MASTODON have officially completed their long-awaited ninth studio album, according to drummer and vocalist Brann Dailor. The record will become the band’s first release without founding guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds, who left the group in March 2025 before dying in a motorcycle accident later that year.
Speaking to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Dailor described the making of the album as one of the most emotionally difficult periods the band has ever experienced. During the process, the drummer dealt with the loss of his mother, internal turmoil surrounding Hinds’ departure, and eventually the guitarist’s death, all of which heavily shaped the material.
Dailor explained that the core ideas and skeletons of the record had already existed for nearly two years, but the emotional circumstances surrounding the band slowed and complicated the process considerably. According to him, all of that pain and uncertainty ended up directly embedded into the music itself.
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Rather than speaking bitterly about the situation, Dailor remembered Hinds as a free spirit who simply wanted to follow his own path, even if it became difficult for the rest of the band to maintain momentum creatively.
Brent Hinds died on August 20, 2025 in Atlanta after a motorcycle accident involving a Harley-Davidson and an SUV near downtown Atlanta. Investigators later reported that the musician had been speeding at the time of the crash.
The upcoming album will also mark the studio involvement of guitarist Nick Johnston, who initially joined MASTODON as a touring musician and reportedly contributed to the final recording sessions. That alone makes the record one of the most important transitional moments in the band’s modern history.
While no official release date or album title has been announced yet, Brann Dailor’s comments strongly suggest the record will serve as a deeply emotional reflection of one of the darkest chapters MASTODON has faced since forming more than two decades ago.