A band staring death in the fucking face and deciding to keep marching

Released: August 28, 2026
Label: Loma Vista Recordings
Album: Ninth studio album
Length: Approximately 65 minutes
Genre: Progressive Metal / Sludge Metal / Heavy Metal
Rating: 9/10

There are albums you throw on because you want some fucking noise. There are albums you throw on because you want riffs. And then there are albums that carry some serious emotional weight behind them.

Mastodon’s Marrow Deep is one of those records.

This isn’t simply Mastodon’s ninth album. This is the record where one of the biggest bands in modern metal had to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and work out what the fuck Mastodon was going to sound like without one of the men who helped build the whole damn thing.

Because Marrow Deep is the first Mastodon studio album without founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds.

After everything that happened, that fact hangs over this record like a fucking storm cloud.

But Marrow Deep isn’t an album about sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. It’s about grief, loss, regret and remembering people who aren’t here anymore.

Most importantly, though, it’s about still being fucking alive.

THE STORY BEHIND MARROW DEEP

To understand Marrow Deep, you have to understand what Mastodon went through before these songs ever reached our ears.

The band had already been dealing with enormous personal loss throughout their career. Crack the Skye was deeply connected to the death of Brann Dailor’s sister Skye. The Hunter carried the weight of the death of Brent Hinds’ brother. Emperor of Sand explored mortality and cancer, while Hushed and Grim emerged from the death of Mastodon’s longtime manager and close friend Nick John.

Grief has never exactly been a stranger to Mastodon.

But Marrow Deep is different.

In early 2025, Mastodon and Brent Hinds parted ways after 25 years together. Then, on August 20, 2025, Hinds was killed in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta.

Roughly two weeks later, Mastodon began recording what would become Marrow Deep.

That’s fucking brutal.

These guys had just gone through the incredibly difficult process of separating from a founding member, and then suddenly that person was gone forever. There was never going to be another conversation. No reunion somewhere down the road. No opportunity to eventually sort their shit out.

He was gone, and that changes everything.

At the same time, Brann Dailor was dealing with the death of his mother, Michele, while Troy Sanders and his family had suffered catastrophic flooding to their Florida home during Hurricane Helene.

So you have three musicians who have spent decades making music together walking into a studio carrying a fucking truckload of emotional baggage.

Somehow, they turned it into this.

THE NEW MASTODON

BRANN DAILOR – DRUMS / VOCALS

Brann remains one of the absolute monsters behind the kit, but on Marrow Deep his drumming feels particularly alive.

There are moments where he is absolutely fucking flying around that kit, reminding everyone why his playing on records such as Crack the Skye became such a huge part of Mastodon’s identity.

Then there’s his voice.

With Brent gone, there is more room for Brann’s cleaner vocals to sit alongside Troy Sanders’ rougher delivery. It gives Mastodon a different vocal balance.

It isn’t necessarily better or worse.

It’s different.

Considering everything Brann was going through while this record came together, there’s an emotional edge to his performance that is difficult to ignore.

TROY SANDERS – BASS / VOCALS

Troy’s bass has always been one of Mastodon’s secret weapons.

It isn’t simply sitting underneath the guitars. It’s fucking everywhere.

His vocals remain another defining characteristic of the Mastodon sound, and across Marrow Deep Troy moves between aggression, sadness and reflection in a way that fits the material perfectly.

There is history buried inside the writing too. The riff sitting at the heart of “In the Ruins” dates back to the Leviathan era.

That’s a piece of music that has been hanging around the Mastodon universe for more than 20 years before finally finding its home on the album representing the biggest change in the band’s history.

There’s something strangely perfect about that.

BILL KELLIHER – GUITARS

Bill is now the only remaining founding guitarist, and that alone puts an enormous amount of responsibility on his shoulders.

Nobody expects Bill Kelliher to suddenly become Brent Hinds.

Thankfully, he doesn’t try.

Bill continues providing that enormous, filthy Mastodon guitar sound while allowing this new incarnation of the band to develop its own identity.

The fingerprints of his songwriting are all over Marrow Deep, while the resurrection of that old Leviathan era idea for “In the Ruins” creates a fascinating connection between Mastodon’s past and whatever comes next.

NICK JOHNSTON – GUITARS / BACKING VOCALS

This is where things get really fucking interesting.

Nick Johnston is Mastodon’s new guitarist.

But he isn’t Brent Hinds, and he isn’t trying to be.

That’s incredibly important.

Johnston reportedly arrived having already learned around 20 Mastodon songs and made his intentions pretty clear: he wasn’t there to fill Brent’s shoes. He wanted to help write the future of Mastodon.

That is exactly what he does.

His guitar work brings a different flavour to the band. There’s technical ability, melody and some seriously tasty lead playing, but instead of attempting to recreate Brent’s unpredictable madness, Johnston establishes his own identity.

That was exactly what Mastodon needed.

JOÃO NOGUEIRA – KEYBOARDS / SYNTHESIZERS

João Nogueira has spent years touring alongside Mastodon, but on Marrow Deep his role becomes integral to the band itself.

