Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor has responded to late guitarist Brent Hinds’ controversial 2015 statement about hating heavy metal.
Dailor addressed Hinds’ previous remark to Guitar Player magazine. Hinds had stated, “I f*cking hate heavy metal, and I don’t want to be in a heavy metal band” — a comment that drew significant backlash from the band’s fanbase at the time.
“Brent said a lot of things that he probably didn’t mean,” Dailor said. “He liked to talk some shit and stir the pot and get people’s blood boiling, I guess.”
Dailor went on to offer his perspective on what may have motivated Hinds to make such provocative statements.
“I feel like he felt he could control a situation if he threw a wrench,” he continued.
The comments come as Mastodon moves forward without Hinds, navigating both grief and a new chapter in the band’s history.
Mastodon’s ninth studio album, Marrow Deep, is set for release on August 28, 2026. The record marks the band’s first full-length project without Hinds. Founding members Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders, and Bill Kelliher steered the album alongside new guitarist Nick Johnston.
The band launched the album rollout with the single “Snakes For Dinner.” The accompanying music video features a guest appearance from Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, whom the band describes as a long-time friend.
Despite his provocative words about the genre over the years, Hinds’ legacy as a defining force in modern heavy metal remains firmly intact. His guitar work across Mastodon’s catalog — from Leviathan to Emperor of Sand — helped shape the band’s progressive, genre-defying sound that earned them a Grammy and widespread critical acclaim.
Marrow Deep arrives over 26 years after Mastodon’s formation. The album represents both a tribute to what Hinds helped build and a statement of resilience from a band determined to carry that legacy forward.
Source: The Guardian
