Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor recently addressed the band’s upcoming album Marrow Deep in an interview on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, revealing that none of former guitarist Brent Hinds’ musical ideas made it onto the record.
Dailor was responding to a question about whether any of Hinds’ pre-exit material had been included on the album, which is set for release on August 28.
“Unfortunately not,” Dailor said. “Really, for the last few records, we would try to get him to come down and contribute, but he was just kind of off doing his thing. He was riding his motorcycle around.”
“But we would always keep writing, and we would text him or I’d call him and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna be down there at the space. We’re gonna be writing. So, just letting you know. And if you wanna get down there with us and get your hands dirty, you’re more than welcome. We want you to be more involved,'” he explained.
Dailor noted that Hinds had personal challenges at the time. “He had a lot going on in his life as well, and he was going through some things personally that were tough, and so we understood that, and we were just giving him as much grace as we could and just always leaving the door open.”
He added that the remaining members continued writing regardless. “We are three creative people that the faucet just doesn’t turn off, and so we just wanted to be, like, ‘Hey, man, we’re gonna keep on writing, and we’re very excited for you to get in on this stuff,’ and always left that door open. But, unfortunately, for the last bunch of months of touring and while we were working on the skeletons of the songs that became ‘Marrow Deep’, he just was kind of nowhere to be found within those writing sessions.”
As a result, Dailor confirmed that the new album is entirely a product of the band’s core trio. “We don’t have any material from him that is on the new record. So it’s solely the three of us kind of creating everything from the ground up, and then getting the new members involved towards the end to sort of, quote-unquote, ‘punch up’ the songs that existed and really get them to be as good as they possibly could be with Joao and Nick Johnston on guitar.”
Marrow Deep marks Mastodon’s ninth studio album and their first full-length release since Hinds’ departure and death in 2025. The record arrives on August 28 via Loma Vista Recordings, serving as the follow-up to 2021’s Hushed and Grim.
The album introduces guitarist Nick Johnston as Hinds’ replacement, with Joao Nogueira contributing keyboard parts and becoming a full-time member. The band had been touring with Johnston for about a year and a half before entering the studio, which allowed for a natural integration of his playing style into the group’s dynamic.
Dailor has described Marrow Deep as an album shaped by grief and loss, but also as a record about moving forward. The tragic death of Hinds, who passed away when his motorcycle collided with an SUV in Atlanta, cast a heavy shadow over the creative process.
The record is dedicated to the memory of William Brent Hinds and Michele J Lawrence, Dailor’s mother. The title itself references the depth of the loss the band experienced, though the music ultimately pushes toward resilience and renewal.
With the new lineup settled and the trio’s writing chemistry intact, Mastodon appears poised to enter a new chapter. The addition of Johnston and Nogueira has brought fresh energy to the band’s sound, something Dailor pointed to as a crucial element in elevating the final product.