The synths and keys are a massive part of why this record feels different.

Sometimes psychedelic. Sometimes atmospheric. Sometimes just fucking strange.

Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what you want from Mastodon.

THE TRACKS

1. BARBARIANS BLOOD

The album doesn’t fuck around.

“Barbarians Blood” kicks the door in with an aggressive and filthy opening that immediately reminds you Mastodon haven’t forgotten how to throw some serious weight around.

There’s an old school quality here that reaches back toward the Remission, Leviathan and Blood Mountain years.

It’s angry. It’s heavy.

And it’s a fucking statement.

This isn’t Mastodon cautiously stepping into their new era.

They’re grabbing it by the throat.

2. POISONOUS WEAPONS

If the opening track punches you in the face, “Poisonous Weapons” walks over and kicks you while you’re down.

This is a slower, heavier crusher. Troy’s bass carries some serious weight and his vocals sound fucking pissed, but melodic and atmospheric moments continue moving beneath all that heaviness.

That is something Mastodon have always been brilliant at.

They can make something crushing without simply making it loud.

“Poisonous Weapons” feels like a band turning pain into something physical.

3. YOUR GHOST AGAIN

This is one of the most important songs on the album and probably one of its most emotionally direct.

“Your Ghost Again” is about exactly what the title suggests.

Someone is gone.

But they’re still fucking everywhere.

There’s a spiralling sludge and progressive aggression here that takes you straight back toward classic Mastodon territory before the atmospheric elements begin creeping in.

Suddenly, you aren’t simply hearing a metal song. You’re hearing somebody wrestling with memories, regret and someone who isn’t coming back.

Knowing what happened to Brent makes this one hit a hell of a lot harder.

4. SNAKES FOR DINNER – FEAT. JOSH HOMME

Then Mastodon decide to bring Josh Homme into the equation.

Because apparently this album wasn’t stacked enough already.

Homme’s appearance actually makes perfect sense. Mastodon and Queens of the Stone Age have always shared an ability to make heavy music groove rather than simply bludgeon the listener.

“Snakes for Dinner” has that swagger.

It’s weird, catchy and atmospheric, and Homme sounds completely at home inside the Mastodon universe.

It’s one of those collaborations where you don’t sit there wondering, “Why the fuck is Josh Homme on a Mastodon song?”

You just think:

Yep. This works.

5. OUT LIKE A LAMB

“Out Like a Lamb” starts pulling things back, and it’s here that Mastodon allow more of the emotional side of Marrow Deep to come through.

It is reflective and melodic without losing the muscle underneath it.

Nick Johnston also gets more space to show what he can do. His guitar playing isn’t an imitation of Brent. It’s melodic, technical and distinctly his own.

That becomes one of the biggest strengths of Marrow Deep.

Mastodon aren’t pretending the past didn’t happen.

They’re building something new from the fucking wreckage.

6. IN THE RUINS

Remember that old ass Bill Kelliher riff?

Here it fucking is.

A piece of Mastodon history dating back to the Leviathan era finally gets dragged out of the cupboard and turned into something worthy of the idea.

The song begins from a more reflective place before gradually becoming something much bigger.

It also captures much of the emotional movement running through the entire album:

Grief. Reflection. Anger. Release.

That’s basically the emotional fucking blueprint of Marrow Deep.

7. THEY’RE COMING FOR YOU

This is one of the more aggressive moments on the record, with paranoia and tension running right through it.

It might not be the biggest or most instantly memorable song on Marrow Deep, but it plays an important role in keeping the middle of the album moving.

That matters on a Mastodon record because these bastards have never been interested in writing twelve versions of the same song.

Things constantly shift.

8. GOLDEN SPIRES

This is where Brann Dailor reminds everybody that he is a fucking machine.

The drumming across “Golden Spires” is ridiculous.

There is progressive complexity everywhere, but it never disappears into pointless musical masturbation. There is also a spacious and atmospheric quality to the song that demonstrates just how far Mastodon have travelled from the filthy sludge monsters of their early years.

The aggression, however, is still sitting there underneath it all.

9. MOTH AND BONE

“Moth and Bone” carries one of the more melancholy moods on the record.

Lyrically and emotionally, it feels like another reflection on loss.

But underneath it is something that becomes increasingly important the deeper you travel into Marrow Deep:

Mastodon aren’t defeated.

People are gone. Things have changed. The band has been through hell.

But they’re still standing.

That makes the song hit harder than simply being another sad fucking metal song.

10. A VAMPIRE’S DEMEANOR

Now we’re back to some serious aggression.

“A Vampire’s Demeanor” has a harder, more old school Mastodon edge before the guest voices arrive.

Randy Blythe of Lamb of God.

Nate Newton of Converge.

Because apparently Mastodon looked at the guest list and thought, “Fuck it. Let’s get half the metal scene involved.”

Those additional voices give the track even more punch.

It’s nasty. It’s aggressive.

And it sounds like a band remembering how much fun it can be to make really fucking heavy music.

11. THE VANISHING

This might be the most emotionally significant song on the entire record.

