Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher has commented on his fellow guitarist Brent Hinds’ departure from the band.
Last week, it was announced that Hinds and the Atlanta sludge/prog metal unit had gone their separate ways. The guitarist co-founded the quartet in 2000 and had been a full-time member ever since.
Now, talking to Guitar World, Kelliher says that Hinds and the rest of the band grew apart, comparing the relationship to a failed marriage.
“What can you say about the legacy of Mastodon’s first 25 years with Brent?” he rhetorically asks. “It’s been a fun, wild fucking ride, that’s for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There’s been Grammys, touring with our heroes, like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motörhead and Tool. I cherish all of that.”
Kelliher continues: “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart, and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams.
“You know, it’s amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us. I mean, it’s like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course, and having everybody agree. That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that’s a feat in itself. You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts.”
He finishes by looking towards the future with a new guitar player in Hinds’ stead. “That doesn’t mean there’s not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction. I think I’ll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It’s just… it was just time.”
On Sunday, March 9, Mastodon played their first show since Hinds’ departure, with Youtuber Ben Eller filling in. Afterwards, Eller took to Instagram to express his gratitude at playing the gig, which took place at Tool’s Live In The Sand festival in the Dominican Republic.
“What an incredible weekend playing with [Mastodon] as a part of [Tool’s Live In The Sand],” he wrote. “You guys who have followed me for a while know how much I love this music, so to be asked to play alongside the band is a true honour. I’ve seen your kind and supportive words for me out there, and it means the world to me! My inbox is so stuffed, there’s no way I can respond to every single thing, but know how much I appreciate y’all.”
It’s unclear how permanent Eller’s addition to Mastodon is, but the band will proceed with all announced live plans for 2025. They include a set at Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning event in Birmingham in July, plus a special guest slot at Derbyshire festival Bloodstock Open Air in August.
Mastodon have been working on a new album, their first since 2021’s Hushed And Grim. In January, drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor told Metal Hammer that it is “all over the place” musically.
“I hear some punk rock in there, but then I hear some insane prog and I hear the heaviest version of ourselves poking its head out again,” he explained. “You can talk all day about what you want to do, but at the end of the day it governs itself – it pulls you where your heart is.”
