[6] Drummer Brann Dailor completed his drum tracks and began drafting lyrics while guitars and bass were being recorded by other band members.

[6] Scott Kelly of Neurosis and Kevin Sharp of Brutal Truth both appear as guest vocalists on "Scorpion Breath" and "Andromeda" respectively.

[8] Kelly appeared as a guest vocalist on every Mastodon studio album from Leviathan (2004) to the compilation Medium Rarities (2020).

[6] Themes of death and survival are woven into the songs' lyrics, which were inspired by experiences members of the band had when family and friends were recently diagnosed with cancer.

Following the album's release, the band embarked on a tour in the United States from April 14 to May 20, 2017, with support from Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles.

"[17] Reviewing that album for Consequence of Sound, Katherine Turman wrote "From the incendiary solos of 'Word to the Wise' to the evocatively personal/universal lyrics ('The throne of maladies/It's right in front of me/Your malignancy'), Emperor of Sand proves cathartic for the listener and, hopefully, for the band members as well.

"[14] Rob Sayce wrote the review for Rock Sound suggesting that "Few bands out there twist metal into such bewildering, bewitching shapes, and – somehow – there’s little sign of their well running dry.

"[13] Jordan Blum of PopMatters similarly concluded that "Emperor of Sand is by no means a bad album, but there's little here that the band hasn't already explored.

"[19] Contributor Saby Reyes-Kulkarni wrote the review for Pitchfork declaring "Mastodon haven't gone past the point of no return in pursuit of accessibility.

7 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's best selling album, as Crack the Skye debuted at number 11 with 41,000 copies in its first week.