Ex-Mastodon Guitarist Brent Hinds Dead At 51 After Motorcycle Crash In Atlanta
Hinds left Mastodon earlier this year
We've got some sad news out of the world of hard rock and heavy metal with word that former Mastodon guitarist and co-lead vocalist Brent Hinds has died as a result of a motorcycle accident in Atlanta.
He was just 51-years-old.
According to Atlanta News First, Hinds was riding his Harley-Davidson on Wednesday night when he was involved in a crash with a BMW SUV that reportedly failed to yield while making a turn at an intersection.
Hinds' former Mastodon bandmates posted the news on social media.
Hinds was one of the founders of Mastodon along with bassist Troy Sanders, drummer Brann Dailor, and guitarist Bill Kelliher, and they became one of the biggest metal bands out there. Over the years, their musical style evolved from sludge metal, as heard on their early albums like Remission and Blood Mountain, to a more accessible sound on albums like Once More 'Round The Sun and Emperor of Sand.
If you want Mastodon at their finest, listen to their albums Leviathan and Crack the Skye. They're both concept albums, with the former based on Moby Dick and the latter about astral projection and time traveling back to the time of Czarist Russia and Rasputin. Both are masterpieces.
Hinds left Mastodon earlier this year, with the remaining band members saying it was a mutual decision to part ways, something Hinds later disputed.
A big reason the band could handle a variety of styles was Hinds' playing and his vocals. His country and blues-influenced style of guitar playing worked well with the band's crushing, complex riffs and songs. It's one of the things that set Mastodon apart from everyone else.
In addition to Mastodon, Hinds had a rockabilly band called Fiend Without a Face and was a member of a pair of supergroups, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra and Legend of the Seagullmen.
We send our best to Hinds' friends, family, fans, and bandmates during this difficult time.
RIP.