Mastodon opens up about Brent Hinds' death

Ex-Mastodon lead guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds is being honored with a new Atlanta memorial and a documentary in which band members open up about exactly how and why Hinds was fired by the band, just months before his death.

In early July, an unofficial Atlanta memorial sprang up overnight at the site of Hinds’ fatal motorcycle crash at the intersection of Boulevard and Memorial Drive in Grant Park.

The four-panel memorial (on a traffic signal box) includes two photos of Hinds and two written signs. The first sign reads: “In loving memory of Brent Hinds…. You are loved and missed by so many.” The second sign showcases the silhouette of a motorcycle rider and reads: “Look twice! Save a life!”

Hinds, 51, was killed on his Harley Davidson motorcycle in a traffic collision with a BMW SUV on August 20, 2025. Initially, police said the female SUV driver failed to yield on a green light. Atlanta police later said Hinds was driving between 63 and 68 miles per hour, roughly twice the legal speed limit for the area. No one was charged.

No one seems to be directly taking credit for the unofficial memorial, though it appears to be the work of a professional artist.

On July 10, just days after the Hinds memorial was unveiled, the remaining three co-founders of Mastodon members honored Hinds with the aptly-titled tribute, The Mastodon in the Room, a 35-minute, free YouTube documentary containing archival behind-the-scenes footage of the band spanning their 25-year-career.

Mastodon co-founders Brann Dailor (drums/vocals), Troy Sanders (bass/vocals) and Bill Kelliher (guitar) met at Atlanta’s historic Plaza Theatre to record intimate commentary on Hinds’ death, and to film their reactions to viewing footage showing Mastodon’s climb to metal superstardom.

The film is both a love letter to Hinds, and a never-before-told reveal of details leading up to the three co-founders’ difficult decision to oust Hinds, whom they loved like a brother, from the band after a quarter-century of making music together.

Mastodon achieved global fame with the band’s explosive brand of sludge-metal-meets-heavy-metal music. One constant: Hinds’ intricate, twisty guitar riffs that thrust the band’s finest songs into intense, perfectly paced build-ups of epic noise. Hinds was a tremendously gifted guitarist, who had attended Alabama’s School of Fine Arts, a statewide magnet high school, before moving to Atlanta. Mastodon earned a GRAMMY® for “Sultan’s Curse,” a song from their 2017 album “The Emperor of Sand.”

There are plenty of joyous, laughter-inspiring moments in the documentary, especially the band’s pure youthful giddiness expressed when they first burst on the global scene, opening up for Iron Maiden. Before that, Mastodon had spent nearly five years in a van, relentlessly touring clubs. The documentary captures Hinds’ creative intensity and talent, especially during the making of the band’s “Crack the Skye” (2009).

The documentary slowly reveals the increasing strain of Hinds’ drinking, as other band members learned to put performing first.

“There was a certain level that Brett would get to, where I would just have to excuse myself,” recalls Drailor. “And he wanted you to come, you know? He wanted you to come into the abyss.”

Initially, “the shows were good, especially after an incident (with Hinds’ excessive partying) Dailor says. “The next show, after an incident, the three of us knew, the show was going to be fucking awesome. The redemption show.”

Eventually, the incidents began piling up — and spiraling out of control.

The band members openly discuss how Hinds’ booze-fueled, late-night lifestyle became a major problem for the band — especially during live performances when Hinds became prone to angry outbursts onstage, screaming at monitor techs and occasionally directing his anger toward fans. Hinds was often performing “inebriated,” says Sanders.

All three co-founders say they pleaded with Hinds many times to straighten up, with no results. Finally, the three made a pact to dump Hinds from the band. Sanders said he wrote a long letter of reasons outlining why the band was ditching Hinds, then called a band meeting. Sanders started reading the letter to Hinds, who quickly figured it out and stormed out of the meeting. Five months later, Hinds was dead.

The heartbreaking part of the film? Surviving band members suggest they always thought they’d see their buddy Hinds again — and possibly reconcile with him both personally and musically.

The Mastodon in the Room makes a universal point. Nearly everyone has known someone so haunted and consumed by booze or substances, that they had to cut the person out of their lives. What seemingly sets Brent Hinds apart? His massive, undeniable, and dominating musical genius.

Mastodon continues with new guitarist Nick Johnston. In June, the band released “Your Ghost Again,” a new song dedicated to Hinds. Mastodon’s next album, Marrow Deep, is set for an release August 28 release.  Mastodon is set to play the Eastern on Oct. 22. —CL—