Mastodon just finished album number nine — their first without founding guitarist Brent Hinds

Mastodon has wrapped their ninth studio album — and it's the first without founding guitarist Brent Hinds, who left the band in March 2025 before his tragic death in a motorcycle accident five months later ^*. The new record features touring guitarist Nick Johnston and contains zero material from Hinds, who had already stopped showing up to the practice space before his departure ^*. Drummer Brann Dailor confirmed the album is finished and will drop sometime in 2026, marking the band's first LP in five years since *Hushed and Grim* ^†.

The recording process was brutal for the band on multiple levels. Dailor described it as emotionally difficult, compounded by the death of his own mother during the album's creation ^*†. Meanwhile, the material itself represents roughly two years of work, all developed after Hinds had become increasingly difficult to engage with band activities ^*†. According to Duane Trucks, Hinds had an unreleased solo album in the vault before his death ^*.

Mastodon isn't wasting time getting back on the road — they've got European tour dates lined up for summer 2026 and festival slots at Louder Than Life in Louisville and Sick New World in Fort Worth locked in for fall ^*†. No official release date yet, but the band's clearly ready to move forward with this new chapter, however heavy the circumstances that brought it about.

Source Articles:
^* Mastodon completes first album without founding guitarist Brent Hinds — Isabella Ambrosio, Metal Injection, May 11, 2026 — https://metalinjection.net/upcoming-releases/mastodon-confirm-new-record-without-brent-hinds-is-finished
^† Mastodon announces ninth studio album for 2026 release — Langdon Hickman, Consequence, May 11, 2026 — https://consequence.net/2026/05/brann-dailor-mastodon-new-album-2026/