Mastodon has announced Marrow Deep, its tenth studio album, alongside the release of the new single "Your Ghost Again." Arriving five years after Hushed and Grim, the record marks the beginning of a new era for the band, now featuring Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and guitarist Nick Johnston, with significant contributions from keyboardist João Nogueira.
The album was created during one of the most challenging periods in the band's history. In an official statement, the members explained that personal loss and the process of rebuilding their lives became the creative foundation of the record.
"It's rare that there isn't some tragedy fueling the creative engine that is Mastodon," Troy Sanders said. "For Brann and me, as lyricists, those experiences become something honest, authentic, and relatable because we're not afraid to share the things that, ultimately, everyone goes through."
Bill Kelliher echoed that sentiment, describing the band's music as a way of processing life's hardest experiences.
"I wish we could write a happy record, but these things just keep happening. I think the music we make works like medicine. It's deeply therapeutic, and I think our fans expect that from us. We're all human, and we all go through the same things: cancer, death, accidents."
The album's first single, "Your Ghost Again," is dedicated to former guitarist Brent Hinds and Michele Lawrence, the mother of Brann Dailor, both of whom, according to the band, passed away in 2025. The song reflects on the lasting presence of loved ones and the ways their memory continues to shape everyday life.
Dailor explained that the song emerged from experiences he had while recording the album.
"During the recording sessions, I kept seeing Brent. I'd look to my right and there he'd be holding his guitar, exactly where he always stood. The same thing happens with my mom—I still see her. For a brief moment you feel overwhelming joy because you think they're really there, and then reality comes crashing back. Those two relationships became the heart of this song."
Themes of grief also run through "Snakes for Dinner," which Dailor described as another reflection on absence and the emptiness left behind after losing someone close.
Beyond introducing a new lineup, Marrow Deep features an extensive list of guest musicians. Josh Homme appears on "Snakes for Dinner," Neil Fallon contributes to "Three Fates," Randy Blythe and Nate Newton provide guest vocals on "A Vampire's Demeanor," Ben Koller performs percussion on "Barbarians Blood," while Geezer Butler performs the introduction to "The Vanishing," which also features guest vocals from Joe Duplantier.
The album's concept draws heavily from the Three Fates of Greek mythology, whose role is to determine the destiny of every human being. The cover artwork was created by longtime Mastodon collaborator Paul Romano, continuing one of the band's longest creative partnerships.
Marrow Deep was recorded at the band's West End Sound studio in Atlanta and co-produced by Mastodon, Patrik Berger, and Kurt Ballou. Mixing duties were handled by Andrew Scheps, whose production credits include Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Adele.
For Troy Sanders, the album also reflects the band's renewed sense of purpose.
"Bill, Brann and I are grateful that we still get to do this. The new members are incredibly excited to be part of Mastodon. That energy reminds us of the band's earliest days—everyone hungry to create, united, and eager to get back to work."
