Mastodon’s drummer Brann Dailor has opened up about the band’s painful decision to let guitarist Brent Hinds go. He revealed the emotional toll the situation took on everyone involved. Dailor explained that he was initially reluctant to support the departure, hoping Hinds would find a way to turn things around. However, the mounting challenges became impossible to ignore.
“I was sort of the last hold out,” Dailor said. “I kind of was thinking he would be able to turn it around at some point, but I mean, how many times can you get up on stage with somebody, and go out there, and the person is just you can tell they’re just inebriated, you know? And you’re like this performance might fall apart.”
The decision weighed heavily on the entire band, who found themselves in an impossible position. Dailor emphasized that the choice came from a place of genuine care and concern, not malice or frustration. The band desperately wanted to see Hinds succeed and return to his best self. They recognized that continuing as they were would only enable destructive behavior.
“It was horrible, you know? It was really depressing and sad and fucked up,” Dailor reflected. “And we just wanted that beautiful, amazing creature, Brent Hinds, to be out there serving up the honey baked ham and screaming his head off and playing, ripping amazing, incredible, beautiful solos. We desperately wanted that guy, but he showed us time and time and time and time and time again that that person wasn’t coming back without some kind of dramatic change.”
The band ultimately made the decision to set boundaries. This was not punishment but a necessary step to protect their own mental health and, they hoped, to serve as a wake-up call for Hinds. “We really were coming from a place of love,” Dailor explained. “It’s like maybe this will be like some kind of bottom for him. You know what I mean? You never know. We had to set some boundaries and we had to take care of our own sort of mental health.”
What followed was a period of public tension that Dailor had anticipated but found difficult to witness. After his departure from the band, Hinds took to the internet to voice his frustrations. He made inflammatory statements about his former bandmates. Dailor acknowledged this development with a mixture of understanding and resignation, recognizing it as part of Hinds’ struggle rather than a reflection of his true feelings.
“[After his exit,] we’re all like, he’s, you know, talking shit on the internet, you know what I mean? And I knew that that was going to happen,” Dailor said. “And I just kind of rolled my eyes when I would see it and I’d be like, ‘Okay.’ But I knew like he didn’t mean any of that shit, and as soon as we saw each other, I’d be like, ‘Dude, what was all that bullshit?’ You know? He’d probably laugh and we’d hug and say, ‘I love you.’ and get back to it. That’s what I thought was going to happen.”
Mastodon announced Hinds’ departure in March 2025, initially characterizing it as a mutual decision. Hinds later disputed this account publicly, claiming he had been fired. He criticized his former bandmates in harsh terms, attacking their musicianship and character. Despite the public animosity, the band continued to honor Hinds’ legacy and their 25-year history together. They recognized the creative genius and personal warmth that defined their relationship over decades of making music.
The situation took a tragic turn when Hinds died on August 20, 2025, in a motorcycle accident near his Atlanta home. The loss devastated the band, who had hoped for reconciliation and a chance to rebuild their fractured relationship. Dailor later released a tribute song titled “Your Ghost Again,” with lyrics he personally wrote to honor Hinds’ profound impact on Mastodon and the metal community.
In the aftermath of Hinds’ passing, Mastodon has continued to perform his music and reflect on their shared history. This includes the early days when the band members slept in vans and pushed themselves to the limits of their endurance. The band has since brought in guitarist Nick Johnson while determining their path forward. They announced that their ninth studio album will arrive in 2026, marking a new chapter for the legendary metal outfit.
