AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 26: Nick Johnston and Bill Kelliher of Mastodon perform during LEVITATION Festival at the Palmer Events Center on September 26, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images)
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Marrow Deep, the ninth studio album from the renown American heavy metal band Mastodon was announced earlier this week, and it’s already shaping to be one of the most highly anticipated metal records of 2026. Set to release on August 28th, Mastodon’s upcoming studio album comes off the heels of the band’s recent lineup change and tragedy.
Shortly after parting ways with guitarist, vocalist and co-founder Brent Hinds in March 2025, Hinds was later killed in a motorcycle accident on August 20th. Hinds played a pivotal role in crafting Mastodon’s amalgamative heavy metal sound over the last 20 years. His adoration for blues and country music always cut through Mastodon’s melting pot of influences, and to no surprise, fans have been left wondering how this new album will turn out without his contributions.
Mastodon Begin A New Era With 2026 LP Marrow Deep
Now with a new core lineup and their ninth studio album on the way, Mastodon have kicked off a new era of the band. Firstly, the band has added both guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist João Nogueira as full time members to the band. Johnston contributed to the band’s upcoming studio album, which the band began writing shortly after he joined as a touring member in 2025. Keyboardist Nogueira has been touring with band since 2021, and while it was it was unclear whether he’d permanently joined the band, Mastodon feature Nogueira in their latest press photos and he has a keyboard solo on their latest single.
Mastodon Release Another Single From Marrow Deep
Following the announcement of the album, Mastodon put out their second single “Snakes For Dinner.” Similar to their first single “Your Ghost Again,” the production on “Snakes For Dinner” packs a punch particularly on the drum production and intricate guitar riffs. Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme also makes a noteworthy appearance towards the backend of the track, delivering a hypnotic outro that sure to please any QOTSA fan. Renown heavy music producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou is said to have produced Mastodon’s latest LP along with Patrik Berger. If anything these two singles feel like a noticeable step up from the band’s last outing. There seems to be more nuance in the production and high energy in the songwriting so far, which felt like the main inconsistencies on 2021’s Hushed and Grim.
Mastodon Address Brent Hinds’ Absence
While the band had replaced Hinds with guitarist Nick Johnston following his exit from the band in Spring 2025, Mastodon hadn’t been open to fans about why they decided to part ways with Hinds. In an effort to open up to the fans and unpack their 20 plus year experience with Hinds, Mastodon released the short YouTube documentary “The Mastodon in the Room.” It’s a fantastic video but it’s not an easy watch. Members Brann Dailor, Troy Sanders, and Bill Kelliher reflect on their emotions following Hinds death and they each share very personal details on what it was like being in a band with Hinds, both the ups and the downs, the latter of which seems to have been persistent in Hinds’ last few years in the band.
This aspect is important to note, as Mastodon openly express how little involved Hinds was with the band over the last album cycle, 2021’s Hushed and Grim. While we’ll never get to hear Hinds’ side of the story, for many longtime fans Hushed and Grim felt like the first weak point in the band’s discography, and one can’t help but wonder if that had anything to do with the band operating without the chemistry the once had.
Bottom Line
With Mastodon getting ready to kick off their next album cycle and embark on this new iteration of the band, it’s all bittersweet. Hinds was such a strong force in Mastodon and it’s hard to imagine a Mastodon without him, though after watching the band’s latest documentary it seems Hinds had already been emotionally absent from the band for sometime before his departure. Based on the two singles, Marrow Deep is sounding more promising. The additions of Nick Johnston and João Nogueira are both great, and it’ll be interesting to see how they can elevate the band with their own unique musicianship approaches to songwriting.