When news broke of Brent Hinds’ passing this week, the metal community felt a profound loss. For Mastodon, it meant not only the loss of a bandmate but of a brother who had shaped their music and journey for a quarter of a century.
At their first show since the tragedy, Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor stood before the crowd at the Alaska State Fair in Palmer and gave words that carried both grief and gratitude.
“We lost somebody very special to us yesterday,” Dailor told the audience, speaking of Hinds, who died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 51. “Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we’ve ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate.”
His tribute captured the complicated love that often defines long musical partnerships.
“We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It’s not always perfect, it’s not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other, and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that’s gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight.”
Dailor painted vivid memories of the band’s early struggles and triumphs — the van tours, the exhaustion, the chaos, and above all, the camaraderie.
“So we will continue to play Brent’s beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on.”
“I don’t know. We’re just at a loss for words. We’re absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for fucking Brent, okay? Thank you guys so much.”
The band had already released a statement on social media the day before, saying: “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. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time. RIP Brent.”
Hinds co-founded Mastodon in 2000 with Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders, and Bill Kelliher, leaving behind a legacy etched into modern heavy music. His raw, twang-heavy vocal delivery and banjo-inspired guitar riffs became a defining element of albums like Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Crack the Skye.
