Like most in the music community, it’s been a couple weeks but we’re still very much mourning the legend that was, and always will be, Brent Hinds. Mastodon have always been firmly camped in the metal world, but with melodic cromagnon vocals and myriads of winding, interlocking riffs that always set them apart. But from the very beginning, Hinds was set to transcend with out-of-place cowboy chords, hair-fractured melodies, and utterly breathtaking solos.
Loss rarely arrives at the opportune time, and it’s understandable that many feel as though Hinds passed at one of worst times imaginable – shit has been on a general downslope for a while, and losing the community’s ‘crazy uncle’ only makes the descent feel steeper. Also, before the easily offended start popping off, of course the man could be feral – he said things that made us angry, and upset a lot of people we know on various levels. In fact, a live engineer we’ve worked with for years told us the only band he’s ever pulled the power on intentionally was Mastodon, mostly due to Hinds. But throughout the chaos and bullshit, there was never a moment we didn’t love him for all he was.
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The unexpected passing of Brent Hinds takes us back to the loss of Trevor Strnad of Black Dahlia Murder. Both bands left a heavy imprint on our musical output at exactly the same time – 2009 during a family vacation to Maui. It might seem unlikely, but Crack the Skye and Ritual were played back to back damn near the entire time in our headphones while we struggled to appreciate the paradise around us. We were obsessed with the razor sharp evils of TBDM’s Ritual, but the towering, mystical properties of Crack the Skye kept us up at night. We always thought they’d be a riot together, and with both Trevor and Brent both now departed, we can only hope they’re out there making trouble with the greats.
Looking back at the lion’s share of his output i.e. Mastodon, Crack the Skye is arguably the crown jewel of Mastodon’s discography, and we’ll get to that in a way that doesn’t feel redundant momentarily. But Hinds was already raising eyebrows and melting guitar player faces everywhere with cuts like “Trilobite,” “Naked Burn,” and “Capillarian Crest,” all of which go far beyond the bounds of metal. It’s easy to see how players from all over the world, of all different styles, found inspiration in his spirited playing.
If you’ve read the anecdotes and stories pouring in, you’ll see various iterations of Hinds quoted as saying that he didn’t want to be remembered as a metal player, but as a person that helped bring country into metal. That’s no easy task, but in making good on that goal throughout his discography, most notably with wicked hybrid-picking technique, he did so much more. His leads and solos painted pictures his contemporaries could only dream of touching, and it wasn’t his technicality… just the pure soul, the pure humanity shining through. In a world where everyone wants to sound like the latest version of someone else, Brent Hinds chose himself, and that commitment made him a legend.
It was a hard list to make, but below you can find just ten of the moments we’ll be studying, marveling at, and doing our best to honor as guitarists for the rest of time.
“Thank You For This”
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“Trilobite”
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“Aqua Dementia”
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“Naked Burn”
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“Capillarian Crest”
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“Pendulous Skin”
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Crack the Skye
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“Jaguar God”
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“Cold Dark Place”
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“The Beast”
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