Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher Makes First Comment on Brent Hinds Exit

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher has commented on fellow guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds‘ recent departure from the band after 25 years.

“What can you say about the legacy of Mastodon’s first 25 years with Brent?” Kelliher posed to Guitar World. “It’s been a fun, wild fucking ride, that’s for sure. We achieved a lot of things that I never in a million years would have imagined. There’s been Grammys, touring with our heroes like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Motorhead and Tool. I cherish all of that.”

He added: “Like a marriage, sometimes people grow apart and they get interested in other things. We wish nothing but the best for Brent in chasing his dreams.”

Mastodon announced last week that they and Hinds had “mutually decided to part ways,” adding that they were “deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we’ve shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.”

The Atlanta metal behemoths wasted no time getting back to the stage, performing at Tool’s Live in the Sand Festival last weekend with fill-in guitarist and YouTuber Ben Eller.

READ MORE: Who Is Ben Eller, the New Mastodon Fill-In Guitarist?

Bill Kelliher: ‘It’s Amazing That We Made It 25 Years With the Four of Us’

Kelliher marveled at the original Mastodon lineup’s quarter-century run, which yielded eight studio albums. “You know, it’s amazing that we made it 25 years with the four of us,” he told Guitar World. “I mean, it’s like being married to three other dudes, traveling the world, trying to stay the course and having everybody agree.”

“That we managed to do it this long, I feel like that’s a feat in itself,” he continued. “You could never replace any of us because we [are the] the sum of four parts.”

At the same time, Kelliher expressed optimism for Mastodon’s future. “That doesn’t mean there’s not someone else out there that has stuff to offer in a new direction,” he said. “I think I’ll just leave it there, you know? It was a hard decision we all had to make. It’s just … it was just time.”

Mastodon will embark on a U.S. co-headlining tour with Coheed and Cambria in May, featuring support from Periphery. Kelliher also told Guitar World last year that Mastodon were working on a follow-up to 2021’s Hushed and Grim.

For now, Kelliher said he and his bandmates “look forward to a new chapter of Mastodon.”