Mastodon and co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds have “mutually decided to part ways,” the band announced Friday. The revelation marks Mastodon’s first lineup change since 2001, a year after Hinds started the progressive metal band with Trey Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and Brann Dailor in Atlanta.
“Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, Mastodon and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways,” the band wrote on social media. “We’re deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors. We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of Mastodon.”
The band did not provide a reason for Hinds’ departure, nor announce a replacement. Mastodon is due to play this weekend at Tool Live in the Sand and go on tour with Coheed and Cambria and Periphery this summer, and the band stated “As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road.”
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Hinds released eight studio albums with Mastodon, from the band’s 2002 debut Remission through 2021’s Hushed and Grim. In 2004 the band released its sophomore album Leviathan, a concept album loosely based on Herman Melville‘s Moby-Dick. The album was a high point of 2000s prog-metal and has graced Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time”, Pitchfork‘s “Top 200 Albums of the 2000s”, and MetalSucks‘ 2009 list of “21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far”. Earlier this week, Hinds was absent from a discussion of Leviathan at the Metropolitan Opera by Sanders, Kelliher, and Dailor. Hinds’ last musical contribution to Mastodon arrived last September when the band teamed up with Lamb of God for the collaborative single, “Floods of Triton”.
Mastodon — Leviathan — Full Album