There are bands who write songs… and then there are bands who carve out their existence from adversity, grit, and sheer bloody-minded refusal to quit. The Mendenhall Experiment has always been the latter, and with their new EP Chasing Ghosts landing via Lucent Records / Tuff Gong International, December 5th, the California metal force is stepping firmly into its next era.
And at the heart of it all — as always — is Brandon Mendenhall. Guitarist. Bandleader. Disability advocate. And one of the most unstoppable humans in heavy music.
I recently sat down again with Brandon, almost a year since our last yarn, and what unfolded was an honest look at rebuilding, evolving, and letting the music sharpen itself through change and challenge.
“G’day legends…”
That’s how it kicked off — and right from the jump, you could feel the weight of the last two years lifting off Brandon’s shoulders. Because Chasing Ghosts wasn’t a straight line. In fact, it almost wasn’t anything at all.
THE EP THAT SURVIVED TWISTS, TURNS & A BAND REBIRTH
“We’ve been holding this EP close for a long time,” Brandon admits. “It went through a lot of twists and turns — what it was going to be, if it was going to come out at all…”
A big part of that turbulence centered around the band’s lineup shift. Elise stepped in for two EP cycles, helping carry the torch while longtime vocalist Mario stepped away to be a full-time dad to two kids born just nine months apart.
There’s no drama in Brandon’s tone — only clarity and gratitude:
“Hindsight is 20/20. Alyce basically served as a placeholder until Mario could get his life together. We supported him 100%. Now he’s back, and Chasing Ghosts really bridges all of that — the past, the present, and where we’re going next.”
The EP itself is a snapshot of a band in motion — seven tracks blending the early grit of The Mendenhall Project with a sharper, more evolved sonic focus. New energy. New intent. And a reunited lineup ready to push the next chapter harder than ever.
CHRIS COLLIER: THE SIXTH MEMBER PUSHING THE SOUND FORWARD
Every Mendenhall release has had one constant anchor: producer Chris Collier.
Brandon laughs when I bring him up — because Collier knows Brandon’s playing better than anyone alive.
“He knows my bar of limitations,” Brandon says. “And every time, he pushes me through the ceiling.”
Where many bands lean on a producer for polish, Chris Collier has become something else entirely — a guiding compass that sees the band’s future before the band sees it themselves.
“We call him the sixth member,” Brandon says. “He sees where the sound is going and pushes us there before we realize it.”
This time around, the focus wasn’t just on guitar riffs or shredding. It was songwriting evolution — pre-choruses, turnarounds, build-ups, the kind of compositional detail that takes a heavy band from good to great.
THE EVERTUNE REVOLUTION: TURNING DISABILITY INTO FIREPOWER
One of the most powerful parts of the conversation was Brandon opening up about the practical challenges of playing guitar with cerebral palsy — and how technology helped level the battlefield.
Because of tightness in his left hand, Brandon naturally pulls chords out of tune (what he calls “fret drag”). It’s not a mistake — it’s just the way his body moves.
But then came a game-changer: Evertune bridges.
“It was a happy accident,” he says. “Chris recommended I try an Evertune. Ibanez sent me one of Monkey’s signature models with the bridge… and it completely neutralised that part of my disability.”
The difference was instant.
The band stopped mid-rehearsal.
Brandon suddenly sounded cleaner, tighter, stronger.
From there, recording sessions transformed: “It cut my tracking time into a third.”
Less fighting with the mechanics.
More playing with purpose.
More room to grow as an artist.
And that’s really the heart of this entire EP cycle — evolution born out of resilience, innovation born out of necessity, and a band stronger because of it.
CHASING GHOSTS — BUT FINDING THEMSELVES
Chasing Ghosts releases December 5, and it stands as the band’s most honest snapshot of who they are right now: revitalised, reunited, and razor-focused.
You get the classic Mendenhall crunch.
You get the melodic bite.
You get the sharpened songwriting.
You get a band that has fought through lineup changes, personal storms, and life-altering moments — and somehow come out tighter on the other side.
Brandon Mendenhall’s story has never been about “inspiration” in the cliché sense. It’s about refusing to let the world define your limits — and building a band strong enough to crush those limits under its own momentum.
If Chasing Ghosts is the start of the next chapter…
then The Mendenhall Experiment aren’t just chasing ghosts.
They’re chasing greatness.
And they’re closer than ever.
The Mendenhall Experiment:
Brandon Mendenhall – Rhythm Guitarist
Mario Valadez – Vocalist
Nathan Stockton – Bassist
Cameron B. Casey – Percussionist