And this is where things get fucking special.

Because Geezer Butler plays bass.

Yes.

Fucking Geezer Butler.

The Black Sabbath legend opens “The Vanishing” with a bass contribution that immediately connects Mastodon back to one of the foundations upon which heavy music itself was built.

Then you add Joe Duplantier of Gojira on vocals.

So we now have Mastodon, Gojira and Geezer fucking Butler all colliding in the same song.

But underneath the metal pedigree and huge names is something far more important: another piece of an album built from grief, memory and the people whose influence continues long after they are gone.

That gives “The Vanishing” a weight no guest list could manufacture on its own.

12. THE THREE FATES

Mastodon close Marrow Deep with a nearly eight minute journey through “The Three Fates.”

The Three Fates come from Greek mythology.

Clotho spins the thread of life.

Lachesis measures it.

Atropos cuts it.

Suddenly, the entire album starts making even more sense.

Life. Death. Fate. The people who enter our lives. The people who leave them.

And the fact that none of us gets to decide exactly how long our fucking thread is.

Neil Fallon from Clutch appears with spoken vocals, creating another fantastic connection given Mastodon’s long friendship and history with Clutch.

Rather than ending the album with some massive and obvious metal explosion, Mastodon allow “The Three Fates” to breathe.

It feels more like reflection than victory.

But there’s still hope underneath it.

The thread hasn’t been cut yet.

They’re still here.

WHY MARROW DEEP MATTERS

This is where Marrow Deep becomes more than simply another Mastodon record.

Brent Hinds wasn’t just some bloke who used to play guitar in the band.

He was one of the fucking faces of Mastodon.

His guitar playing, vocals, songwriting, personality, unpredictability, madness and brilliance all helped make Mastodon what they became.

Now he’s gone.

There is no replacing that, and I don’t think Mastodon are trying to.

Instead, they’ve accepted that the band has changed.

That’s why Nick Johnston matters so much. That’s why João Nogueira matters. And that’s why Marrow Deep sounds like a new chapter rather than a band desperately attempting to recreate its past.

The new lineup has brought a sense of renewed hunger and unity into Mastodon.

After everything they’ve been through, the simplest idea might also be the most powerful:

They’re still here.

Still making music.

Still getting on stage.

Still creating.

Still Mastodon.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BRENT HINDS

There’s no pretending Brent isn’t missing.

You can hear it.

Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s simply a feeling.

His absence leaves a hole in Mastodon’s sound, but there is another side to that change.

Without attempting to copy him, the remaining members have more room.

Brann’s voice has more room.

Troy’s voice has more room.

Bill’s guitar has more room.

Nick brings his own identity.

João adds another atmospheric dimension.

So Marrow Deep isn’t simply:

Mastodon without Brent.

It’s:

Mastodon after Brent.

And there’s a massive fucking difference.

This isn’t them trying to recreate what they had.

It’s them figuring out what comes next.

THE FINAL VERDICT

Mastodon – Marrow Deep is fucking heavy.

But the heaviness isn’t only coming from the guitars.

It’s coming from everything sitting behind this record.

The grief. The loss. The memories. The anger. The guilt. The uncertainty.

And finally, survival.

This album could have been a fucking disaster.

It could have been a collection of sad songs written by musicians trying to work out what the hell to do after losing somebody who had been intertwined with their lives for 25 years.

Instead, Mastodon have turned all that shit into something powerful.

Is it the same Mastodon we heard on Leviathan?

No.

And it shouldn’t be.

Is Brent Hinds missed?

Fuck yes.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is kidding themselves.

But Mastodon have done something incredibly important with Marrow Deep. They have honoured what came before without becoming prisoners of it.

Nick Johnston isn’t Brent.

And he’s not supposed to be.

He’s part of whatever Mastodon becomes next.

Ultimately, that’s what Marrow Deep is about.

Not death.

Not really.

It’s about what the fuck you do after death.

After losing someone. After losing part of yourself. After your world changes.

You either stop.

Or you keep moving.

Mastodon chose to keep moving.

And they did it fucking loud.

Mastodon are still here.

After everything they’ve been through, that might be the most important thing this album says.

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

Best tracks:
Barbarians Blood
Your Ghost Again
Snakes for Dinner
Out Like a Lamb
Golden Spires
The Vanishing
The Three Fates

For fans of: Progressive metal, sludge metal, psychedelic metal, old school Mastodon and anyone who likes their metal with a bit of fucking emotional damage.

Bottom line: Marrow Deep isn’t simply Mastodon’s next album after tragedy.

It’s their rebirth.

Stream/buy ***Marrow Deep ***here: https://i.mastodonrocks.com/marrowdeep
Watch the video for Snakes For Dinner here: https://i.mastodonrocks.com/snakesfordinnermv
Watch the visual for Your Ghost Again here: https://i.mastodonrocks.com/yourghostagainviz
Watch the Your Ghost Again visual: https://i.mastodonrocks.com/yourghostagainviz
Watch the Mastodon In The Room short film: https://i.mastodonrocks.com/mastodonintheroom