Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has shared a heartfelt tribute to late Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds. He revealed details about their close friendship and unique “father-son” dynamic in a statement posted on Instagram.
The tribute focused on their years of friendship and the special bond they developed while touring together.
“Brent Hinds is gone. An incredible musician. A force of nature. Our friend. My friend,” Åkerfeldt said. “I reached out to the boys in my band delivering the tragic news and my phone has been buzzing every 10 seconds since.”
Åkerfeldt explained how their father-son relationship developed during their time on the road together.
“I like to think we got to know each other quite well. Brent demanded attention (and got it) every time he stepped into our dressing room or bus, which was quite often, I’d might add,” he continued. “Fred and him would jam backstage. I’d keep an eye on him/them and their usual tour-shenanigans to the point where Brent started calling me ‘Dad,’ and I was calling him ‘Son.'”
The Opeth frontman also shared intimate details about their conversations and Hinds’ approach to performance anxiety.
“We often talked about stage nerves. How nervousness can be good, but also, if bad, how it can hinder your performance,” Åkerfeldt said. “The latter sensation manifested itself as a fictional person: ‘Peter.’ Brent would go: ‘Peter was on stage tonight, and that f*cker sucks ass’ when he had a bad show.”
Åkerfeldt recalled their final meeting, which took place at Opeth’s Atlanta show on October 22, 2024.
“The ‘Dad-Son’ thing stuck over the years. I last saw Brent when he came to our show in Atlanta. He walks in and goes ‘What’s up Pops?’ It’s a very, very bright memory but it makes me numb with sadness right now, thinking about it,” he said.
The statement concluded with condolences to Hinds’ family, friends, and the Mastodon community. Åkerfeldt noted that he couldn’t yet write about Hinds in past tense.
Hinds’ death marks the end of a remarkable career that helped shape modern progressive metal. Q94.5 All Rock reported that Hinds was known for his innovative guitar style that blended banjo fingerpicking with heavy metal techniques, creating a unique sound that became Mastodon’s signature.
The guitarist co-founded Mastodon in 2000 and helped the band achieve critical acclaim with albums such as Leviathan, Blood Mountain, and Crack the Skye. AARP noted that the band won a Grammy Award in 2018 for Best Metal Performance with “Sultan’s Curse,” cementing their place in metal history.
After 25 years with Mastodon, Hinds and the band mutually parted ways in March 2025, shortly before his untimely death. Economic Times confirmed that Hinds died in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta on August 20, 2025. A BMW SUV failed to yield at an intersection and struck his motorcycle.
His passing sent shockwaves through the music community. He was regarded as a force behind progressive metal’s evolution and a versatile musician involved in several side projects such as Fiend Without a Face and Giraffe Tongue Orchestra. The loss of such an innovative artist has left an irreplaceable void in the metal world.
