Nearly six months after parting ways with Mastodon, co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds has finally broken his silence, confirming he was effectively “kicked out” of the band.
Hinds helped establish the Atlanta heavy-metal outfit in 2000 alongside bassist-vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor, a lineup that remained intact from 2001 onward.
In March, Mastodon issued a statement noting that, after “25 monumental years together,” the parties had “mutually agreed to go their separate ways.”
The band’s official message expressed deep gratitude for their shared achievements, wishing Hinds “nothing but success and happiness” and pledging to carry forward Mastodon’s legacy for their fans.
By June, Hinds had hinted at lingering tension, posting on social media that he wouldn’t “miss being in a s–t band with horrible humans.”
Most recently, in response to an Instagram clip of Mastodon’s 2012 performance of “Crack the Skye” in Silver Spring, Maryland, Hinds unloaded a pointed critique:
“My guitar sounds great, but Troy and prawn sound absolutely horrible. They are way out of key — embarrassing — and they kicked me out of the band for embarrassing them for being who I am. But what about who they are? They can’t sing live or in the studio without autotune.”
He added, “F–k these guys. Only I know who they really are. They’re the biggest fans of themselves. I’ve never met three people so full of themselves — it’s disgusting,” then wryly conceded, “Not saying I can sing tho.”
Although Mastodon has not directly addressed these remarks, drummer Brann Dailor reportedly reshared a fan’s recent live clip, captioning it, “Sounds in key to me.”
Over their 25-year career, Mastodon has charted nine albums on the Billboard 200, with three Top 10 entries: The Hunter (2011), One More ‘Round the Sun (2014) and Emperor of Sand (2017). The latter two both claimed No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart, and the band’s six Grammy nominations yielded a win in 2018 for Best Metal Performance with “Sultan’s Curse.”
