Founding Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds was killed in an accident in Atlanta, GA, on Wednesday night when he was struck by a car while riding a motorcycle. First reported by Atlanta News First, the Fulton County medical examiner’s office has confirmed his death at the age of 51.
According to a statement from the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded around 11:35 p.m. to an accident at the intersection of Memorial Drive Southeast and Boulevard Southeast in Southeast Atlanta.
“Upon arrival, officers located an unresponsive male who was involved in the collision,” the APD’s statement read. “The male appeared to be operating a Harley Davidson during the time of collision. Medical personnel pronounced the male deceased. The other driver involved, a female who occupied a BMW SUV remained on scene. The APD Accident Investigations Unit responded to the scene to determine the circumstances. Preliminary investigation indicates the male was traveling West on Boulevard. The female operating the BMW SUV failed to yield while turning left and collided into the male victim who was operating the Harley Davidson. The investigation remains active at this time.”
Mastodon mourned Hinds on social media, writing, “We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we’ve shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent’s family, friends, and fans.”
Hinds formed Mastodon in 2000 with Trey Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and Brann Dailor in Atlanta, and the lineup remained unchanged for 25 years until Hinds left the band in March. At the time, Mastodon stated that Hinds and the band had “mutually decided to part ways,” with Kelliher adding in an interview, “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart.” However, in June, Hinds wrote in an Instagram comment, “I won’t miss being in a shit band with horrible humans,” suggesting the split wasn’t as amicable as originally reported.
Days after parting ways with Hinds, Mastodon performed at the Tool Live in the Sand destination event with viral guitarist Ben Eller. The band has since hit the road with Nick Johnston on guitar. Hinds was onstage a couple weeks after the split, performing with Fiend Without a Face in Atlanta on March 21st.
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”. Hinds’ final 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
This is a developing story…