand (2017).
Grammy Winner
Mastodon’s “Sultan’s Curse” from Emperor of Sand won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards in 2018 — the band’s first Grammy win. The album itself was nominated for Best Rock Album.
Legacy
Dailor’s drumming — a constant flurry of fills, ghost notes, and melodic patterns that functions more like a second guitar than a traditional rhythm section — has influenced a generation of progressive metal drummers. From Rochester basements to Grammy stages, Brann Dailor brought the ambition of progressive rock to the heaviness of metal and created something singular.