Mastodon have parted ways with Brent Hinds, the band announced on social media today (March 7). Hinds co-founded the metal band with guitarist Bill Kelliher, bassist Troy Sanders, and drummer Brann Dailor in 2000.
Writing on Instagram, the band said, “Friends and fans, after 25 monumental years together, Mastodon and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.
“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.
“As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact,” the statement continues. “We look forward to seeing you on the road.”
Neither the band nor Hinds provided a specific reason for the departure.
Mastodon are scheduled to perform this weekend (March 7-9) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The band have a full scheduled American tour beginning in May, and a run of European festival dates scheduled for this summer.
In a 2024 interview with Guitar WorldBill Kelliher said that he had begun writing riffs for a new Mastodon record, which would serve as the follow-up to the band’s first double album, 2021’s Hushed and Grim.
“I’m feeling really good about everything because I have a lot of ideas,” he said at the time. “But my ideas always sound homogenous at first, so I have to trust my instincts that they’ll get to a point where they actually sound different. It’s baby steps right now, especially coming off a grand double album.”
In the same interview, Kelliher reflected on his and Hinds’ different songwriting approaches, saying, “We’re opposite sometimes. When I write songs I’ll spend months piecing them together, whereas Brent says, ‘Let’s jam and write whatever on the spot in the studio.’
“That sometimes works for me, but I generally want to be organized and try out every possible avenue of where the songs can go.”