Mastodon co-founder Bill Kelliher has confirmed that guitarist Nick Johnston will play a significant role on the band’s upcoming album, marking a new creative chapter following the passing of longtime guitarist Brent Hinds. The news was shared in a recent interview with Blunt Mag.
Kelliher explained the band’s current creative process and how Johnston is contributing to the new material alongside keyboardist João ‘Rasta’ Nogueira.
“I own a studio, so we’ll demo the stuff at my house, and we’ll bring it to my studio with my engineer,” Kelliher said. “Then we bring in Nick and João [‘Rasta’ Nogueira], the keyboard player, and we start jamming the songs and say, ‘You wanna add something? Please add whatever you want in here.’ It still needs the touch of the other guys, but there are also these whole new songs that Nick is bringing in. So it’s a combination of both.”
Kelliher emphasized that while Johnston’s full integration will be more apparent on future releases, his presence is already being felt on the forthcoming record.
“It won’t be until the next record, after this one, I think, where it really will be more Nick being in there,” he continued. “He’s gonna be on the new record, for sure, yes. He’s writing like crazy. I’m writing like crazy. We’re so full of energy. We just don’t wanna get lost. I’m, like, ‘Let’s concentrate on the songs that we have that we had before Nick joined and get those out with their help.’ It’s a little lopsided still, because he’s only just joined the band. But it’s still gonna be fucking awesome. I’m so excited. Everything that we’ve been demoing is incredible.”
Johnston’s addition to Mastodon comes after a transitional period for the band following Hinds’ departure. The process of finding a replacement was carefully considered given Hinds’ unique contribution to the band’s sound over the years.
MetalSucks reported that YouTuber and Mastodon superfan Ben Eller briefly stepped in as a stand-in for live performances, including at the Tool in the Sand festival, before Johnston was officially brought on board for touring and recording. Eller’s temporary role helped the band maintain their touring schedule during the transition period.
Kelliher has been candid about the challenges of replacing Hinds. As noted by Blabbermouth, he described Hinds as an “extremely unique player” whose shoes are “really hard to fill.” The guitarist’s distinctive style and creative approach had been integral to Mastodon’s sound since the band’s formation.
Johnston brings his own impressive credentials to the role. Guitar World highlighted that the Canadian guitarist has built a reputation as a skilled instrumentalist with a strong solo career before joining Mastodon. His technical proficiency and creative approach have already begun to influence the band’s new material.
The band is currently working on balancing material written before Johnston joined with new contributions from the guitarist. With both Kelliher and Johnston writing prolifically, the upcoming album promises to showcase both the band’s established sound and fresh creative directions.
